"Character quote"
Name: Shadow Blackarm.
Nicknames: "Shads" is the only nickname he'll tolerate at the most, however, he will let slide any other nicknames Maria might create on a whim. But if anyone else starts to use those nicks he might put said someone in a coma. Possibly any witnesses too.
Species: Hedgehog.
Gender: Male.
Age: 24.
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral.
Stats: Physical: 12 | Mental: 6 | Luck: 3
Height: 3' 4".
Build: Athletically lean.
Residence: Area 27/San Grandia.
Occupation: Freedom Fighter.
Likes: Maria, freedom, music, dancing, sunbathing, videogames, cars and bikes, food to the point of being slightly possessive of it, his hobbies and talents, fighting.
Dislikes: Deep water, Robotnik's forces, lack of food, anyone who tries to mess with Maria, commitment, being alone, mayo, trivial dribble, people threatening him or people he cares about, wasting time, people sneaking up on him.
Hobbies/Talents: Breakdancing, cooking basic home-cooked meals, keeping in shape, practicing his freerunning skills, driving, listening to music. Keeping an eye on Maria could be considered a hobby I guess.
Played By: Topaz Mutiny. Shadow had a helluva lot of former players. Former Adopter was Luminositt, Former Former Adopter was Maran Prix, and the Original Player was Elbot. Jesus. o_o
Theme: STILL DECIDING~
Personality
Shadow is very introspective, and prefers to be quiet and reserved. As a free spirit, he rarely commits to anything, and even when he holds a promise he can be very aloof and disinterested. Being on the streets ever since he was young, Shadow comes out as a loner, distant from other people, egotistical, and somewhat awkward when it comes to casual conversations. He has a preference for staying out of situations, and has a policy of "don't mess with me and I won't mess with you". In general, Shadow comes across as rather cold, distant, and, if he actually continues with a conversation, rather rude. Being brought up on the streets has made Shadow extremely blunt and to the point, and he rarely strays off-topic. He does have a rather large ego however, and can become irrational when his ego is assaulted.
He acts like a tough guy, and, like all street-smart ghetto-dwellers, knows well the philosophy of "kill or be killed". When danger arises, Shadow doesn't delay on eliminating the danger, whether through threats, shows of violence, or even killing someone. He doesn't fear danger—rather it makes him angry. And besides threats to his own person, Shadow is often easily angered or annoyed, especially when it comes to his ego and pride. When he is angry, Shadow's lack of common sense means he's more likely to jump into a situation or respond to one without thinking, usually with violence or a suggestion thereof. Truely, Shadow is only out for himself; selfish, mean, and with a killer instinct. It doesn't bode well to get him angry on purpose.
However, Shadow isn't without a soft side. Despite his inability to connect with other people, and his selfishness, Shadow cares very much for the well-being of his friends and other people close to him. Despite living alone for most of his life, he hates and fears loneliness and being alone, and dreads losing someone he cares about. He really is a big softie, for despite his roughness and willingness to hurt people, he's equally willing to help innocent people in a dangerous situation, believing that no one needs to suffer anymore than they have to. Interestingly enough, Shadow is not jealous of anyone better off than himself, and instead recognizes that everyone will have different experiences and different lives, which all have difficulties and suffering at some level. This is why, despite his ghetto toughside, he's completely willing to help someone who is in desperate need of help, even if they came from the rich side of town.
If a person is in need of someone comforting them though, Shadow is far more uncomfortable and awkward. He finds it very difficult to truely care about someone, and to empathize with them. Sympathy isn't one of his strong points, and while sometimes he may want to truely comfort the person needing it, Shadow is pretty much unable to, and feels that he might end up making the situation worse. The only person he's close to empathizing with is Maria, and is far more open about his own emotions with her.
