shadowshepherd

Applicant Info

◎ Name: Charlie Chinchill
◎ Journal: shadowshepherd (No personal journal)
◎ Contact: chinchill / Message on this account
◎ Current Character(s): N/A

Character Info

◎ Character's Name: 'Lullaby'
◎ Character's Canon: Original
◎ Character's Age: N/A (is mentally around twelve years old)
◎ Character's PB: Lullaby appears as a shadowy figure, rather short and chubby, wearing well-worn and faded clothes, heavy walking boots and gloves. An exception is their cloak; under it's dusty appearance it has an elabourate, beautiful hem and is amazingly soft and silky to touch, hinting towards Lullaby's nature as more than a mere shepherd. Their form is humanoid but doesn't hold well without the clothes, making them appear black and blob-like.

But with their hood lowered, an additional secret is revealed. A gently glowing laurel of stars and nebulae sits on their crown, revealing their status as a demigod, above which their 'hair' trails above like wisps of smoke. Their eyes are circles of light which change colour, shape and brightness to help them emote and express their feelings. Their voice is soft and androgynous.

For a better idea, I have some art by Iffy and Peabug

◎ Canon Point: A few years after leaving the Hidden Grove.
◎ Background/History: Thousands of years ago, a pantheon of Deities resided over the world. Each tended to their domain and the beings who worshipped them but were not above petty squabbles, arguments and physical fights with each other, or trying to spread their influence among humanity. Eventually one God, the King of Light, sought to eliminate his fellows and rule over humanity as 'the only God'. Creating alliances with several deities, he then turned on them in a brutal ambush that led to war. In the plane of the gods, known as the 'heavens', he killed or banished his enemies to other dimensions, enslaved their children to watch over their domains as his 'angels' and chased them to the ends of the world. On the plane of man, his followers slayed the devotees of other gods and destroyed their temples. Only a few gods managed to escape and go into hiding across the world, with few followers who still believed in them. The King won his war, and stood uncontested as 'the one true God' of the world.

Before the war began, the King had approached his opposite; the Queen of Darkness, the goddess who ruled over creatures of the night and all that hid from the light, to secure an alliance. She agreed and their alliance was to be secured with a child sharing their essences. Shortly after the child was born, the King took the babe immediately and launched his attack - unaware that the Queen had foreseen him taking their child and neglected to tell him that she was carrying twins. She managed to place her second child with her lover, the goddess of dreams, Hypna, shielding her child in a cocoon of shadow before continuing to run - she was captured and banished, along with her followers, to a realm of darkness and shadow and sealed away from the world.

Hypna retreated to the Hidden Grove and, resentful and full of hate for the King of Light, attempted to lessen his influence in the child by seeping her own magic into the cocoon. Over time, the cocoon fell away and finally revealed the child; a small, shadowy creature she named 'Lullaby'. Hypna kept Lullaby close to her, teaching them to fear light and open spaces lest they draw the eye of the King who had sealed away their mother. She soon discovered that Lullaby had inherited many of their mother's shadow abilities and her own skills in soothing people to sleep and dreamweaving; the only trait their father seemed to have bestow was the ability to walk in direct light without pain, something the Queen could never do. She never told Lullaby of their connection to the King, or of their sibling. With Hypna, Lullaby visited human cities and towns under the cover of night and learned about them and their ways of life.

Unknowingly to Hypna, Lullaby began to slip into the dreams of beings who had worshipped their mother, answering their calls for a deity of darkness. One, an aged beast known as the Black Dog, came to recognise Lullaby for what they were and realised their connection to the Queen. Introducing himself as a loyal servant and friend of hers, the Dog told Lullaby that, if they met in person, he could guide Lullaby to their mother. Soon after Lullaby left the Hidden Grove that they had spent the majority of their life in, to find the Black Dog, hoping to learn more about the world, the missing deities Hypna had told them stories of and, of course, to find their mother.

◎ Is the character a hacker and/or do they have a sixth-sense? Yes. Lullaby can sense when they're being called to in prayer. As their mother is absent in the world, prayers towards her get forwarded to them as the demi-god of shadow in her place. This allows them to either physically meet the person in question or try to connect with them through dreams. However it has to be a true prayer, spoken genuinely and with a request to see them/have them do something - simply saying Lullaby's name isn't enough.

