Out-of-Character Information

Name: Essay
Are you over 15?: eeyep. c:
Contact Info: Have this handy masterlist since you guys already know all of this anyway.

In-Character Information

Name: Shadow the Hedgehog
Game/Series: Sonic the Hedgehog
Teacher/Student/Other: Other; staff member.
Canon Point: Just post-Sonic Adventure 2 and JUST before landing on Earth, being found by one of Eggman's robots, going through that whole amnesia biz, etc.
Age: Physically, he seems to be around his later teens, but in reality, he is at least over 50 years of age.
Grade Level/Class Taught/Job: Truancy Patrol. With Resetti. Yes, I am serious. No, Shadow is not going to enjoy this.
Dorm or Living Arrangement: Give him a dorm, dolls.

Personality:

Most of the Sonic cast could easily be described, in a nutshell, as generally cheery, upbeat, and sunshiny. Shadow the Hedgehog, on the contrary, is what you could call the black sheep amidst the pool of peppy white. Anti-social, distant, aloof, and soft-spoken, Shadow is the embodiment of the true meaning of loneliness. He prefers to work independently, pulling himself away from others as he does what he thinks he should do, whether or not it is generally morally sound. He has no need to work with others unless the moment really calls for it (i.e. confronting Biolizard alongside Sonic).

Shadow is alone -- very, very alone -- and he mainly prefers for it to stay that way.

However, he wasn’t always this withdrawn. Maria, the best and probably only example of one of Shadow’s greatest friendships, was one of the exceptions to this. He sure wasn’t peppy as long as she’d lived beside him -- he was never the perpetually happy sort, and the fact that he had no idea why he was made or what purpose he held didn’t help that much -- but as long as Maria had lived, he was genuinely... alright. Of all people to be around, Maria was one of the only ones he could stand. In fact, he adored her with every fiber of his very being, what with her being his only true friend in his time in the Space Colony ARK, his purpose a depressing mystery.

The point of that spiel is this: Shadow may be gruff and torn from most of the world, but deep underneath that ivory chest-fluff, he does have a heart. He more than certainly has a heart. He isn’t very expressive in terms of positivity, but he displays what caring he does have in more subtle manners, namely by forging alliances when needed and defending those worth protecting (i.e. Maria (of course), Rouge, and heck, even Sonic at times). Those worthy of his care will receive it, albeit in the smallest of visible doses. This is due to the fact that, after having lost Maria, he has hardly felt the capability to love others in the way he did to her. Her death is still fresh in his mind, and truth be told, after losing her, getting close to someone else in any way is the last thing on his mind.

It is difficult to get much of anything positive out of Shadow, namely due to how stern, focused, and detached he is... but that doesn’t mean he can’t crack a smile. Oh, no. He certainly can, but when he does, it hardly ever tends to be anything good. Not only is he not the type to sit down and take any bullshit, but he can also dish out just what his bark can display. He isn’t the Ultimate Lifeform for nothing -- his ability, as far as he knows, is practically unmatched. He knows this, and yes, he is proud of it. Because of this, he can come across as pretty arrogant... no, in fact, he is arrogant, through and through, and nothing feels better to him than using his power for what he thinks is “right”. Or hell, just feeling that power course through him in general.

He is, in this sense, really damn proud of himself, and he will show it -- all with that most wicked and smug smile.

Due to that confident streak and his generally unpleasant attitude, his behavior can range between being a bit snippy and sarcastic to being downright sardonic and callous to many, if not most, people around him. Many creatures, as he sees it, are inferior. Beneath him. They weren’t engineered or otherwise born with even an ounce of the abilities he has, and those who think they can best him only serve to darkly amuse him. Much like Sonic, he has that competitive edge, and as long as the person in question isn’t a waste of his time, Shadow certainly doesn’t mind putting them in their place and showing them who is the top ‘hog.

Despite all of this showing of power, he isn’t just all strength and little else. In fact, Shadow was engineered to be pretty darn intelligent; a successful endeavor of Project Shadow that came to fruition. He is analytical and tactical, a brilliant mind in a small, spiny body. He isn’t the type to recklessly skim over important details, as in his mind, that would be just foolish. (This is something he could easily berate Sonic for; leaping before he thinks.) He takes what knowledge he can and makes sure to utilize it as best as he can, which, due to his expanded and above-average mind, isn’t too difficult of a feat.

Brains and brawn -- what else could anyone want from someone considered the ‘Ultimate Lifeform’? Probably not much else.

Shadow the Hedgehog, in the end, is truly a force to be reckoned with.

Backstory:

[[ This covers everything, just about. ]]

-------------------------------------------------------------------

It all seemed to happen far too quick. Biolizard -- the pact between two rivals to save the world -- his promise to Maria -- Chaos Control...

