Name: Shen Nero Kadokawa (Goes by Shen, or alternatively, his Rune Knight Rank + Last Name)
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Birthday: 24th of December
Sexuality: Bi
Personality:
- Pre-War:
In many senses of the word, Shen is just an average dude who wants to live a normal life. Somewhat timid and withdrawn, but nevertheless still always aiming to be at least friendly and respectful when dealing with others. As a consequence, he might be seen as naive and easily trusting, a fact that sometimes comes around to bite him. Doesn't really have a lot of friends or any family he is close to, apart from his sister, in a sense, despite growing up in what people would consider a normal lower-middle-class household and living a relatively normal life. Some people (rightly) consider him lazy, and Shen will do what he can to avoid most physical activities or exercise, though recognizes that people have to work for their bread, magic as well as the infrastructure and culture surrounding it, in his opinion, presenting an excellent opportunity not just to make something out of himself but also advance in society. Other than that, the young man doesn't seem to have any outstanding talents, or if he has, has not discovered them yet. Not exactly a genius, though not stupid either, the young man simply seeks something to do to get by while balancing his personal life on the side, a goal that proves to be, at times, more difficult to accomplish than it sounds. Doesn't hurt to try, though, does it?
Generally, Shen's not exactly the confrontational type and tries to avoid combat if he can, preferring to take a diplomatic approach, but will fight when he has to, and when he does, will aim to win. Still, he's somewhat insecure about himself and his abilities, this fact not exactly making him any better of a fighter. Shen generally follows authority and will listen to most leader figures without much question or hesitation, but has a mind of his own, of course. He's not immoral, after all. Shen would probably be a decent leader without even realizing it, but doesn't actively seek positions of leadership or any authority, for that matter. It's simply more effort that he's really willing to come up with, but should he ever be put in a position where it's absolutely required for him to occupy such a position, he'll wing it.
- Post-War (Current):
What happens to a person who has reached their goals, who has everything they had strived for, only for everything to be taken away from them by the pull of a trigger and the flash of a gun barrel? In the confrontations between the Holy Council of Bellum and the Empire of Pergrande, Shen and his squad of Rune Knights, sent on a reconnaissance patrol behind the Empire's borders on the behest of Fiore's allies, encountered a concentration of enemy forces, all Rune Knights, apart from himself, losing their lives in the ensuing battle. This event spelled not only the loss of the only two people in the world he had considered real friends, people he had worked with, trained with, fought with, bled with, but also a complete shift in the young man's psyche. The trauma incurred by the excessively brutal and merciless slaughter of his subordinates and comrades has transformed the previously so insecure and reclused young man known as Shen into a different person.
Not only have this event and the resulting feelings of loss and persisting agony, regret, and guilt made Shen exceedingly cold to a point of seemingly unwavering stoicism, he has also become far more ruthless, calculating, and easy to upset. The psychological factors that have held him back before were torn asunder, his social anxieties, fear of confrontation, fear of pain, even the fear of death vanishing when Shen realized the futility of such things upon being confronted with the overwhelming burden of reality as it laid before him: something within him had been unceremoniously shattered, broken, and crushed, and his mind, as a consequence, would bear the scars.
In the aftermath of this event, Shen has experienced not only a shift in personality, but also attitude, priorities, ideals, and morals. Cowardice, insecurity, and restraint are no longer attributes that can be applied to the young man, instead replaced by an apparently unmovable will to power and determination.
His relationship with authority has been somewhat complicated by this shift in personality, but if his own goals align with that of his superiors, for example, he will almost blindly and with frightening efficiency perform any work he is tasked with, no matter the nature of that work. He prefers to work alone, however, the aid of comrades being a hindrance, in his opinion, unless they can hold their own. He, however, actively rejects the idea of once again being put in charge of subordinates for fear of the same events that have already devastated him once before occurring again. As such, he automatically tries to avoid roles where he is forced to act in positions of power or authority.
Likes:
- Solitude: A double-edged sword. He prefers solitude over mingling with people, but the absence of distractions brings back unpleasant memories. Shen seeks to counteract this by keeping himself with tasks related to his position as a Rune Knight or the pursuit of his motivations.
- Drinking: Something the majority of people would call a bad habit. Alcohol helps him forget, if only for a brief period of time.
- Strength: Strength can come in many forms, but manifests all the same. Focus, willpower, knowledge, skill, all he can find himself respecting highly when found in strong individuals. Similarly, people who lack the strength or direction to persist are the ones that should simply give up and die.
Dislikes:
- Weaklings: Those individuals that lack the drive, the willpower, the strength to make their goals reality or fail to pursue those same goals are nothing but distractions. Care is wasted on them.
- Eccentrics: People who stand out, or seek to stand out for whatever reason. Attention is a resource, and people who seek to hoard it probably belong to a venomous kind.
- The Empire of Pergrande: Not so much a dislike as it is a blazing hatred for anything tied to the nation that caused his pain.
Motivations:
- Making up for his Failure: Deep down Shen knows that he can never right the wrongs of that day, but in order to keep himself sane he is determined to try and find a way to, somehow, atone for his failure.
- Power: In order to fulfill his motivations Shen requires strength. He had already put himself on the path to power, even before the day that changed his life, but now that he has direction, he strives to obtain the power to enforce his goals.
- Vengeance: He will not discriminate between the guilty and the innocent. Anyone complicit in the system that brings nothing but suffering to the world is a target. The Empire of Pergrande will fall.
Fears:
- Loss: Shen has already failed to protect those he cares about once before and the result was a massacre. He is terrified of the same events repeating and will do everything in his power to protect what he cares about and prevent this with unparalleled determination. Nothing is sacred and morality is not a factor in such situations.
- Dependence: Shen prefers to remain detached from people for various reasons. He is and has always been a loner, but emotional, physical, or any other form of dependence on a person, instance, or thing could not only hamper the pursuit of his goals, but could also mean yet another potential loss.
- Powerlessness: The permanent loss of his magic would not only be a devastating blow, rendering all his previous work wasted, but it would also mean that his obtaining his goals would permanently become nearly, if not altogether impossible.
General Appearance
Height: 6ft| 182cm
Weight: 136lbs | 62kg
Hair: Long - Carmine Red
Eyes: Carmine Red
Skin Tone: Light
- Appearance + Rune Knight Uniform:
- Face:
- Casual Attire:
- Formal Attire:
Guild: Rune Knights
Tattoo: Right Shoulder Joint
Tattoo Color: Black
Last edited by Shen Kadokawa on 20th February 2021, 6:45 am; edited 8 times in total
![Senior [500]](https://i.imgur.com/Nmfn8cD.png)
![Novice [250]](https://i.imgur.com/lrYlde6.png)
![Master [1000]](https://i.imgur.com/AQXM4xC.png)
