Owen Lorne

Orphan
Adept of Crossroads Chantry
Senior of the Reckless Guides Cabal

Description


~Geek. Weirdo. Oddball. These are terms that apply appropriately to Owen Lorne. The young Caucasian man appears fresh out of college in his early 20s. He's not a tall or imposing fellow at all -- only 5'7" with the body mass of a guy who spends most of his time watching TV. Yes, he's out of shape -- not fat, just lean...in a "thank god for high metabolism" sort of way. Owen wears jeans, sneakers, and a "Fashion Victim" brand label T-shirt advertising his favorite anime series of the month. A cheap leather jacket rests on his shoulders and a few pieces of unisex jewelry -- silver and gold rings, tribal necklaces -- adorn his pale skin. Owen runs a hand through messy rust-brown hair, light blue eyes bright and astute. Weird as he may be, Owen seems to be on the ball...at least in his own geeky fields of expertise!~

OOC: Appearance 2; Arcane 1

"Don't doubt me, pal. I can do shit you can't even dream of."

History


Youth

The birth of Owen Lorne in 1982 was a tribute to his generation. Owen was born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas. He grew up in a wholesome Middle American suburban home. His father, Douglas, was a prominent surgeon at Waylin Heights Clinic. His mother, Emelia, was a dutiful housewife that raised he and his older sister, Joanne. Owen was raised with good moral standards and the Lornes were at least nominally Christian. Owen always attended public school, where he achieved decent grades. He would have scored much better marks if he were more interested in the subject matter.

But in truth, Owen was hooked on comic books, cartoons, and video games: the diet of the 90s. He even collected toys and action figures related to his favorite animated series. Owen spent most of his schooldays spacing out over the stories and tales of those series. When it came to girls, Owen daydreamed about Jean Grey and ninja heroines from Japanime. Yet Owen was a bright kid. If he focused in high school, he would have definitely acquired scholarships.

However, by 1998, Owen began to think of his comics and anime day-in, day-out. He even dreamed about it all. The bright images infected his every thought, and those dreams became more vivid and potent. He often awoke in a hard sweat from a suspenseful dream-tale. Owen's focus shifted more and more towards Japanime. Fortunately, this also stirred his interest beyond this fictional hobby into all things Japanese. His studies of the language alleviated his parents' concern.

Owen wasn't so relieved though. The more emphatic his dreams became, the weirder things got for him. Despite the fact that he never once participated in any athletic groups, he was in perfect physical condition. Maybe it was just because he was young, sure. Then how did his cuts and bruises heal up in a matter of hours instead of days like they did for everyone else? Was he like Wolverine? No, no. Because he found himself wishing people would do or think a certain way, like everyone does. Except in his case, a lot of the people would do or think what he wanted them to. He even got to go out with the head cheerleader to the homecoming dance in 11th grade. A feat worth of Professor X! So how'd he score that one?!

Hero!

The cheerleader's steady boyfriend and his pals wanted to know, too. One night in the fall of '99, those five guys jumped Owen while he was walking home from a late movie. The aggravated youths were intent on giving Owen a proper bruising to put the geek back in his place. At that moment, however, the seventeen year old Awakened. A flare of Quintessence shook the asphalt alleyway as Owen went off on the jocks. Despite their best efforts, Owen soundly kicked their asses and terrified them into utter submission. Owen dusted his hands proudly as they scurried off, pleased with himself. Even if the source of his powers were still clearly a mystery.

Fortunately, an answer came along promptly. Just as Owen intended to continue his walk home, one of the Awakened stepped before him. Troy Rudran of the Akashic Brotherhood was serendipitously in the neighborhood when Owen's Avatar flared up with primal energies. Troy introduced himself and cut straight to the point. He explained what he was and what Owen was. He exposed Owen to the "truth" of the Hidden World: that it was filled with magick and creatures fair and foul. Owen began to accompany Troy to the Handel House, where the Crossroads Chantry was based, everyday after school. He studied the basics of magick and the Council of Traditions under Troy Rudran.

However, Owen rejected much of what Troy tried to teach him. Owen refused to believe that magick came from some Buddhist-like sense of "the self". He also threw out other Traditions' beliefs about magick coming from spirits, God, weird science, or mystic runes. Owen believed his Arts derived from the source of his dreams. And his dreams came from anime. That was just the way it was for Owen and too bad if it didn't fit their cookie-cut perspective! Furthermore, Owen rejected the idea that the Technocracy was inherently evil. He had no intention to join the group. From what he came to understand, the Conventions were no better or worse than the Traditions. They just clashed in belief systems: advanced science versus pseudo-religious mysticism. Owen didn't accept either parties.