◎ Personality: Lullaby is a kind, naive child who has lived a sheltered life in hiding, so they don't have a great understanding of social behaviours or why people would be mean to each other. Adding to this is that they are a demi-god; their logic of right and wrong is heavily influenced by their domain. For Lullaby, protecting creatures of darkness and shadow takes priority over others. For example, a werewolf must hunt for it's meal. As a being of the full moon, Lullaby would consider the werewolf's safety before the humans it hunts, protecting the wolf - all are such short-lived things to Lullaby, who has seen humanity change greatly in their (relatively short to other gods) lifespan.
When relaxed they have a sleepy demeanour, often talking about little nothings from new things they had seen lately to asking questions about the people and things around them. They're fond of all manner of living things; plants, animals and intelligent beings. They're typically quite timid, waiting to approach people, but can be drawn out with mentions of their mother or offers of turkish delight. They're quick to hide from danger rather attempt to fight back and need shadows nearby them to feel comfortable. They'll also hide if they think they're in trouble or somewhere they shouldn't be.
They have a deep fear of large, brightly lit areas thanks to their upbringing and the teaching that if they stepped into the light for too long, the King would 'snatch them away'. One thing they cannot stand is extremists. Part of this stems from their nature as a shadow needs both light and dark to exist, partly is because they like to try and see both sides of an argument before making their own decisions. However their temper is extremely mild and they're very forgiving, if they feel a genuine apology has been extended towards them.
While child-like and oblivious to things like politics, technology, science and other such 'human matters', Lullaby is surprisingly astute in other areas. Their understanding of nature, of life and death, and of the stars and moon and of dreams is vast thanks to Hypna's educating them on those subjects. They're keen to observe and learn more, although they have immense trouble understanding humanity at times.
◎ Biology
Due to their unique nature Lullaby's biology is very different to mortal, more tangable beings. When born and hidden with Hypna they were placed in a cocoon of black void so they could complete their development in a psuedo womb. Unfortunately they were somehow still born somewhat prematurely, meaning that their form is weaker than it should be and requires clothes to help give them shape. They don't require food or water but access to shadows to stay healthy and 'nourished'. Without this they'll grow weaker and tired, to the point of exhaustion (not death).
Their appearance more greatly reflects their abilities and maturity than their age. If they do not learn anything new or are not pushed to develop, Lullaby will remain a child in appearance. When confronted with new experiences and ideas that force them to develop a more mature mind they will grow and shift to match this, along with developing an increased mastery of their powers. This means that Lullaby can spend centuries as a small child, only to grow into a teenager and then into an adult in a matter of months.
Once they have control of their form they can willingly assume the shape of other creatures and disapate into a fog or smoke.
◎ Powers/Abilities:
As a being of shadow, Lullaby's physical form is extremely malleable. They can sink into other shadows, completely vanishing and leaving no trace or clue as to their whereabouts. Lullaby can even grab a friend and pull them down into shadow with them, protecting and hiding them. They can alter their form but this ability is weak, being unable to maintain alterations to their appearance for long. As the keeper of dreams, Lullaby can sooth people to sleep and then influence people's dreams, even disappearing form reality to appear within them.
◎ Weapons & Other Special Inventory:
Shepherd's Crook/Staff - A gift from Hypna, the staff allows Lullaby to focus their magic more effectively. It's made of curved wood, with several trinkets hanging from the tip. While largely used as a magical tool, Lullaby also uses it as a blunt weapon when threatened or as a hook to pick up or catch objects or wayward sheep.

CEREALIA-Specific

◎ Element: Water. Lullaby's nature is amorphous at heart and their ability to 'flow' in and out of shadows and 'fill' a space given to them by what they wear is similar to water filling a container. Like a lake or an ocean, their surface appearance belies something deeper and far more complex than a simple puddle. And of course, the darkest place in the world is in the deep of the ocean blue...
◎ Sense: Touch. They 'feel' what is in shadow and can be quite clingy/touchy with people they are affectionate or friendly towards. They enjoy being touched in turn by those they trust.
◎ Seven Character Traits: + (Inquisitive, Reflective, Compassionate) | - (Secretive, Delicate, Hesitant) | = (Orange/Blue Morality)

Samples

◎ First-Person Sample:

◎ Third-Person Sample:
Strange as it was, people still dreamed in this place. Lullaby had heard people talk about jobs that bigger people did but this was their job, making sure they slept well and had dreams. Even if CEREALIA hadn't listed it as one and had told them they had to go to 'skoll' to learn things. They roamed the residental district, twirling their staff as they walked.

Strange it was, people still dreamed. Lullaby did their best to make sure of it.


◎ Is your character retaining any previous game memories?