#i think kazuki has a lot in common with nene actually

[kotaromita]

OOC Lore Post: KOTARO'S FRIENDS

After talking about them quite a bit here and there as Kotaro, I figured now would be a good time to do a big info-dump about my two Project Sekai OCs that server as Kotaro's friends and musical collaborators. "Kotaro's Friend" is a canon character who has 2 lines spoken to Akito regarding how Kotaro got into music, so I decided that was enough information for me to take it and run and make individuals based on it.

Introducing, Minoru Saiki and Kazuki Shimabokuro.

I'll start with Kazuki.

Kazuki Shimabokuro

2nd year, online student (17 yrs old)

170 cm tall

Born February 20th (Pisces)

An online musician who goes by the name “Kazukur0.” He makes chaotic and inconsistent music that can be described as “breakcore” or “alternative.” He utilizes Virtual Singers because he is self conscious of his nasally voice. He’s socially awkward and has a tendency to ramble on and on when given the leeway to. His younger sister creates his song cover images to post online. He has William’s syndrome.

He suffered a lot in junior high in a fashion not unlike Mizuki and Rui, which is why he does online school now that he's in high school. He has severe stage fright and admires Kotaro's bravery to perform solo a lot. He longs to be heard and admired but until he can overcome his social anxiety he will use Kotaro as both his muse and vessel.

Hobbies: Mimicking Western fashion trends, singing

Specialties: Making electronic music utilizing sound effects and the Kagamine duo’s vocals

Dislikes: Quiet

Favorite food: Takoyaki

Least favorite food: Kimchi

and through Kazuki, Kotaro meets...

Minoru Saiki

Graduate, unspecified university (19 years old)

178 cm tall

Born November 29th (Sagittarius)

A professional musician who prides himself on his ability to mimic the musical stylings of any musician exactly. He is mostly hired for classical music performances and cover bands but he is able to play most instruments and learns songs very quickly. Because of his capabilities his nickname among peers is “Shapeshifter.” He is unwilling to compromise when it comes to music. He has Jacob’s syndrome.

Due to dedicating himself to perfect recreations, he has left little room for himself to develop his own style and even his own personality. He has a makings of a talented composer but he never takes credit for anything original he creates as he doesn't want to risk being associated with something "imperfect."

Hobbies: Challenging his skills by learning incredibly difficult songs

Specialties: Translating songs from instrument to instrument

Dislikes: Change, being disagreed with

Favorite food: Fried tofu

Least favorite food: Tuna

Kazuki meets Kotaro first. Kazuki is Kotaro's fan! He didn't see RAD WEEKEND, akin to Toya and Kohane, but he's always found solace in music and came to love Kotaro and his independence and individuality rivaling his own.

He offers up his "services" making "beats" to Kotaro, who sheepishly accepts, unaccustomed to being spoken to with any sort of admiration. Rather quickly they become friends. Kotaro picks up on Kazuki's discomfort with crowds and comes to care about him in a way similar to that of an older sibling.

That's when Minoru encounters them. Minoru seeks out Kazuki, knowing him solely as his online alias. As Minoru's only pastime is dissecting music pieces. A friend of his (shockingly, Souma Miyata) oftentimes challenges him with pieces he thinks would be exceptionally difficult to recreate. Through Kotaro Arata learns of Kazuki and through Arata Souma learns of him too. Thus, he shares kazukur0 with Minoru and says "Try recreating this!"

Minoru listens to Kazuki’s music over and over again, struggling to comprehend it. He’s frustrated but excited as he can’t remember the last time he felt challenged. He tries for days on end and for the life of him he cannot make an exact recreation of Kazuki and Kotaro's music. Minoru seeks Kazuki out and insists he observe Kazuki’s work process so he can understand how it was possible for someone to make such hypothetically bad music sound good. He has to find Kazuki and he has to understand how his brain works so he can mimic him as identically as he can every other musician.

Kazuki hates this! Frankly, he hates everything about the way Minoru treats music. They're complete opposites in every way. And yet, they both massively admire one another as musicians.

Both of them quite like Kotaro. Kazuki adores Kotaro, in the way a fan loves their bias and in a way a little sibling loves their elder. Minoru respects Kotaro for all that he's endured as a musician and his willingness to suffer in the quest to better himself.

Even though Minoru admires Kazuki in his own strange way, they have massive creative differences. During rehearsals Kazuki changes things and improvises sporadically, making each performance vary slightly. Minoru dislikes it, insisting Kazuki play the song the way it was “intended to be.” Kazuki gives in but Kotaro steps in, forcing them to agree to explore their options. When Kazuki performs the song without any personal touches, Minoru does recognize that somehow it feels as though something is missing.

As a trio, they're all forced to face the parts of themselves they try to ignore looking them dead in the face. Kazuki has to decide if he's truly satisfied being an accessory to Kotaro rather than truly being his partner and working side by side with him instead of insisting he work for him, that he isn't worthy of being seen as his equal. Minoru has to address the fact that he has no sense of identity and that despite his insistence on always working solo that all of his performing up until now has always hinged on being someone he isn't. And Kotaro, of course, has to face his persistent struggles with self worth and feeling that it's okay to "burden" others by asking for help.

They end up all in a sort of friendship-colleagues situation. Kotaro calls them his friends, Minoru calls them his colleagues, and Kazuki calls him his allies.

Here's sort of what a relationship chart between the three would look like!

Minoru → Kotaro: I admire your drive and willingness to follow advice and experiement. You're so far from perfect, and yet…I don't particularly hate it. [Calls him Mita.] Minoru → Kazuki: You're difficult to get along with and understand, but I admire you and you've fundamentally changed how I view music. [Calls him Kazukuro.]

Kazuki → Kotaro: MITA-SENPAI! ♡ I'm your biggest fan, forever! It's an honor to collab with you, so you can rely on me whenever! I just sort of wish I had the guts to stand on stage like you. Kazuki → Minoru: You piss me off so much! Your music is so good, but there's no YOU in it. How can I understand YOU when you keep saying these conflicting things!? You don't have to keep pretending to be perfect around us… [Calls him Saiki-senpai or Shapeshifter-senpai.]

Kotaro → Kazuki: You've always got my back and I've always got yours! Let's keep working together for a long time. My 2nd little brother. [Calls him Kazuki.] Kotaro → Minoru: You're a pain in the ass, but God are you talented. There's a lot I could learn from you…and a lot you could stand to learn from Vivid Street! [Calls him Saiki.]

thank you for coming to my ted talk please support kotaro mita and his two fuck ass mentally ill friends