"Theres some people that you just cant trust, but some people talk way too much. Take my advice, and Listen Up! Don't be a fool like the rest of us."

- The Gossip 'Listen Up!'

Out of Character

Basics

Family/Relationships

Appearance

Out of all of Jade’s siblings, he is by far the one who takes the most after their father. Five feet and eight inches on a good day, he has the standard Japanese coloring, the dark brown eyes shaped like almonds. To look at him you would think him pure Japanese. Naturally, his hair black, just like his father’s. And also like his father, he was gifted with very androgynous features.

However as much as he looked like his father in the beginning, he spent his teen and young adult years trying to remedy that. Piercings and tattoos, abnormal haircuts (buzzed down on the sides currently so he can gel his hair up into a rather insane Mohawk is he wants), not to mention his clothing choices. Being gay, he has no qualms in adding feminine items to his wardrobe, nor does he care if he is mistaken for female. He also is in need of glasses. He is constantly alternating between contacts and glasses, depending on mood, laziness and if his allergies are acting up.

His manner of dress is eccentric at best. He takes skater clothes, punk, goth, ghetto styles and he throws them together in his own, unique way. He’ll even add in some dress up items. Whatever looks good together, he’ll wear. He definitely is one to stand out, for sure.

TATTOOS: Fingers (6 Astrological symbols, one for each member of his family | Right Middle Three: ♊, ♍ & ♈; Left Middle Three: ♉, ♑ & ♍); Arms, shoulders and chest (Various Kanji, all Buddhist sayings); Back (Buddhist Heart Sutra); Stomach/Around Belly Button (Don’t hesitate & Go); Left Forearm (Spiraling: Close your heart to every love but mine; hold no one in your arms but me.)
PIERCINGS: Three piercings in his left ear and three in his right, right eyebrow, lip and left nostril.

Personality

LIKES: Canines, graveyards (they're peaceful to him), densely wooded areas, nighttime, Autumn, Winter, strong and bitter coffee and tea, chocolate, Milano Double Chocolate cookies, Geneva cookies, music (various forms of rock, pop, hip-hop, old school rap), dancing, men (tall, strong/dominant personalities, toned bodies, six packs), green eyes (he's a sucker for them)
DISLIKES: Cooking, large spiders (e.i. tarantula's), Summer, being out in the summer sun for long periods of time, excessive heat, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, peaches (though loves the smell of them), sweet tea, sugar and milk in coffee, majority of newer rap, country music and its ilk, people with weak personalities,beer and most alcohols, drugs

DETAILED PERSONALITY: When looking at Jade it is easy to see his adventurous and energetic nature. He just permeates those two qualities, in his way of dress and his every gesture it seems. This is not to mean that he is one of the happy, bouncy people getting into everything. No, he’s far from that. Jade does have a ‘dark side’ so to say. But he is a very dynamic individual, confidant in all her does, and possessing the kind of quick wit that can leave one open-mouthed and trying to catch up.

On the flip side, though, he’s pessimistic and very selfish. He tries to put others first, but his first instinct will always likely be focused on himself. It’s just the kind of creature he is. He’s also an impulsive person, impatient in all things except animals. And oh boy does her have a quick temper. Get him mad and it will burn high and bright, but it will also fade quite quickly, usually. His grudges tend to be more of the… ‘Get the fuck away you annoying asshole’ then the righteous smoldering, ever present anger others can have.

Jade can also be a bit foolish. He’s not nearly as competent and graceful in social situations as he would like to believe himself to be. And his actions can piss more people off than otherwise. Really, it’s not until you see him with dogs, or his siblings that you can really get a good look at the true Jade. He is also in possession of a rather snarky sense of humor.

When it comes to his family, he’s iffy. He had a strained relationship with his parents. His father never accepted the fact he was gay, and after Jade graduated from High School and took off to Cali, they never spoke again. His mother was disapproving, but still reached out to her eldest on occasion. It was his siblings her really clung to. They accepted him despite some misgivings here and there about his sometimes outrageous behavior and decisions.

