background

raymond grew up with a fairly normal childhood. their many siblings—younger and older—were rather unorganized and unruly, leading to them developing an authoritative personality and knack for criticizing others. throughout their childhood, raymond formed an admiration for music. they spent their own funds on cheap instruments, and self-taught themself music theory to avoid the expenses of a tutor. like the artists they listened to, they aspired to become a well-renowned musician. raymond also developed a fondness for sewing and clothing design. they were usually tasked with sewing together any holes or tears in their family members' clothing.

as they matured, they started applying to various jobs around inkopolis plaza for a little extra cash. these never lasted more than a couple weeks. the issue was their argumentative personality. they'd frequently lose work due to their willingness to bite back and argue with entitled customers.

stumped for job opportunities in inkopolis plaza, they moved to inkopolis square. they took a couple shifts at vendor shops until they applied for grizzco. given that the work was more labrious than customer service, it allowed them a stable financial backing for their aspiring freelance career. occassionally, they'd attempt to work with fellow musicians in the indie music space, but raymond's pickiness and high expectations led to frequent disagreement and falling outs. this carried on for months, until they met mimic—an aspiring musician that immediately infatuated raymond.

seeing a chance, raymond proposed they form a band. they promised to handle the management and composing, while mimic was free to be the vocalist and music director. to their surprise, mimic eagerly agreed. mimic was rather flexible. she didn't intrude too much on raymond's deal of the work, and overall was understanding of their creative limits and aspirations. raymond, smitten by her, responded by being much more courteous and lenient.

together, they composed their first album, which was somewhat unsuccessful commercially. raymond was distraught, while mimic was content. raymond made the irrational decision to split up their band--convincing themself there was no successful future with mimic, no matter how hard it was. shortly after, raymond realized fame was nothing compared to mimic's kindness, and promptly rekindled their friendship.

a shoutout from an influencer in splatsville led to their first album receiving newfound attention, and positive reception. mimic suggested relocating their setup to splatsville, to which raymond agreed. in splatsville, raymond still works to make a fortune at grizzco, but lives with mimic while they compose their second album.

trivia

• their first name is a pun on sting rays. their last name is from the genus of a firefly squid (watasenia.) they are loosely based off of the firefly squid. they are much smaller than the average inkling, and are bioluminescent.
• they only dish out arguments if somebody else started it first, but their issue is that they quickly lose control and get heated. their demeanor besides that is mostly cold, critical, and unapproachable, but they do treat those that treat them kindly with respect.
• a little bit of a smoker as a bad habit. they know better than to smoke indoors or next to other people, however.
• helps sketch up costume designs for mimic, and creates them out of their own pocket. they also help their grizzco colleagues by taking home their slopsuits and sewing up any holes, and also deep cleaning them ten times.