IamErik771

Username: IamErik771

Character: Sydney Irvine

Age: 33 -- born July 27, 1974

Gender: Male

Occupation: Orchestra Cellist

Appearance: He is slightly over six feet tall and very muscularly built. He has short, dark hair, typically in a crew cut. His eyes are a light grey, and he typically has a certain amount of facial hair, as he considers daily shaving to be a waste of time.

Personality: Sydney usually gives the impression of being extremely cynical, pessimistic, and sometimes antisocial. In fact, he avoids getting too emotionally close to other people on purpose, fearing attachment. However, he respects everyone, even people he doesn't particularly like. He's also quite reckless and impatient, especially when it comes to learning new skills. Although he prefers to do things on his own, he recognizes that no one person can accomplish everything, and so he is willing to work with just about anyone he needs to in order to achieve his goals.

History: Born in Edinburgh, Scotland to a Scottish father and a Welsh mother, Sydney grew up in a rather poor area of the city. His family was usually just barely able to make ends meet. His father Philip blamed their financial situation on his wife and son, and gave them regular physical and verbal abuse. Finally, his mother Louise left with the now nine-year-old Sydney, and they moved to London where she got a job as a singer at a nightclub.

Sydney grew to love music of all kinds, but despite his mother's insistence, he didn't have the patience for singing lessons. He experimented with many different instruments and musical genres, none of which he stuck with for long. When he got to college, he began taking private cello lessons. Although he liked the instrument, he grew frustrated at what he considered the slow pace of the lessons, and dropped out in order to continue learning on his own, using books and sheet music he borrowed from the musicians at the nightclub where his mother worked.

Tragedy struck, however, on Sydney's twenty-fifth birthday. After a performance, one patron (who turned out to be none other than his father) followed his mother out of the nightclub and stabbed her right in front of him. Before Sydney could even process what he had just seen, Philip ran out into the street and was killed by a drunk driver. The young man rushed to his mother's side, but she had already drawn her final breath. With his heart shattered by his mother's death, and rage building up inside him for not having a chance to avenge her, Sydney left the British Isles and travelled all across Europe, taking only his cello and some spare clothes with him. He made a living as a street musician for much of this time. Finally, when he came to Paris, a manager at the renowned Opéra Populaire heard him playing and advised him to audition for their pit orchestra. Not one to pass up the chance for better pay and a more secure job, Sydney did so. Now, he is a regular member of the opera house's orchestra, and dedicates every piece he plays to the memory of his mother. However, he fears growing attached to those around him simply because he fears the inevitable heartbreak that such attachment will bring.

---