Brave face, despite everything -Shane Thomasson

Name: Shane Thomasson

Age: 29

Species: Anthro Skunk

Occupation: Area manager of a tech chain

Physical Appearance: Shane's an anthropomorphic skunk whose appearance is best described as burly. He's tall, broad-shouldered, and strong, yet he also appears well-fed, giving him a teddy bear-esque look, with big arms and a round, soft belly. His black fur is thick and slightly coarse, especially on his back, and softer around his stomach and chest. He has the skunk's signature white stripe on his back stretching from his head to his tail tip, and he likes to keep his white head fur slightly messy. His eyes are a bright blue, currently marred by sadness, having dulled in the last few weeks following his painful breakup.

Personality: Shane is a very kind-hearted and deeply caring individual who is highly invested in his people's lives. He's affectionate and generous. His well-paying job secured by his wealthy father allows him to express his appreciation for his friends with regular gifts and trips, and his love language is very physical via gift-giving and grand gestures. He's a very passionate and dedicated partner, happy to share everything with his partner and keep no thoughts or secrets between them.

Shane sometimes has a bit of an idealized view of the world. Coming from a well-off family, he's a bit ignorant of his own privilege and the struggles of others. He'll come up with unrealistic suggestions, or provide hindsight that takes root in his own experiences rather than fully comprehending the situation. He sometimes comes across as overbearing in trying to help, overstepping, or taking over instead of supporting and guiding. This, in particular, is what eventually led his boyfriend of 3 years, a black cat named Malik, to break up with him. Feeling smothered by Shane's well-intentioned love bombing, and also dependent on his generosity, Malik made the hard decision to break up with Shane, wishing to be his own person rather than "Shane's Boyfriend". Feeling Malik pulling away only made Shane fight harder, showering him with more affection and more "help", which in turn put Malik even more off, until one day, he finally pulled the plug on the relationship.

This of course devastated Shane, and the usually jolly and sociable skunk has retreated into a shell of self-pity and depression, spending time away from work sitting alone in his villa watching his sitcom and drowning his sorrows in ice cream. He doesn't want to see his friends and family, he just wants to be by himself, lamenting his situation and crying on his couch. When he is forced to socialize, though, he puts on a brave face, acting happier than he is, mustering a smile that doesn't meet his deeply sad eyes whatsoever.

To this day, he still doesn't fully understand why Malik left him after all they'd been through together. He feels betrayed, but he still loves Malik too much to hate him for it. He just can't comprehend Malik's decision to break up since the two of them still care for one another.

Quirks: Hates blood, and gets extremely squeamish around gore and the like. Can watch his favorite sitcom over and over without getting tired of it. Is a bit of a scaredy-cat, and is afraid of anything spooky. Has an incredibly high tolerance to both spicy and sour foods, he dubs this superpower "grave-mouth". Has a goofy laugh that often makes other people join him in laughter. Hearing Malik's name brought up, or even seeing a cat that looks somewhat like him will immediately cause Shane to tear up.