Ira Lane; hopeless wanderer Biography | Playlist | Pinterest | Connections | Thread Tracker
I will learn To love the skies I'm under
THE BASICS
Full Name: Ira Lane McLaughlin Pronouns: he, him, his Birthday: January 17th, 1989 Birthplace: Carroll, CA Current Home: Downtown Carroll Occupation: Freelance Graphic Designer Religion: Subscribes to some Buddhist practices, but not strict about it Orientation: Queer Status: Single
AESTHETIC
small crooked smiles hidden behind a shrug
dark eye bags beneath tired eyes
a fixation on the compositions he finds in everyday life
an energy drink for breakfast
early morning hikes to catch the sunrise from the top of a mountain
NOTABLE FEATURES
Face Claim: Elliot Page Height: 5'4 (short king). Build: Thin and wiry but has well-defined muscles on his abdomen and legs. He's short but has long limbs. Dominant Hand: left-handed Tattoos: A few random small ones on his arms and thighs. Some are stick and pokes while the others were done professionally. Outfit Clothing Style: Ira usual prioritizes comfort over trying to be trendy. He likes sweaters and jeans and beanies. His go to shoes are usually fun colored Vans.
Eye bags that have eye bags
Deep smile lines and a crooked smile
Dark brow eyes haloed by thick black eyelashes
Distinct sharp jawline
Long, thin fingers with chipped black nail polish
PERSONALITY
honest, adventurous, visionary | quirky, flighty, impulsive
ADDITIONAL
Spoken Languages: English, American Sign Language (ASL), Black American Sign Language (BASL), Spanish, Coding Languages: Python, C++, Java, JavaScript and SQL Driver’s License: Yes High School: Carroll High Pets: None. Career: Freelance Graphic Designer and Accessibility Consultant
BIOGRAPHY
Ira was an imaginative person from a young age. His childhood was full of whimsy and wonder as he pulled his little red wagon through the orchard. In those days, his wagon was his pirate ship or a train passing through a magical town made of endless trees. He had many siblings but still had room for imaginary friends. He liked to play pretend. He liked to imagine what it would be like if he was born a little boy instead.
He liked his veggies but hated broccoli. Those green beasts were a treat for the dog or the grand finale of his magic act. “Watch as I make this piece of broccoli disappear onto the floor.”
Ira knew his way around a pair of scissors. When he was six years old, he walked up to his mother with his pony tail in hand, a trophy he'd cut from his own head. He hated long hair. Short hair suited him much better. And his mother agreed. Hair was just hair. It'd grow back anyway.
He came out to his family before he had the language for it. He wanted to be a brother not a sister. Join boy scouts instead of girl scouts. The way people were perceiving him didn't align with the radiant boy he was on the inside. The McLaughlin family took it surprisingly well. They were progressive after all.
Despite never wanting for anything and growing up in a supportive household, Ira felt like he was suffocating in Carroll. The small town had eyes everywhere and that meant there was nowhere for him to hide from the spotlight. He was a son of one of the founding families and that came with chains. Ira knew he'd run from Carroll the day he turned eighteen. There was a whole world out of there for him to see.
In the midst of his youth, Ira fell in love with design. He was enamored with the compositions he found in the wild. A crack in the sidewalk or the interesting way the power lines cut through the blue sky.
The day after graduation, Ira packed his car with the essentials and disappeared from Carroll. He went north first to the Redwood National Park. Then Washington and landed in Vancouver. He liked the Midwest too. It was so dark there and he could see for miles and miles. By his mid twenties, he'd visited nearly every state in the US.
In his early days on the road, he stayed in Illinois long enough to get his degree in both Graphic Design and Information Accessibility Design and Policy. His freelance work allowed him to continue his travels before he settled in Northern Vermont. Lake Champlain and the green mountains stole his heart.
For unknown reasons, Ira moved back to Carroll a few days after New Years Eve. Instead of moving into his family home or even one of his siblings, he moved into an apartment downtown with his childhood friend, Irvin.
MORE DETAILS
He collects trinkets so his drawers look an awful lot like an old i Spy book.
Ira has always been close to his siblings, especially his sisters Hattie and Gale. There was a healthy amount of bullying, obviously, but if anyone tried to mess with Ira that wasn't family, there would be hell to pay.
He was terrified of the sea as a child after a bad incident with the riptide. It took years of swim lessons and therapy for him to get over the fear.
During his travels, Ira tried lots of things. He worked on a ranch in Wyoming, a park ranger in Yellowstone, a graveyard keeper in Louisiana just to name a few.
Ira loves to read. He usually rotated between fantasy romance, contemporary lit, and some random nonfiction he picked up at a used bookstore. He's filled to the brim with useless facts.
He likes to hike but not in a competitive way. More like he just enjoys the adventure. He has a need to wander. He likes to watch the sunrise from the mountain top and to find a secret watering hole. He stops to take a picture of a cool bug he found and to listen to the song birds (and of course he's a bird watcher too.)
He has what he calls his grandpa hobbies: chess, Sudoku, birding, and reading the physical newspaper.
Ira is a vegetarian. But in a quiet way. After a tick bite in his early years, he discovered he couldn't handle red meat anymore. So no he's just really careful with what he puts in his body. (Except energy drinks. The man lives on these things even though he's nearing forty.)
He's a freelance graphic designer and consultant. He splits his time between creating graphics for alcohol labels and accessibility signage for public spaces. His consultation work consists of helping businesses to ensure their media, products, and digital footprint are accessible and ADA compliant.
He has the kind of persistent depressive disorder that therapy, Prozac, and drinking from a silly straw can manage.
Secretly Loudly hopes Bigfoot and Moth Man are real. He keeps an eye out for them on his nature walks.
Can't help himself when he sees a table selling Girl Scout cookies. If he isn't careful he'll buy a hundred dollars worth. He says it's "for a good cause" so it's fine.
Ira was held back in preschool because he couldn't sit still for a traditional classroom. His parents had him tested for ADHD on two separate occasions by DIFFERENT psychologists and they both said "no, he's just like that."
His show and tell in kindergarten was "I have three mommies and a daddy." Made all the other kindergarteners jealous.
Section for more sibling plotting
Ira is ten full years older than Hattie. This means he has always been her brother because of how early he started transitioning. He adores her even if she's a little chaotic (understatement). He really said "I support women's rights and wrongs."