Abilities
Physical
Shadow has incredible cat-like reflexes and agility, making him lithe, acrobatic with great balance, and quick-footed by nature. He's great at climbing most surfaces and slopes. While not as fast as Sonic, Shadow is able to run much faster than other characters - about as fast as a cheetah-and has a large pool of stamina to tap into. Because of these traits, Shadow has above-average strength in his arms and legs, giving him the power to move heavier objects than someone else his size could, as well as a longer/higher jumping ability. He also has above-average hearing.
As a hedgehog, Shadow is able to curl into a spiky ball, which can be used for defense or offense, and can roll around at surprising speeds. His black coloring makes him very hard to pinpoint at night, and his markings help break up his outline even more, giving him excellent camouflage at night.
Shadow is also naturally attuned to power stones: able to sense their energies within a 50 meter radius. In addition, Shadow can use the power stones to augment his strength and abilities, as well as his indole powers.
While not the brightest tool in the shed, Shadow has excellent concentration and critical thinking skills, able to come to a decision in a snap, or keep focused on a situation amongst large amounts of chaos or cacophony. Shadow is street-smart, and is an excellent mental mapper.
Shadow Blink is the name given to Shadow's indole power - a form of teleportation. Shadow can 'blink' short distances, with a max range of about 10 meters/30 feet. In addition, after teleporting, an after-image resembling his shadow is left behind, following through with whatever action he had been executing before the blink for a few seconds, though as a mirage, it can't actually do anything. With a power stone, this ability is greatly augmented - his blink range is quintupled, and the after-image looks more and more like the real Shadow (though still unable to physically interact with its surroundings). Shadow cannot blink through solid things (like walls or ceilings/floors, though open-air gates are fine) or to places that he can't see, and if he tried, he would end up slamming into the obstacle at ludicrously high speeds. Or wind up spliced inside said obstacle… eww.
Learned
Shadow has decent hand-to-hand and melee fighting skills, but, as he was self-taught, is not trained in any specific style. He knows how to use various firearms, and can operate a wide variety of vehicles. His specialty is in old muscle cars, to the point where he has minor mechanical knowledge of them. With his rocket skates, Shadow is able to push speeds up to 300 mph. Shadow can rail-grind with grace, and his shoes help accentuate his skill.
Shadow is mostly computer illiterate—he can use them, but only for the most basic functions, such as typing a document or using a search engine.
As having been a loner most of his life in the crime-ridden slums of San Grandia, Shadow has an acute killer instinct, and isn't at all afraid of snuffing out a life. Coupled with this is his extremely well-developed survival skills. Shadow is resourceful, not limited to but including his nack for turning almost anything into a handy weapon. He also has a well-tuned skill in parkour, or freerunning.
Weaknesses
Physical
Without his rocket skates, Shadow's speed decreases dramatically. Thanks to not going near the ocean or any other substantial body of water, Shadow can't swim at all.
Shadow cannot phase through solid objects with Shadow Blink, and cannot blink to places he can't see. He also cannot blink further than 30 feet (unless he has a power stone) without injuring himself (and also cannot blink to a rooftop that's more than 30 feet high), and can only use this ability repeatedly for a limited amount of time before growing tired.
Mental
Shadow, while not an idiot or ignorant, is technologically illiterate, and he's also unable to understand wordy, intricate, or geeky vocabulary.
Shadow is extremely uncomfortable near large bodies of water, and will go to all lengths to avoid having to tread water, or even be near it. Deep down, Shadow is afraid of being left alone and losing someone he actually cares about.
Shadow, like Sonic, has a really big ego, and as such he can come off as rude, stubborn, and very reckless. Despite his wit, Shadow has a poor grasp of common sense, and will dive into troubling situations without a second thought. He's very prideful and prone to snapping angrily at people who annoy him. This can make it difficult for him to form relationships with others, as well as get him or others into trouble with other confrontational characters. Shadow has a bit of an anger problem, and easily overreacts to negative situations.
