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JEARX
CLASS: BARD SPECIES: CHANGLING AGE: 26 MUSIC GENRE: V-KEI
For Jearx, I really struggled with his desighn at first. He is a changling, and has always been one since the start of his concept art. In DND lore, changlings are a very gothic looking species of shape-shifter. So I wanted to lean into that. I looked at different types of "gothic" music, until I landed on Vkei. I had no idea what it even was before making Jearx, but it has really infuenced his further character desighn. He is a bit shy, and more reserved than Rex or Wallace. He is more introverted unless he is preforming.
Visual Kei (V-kei) is a Japanese music movement, originating in the 1980s with bands like X Japan, known for its elaborate costumes, makeup, and androgynous styles, blending glam rock, punk, and metal influences to create a distinct visual spectacle that became a major cultural phenomenon in the 1990s before evolving into various modern forms. Its history traces from underground origins, a 90s boom with mainstream success, and a decline followed by revivals, influenced by Western rock and Japanese pop culture like manga. (The members of X Japan actually met with and talked to Bowie multiple times and they admired his music, with much of his work inspiring them as well.)
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The influences of the genre include a mix of Western glam rock (Kiss, David Bowie), goth, punk, and Japanese kabuki theater. It is characterized by flamboyant, often gender-bending makeup, extravagant hair, and costumes, and rejecting societal norms.
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Bands like X Japan (formed 1982), Buck-Tick, Dir En Grey, and Dead End are credited with starting the movement.
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(pulled from various online sources)
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