The Legend of Zelda: Shadow of the Ages

Character profile: Shadi

~ The Songbird ~

- - - - Basics - - - -

Full name: Shadi (his original name is unknown)

Race: Hylian

Age: Around nineteen

Gender: Male, but ludicrously effeminate

Occupation: Fire mage and former slave

Blood Type: B-

Instrument: Voice

- - - - - - Appearance - - - - - -

Height/Weight: 156cm/58kg

Hair: Blueish grey, cropped to just below the shoulders and worn in a high ponytail, with the fringe parted to his right. The cut is very even, giving it a strong flat edge.

Eyes: Pale blue

Skin Tone: Very average for a Hylian

General Build: Slender. Shadi is a slim and shapely young man with narrow shoulders and long limbs. He isn't as curvy as an adult woman, but looks very much like a slightly scrawny girl - except, of course, for a deliciously flat chest.

Distinguishing features: Shadi is a real beauty, enough that it's remarkable for most people. His combination of Gerudo style and classic Hylian phenotype also make his appearance unusual.

Preferred clothing: Loose, flowing white harem-style pants, worn low on the hips and belted with a pale blue sash, over soft darker-blue slippers. This is complemented by a open vest, darkish blue trimmed with a lighter shade, and loosely tied with cords trailing very small bells.

Accessories: Despite hating his slave lifestyle, Shadi does have a fondness for the jewellery he was given to wear, and still sports multiple silver earrings, bracelets, ankelets and armbands. He usually wears a particular necklace with a heart-like design over his throat, a jewelled silver band around his forehead, and a decorated silver clasp around his ponytail.

- - - - - - Personality - - - - - -

General Attitude: Shadi has a bold, outgoing personality and loves being the centre of attention. He's also flamboyant, dramatic, and overt about his desires, often giving the impression that he's a bit vapid or shallow. Although there is a core of truth in this, the image is mostly a deliberate affectation, intended to deflect suspicion as he spent his years secretly studying his Mistress' extensive library. Highly intelligent by nature, Shadi has fashioned himself into a font of knowledge, and is more than a little smug about it.

Although he may seem to prefer a cushy lifestyle, Shadi really values freedom more than anything else, and is willing to endure almost any hardship if it means he can do as he likes. His playful exterior hides an iron will, and the determination (and stubbornness) to persevere through nigh-impossible odds.

Likes: Jewellery, books and information, magic, studying, showing off. Also, sexy guys.

Dislikes: Shadi has a strong aversion to women; he can deal with being in their company, but he is very pointedly disinterested in them when it comes to romance, and in general will always give his attention to other guys if possible. He also dislikes ignorant or stupid people, slavery, rules in general, and extensive physical activity that isn't - ahem - in private.

Interests: Shadi is interested in knowledge of any sort, but he is borderline obsessed with magic - he will go to ridiculous lengths to uncover a mystical secret or learn a new spell. He also enjoys music, one of his slave duties being to perform songs.

Abilities of note: Shadi is a mage of great skill - or rather tremendous skill, given that he is entirely self-taught. He has a natural affinity for fire magic, to the exclusion of most other techniques, and that means sheer buckets of destructive power. When it comes to blasting stuff with magic, he can match spells with the best of them.

Outside of his magic, Shadi's saleable qualities consist of blistering intelligence, impressive book-smarts, and a performance-quality singing voice.

Quirks: If it wasn't already obvious, Shadi is VERY gay.

When he's on stage, Shadi tends to refer to himself by name, in cutesy "third-person" style.

- - - - - - Background - - - - - -

Social Status: Technically an escaped slave when he's in Gerudo territory, otherwise he's nobody of any importance.

Family Status: His parents were (unintentionally) killed in the raid where he was kidnapped. He doesn't know whether or not he had any siblings.

Birth Rank: Unknown

Homeland/Birthplace: Born in Hyrule Castle Town, grew up in Gerudo Valley, is now on the run.

History: Shadi was, as he says, "accidentally kidnapped" by a Gerudo raiding party when he was very young. His parents were merchants travelling with a caravan which was attacked by the desert-dwellers; although the raid was not intended to include killing, some of the group tried to fight back and the holdup turned bad in short order. Shadi himself has only vague memories of the event, being too young to really understand what was going on.

Shadi himself, hidden in the wagons of trade goods, was not discovered until well after the raiding party arrived home. After a brief debate about what to do with the child, one of the women took responsibility for him, on the condition that he would act as her servant when he was old enough to work. Thus he was given his current name, and grew up performing a variety of household duties - and, in secret, studying the vast library his Mistress had collected.

As he grew up - and became a pale-skinned, dark-haired beauty of a boy who stood out like an exotic artwork in the desert valley - his domestic tasks quickly took a backseat to other duties. Most frequently this meant entertaining his Mistress' guests with his voice and appearance, but he was also called upon for less innocent tasks. In return he was afforded a rather pampered lifestyle - he could not escape, so there was no need to treat him badly.

A gilded cage is still a cage, however, and Shadi hated this new turn even more than he had hated his childhood. Fortunately, he did have even more free time - as long as he kept himself in good health and looking immaculate, he was mostly left alone. This meant even more opportunity to study, and develop his growing talent for magic to the point where he could make a serious attempt at escape...

- - - - - - Combat - - - - - -

General level: Mid-high

Style: Shadi is a true "glass cannon", a squishy wizard who nukes targets - preferably lots of them at once - and does everything he can to stay out of his opponent's reach.

Advantages: Shadi's magic allows him to generate obscene amounts of damage, over a wide area, at considerable range.

Disadvantages: Shadi is heeeavily offence-biased, and takes hits like a little girl. He basically has to avoid attacks in order to stay in the game. Also, if something prevents him from using his magic, he's pretty screwed.

Special: Nothing

Techniques: None of note.

- - - - - - Other - - - - - -

A Quote: "Oh yeah? Watch this."

Other: Nothing of note.

- - - - - - OOC Info - - - - - -

Theme Song: Garbage - Androgyny

Seiyuu: Ishida Akira, for a history of seductive pretty boys like Nagisa Kaworu (Evangelion) and Hiwatari Satoshi (DNAngel).

Name info: It's a real name meaning, in fact, 'Songbird' (it's Arabian IIRC). I just thought it was super-pretty, so I had to save it for somebody.

Pronunciation: Sha as in shard, di as in sardine. Stress on the "di".

Title/Tagline: Shadi's title comes jointly from his name's real-world meaning, and from references to Songbird (Eva Cassidy, though she was covering it) and Stairway to Heaven. In the original version of SotA, most of the plot related to lines from this song, though the effect wore off as the number of plot threads expanded.

Roleplay notes: Shadi is probably my single most portable character - he can easily transplant to any iteration of the Zeldaverse, as long as he has either Gerudo, or something like their culture. In short, he's a free man! :)

Other notes: None.

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