Jason Sanders
| Quote
| |
|---|---|
| "What do you see in After the Rain? Capitulation? Persistence? Despair? Hope? Or is it broken dreams?" | |
| General
| |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Age (when met) | 30+ |
| Occupation | Artist |
| Voice Actors
| |
|---|---|
| CHS | 柯暮卿 (Kē Mùqīng)[1]
|
| CHT |
|
| JP |
|
| KR | |
| Name in Other Language(s)
| |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 郑泽 (Zhèng Zé)
|
| Japanese | 秀島春樹 (Hideshima Haruki)
|
| Korean | 정찬택 |
General[edit | edit source]
Jason Sanders is a skilled artist involved with a recent fraud case in which he produced forgeries sold under the name of the anonymous painter Z. He graduated from art school in 2019, but his work remained undiscovered in the 11 years since, leaving him dependent on part-time jobs and multiple incomes from his ex-wife, Reimi Lee, whom he'd met in university and married right after graduation. Despite Reimi's incomes, they often skipped meals and missed water and electricity bills, and Jason believes they would have been homeless if not for an inherited house. Jason believed Reimi was too good for him and would one day leave him when she realized she could do better, and his desperation to give her a good life showed as wild variations in his art style as he tried to win fame and attention in the art world.[2]
In 2030, when Reimi fell ill, Jason met Cher Young, who offered him work doing reproductions. He put everything he had into copying Z's techniques, but the passion in his work died while painting "After the Rain," when he learned Cher was selling his work as counterfeits rather than reproductions. When he learned Cher was using him to commit crimes, Jason claimed he had cheated on Reimi with Cher so that Reimi would divorce him and not be included in any scandal when he was eventually caught.[2]
During his time divorced and living alone, Jason was a very private and solitary individual who rarely left his home. He left little impression on his neighbors[3] and smelled strongly of paint, cigarette smoke, and poor hygiene. He was also cynical about the value of fame and dreams vs. the value of money, stating he was happy to produce imitation paintings to become rich in his lifetime rather than hope to be known after his death.[4] Jason is noted as being an extremely skillful forger, able to replicate at least 80% of the true Z's techniques and strokes. However, the replications are noted to be mechanical in nature only, without the soul that can truly touch a viewer[5] due to his disillusionment after discovering his role in a criminal operation.[2] Notably, he failed to replicate specific lighting techniques that Z borrows from Klimt rather than Rembrandt.[6]
When Jason was arrested and went to trial, his confession and cooperation with the investigation earned him a suspended sentence. After the trial, he reconciled with Reimi, who forgave him and agreed to continue supporting him despite his choice to give up painting and move on to another career since he hadn't achieved anything by age 30. However, Jason was dissuaded from his plan to quit painting by Marius von Hagen, who signed him to Pax's Rising Talent Initiative.[7]
After his conviction, he took a break from work, served probation, and participated in group education. However, despite his quiet life, he was exposed and doxxed as an example of the corruption within the Rising Talent Initiative.[8] He eventually went on to quit the Initiative, stating he owed Marius too much to be used as the knife that stabs him.[9]
Since his life settled down, Jason has continued to study art. He sometimes attends events at which Z is rumored to appear, hoping to apologize in person.[10]
Organization(s)[edit | edit source]
- Pax Group - Painter, Rising Talent Initiative
