･ﾟ: ･ well met, KAI ABRAMS. for 28 years, they have believed themselves to be only mortal. they walked beneath silent skies, unaware of the hymn sleeping within their veins. but blood cannot forget its maker forever. the song has answered. the blood of MORPHEUS now stirs within them, calling them toward a destiny older than history itself. before the awakening, they lived as A PAINTER, calling BROOKLYN home. now, the impossible has found them, and the world they once knew is beginning to unravel like thread. should the fates remember them kindly, their name will be woven alongside their AUDACITY, CREATIVITY, AND COMPASSION. should they falter, history will forever echo with their IMPULSIVENESS, PRIDE, HEDONISM. the old gods have begun to stir. the blood hymn has found another voice. now the world waits to learn whether KAI will become its salvation or its requiem.
... i dreamed a dream
Structure had always been the corner stone of Kai's life from as far back as he can remember. As a child, his mother put plans and expectations in place that were meant to guide him to success... or her version of it at least. Being the second born of three children, and the only one who didn't know his father, he always carried a sort of insecurity, something that made him feel like he had to prove himself or he had to stand out. That pressure had him in a chokehold for so much of his early life. He had to get the best grades in class, had to follow all of the rules at home, had to get the blue ribbon on the field, it was relentless. Whenever he fell short of his mother's standards, or was outshined by his siblings, he felt brushed aside or forgotten.
One would think in those moments of being overlooked by his family, he'd be depressed or distressed; but it couldn't have been further from the truth. Kai never really enjoyed the spotlight, attention lead to pressure and expectations that he could quite frankly do without. It was in those quiet moments growing up, when people were celebrating his brother and sister, that he reveled in the quiet. It was times like those when he could peacefully sit back and just watch. Watching his environment, watching the people in it, and the beauty and ugliness of the world around him became a pass time for him. It was what lead him initially to his love of art. As young as even six years old, he could remember sitting at his kitchen table and just drawing. He'd sketch pictures of his family, the view outside of his room, the view he'd want to see outside of his room, places he'd been to, and places he'd want to be. While he felt bound and invisible at home, he could escape through his sketchbook. ______________________________________
As one would expect from a mother striving to raise a household of future business moguls, as early as elementary school Kai was sent to private school. With that of course came the unachievable standards, the endless list of rules, and of course the uniform. Needless to say, Kai was grew to be pretty acquainted with detention and suspension. From being caught out of uniform, to skipping class, to later smoking behind the back dumpsters, Kai constantly found himself at odds with authority.
Truth be told, school would have been a lot more difficult for him if he hadn't had his brother. Kai might have been a mess, but Josh Abrams was basically the golden boy. He was also Kai's best friend, and one of the very few people he'd actually looked up to. So when Josh went out for the soccer team in high school, Kai was quick to follow his footsteps. Up until high school, Kai had always considered himself more of a loner. It wasn't that he was anti-social or shy, he just tended to march to the beat of his own drum, and didn't bother pulling other's in. Joining the soccer team, and finding something he was actually good at, that he was celebrated for and actually involved other people really opened him up.
Oddly enough, it was also private school where he truly was able to fall in love with painting. Up until then he'd been great at sketching, but never had access to anything else. While soccer might have been what pushed him out of his shell socially, art class is what fulfilled him emotionally and spiritually. He learned a lot about himself and his perception of the world through just expressing himself in art. He was able to embrace his sexuality and his feelings about that. It gave him the space to come out to his friends and family, and a source deal with the emotional fall out afterwards. While his brother was more than supportive, and his friends were happy for him, to his mother that was just another imperfection. _______________________________________
More so out of pressure and obligation than anything else, Kai did end up going to college with his brother. Granted, he'd been accepted more so on his soccer prowess than his grades or credentials. It was the first time he'd gotten a chance at a semblance of freedom. In an attempt to win his mother's respect, he majored in business like his older brother... though also secretly minored in art history. While Josh did what he did best and thrived in classes, Kai did what he did best and fucked around. He may have partied a little too hard once or twice, and skipped a class or two, but the guy was nothing if not resourceful, and he managed to get by. If anything could keep him grounded and sane, it was his art classes, despite the fact that only his brother knew he was taking them.