No one ever expected he’d leave California permanently when their parents died to take care of his siblings.

History

DEITY: Arawn, Lord of Annwn, Celtic God of the Underworld, was by far the most private underworld deity. This being proven as he steadfastly attended to his duties, turning his sight to the affairs of his realm and mostly leaving the world of mortals alone. It was not his domain, and he did not seek to take it over. He had a noble cause that he did not shun.

One duty of Arawn’s was to gather up the lost souls about the world and lead them back to their resting in Annwn. This was accomplished in the Autumn, Winter and early Spring months with the aid of his hounds. Cŵn Annwn, or the Hounds of Annwn, were well trained and loyal beast. And their baying while in pursuit announced the passing of Arawn. Ever Arawn’s pride and joy, he kept them at his side always.

The only real deviation from his uneventful life was when he met Pwyll. Having accidently killed the stag Arawn himself was after, a price was to be paid for the misdeed. And what Arawn asked of Pwyll was for him to take his place for a year and a day, and defeat his rival, Hafgan, by the end. Long had the rivalry between the two been going on, and Arawn had yet to be successful in his slaying in order to have full dominion over Annwn.

And by the end of that year and a day the deed was done. But not only did Pwyll slay Arawn’s rival, he also gave great respect to both Arawn and his wife by ever sleeping chastely with her.This brought about a strong friendship between the two, and persisted after Pwyll was gone. Arawn continued to show favor to the family, even going as far as to gift Pwyll’s son, Pryderi, with otherworldly pigs. Sadly, they were to be the cause of Pryderi’s death, a fact Arawn never quite forgave himself for.

He lived quietly throughout the rest of history before the reincarnations started, doing his deeds, being an attentive husband to a woman he cared deeply for, though it was not love. Arawn doubted his capacity to truly love as he was so devoted to his duty to the lost souls of the world. As such, no children were ever born from their marriage. In all honesty, the closest thing to love he felt was his close friendship with Pwyll.

MORTAL: Ever since the reincarnation began, Arawn had shifted from body to body. He did nto have a requirement for the bodies he inhabited, nor did he have anyone aware of his passing soul unless it was the person themselves he inhabited. There was always just one constant. At the moment of his hosts death he would move on to be reborn in the nearest, newly conceived womb. And as such, that was how he came into an oriental body.

Born the first child to a Japanese immigrant man and his American wife, Jade, born Jadyn Akiyama, did much for setting the bar. He was a difficult boy to raise, needy, clingy and demanding much attention. As a boy, he really had little to no care of his siblings born after him, as more and more they took the attention away from him. Yes, he was a rather spoiled rotten boy.

But he had a secret. For as long as he could remember, he could talk to dogs. But not just talk to them, but hear them as well. It was the sign of the fact he was Arawn’s reincarnation. However, he held no awareness of the god, nor his memories. He was just aware of the fact he was in possession of a fun gift. It also lead to him turning to the families pet dog for companionship when his baby brother or sister were being lavished on and Jade seemingly ignored.

And honestly, it wasn’t like his parents didn’t notice what their son was doing, always talking to a dog, and the dog, surprisingly, reacting to his words. It scared them to see it, making them more wary of their oldest son. Especially his father, who was a superstitious sort. The talks and lectures he would receive when they caught him talking to the dog, it would have made his alienation worse. However, surprisingly, the siblings he had despised so much before… accepted him. That would be the beginning, true beginning, of their sibling bonding.

Growing up, he was taken to shrinks in hope it would help their son. There was even a time a Shinto priest was asked to do an exorcism on the house and Jade. And then they went overboard. Jasmine, an eight year old mutt of a dog, Jade’s best friend, was taken from him in hopes of Jade growing out of this better without the dog. They never meant for him to know, but Jade overheard them. They’d said they found Jasmine a new home, but really.. they’d put her down. He never forgave them after that.

