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Name: Shawn "Shadow" Adare

Nickname: Shadow

Age: 15

Birthday: June 21st

Sign: Cancer (cusp)

Gemstone: Alexandrite

Blood Type: AB

Fav. Food: Hot Dogs

Hated Food: Onions

School: Romano's Constitutional Haven (Co-Ed, Highschool)

Hobbies:
Staying Active - Despite kind of being on the scrawny side in physical body build, Shadow loves to run and has developed some impressive stamina and speed through his frequent use of them. Having grown up as a city boy on the streets until he was taken into foster care and later adopted, he knows all they alleyways and back streets like the back of his hand. Parkour is another skill he’s developed the use of over the years, especially since he’s had to be quick on his feet to escape from bullies and muggers lurking in the shadier parts of town, so he’s almost always on the move. After learning about Romano's, he became interested in the school because he could still have a chance to stay decently active with their strict training regimen.

Listening to Others - Although Shadow seems to be outwardly distant, cold, and aloof to those who don't know him, he will always take the time to listen to others, especially due to his lonely nature. He's pretty easy to talk to because he's a good listener. He's also willing to just hang around to keep others company and will try to offer advice, encouragement, and or support should anyone ever seem to need it.

Virtues:
Kind - This young man will always take the time to listen to those who need someone to talk to. He tends to be very empathetic and sympathetic due to his considerate nature and is often very thoughtful of others' circumstances. He does what he can to help them out whether it means lending an ear, giving advice, or assisting with something. His sincerity and kindness aren't always blatantly obvious, however, and it would take a little time of getting to know him for one to recognize said intentions in his actions. He is not used to outwardly putting on displays of affection. His caring of others is more prominent in the little things he does.

Loyal - If you make a friend of Shadow, you'll have made a friend for life. He trusts his friends and would do almost anything for them. He will defend them with all his heart and soul, get back at people who have wronged them, and will go to the ends of the Earth for their sakes. That's not to say his never disagrees or fights with his friends, but he thinks that one of the main things about being friends is being honest, so he'd prefer to tell the truth to someone rather than be politely agreeable and he’d want them to do the same with him. Friends are especially important to Shadow because of how insecure he is and how much he worries about what others think of him. He's not so trusting of people at first, but once someone has his trust, his loyalty is hard to shake.

Independent - Due to his mother’s death and his father leaving him at a very young age, Shadow was pretty self-reliant early on, even after he was put into foster care and later adopted. Despite legally being a dependant and a minor, his father's abandonment left him feeling that he couldn't afford to rely on anyone else - not even his appointed guardians - so he tends to be more mature than most teenagers his age. A quick learner when watching and listening to others, he’s street-smart and knows how to think on his feet. He is reliable enough to look to for advice on what to do in a situation, though he's not likely to turn to anyone else for help. While he's pretty independant for someone his age and resents being reliant on others, that’s not to say he doesn’t enjoy company or friends. His maturity allows him to act big-brotherly towards others who require his help and/or protection, including other kids that he knew while he had been in foster care.

Serious - This guy doesn't often joke around. If someone wants to tell him something, he can generally be trusted to take the matter seriously. However, he's a little hard to play with because of this and doesn't take kindly to pranks, jokes, or tricks; especially when he believes someone could be in danger. Above all, Shadow tries to do what he believes is right. He has a very strong sense of what is right and wrong and will always listen to his conscience. Shadow is the sort of person who believes that if you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.

Flaws:
Reckless - This teen is a daredevil and afraid of almost nothing any longer (as opposed to when he was younger and afraid of everything. Nightmares galore). He can overcome whatever fears bother him, which is not necessarily a good thing when his fears are meant to keep him from doing foolish and stupid things. He is also maddeningly stubborn, defiant, and rebellious because he does not like being told what to do, even when he knows it's right or necessary. He doesn't think before he acts because he worries that if he thinks too long he'll miss his opportunity to act.

Pessimist - Another of Shadow's domineering traits is his negativity and his pessimism. He tends to be, as many teenagers are, very angsty, believing that no one else knows what he's gone through or is going through. He won't willingly open up to others about himself or his thoughts either because he doesn't want them to bother with it or doesn't believe they'll understand. Due to his inclination toward negative and gloomy thoughts, he generally keeps away from others to avoid raining on their parade unless they come to him.

