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DONOVAN MCMORROW
GENERAL
Name: Donovan Jace McMorrow
Nickname(s): None. His parents call him Donnie and he....hates it. Please no.
Gender/Pronouns: Male | He/Him/His
Birthdate/Age: August 21st (Leo) | Sixteen
Grade: Sophomore
Sexuality: ... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Major Arcana: XII - The Hanged Man - Acceptance. Surrenerding to experience. Giving up control. Changing. Overturning old priorities. Seeing from a new angle. Living in the moment. Putting self-interest aside.
Minor Arcana: Wands
Concept: Arrogant academic (slowly) learning how to put others before himself.
APPEARANCE
| Height: | 5'9" | Hair Color: | Brown |
| Build: | Slim | Eye Color: | Hazel |
Donovan doesn't have the funds or the interest to be genuinely fashionable but he likes to stand out and so doesn't shy away from bold prints, bright colors, or questionable clothing choices. His closet contains a lot of thrift store finds and runs the gamut in terms of style. While he won't stand out every day and isn't opposed to simple hoodie-and-jeans days, he also isn't opposed to embracing bolder or trendier options. This all seems to fluctuate on a whim. When it comes to his uniform, though, Donovan is still fairly taken with the novelty of it and wears it like it's supposed to worn. He favors the full blazer and slacks combination, but definitely rotates between the various options.
While he typically wears contacts, he's got big ol' glasses that make appearances on intense study days or days that he's running late. He often sports a silver pinky ring and has a few other simple accessories that he uses to mix things up as well.
PB: Hansol Vernon Choi
PERSONALITY
Likes: Academics. Studying. Perfect marks. Being the smartest person in the room. Linguistics. Tongue twisters. Reading. Performing. Spoken word. Voice acting. Poetry. The sound of his own voice, apparently. Good stories. Computers. Computer games. Deciphering moon logic. Coding. Making pointless apps. Very sweet coffee. Energy drinks. Standing out. New haircuts/styles (please notice!). New clothes (please notice??). Multi-tasking. Keeping busy. Competition. Hip hop. Pop (including K-pop and Latin Pop). Singing along. His family.
Dislikes: Being uniformed. Being confused. Being ignored. Getting an A-. Dealing with emotional people. Wasting time. Going to bed. Working out. Training. Physical injury. The fact that smart =/= strategic.
Bright and ambitious, Donovan works hard to excel academically and defines himself largely through his intelligence. While he's motivated to learn and to know things, though, he also treats school like a competition and he wants to be the smartest kid in the room, the one messing up the curve for everyone else, and the one that other students look to when they don't understand something. Even if he has no interest in explaining anything to anyone. He doesn't know what he wants out of the future just yet, but he's certain that this is the way to get there in the long run. So just sit back and watch, okay? When he's studying or focused on his work, he shuts out everything and everyone else with stubborn resolve and will blow off most other concerns if there's schoolwork that needs to be done. He also has little patience for people that can't keep up with the material or who don't know things he thinks they ought to know, easily getting frustrated with them.
While Donovan can be an intolerable braggart and know-it-all when it comes to academics, though, he does have a more approachable side. When there's not learning to be done, he's far more energetic and expressive. A natural and eager performer, he never has trouble saying what he wants to say and he can make even the most tedious of topics seem passably interesting or humorous or insightful. At least for a short time. He likes being the center of attention (even if it's just one person's attention) and he has no qualms about sacrificing his dignity to have some fun or make someone laugh. His confidence can more than withstand that and it few things ever seem to fluster him. He can be easily won over by others when he's in a good mood (just listen when he talks and give him a smile!) and he likes having friends. Among friends, he tends to be openly and unapologetic ally affectionate (both physically and verbally), though it's probably best not to read too much into this.
Unfortunately, even at his more relaxed moments, Donovan isn't entirely without some venom. He doesn't think of himself as mean and he doesn't intentionally start fights, but he tends to be blunt and a bit oblivious to other people's sensitivities. Not an emotional or easily wounded person himself, it doesn't occur to him that some barbed quip or dismissive joke might hurt someone's feelings or that it's something that they might carry around with them for hours or days or longer. While he's always the first person to laugh when someone gives a very wrong answer in class or drops their tray in the cafeteria, he's also among the first to forget that it happened and to move on. He doesn't understand why people would let such trivial things drag them down; he certainly doesn't. His empathy as a whole is somewhat underdeveloped and he particularly struggles to put himself in other people's shoes. If he hasn't experienced it, how's he supposed to know how it feels?
