Canon notes -- Rough ver.
Classic ray phrases:
"Holy shit"
"'sup?"
"Jesus Christ..."
At start, 16
-finds beck being picked on, seems unsurprised, but reveals that beck had two years of rehab to get that healthy
-he makes girls cry and never pays people back when he owes them money |D
-gets koyuki out of trouble with the foreigners... by the crackpot fake un plan WTG RYUSUKE; it was a cute attempt at paying him back for rescuing beck from the bullies
-and then subsequently mangles the Japanese language, bless him
-"I was amazed that you'd stand up to gaijin"
-Nobody believes that Ray and Eddie were in a band together
-"there's a reason why I can't go home." --and he's been staying with random people for months
-has a bit of a silly sense of humor "I SMELL LIKE FISH BAIT :<"
-sister got him into shoujo manga, lawl
-"call me ryusuke. Ryusuke-kun sounds creepy"
-likes American girls, it's true
-fights with eiji, leaves band
-Ray's face just lit up at a jimi Hendrix ringtone. Ilu ryusuke.
-Ryusuke is the son of a company president... what's going on here IMPORTANT FOR APP?
-Undeterred by the band breakup, Ryusuke IMMEDIATELY starts scouting for new band members
-...Ray likes getting drunk. At 16. IDEKKKK
-"the most important focus of a band is the bass and drums"
-...and also on shoving your sister off on a kid you want her to hook up with LOL
-persists, though Taira is like, eiji's band is better yo
-Ray repays favors; rescue for rescue, beck's leash for a guitar
-5-33: "I feel empty... I got that guitar from eddie." "eddie was the first person to reach out to me"
-Eiji stole and destroyed Ryusuke's favorite les paul, necessitating the use of Lucille
-GOLDEN ARM pffft ray ilu
-RYUSUKE LIVED IN NEW YORK FOR EIGHT YEARS ACTUAL NUMBER DO NOT FORGET
-...evidently he stole a lot of guitars in new york
-some friends went to NY, got a pic of Keith; when Ray saw it,he laughed it off but then went and burned the photo--hidden secrets!
-...burns his hand a bit in the process, showing lack of thought (age 17...?)
-Can hide his feelings immediately, but is generally it gets drawn out of him
-Encourages koyuki, tries to make him fit into the group musically
-Oddly practical ("well we can't practice without a drummer... so I'll re-read happy sangokushi today!")
-"Just getting a bunch of skilled musicians together doesn't make a band. You need chemistry."
-Fully, verbally accepted koyuki and saku once taira approved--he trusts taira's judgment
-He's the Japanese Jimmy Page, according to some |D
-Knows when to step back and let people shine
-Band starts playing together for real, just as new Dybre tour to japan is announced
-Tries to get Koyuki to go with the rest of the band to spy on belle ame.. It's "really really important!" to check out the competition XD
-Total rock purist--american style or nothing
-NOTE: Eddie is called "the friendliest man in the world of rock"
-When Matt and Eddie show up to a Beck concert, Ray doesn't want to pull them onstage; instead he pulls out his secret weapon--Koyuki's as-yet unheard vocals, and pwns the universe REMARKABLE FLEXIBILITY WITH THE SET LIST
-Eddie and Ray share the philosophy that music is nothing if it doesn't speak to you
-SHUT THE FUCK UP when people are booing koyuki's school band XD "this is the first and last time he's ever gonna sing in a dirty-ass place like this!"
-Rather meticulously cares about the band--even goes to see Koyuki perform with another group to check up on his skills (not without some measure of pride)
-REALLY cares about his sister, but takes a more hands-off approach; he kinda meddles (the condom, talking to koyuki about the thing with izumi)
-REALLY impacted by Erika's death: eddie and Erika dated for a time, which is when ray met her (once? And says she has a lot of power over others--which suggests he was seriously influenced by her personality and confidence)
-Ray can be BLUNT: he tells Chiba flat-out his English sucks and it's holding them back; same with Koyuki's guitar skills
-"We have to record the perfect album. Compromises only take us farther from that goal."
-Chiba calls him a perfectionist; Ray DOES get carried away with the sessions, making koyuki sick
-transition--ch 18, koyuki to HS, Ray age 18...?
-occasionally, ray works hard for his money. Occasionally.
-Didn't give up on the band even when facing rival producer Ran's efforts AND a new threat from Sykes over Lucille
-is up front about pro bands being better than them... but doesn't give up
-Tears up article about rivals belle ame and feeds it to beck. XDDD
-"Sometimes Ryusuke-kun knows how to set up really good arrangements..." like setting you up with his sister, Koyuki. XD
-Ray has, like, zero business sense... He DOESN'T GET A CONTRACT for his indie release in America, so they get SHIT ALL
-LUCILLE, owned by sonny boy waters; "I'm gonna carry on sonny boy's legacy" <-- AND THEN STEALS IT
-remakes koyuki's songs into hits
-blushes when he talks about his sister's bikini modeling, LAWL
-After Ray hands rights to Beck's first indie album over to an American label (SANS CONTRACT), he is revealed as Lucille's current owner on the CD cover. FUCKDAMN.