As predictable as Kai's life seemed like it would be, the unthinkable happened. Josh was diagnosed with cancer his junior year of college. Someone who Kai expected to be by his side forever was suddenly being pulled away from him. The man who's shadow he'd learned to live in was being removed, and it hit him and his family hard. It was a slow deterioration, which made it even more painful. He had to watch someone so full of life and promise, get weaker and weaker. As much as they tried the treatments and surgeries, it wasn't enough. Kai stood by his brother, tried to be there for his family as best he could. A year later, Josh passed away, leaving Kai alone.
It actually happened to be the passing of his brother that spurred Kai to continue with school. There was a part of him that felt he'd let his brother down if he dropped out, if he gave up. So, despite the grief, or perhaps because of it, he managed to graduate college in his brother's place. That alone had been enough to surprise his mother. While did urge him to work for her company, Kai could feel the way she looked at him. He was the wrong son. He tried, he really did. For a year he put on the corporate suit, filed the paper work, secured the deals, but it felt suffocating. Around that time he'd had a dream of his brother. To this day he remembers it vividly. Josh had crying, devastated that Kai was living a life he hated in memory of him. He pleaded for him to embrace who he is, not who he's been forced to be. He big brother told him that he would always love him, but that he would never forgive him if Kai stayed where he was.
That was all he needed. ________________________________________
It was an abrupt change, but Kai was never one to conform for long. He quit his job, enraging his mother to no end, and moved. It was the first time he truly did something for himself. He didn't leave to spite anyone or to act out, but because it felt right. His first stop was California. It was the first time he was truly on his own, free to do whatever he wanted. He was finally able to focus on his art, something he'd always left as a side hobby. While he did have to take a few odd jobs or bartending gigs to make ends meet, living the life of a 'starving artist' felt more fulfilling than sitting in a cushy office his whole life.
As time went on, he still always felt restless. After California he moved to Arizona, then Brazil... he even spent a few years in Italy. He just couldn't stay still, he always felt like he was wasting his time if spent too much time in one place. Relationships would come and go, or rather he would typically go when the relationships got too real. While it might not seem as much, Kai considers himself a big romantic, but that fear of being trapped or forced in a box is what has him constantly holding back.
He's been in Brooklyn for the past two years, and has finally started to put down roots. He's opened a studio showcasing his work throughout the years and is finally showing traction as an artist. As things slowly start to feel like they are coming together, however, everything has once again changed. He heard the hymn, and he can't help but wonder if that was the call he's been waiting his entire life for.
TLDR;
Second born of three to a single mother.
Childhood was very structured by mother
Never felt like he was enough for his mother
Outshined by his siblings, but didn't mind
Fell in love with drawing when he was 6
Forced into private school
Constantly got detention and suspension for various reasons
In friendly competition with his older brother, Josh
Looked up to his older brother, best friends.
Really fell in love with painting in his high school art class
Came out to his mother, she wasn't happy
Graduated high school and did as his mother instructed, and went to college
Struggled through college, partied too hard, secretly minoring in art history
His brother got cancer during college
Felt the need to be what his brother was for his mother as he was dying.
His brother died during Kai's junior year of college.
Graduated college more so out of respect for his brother's memory
Tried to work a corporate job after college with his mother.
Had a dream about his brother that convinced him to quit and follow his passions.
Moved out to California for a few years, and delved into art
Took odd jobs and side hustles to support himself while he worked to be an artist
Has had various relationships, but constantly leaves and moves around.
Has lived in California, Arizona, Brazil, and Italy.
Constantly feels restless, like he's wasting his time in places, and is constantly running toward something.
Ended up in Brooklyn, opened up a studio, and finally started to gain traction as an artist.