Before Shadow knew it, he was falling towards the planet Earth at a deadly velocity. He, the Ultimate Lifeform, falling to what could very well be his death... seemed all too surreal. He was meant to be immortal, kept on a pedestal above any and all other creatures, and yet here he was, staring inevitable doom right in its garish face.

He... couldn’t find himself caring too much. This was what Maria wanted, wasn’t it? He did all he could for her, for humanity, no matter the cost. He was incredibly selfless in that battle against the beastly prototype. He hardly thought of his own being, sans the obvious need to strategize to ensure a victory before failing.

He couldn’t find any regret lingering. In fact, if this kind of sacrifice was what he had to do to fulfill his promise to her... then so be it.

From there, all went black.

... no, really, all went black. He wasn’t even falling anymore, a strange enough phenomenon to prompt him to wonder what the hell was going on. He found himself in a void, floating there -- or was he floating? Was he still falling? -- feeling a sensation different from the usual chaotic energy he was more familiar with. It felt like a different sort of energy.

Whether or not it was something dangerous was an entire different story. In fact, he hadn’t a clue what was going on. For him, the Ultimate Lifeform, to be left so confused? It felt blasphemous. He demanded an answer, and yet he had no being to get one from. Yet.

The feeling of that ‘energy’ built up higher and higher, spiking and spiking, only for him to realize that this wasn’t as unfamiliar as he thought. It was the distorted, slowed down feeling of... falling. He was still falling after all, but for a completely different destination than he anticipated.

Whatever or whoever did what it did, it slowed his fall considerably, allowing him to land safe and sound on his own two feet, no worse for wear than he already was during that fateful battle. Bruised and beaten, yet most certainly alive and well, he found himself in completely different territory.

Unbeknownst to him, if this were to go as it should have, he would have been the one to ask, “Who am I?”

Instead, in this new timeline, standing in front of a large academy, he finds himself wondering, “Where am I?”

Welcome to Smash Academy, Shadow the Hedgehog, for better or for worse.

Anything Else?:

SHEESH OKAY here we go.

☢ Shadow is the Ultimate Lifeform. Basically, this page describes the bulk of his creation and why he exists -- as the product of a project on the research of immortality, as well as an attempt by Gerald Robotnik to cure his precious granddaughter, Maria, of her condition, Neuro Immunodefiency Syndrome. As a result, Shadow is quite basically immortal, and is not susceptible to most, if not all, diseases. On the flipside he can be injured, even harmed by what would be considered ‘fatal blows’ for normal creatures, and feel pain like any other creature. However, whether or not he can actually die by any means is still a pretty solid ‘no’. Of course, it isn’t a definite no, but that could only be proven otherwise if Shadow got killed. That... obviously hasn't happened, so.


☢ His abilities are pretty... expansive. Let’s start with the basics:


• For one, akin to his ally and rival, Sonic, he can perform the Homing Attack and the Spin Attack. The former involves slamming into enemies while homing into them (hence the name), while the latter involves curling up into a ball and blasting through his path at super speed. Along with that, he is incredibly speedy due to the use of his Air Shoes, capable of allowing him to reach a sort of transportation similar to a mesh of hovering and skating at the same time. Along with that, it allows him to perform a maneuver similar to Sonic's light speed dash -- running along a homed-in trail of rings at light speed.


• Those rings on Shadow's gloves aren't just for looks. These are his Inhibitor Rings, mysterious little braces meant to, as implicated, inhibit Shadow's power. Once removed, Shadow's overall attack power increases. These will hardly ever be removed, just like in canon, since he's only ever removed them once (in Sonic 2006, which hasn't even happened for this Shadow yet).
  
• His list of moves available in Sonic Adventure 2 apply here, as he is fully upgraded with all of these abilities: the Air Shoes (obviously), the Mystic Melody (opens new passageways in certain areas when played but who cares about that HAHA), the Ancient Light ability (allows Shadow to attack enemies in a row quickly), and the Flame Ring ability (which allows Shadow to somersault in a fiery manner to attack and destroy metal containers).


• Shadow can use Chaos Powers, meaning basically A LOT OF THIS SHIT. Everything with Shadow listed is an ability that he is capable of using in some way, which is... basically about 90% of this list. WELP. (Haha I promise this won't be abused and that I will have a permissions post for this kind of stuff. B'D)


• Shadow is quite capable of running motorcycles and... just about any other vehicle he can use to plow through his path. Who even knows why the fuck or how the fuck okay.


• Also firearms, he can use firearms and other similar weaponry. YEAH I KNOW IT'S RIDICULOUS.


• He also has a damn good knack for technology, as seen a couple of times throughout the series. Don't expect his private things, if any, to be easily hackable at all. (jesus chris shadow??)


☢ Wait, why is Shadow working with Resetti? Wouldn’t he not want to do that? That's not very Shadow-like! Very good question, dear reader! In fact, it isn’t very Shadow-like to willingly work with Resetti and choose it over any other job. Therefore, this is entirely the fault of... who knows, probably Crazy Hand. Yeah, it was probably Crazy Hand, and if the mods say yes, it was DEFINITELY Crazy Hand. Point is, he was kinda forced into the position for now, so... welp!