-AT THIS POINT Sykes takes Lucille, Beck, AND Ray (ch 22)
-Ray attempts to escape. This is not fun. Nails gone. Ow.
-Taken in front of John Lee Davis--uncle of Sykes--asks to play with him; JLD was Sonny Boy's student "Ain't no Japanese I've seen that knows the blues as well as he does."
-Returns; pride(?<--prove this) keeps him saying he was out walking Beck initially, btu he reveals the truth to Chiba and Taira, including the ego hit that comes from him being told he's only alive because Leon would only kill for money -- "How can I possibly create music that moves people like this...?"
-Ray is an idealist when it comes to music: he accepts the challenge of getting famous band Dying Breed to perform at the Greatful Sound festival simply because the woman says she doesn't want it to be overrun by greedy corporate junk
-He is willing, though, because of his survival, to ask LEON SYKES for support against Ran--wow, where are his priorities??
-Chiba questions this sanity thing that Ray supposedly has. Ray cites the dream of rock stars picking up garbage after his concert... which Koyuki also had, and Taira, and Saku... everyone but Chiba. Chiba's life is pain.
-Ray STRONGLY believes BECK is destined to be a group--including Chiba
-Helps his sister bust into Koyuki's house, leaves him condoms, and flees the scene. How responsible!
-"Because of his body, Beck's shy and lonely." -- confronts Leon
-CLOSE bond with Lucille, multiple comments on how his sound changes
-Meets up with sykes again, says he came prepared to die
-moves on instinct; says he'll have to consult the band before agreeing to greatful sound fest, but changes his mind when koyuki writes a good song--but tells him to QUIT if he can't write good lyrics for it
-Hides terms of Leon's support from the band; gets so nervous about it that he can't eat OR sleep, and vomits at people profusely--basically, Leon wants the rights to Beck's next 5 albums... and through that he would destroy them with no promotion, bad schedules, etc. BUT conversely, if BECK can get the most viewers at the smallest stage, Sykes has to drop the whole thing
-Ray actually gets so frustrated about his current guitar's sound that he smashes it on stage at the festival
-Chiba and Taira fight the truth of the situation--ray says maybe chiba wasn;t mean tto be with beck, and maybe this concert is their big moment. EVERYTHING GOES TO HELL <-- start of major rift between ray and chiba
-But Ray is really just trying to make a run for it; changes his mind when sykes gives Lucille back temporarily BECAUSE JLD gave him a note saying he would carry on the legend of sonny boy <-- Ray feels obligated or inspired
-Band decides to break up after greatful sound, ray leaves for America (age 19?)
-TURNS OUT, ray is from a previous marriage, stole maho's dad's credit card and took it to NYC, where he plays in blues clubs (after having been re-discovered playing like a hobo in the subway)
-Meanwhile, BECK waits for him, firmly sure he will come back
-Ray's skills save him from being shot--the gunman is too entranced by his playing and hesitates before shooting, misses
-Ray crashes with Eddie!!! Eddie says ray came to NY to practice, ray says he also came to negotiate with leon sykes
-Leon's hideout is busted up by police, ray gets beck back, meets up coincidentally with BECK
-Tour nearly cancelled because of a contract dispute, but Ray's inspiration returns, and so does he, Lucille in tow; he gambles Lucille on the promise that BECK will fill the beune, and wins
-BECK goes back on the tour, Eddie shows up--turns out Ray made a bum deal with Sykes, oops...
-tour ends, Ray goes back to new york to finish his contract with a club, but feels like there's no place for him anymore
-SO HE GOES BACK TO JAPAN ANYWAY, sob, and proposes a new album
-through actual hard work they get an album going
-the single is over-produced, and it SUCKS :<
-next single, better producer
-Japan does not love BECK on tour :<
-RAY SUCKS AT FIGHTING. IT RESULTS IN HAND PWNAGE. And he can't play. :<
-"The instant Ryusuke enters 'girl mode' he turns into a real jerk."
-Buys random presents for girls--totally spontaneous
-Has a BAD FEELING about greatful sound
-And a bad feeling about the last time he talked to Eddie, when they had an argument; soon after, Eddie called and Ray wasn't there, only Koyuki--eddie played his new song fo Koyuki, which made Ray a little sadface
Eddie: "You're like me, Ray. Take away music, and we have nothing left. We'd end up as drunks, junkies, in prison, dead in an alley. Just don't let me down, whatever you do."
-They had a promise from youth to play a Stones song together.
-The last thing Ray ever said to eddie was 'fuck off'
-Eddie dies, then his house gets shot up, and a mysterious picture is sent to Ray. Confused, but determined to get justice for eddie's family, Ray heads back to New York. Wears lots of sunglasses and is constantly drunk.
So our scene is set.