Cynical - Shadow is suspicious and mistrusting of most people by nature. This has to do with the fact that he was abandoned by his father at a young age after his mother died of untreated illness and subsequently put into the foster care system. He prefers to gain most of his knowledge from his trial and error, learning from his own experiences and past mistakes rather than written or verbal warnings from others because he isn't so trusting of anyone besides himself.

Self-loathing - One of Shadow's biggest flaws is his self-loathing. His predominant nature seems to be gloomy, and as he doesn't actively seek out the company of others, he also seems to be aloof or distant. Shadow doesn't like the idea of being a wet blanket and bringing others down with him, especially when he's brooding. He actually loves company; it's just that he's so insecure about himself and what others think of him as an abandoned, adopted kid that he doesn't have the will to try to reach out to others on his own too often. Unless, of course, they need his help.


PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Eyes: Bright scarlet red. Wears light brown/sepia contacts given to him by a friend in order to avoid drawing attention to himself in the streets.

Hair: Dark purple with spikes that lean forward. He also has spiky bangs. He attempts to dye it black when he can afford it so he can avoid drawing attention to himself in the streets and more easily blend in with the shadows.

Face: Angular face, native american features, and reddish-tan complexion

Clothes: Art Gallery here. He wears a long, black trench coat somewhat too big on his underweight body (occasionally with a worn white shirt underneath) and dark, baggy jeans that are so oversized that they often pool at his feet, occasionally obscuring his old, dirty sneakers (like this) and making it difficult for him to run.

Hey, Sirene! Thanks again for looking over another civ of mine!

I will certainly edit his traits and hobbies now that I know he can't be on his own on the streets at his age. However, before I do that, I had one concern.

The reason I only put down a mononym is because his real name is Shawn Darrow. Unfortunately, Destiny City already has a bunch of Darrows and though I discussed it with the player who had the original Darrow in this shop, they said they didn't want Shawn to have the same last name even as a separate family because it would be confusing for those who associate the name with their characters' family. I couldn't bear to change my own character's real name, however, because I've had this OC for 10 years and he means a lot to me.

If he has to have an official name, do you think it would be alright for his official listed name to be Shawn "Shadow" Darrow and to just play him as 'Shadow' so players don't get confused between my Darrow and others'?

Okay. Heh, unfortunately I picked that particular name because the nickname 'Shadow' was derived from 'Shawn' and 'Darrow', so I don't know what other spelling would work.

Would it be possible to say that after his father left him and he got picked up off the streets, Shawn was adopted from a foster home and given a new surname by his adopting family? Like Shawn Adare?

Oops; also, sorry for all the extra quoting, but I forgot to ask - is Meadowview the only school that doesn't require tuition to attend, or are some of the others that way as well?

Er...so Adare can be his adoptive surname, correct? And he can have Darrow as a middle name?

Okay, so technically he could get into any of the schools (that accept males) provided he worked hard enough, correct? In that case I was thinking of having him enroll in Romano's Constitutional Haven since they also pay for boarding and he can stay active. Especially because I was planning to upgrade him to a corrupt senshi later on if I get the chance.

Alright, I think I fixed everything! Please let me know if there's anything else I should change!

Sorry, I'm not sure I understand. if he was adopted by the Adares, wouldn't that become his only last name anyway? That's why I thought Darrow could his middle name like you suggested, unless he just shouldn't have it in his name at all...?

Mm, I understand the thing about him not being on the streets, but honestly, I doubt he'd wanna be. The street stuff was in reference to before he got adopted, but I can take it out completely as a hobby if that would make things less confusing. Anything else?

^_^; I'm sorry, I'm still a little unsure of what you mean. Maybe it's from lack of coffee, but wouldn't your sentences here:
"What I mean is that Darrow could not have been his last name at all."
"The family name, even if changed when adopted, could not be Darrow at any point."

conflict with your sentence here?
"If you wanted to keep Darrow in his name, it would either need to be switched to his birth first name or birth last name."

Perhaps in the latter sentence, you meant 'birth middle name' instead of 'birth last name'?

Unless he's not allowed to have Darrow as his middle name at all, which I'm afraid I still don't think I got clarification about in the last post. sweatdrop Apologies for asking the same thing over again.

If he's allowed to have his middle name as Darrow, I'll keep it that way. If not, I'll change it to Shawn Adare.

Just out of curiosity, though, if his name was changed when he was adopted and his original/birth name is never mentioned or he doesn't know it, what does it matter what his original/birth name used to be?

Looks good to me! Have fun!