☢ damn

In-Character 1st person sample:

[This was ridiculous. No, through and through, it was completely random and illogical and produced nothing more than a Shadow the Hedgehog that happened to be even grumpier than usual.

He did what he could against FinalHazard, fell to Earth, and then... this? How did he get sent through some kind of dimensional rift? He didn't seem to be on the Earth he knew, so... where exactly was he?

The Hands weren't very cooperative, he mused as he tapped into the computer in front of him. As he remained secluded in his nearly empty room, he recalled the moment, the confusion, the demands he posed, the responses he received, and the... bathing trunks he received, made out of fresh orange peel.

He couldn't even fathom why that last part happened.

If these disembodied hands were really the head honchos they claimed to be -- something he sincerely doubted from the lack of professionalism -- then he would have no choice but to find his answers via a different method. This place seemed far from empty. Very far from empty.

He prefers to work alone, for sure. However, he didn't horribly mind seeking some clues. As long as he kept on-track and associated with these people as little as possible, he felt that he could manage this.

He typed and typed, only what was necessary, and left it at that:]

I demand to know why I have been brought here. Who leads this facility and peruses the idea of playing with inter-dimensional portals like children's toys? They clearly have such little respect for the power they possess. How very reckless...

[Yet he wasn't about to use up his time complaining. There was some kind of silly shenanigan afoot, and he has to get to the bottom of it. ASAP.]

Inform me of your school's history with unwilling arrivals. Otherwise, don't even bother wasting my time. I won't be here long.

[He leaves it at that for a moment after realizing that said hands were attempting to communicate with him. After a brief session, he returns to tack this on:]

Don't let this position of 'Truancy Officer' fool any of you. My intent is to leave. That is unquestionable.

Ha... I refuse to believe these 'Hands' lead your facility... Take me to your real leaders, humans!

[[ ooc; if that's not enough, this DR post should also hopefully work! ]]

In-Character 3rd person sample:

This floating hand was out of his goddamn mind.

The first thing Shadow knew, the thing lunged at him, leaving him ready to be on the defensive and attack with what strength he had left. Instead of receiving a blow, however, Crazy Hand had dumped... something... on top of him. Something damp and admittedly smelly.

How did this even start? Shadow recalled the steps -- landing in front of the academy, ascending the building while trying to remain in the shadows, reaching the principal's office, bitterly voicing his issue, and then- and then -- this?

How did he wind up from the exterior of the Space Colony ARK to standing in a room with floating hands and orange peel dripping from his quills?!

Immediately, he reached for the... 'thing' draped over his head, yanked it off, and gave an astonished, flabbergasted look at the jolly appendage just spasming in front of him. "W-What is the meaning of this?!" After a short thirty seconds passed with no response other than the hand's insane laughter, he punctuated that with a very stern, "Respond! Now. I have no time for your foolish mannerisms!"

As Crazy yet laughed and cackled like a maniac, his gaze drifted to the fruity slop in his grasp. For what it was, it had an incredibly odd sense of... form. A form that seemed awfully familiar.

"What is this supposed to be? Are these...?" Shadow froze, his mind coming to a brief halt when he realized what this was. "That can't be--!"

"Eeeeeeeeheheheheheeeeeeeh," the voice of the hand rang out, jittery from the violent motions of his involuntary shaking and trembling. "Welcome to Smmmmaaaaaaaash Brothaaaaaas! Here's your lovely gift! Pass by the gift shop for more prrrrrrromotional items and a chance to win a trip tooooooo the Mushroomy Kingdom! Get ready for a heck of a--"

"Enough!"

Suddenly, all noises stopped at Shadow's protest. Crazy Hand would have been staring if he even had eyes, but due to the lack of them, he was just... looking at Shadow in some other mysterious manner.

How the hell was that even possible? Psh. No matter. That wasn't important now, Shadow decided with a flick of the wrist, the makeshift swim trunks flying into a nearby garbage basket. How disgusting! How outrageous can this thing be?!

"This," he responded with a gesture to the can and the object in question, "serves no purpose to the problem. If you refuse to tell me why I'm here, you hold no worth to me."

Another pause. Master Hand, left behind his spasming relative, let out nothing more than an uneasy cough, likely out of secondhand (hahaHA) embarrassment. Crazy Hand remained silent. With that, Shadow was more than ready to take his leave, and yet once he flipped around to exit the room in a bit of a huff...

"YOOOOOOOU ARE OUR ONE MILLIONTH STAFF MEMBER! YOU NOW GET SOME FRIES WITH THAT!"

After the sound of something like a splat and a curse or two flung at the Hands, a black hedgehog emerged from the principal's office.

His head was covered in cheese fries in the shape of a brasserie.

This was going to be a long day.