[center][h1]Atsuko Gekido[/h1] [img]http://i.imgur.com/drn73oj.jpg[/img][/center] [u][b]Name[/b][/u] Atsuko “Atsu” Gekido [u][b]Age[/b][/u] 18 [u][b]Gender[/b][/u] Female [u][b]Birth Date[/b][/u] JAN. 23[sup]rd[/sup], 1997 [u][b]Sexuality[/b][/u] Pansexual [u][b]Major[/b][/u] Criminology [u][b]Role[/b][/u] Drummer / Percussion [b][u]Instrument[/u][/b] [url=http://i.imgur.com/J5uhCOI.jpg]Mapex Armory Series 5-Piece Kit[/url] [u][b]Personality & Quirks[/b][/u] Atsuko is friendly albeit a bit detached, a fact that resulted from her parents hands off parenting as well as her shy demeanor during childhood. She is fiercely loyal, smart, honest, and creative— traits she has held on throughout her teens. Although she is somewhat introverted she does have some more ‘out there’ personality quirks such as a surprising perverse mindset when she is privy in sharing it (as it is inappropriate in public to act as such); a quirk that translated her interest in perverse doujinshi and anime, a fact she reveals to few people. Favorite Music includes: [list][b]Alice Coltrane[/b] Anthony Braxton Battles [b]Bjork[/b] Charles Mingus Eiko Ishibashi ESNO Etsuko Yakushimaru [b]Gesu no Kiwami Otome[/b] [b]Hiromi Uehara[/b] John Coltrane [b]Julia Holter[/b] [b]Kahimi Karie[/b] Kanon Wakeshima Kate Bush Matryoshka Midori [b]Miles Davis[/b] Mutyumu Nujabes Ryo Fukui Shugo Tokumaru [b]St. Vincent[/b] Sun Ra [b]Tokyo Jihen[/b] Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra [b]Tricot[/b] [b]Yoko Kanno[/b][/list] [b][u]Talents[/u][/b] Atsuko is a talented drummer with styles molded out of jazz and a competent soprano-type singing ability. Outside of music she has decent abilities of perception and deduction which only makes her major at university more understandable. However her practical skills beyond such are limited as she wasn’t particularly well-raised by her parents and relied on a lot of external education from Japan’s school systems or her uncle. [u][b]Backstory[/b][/u] Atsuko Gekido is the daughter of an accomplished businessman and a classically-trained artist, both of which having great success in their ventures throughout the years preceding Atsuko’s birth— it was due to this that she grew up with silver spoon firmly planted in her mouth and the expectations that came with such traits. Despite being born into money Atsuko lacked an abundance of friends, and whilst her parents loved their daughter they lacked a lot of time to put into their own relationship let alone their own child; a fact that led to distance between them as Atsuko’s father dove into his work at his consulting firm as well as his stock portfolio whilst Atsuko’s mother dove into her appointments with art vendors and focused into her artistry. This, in part, was why Atsuko’s personality grew into a introverted, reserved, analytical, and quiet way. However, Atsuko wasn’t completely void of social relationships and ways to cope. The first of all being her connection to music, a happening that happened when she witnessed music for what would be considered her first exposure; especially in a live setting. On a errand alongside her uncle on her father’s side, Eikichi Gekido, in Shimokitazawa she stood in awe at a jazz ensemble’s take in a local establishment and fell in love with the dynamics and flurry of emotion in front of her. It felt sophisticated yet… not wooden like her family and it made her think what it would be like to unleash that kind of emotion that she had from within. Afterwards she found herself extremely curious in jazz music to her parent’s pleasant surprise— though they only placated it as they found the interest beneficial to their “cultural” lifestyle. At age nine she began lessons in music including vocals, piano, and percussion. As Atsuko grew older she eventually found kinship with others who liked music such as Keiko Nakano and Shinji Koizumi. The former of which she met during her first year in Lower Secondary School and the girl that would become her best friend (and president of her Upper Secondary School’s Music Appreciation Club). Atsuko would even be convinced to join Keiko on an audition for a small upcoming Idol Group called KAI. Surprisingly, Atsuko was picked to join her friend as part of the group; the executives behind the audition telling her that she had a special thing that they were looking for alongside the “powerhouse” of a vocalist that they told her Keiko was. However as Atsuko would soon learn, the Idol Industry was relentless and harsh— and the most demanding thing either would experience in their lives; especially for Atsuko who was more comfortable sitting than the excessive choreography that became a constant in her day to day life. Before graduation things seemed to take a turn for their worst. Keiko quit KAI in a mess of Idol Group politics, emotions, and complications. Atsuko presumed dirty antics and quit the group following her friend’s departure and while she couldn’t get anything out of her normally extroverted friend she began to draw deductions between the lines. However, a seventeen year old was nowhere near the detective of an experienced investigator and she wasn’t some super genius ripped out of a manga. Her curiosity never faltered and whilst her friendship took a detour it never faded; she refused to let it do so despite the tonal shift in her friend’s personality. Now at University she finds the appeal of a music appreciation club calling to her… like a familiar nudge. Maybe it’s worth a look? [hr][center][h3]Relationships[/h3][/center] [b][u]Keiko Nakano[/u][/b] Keiko is Atsuko’s best and oldest friend, and their relationship following their “retirement” from Idol Group KAI is still particularly strong despite the change in Keiko’s mood. Atsuko hopes for the day when her sunny and “obliviously optimistic” personality returns but knows that the experiences they went through has burdened her.