Pre-RP History
From the start, Shadow was a part of the ghetto. Born on the streets, he and his single mother struggled for survival together, until she passed away from food poisoning while he was only five. His father was always unknown to him and long gone, and, with no friends and one else to turn to, Shadow was forced to make a living on his own. Force-feed yourself or starve, find shelter or perish, and protect yourself or be murdered were the codes he was quick to learn. By the time he was ten, Shadow was well-versed in the ways of the ghetto, starting to hone his skills to not only make this harsh lifestyle survivable, but thriveable. He made a point of staying out of gang business, but when the inevitable happened, Shadow would always make sure that he was not to be trifled with.
Shadow was fourteen when the coup in took place in Mobitropolis, and the already volatile San Grandia slums became that much more dangerous with prejudice running rampant. It was around this time that Shadow discovered that he could teleport short distances while leaving behind an after-image - found while confronting a group of thugs - and so, along with his other skills, began to develop his indole power.
It was then that an influential person came into his life. Whilst stalking the alleys in one part of the crime-ridden San Grandia, he came across a disturbing, and fury-inducing, scene: A no-good, rotten, lowlife gang having cornered a human girl, and threatening to open fire for what was obviously no good reason. Infuriated, Shadow chased away the gang, and extended a hand to help the human girl off her feet.
That was how he met Maria. Despite the obvious differences, and the negative stereotypes and stigma associated with overlanders, Shadow, much to his chagrin and surprise, quickly became good friends with the fragile little girl. He soon came to realize that, whenever she was in trouble, he had to be there to help. Their bond grew extremely tight, having six years to develop and nurture.
And then, there came disturbing news from Maria's grandfather Gerald, via Maria, that Robotnik's forces would soon lead a strike against San Grandia, but that there was a safe-haven they could run to when it did happen-Area 27, an abandoned military base.
Then, when Shadow was 20, the inevitable occurred. Shadow took Maria and whisked her away to safety at the abandoned underground base, but, unfortunately, her grandfather was nowhere to be seen after the chaos.
Area 27 seemed to be home to a group of refugees, some of whom were planning to strike back at Robotnik's forces as some sort of Freedom Fighter group. Despite not wanting to get involved, Robotnik had messed with the wrong guy, and Shadow was going to make him pay for screwing things up. Quickly after Shadow decided to join the Freedom Fighters, they noticed his potential in battle and began training him for even better assistance in their rebellion, even creating rocket-sneakers so that he could outpace any foe. It didn't take long for Shadow to become the San Grandia Freedom Fighters' greatest resource, but even so, Maria and himself always came first.
Post-RP History
To be written~
Crossover History
To be written.
Affiliates
Maria Roderick | Shadow's closest, and likely only, friend. They appear to have a brother/sister relationship, and Shadow would kill anyone who tries to hurt her. |
Gerald Roderick | Maria's grandfather, Shadow doesn't know much about him, or that well. Disappeared when San Grandia was taken over. |
Tekno the Canary | A bird who's finesse lies in mechanics, and the leader of the San Grandia Freedom Fighters. Shadow seems to tolerate her at best. |
Shortfuse the Squirrel | A robian with, as his name might suggest, an extremely short temper. Shadow and Shortfuse likely bicker often. |
Charmy the Bee | An energetic bee that Shadow doesn't deal with often. |
Vector the Crocodile | A detective-esque mobian Shadow doesn't care too much for. |
E-102 Gamma | A failed prototype new-breed SWATbot whom was scrapped, later found and fixed up in a collab effort between Maria and Tekno and now belongs to the Area 27 group. |
Misc. Info
Shadow doesn't wear gloves. With all of his rather extensive freerunning, any fabric on his hands doesn't last very long before being torn to shreds. His shoes are far more durable, and don't really see much friction aside from walking and jumping.
His shoes were created to boost his speed to incredible levels, enabling him to do feats otherwise impossible, and giving him even more strength and prowess in combat.
Categories
Area 27, San Grandia, Indoles, Exotics, Semi-Canon Characters