So Owen continued to experiment and develop his Arts more at home alone. He learned he could take on the qualities and strength of his favorite anime heroes if he concentrated. And Owen knew he could change and reshape the world through these powers. He just wanted to keep the changes good and beneficial. He saw a way to help more people open their eyes by bringing the cultures of America and Japan closer together. Owen admitted Troy helped him that much: by helping him put into words just what he wanted to do with his life, with his talents. Troy warned him about Marauder-hood, but Owen anchored himself against slipping into Quiet through setting himself to a Path with great but mundane purpose. He would help bridge the way between Japanese and American youths.

Turnin' Japanese

After high school, Owen worked for a short while to save up money. He worked in an anime and gaming store, of course. Owen continued to work here while he began schooling at Kansas City University. He declared his major straight off and stuck to it throughout his college career: Japanese. Meanwhile, Owen remained at least a nominal member of the Crossroads Chantry. At home, he focused hard to develop his Arts further under his control. Owen stayed under the radar mostly, avoiding contact with other mages and definitely not seeking out any other denizens of the Hidden World.

But once in early 2003, Owen encountered another violent situation in an alleyway. A pair of assholes he identified as vampires were molesting a young woman. Owen charged in and saved the day! The vampires were soundly thrashed by the ambush and got the hell out of Dodge -- they weren't about to fool around with something they didn't understand. The Orphan saw himself as Vampire Hunter D. After he kissed the girl, Owen went home and had another vision. He realized that despite his good intentions, his goals could not all be resolved through peaceful means. Owen would have to fight and be willing to fight to accomplish his purpose. And he accepted this reality, his confidence swelling...though not too much!

Later in 2003, he spent his last year of college abroad. Owen traveled to Japan and spent a year, from June '03 to June '04, in Nagoya with an exchange student family. He mastered the spoken language and made excellent headway with his calligraphy. Owen learned much about Japan's culture, traditional and modern, including elements of which Americans have grotesquely incorrect perceptions. (Of course, he learned that some Japanese perceived Americans all wrong.) These were oversights he knew he would have to correct for people if he wanted to achieve his goals. But above all, while he lived in Japan, Owen dove headfirst in the source of anime. He got some of the best stuff available: series one could only find in Japan. Owen was in seventh heaven.

Of course, his time eventually ended and he reluctantly returned home. Owen achieved his Bachelor's Degree in Japanese. He began to work as a translator for the school system, tutoring Little Asian high school students in English. Owen didn't move back in with his parents. He got his own place by the end of the summer. All of his "stuff" was moved to the apartment and he even set up his "anime shrine" there. Soon, Owen knew, he would find the secret to unlocking his Path.

The Anime Shrine (Sanctum)


~The Anime Shrine is nothing but a room in Owen's small apartment. In fact, it's his bedroom. Over the months, he's indoctrinated the chamber with shelves and shelves of anime fandom. Rows and rows of DVD videos stand side-by-side with figurines of anime heroes and villains. Models of monsters and starships poise and dangle from the ceiling, nearby posters and lithographs that plaster the vanilla-white walls. The burgundy carpet is low to the floor, adding creature comfort to the oddity and odyssey of Owen's bed-chamber. The common amenities of twenty year old guys' bedrooms, such as the queen-sized bed, clothing dresser, and heavily curtained window, are virtually drowned by the enormity of Owen's expansive collection of anime and comic fantasies. Ingrained with his beliefs of magic, the room contains his dreams, hiding them from the outside world. Here anything is possible and here Owen experiments and develops his Arts alone.~

OOC: Arcane 2

Significant Other


These two share a common interest: anime! Owen met Emiko when he checked out a cosplay theater in 2004. The two began to see each other and hit it right off. Now they aid each other magickally as well as socially, developing one another's talents and crafts. And chances are, geeks though they may be, this will be a lasting romance. The Awakened are too far and in between, and mages that share such similar loves are even rarer. They were meant for each other.

In 2008 Emiko departed for Japan to engage in formal training of her unusual Craft (1000 Canes Society). Owen wanted to accompany her, but she pointed out that the education system was very exclusive and secluded, and the Orphan would be kept away. She promised she would return but did not until 2012. Owen's overjoyed (very very overjoyed!).

Emiko

Weakness
Weirdo


Although Owen has good intentions, he's just too damn odd. Disconnected from "reality", Owen is much more interested in the fantasy of his anime videos. Of course, he can make that fantasy come true. But he's still lacking in the social appeal and physical characteristics to fulfill his dreams. He must strive to develop his skills to overcome his inherent weirdness.

Likelihood of Corruption


Average.

Owen is a nice guy. But he doesn't know everything. In fact, he doesn't know too much at all about the Hidden World and its secret dangers. His insistence on remaining without Tradition also puts him in a predicament of staying ignorant.

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