Because his insensitivity is unintentional, though, Donovan is typically willing to pump the brakes when the problem is pointed out to him. Even if he doesn't see what the big deal is, he tends to think an argument isn't worth the effort and he doesn't want to rub salt into any wounds. He'll usually even apologize.
Just like he has trouble stepping into other people's shoes, Donovan struggles to think of other people before himself. Being an ambitious person that balances his time and pays close attention to his own priorities, he always thinks of how things impact him before he thinks about how they impact other people. Typically, this just translates to not putting himself into positions where other people might depend on him (why would he waste his time tutoring someone when he could just be studying for himself??, etc.). Occasionally, though, he ends up in the position to be a genuinely shitty friend or person. Even he's aware enough to know when he's screwed up, but only after the fact and after the damage has been done. He'll feel bad and he may even try to make it right, but changing is difficult. Being at Finchwood Academy has given him some perspective when it comes to self-sacrifice and he sometimes teeters on the edge of an emotional epiphany...but he's still fairly selfish and self-focused.
SKILLS
[KOREAN & SPANISH]: Donovan is a self-taught polyglot that learned Korean and Spanish through apps, studying, music, and watching dramas/telenovelas. While he can be picked out as a foreigner, his fluency in these languages is still fairly impressive. His mother doesn't speak Korean and he gives her no small amount of shit about this.
[WORDS]: Donovan is linguistically adept. He's articulate and has a dynamic, energetic, expressive speaking voice that makes him skilled at public speaking, dramatic readings, spoken word performances, hip hop, and everything in between. No tongue twister is too fast or too tough and he can move effortlessly between the languages he speaks, weaving them together without missing a beat. While going off-script can throw a wrench in things from time to time, he's got enough confidence and charisma to manage improvisation too. Most of the time. He has a good (but not amazing) singing voice. (Samples~ x x)
[BOOKSMART]: A quick learner with a good memory, Donovan is an exceptional student and hasn't gotten anything below an A since he started school. While he may not be the most practical or make the most of what he knows in real life situations, he's undeniably bright. Combine this with a surprising amount of work ethic and competitive fervor, it's unsurprising that he's in honors everything.
[CODING]: Interested in coding since he was ten and technology in general for even longer (like everyone in his generation, right?), Donovan is adept at turning a problem into logic, logic into an algorithm, and a series of algorithms into a functional program or app. He knows various programming languages, including Java, Swift, Python, and C++.
[AUDIO MIXING]: While hardly an expert, Donovan has been involved with his mother's podcasting since he was young and has picked up some knowledge about recording audio and blending tracks together with various processes like EQ, compression, and reverb. He thinks he knows more about this than he actually does, but he's pretty okay at it, especially for a high school kid.
HISTORY
Family:
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Donovan was raised in a small Chicago apartment, the only son of two freelancer parents (Micky McMorrow and Ilene McMorrow-Park) that made ends meet working as a graphic designer and a writer respectively. While money was often tight, the family's unconventional arrangements meant that both were a constant part of Donovan's early years and the family formed a close bond during that time. Mellow, accepting, and creative, the McMorrows provided Donovan with a supportive and encouraging environment, but few expectations and fewer rules. When he painted on the walls, he was told that's not where paint goes but he was also praised for using his imagination and the 'artwork' was left where it was. When he threw tantrums, he was allowed to cry it out but encouraged to use his words and talk to his parents about his feelings. There was never a raised voice or a push to do more than he wanted to do or be more than he wanted to be.
When Donovan started school, though, it became apparent that he didn't actually have much in common with his mellow parents. Spending more time with other kids, he became rambunctious and overeager for attention and praise. Being introduced to a structured learning environment, he became a voracious and competitive student that liked showing up the other kids in his class. His parents accepted this as they accepted everything else, though they also encouraged him not to get too worked up over his lessons and to make time for what made him happy as well. Instead, Donovan made time for both, filling his days to the brim. As he got older, he studied hard and was at the top of his class but found time for other hobbies as well, taking a particular interest drama (where he focused on spoken word performances and debate) and computer games. When his mother gave up conventional writing and become a podcast personality instead, he even followed suit and the two spent hours together recording and editing readings and stories together.