At twelve years of age, Jade no longer trusted his parents, and it was when he learned he need not speak allowed for dogs to hear him. This lead to his rebellions; tame at first, but gradually getting worse. And with the realization of his sexuality, the fact that it was other boys that did it for him, came a whole new issue. The fights that cropped up once, at sixteen, Jade came out to his parents. His oldest brother knew, of course, and it shouldn’t have been a surprise with the way he was dressing at the time, but it was. The fights that cropped up in his house constantly were loud and heated, sometimes coming close to blows.

It went on like that for two years when finally, his graduation came. Oh, Jade couldn’t get out of that house fast enough. He hated leaving his siblings behind, but he went none the less, as far as he could go. And that took him all the way to California. And it was sheer luck that landed him the job he got. A fateful encounter, handling an out of control dog, and he found himself under the watchful eye of one of Hollywood’s premiere dog trainers. Under him Jade learned everything from the actual training, which he excelled at thanks to his particular gift, but also how to care for and maintain the health and appearance of various breeds.

He’d found his calling and quickly settled into the fast paced world of California. There he had friends who accepted him, and plenty of men to choose from. And the best thing was that his talent was appreciated, and soon sought out. He was making a name for himself, and his mentor was confident that Jade would soon be able to strike out on his own with great success. The only thing that could have been better was if he could share his success with his siblings other than through sneaked phone calls and emails.

Then a phone call came through. If it wasn’t for the fact it was Kenji calling him and telling him what had happened then he would have thought it a jest. He’d only just had his once a month short phone call from their mother last week, there was no way… But it had happened. A drunk driver running a stop sign, a scenario over-used to the point of ridiculousness, but it did not make it any less true.

He already had an idea of what was going to end up happening when he returned to Maryland. Kenji was on a full ride through school due to his excellent grades, and grants, student loans and the money left to him by their parents would cover law school once he entered. Charles was already eighteen, and as such he did not need a legal guardian. However, he was still in High School, as was their little sister. Jamie, only a Sophomore, would need a guardian. And that fell to Jade.

The funeral was a somber affair that saw the youngest three with wet eyes, but the oldest sitting calmly beside them. Some said he was so much more mature, being strong for his younger siblings, while others said it was cold of him to not mourn his parents properly. He ignored them, though, as did his siblings. So, it ended with Jade arranging with a few trusted people to pack his things for him and ship them across the country, intent on staying in Washington D.C to be with his family who, at this time, could not be expect to uproot their lives and relocate.

Thankfully his mentor came through for him. Arranging things so that Jade might get a small business loan, Jade is now planning to open his own place. Offering training and grooming for dogs, he hopes that once it is up and running that it will be what he needs to help support his siblings until they can get on their own and allow him to fall back into his selfish lifestyle.

Misc.

SAMPLE: His room… it was so different. It wasn’t his room anymore. Taken over likely the week after he left, his parents had turned it into a lifeless guest room. Neutral colors mixed with flowery pastels. It was disgusting. He sat cross legged on the bed, the flora patterned coverlet looking sickeningly housewifeish. He did not want to sleep here, but the only other choice was his parents’ bedroom. Yeah, yuck. Even worse choice.

At a little yip Jade looked down, seeing Sadie with her paws up on the side of the bed, begging to get up. Poor thing was missing her steps for high furniture, and let him know exactly that. With a sigh, and because he was alone with both her and Meeko – who was making use of a rug in the room – he actually spoke up. “Yes, I know you need your things.” Leaning over he lifted her up, uncaring if she dirtied his suit. It was cheap and so streamlined, generic. It definitely wasn’t something he was going to wear again.

Will we be staying here? Came the little mental impression from his rescued Dachshund.

“Yes.” He sighed again, scratching by her ear like she enjoyed. “This is going to be our new home.”

Well, its ugly. That had him laughing and he leaned down to kiss the top of her head. Leave it to Sadie to think the place ugly because everything was too high for her to jump up and down without causing a danger to her back. “My silly girl…”

FOUND: Fantasy_RPGs on IJ.