While the family remained close, though, their difference in philosophies did eventually cause problems. Donovan's focus on his studies and his aggressive attitude toward academic competitions worried his parents. They thought he was too high strung; he started to think they were lazy and unambitious. This was only compounded by the facts that his parents had denied him both the opportunity to skip a grade and to apply for a scholarship to a local private school, convinced that he needed the social side of school just as much as the academic side and that some elitist private school wouldn't actually give him a better education, making Donovan feel like they were actively holding him back. Even if he knew that wasn't their intention. Most of the time. They bickered and he eventually learned to shut them out instead of trying to talk to them. He got a chip on his shoulder, but he figured it was a manageable one. He'd just have to make his future without them.
Already making these big plans in middle school, Donovan kept his eyes open for anything that could potentially help him. He joined school clubs or outreach programs just because they'd look good on his college applications. He squirreled away allowance money and earned extra cash designing websites and doing homework for his peers. When Finchwood Academy was announced, it immediately caught his attention. Convincing his parents to let him apply was difficult, but they eventually gave in to his insistent and reluctant arguments, quietly hoping that he wouldn't get in and that he could learn from the experience. But he did get in and, even after visiting Maine and learning the truth, he decided to attend. If Gladstone could get him where he wanted to go, he could handle a few monsters, right?
While Donovan's motives for attending Finchwood Academy were entirely self-serving, the experience wasn't what he expected. The physical rigors and his lack of innate talent for combat were humbling and frustrating and hit him squarely in his ego. The people he met at school and in-town made him wonder if there might be other reasons to be here rather than just what he could get out of it. Still, if asked why he's come back for round two, he'll be quick to say Harvard isn't going to pay for itself. So can't they just get on with this?
COMBAT
ACADEMICS
Core Classes: English*, Mathematics*, Science*, Social Studies*, Training.
Elective Classes: Computer Science, Philosophy
Clubs: Gaming, Drama
General Performance: Donovan is bright, determined, and competitive when it comes to academics and he makes exceptional grades as a result. Anything less than an A is not good enough for him (an A- will legitimately put him in a bad mood) and he wants to be the kid that messes up the curve for everyone else. That said, he's not a teacher's pet and definitely does his fair share of texting or passing notes, messing around, and goofing for attention during class. He's a tyrant in group projects and gets frustrated with classmates that slow the lesson down with 'stupid questions'.
His favorite subjects are Computer Science and English and his least favorite subject is Social Studies...but only because he hates what a pushover Mr. Nash is.
OOC
PERSONA
Squad: 6
Squad Position: Member
Primary Weapon: Tiger Hook Swords
Combat Style: Donovan isn't tough and, even after all of his training and experience, once he goes down he tends to stay there. Because of this, he relies heavily on his speed to get in, deliver attacks quickly, and get out. He also takes advantage of his weapons, often hooking his swords together to gain more range or using the to disarm opponents. While he has decent tactical skills, he prefers to take his cues from Blake, Justice, or Jude.
It does bother him at times to be the weakest member of the squad, but he knows he's come a long way and fighting isn't really his thing anyway, so he can live with it.
Attribute: Speed
Persona Name: Imamiah
Persona Appearance: Imamiah is a large anthropomorphic crow with three legs, resembling a mythological creature known as a samjogo. The Persona has a prominent mane of fluffy black feathers and shining gold jewelry adorns each of its three legs, its taloned toes, and its body, giving it a regal but undeniably bizarre look. Opening its large black beak reveals not only a number of unexpected (and very sharp) teeth but also an outpouring of hot steam. This is because when Imamiah casts fire magic, it breathes the flames out like a dragon.
When not in combat, this Persona flies in large circles overhead and can be heard constantly speaking in a low, indecipherable language.
Inspirations/visuals here!
Affinity: Fire
Weakness: Air
Ailment Susceptibility: Mute