<strong>Username</strong>: Starlequin<br/><strong>Character Name</strong>: Val Marlar<br/><strong>Age</strong>: 26<br/><strong>Gender</strong>: Male<br/><strong>Height</strong>: 6'1"<br/><strong>Weight</strong>: 185 lbs<br/><strong>Accursed Creature</strong>: Common Vampire Bat (<em>Desmodus rotundus</em>)<br/><strong>Occupation</strong>: Part-time writer, pickpocket<br/><br/><strong>Appearance</strong>: A tall, slender fellow with dark brown hair that seems almost crimson in bright sunlight, smoke-gray eyes, and very pale skin. Living on crumbs in the city has ensured Val doesn't have much opportunity to gain weight, and running through back alleys and subways from angry people who realize they've unwillingly contributed to his finances makes for excellent exercise.<br/><br/>Morph-form (http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090905213432/dungeons/images/7/73/ManBat.jpg)<br/><br/><strong>Personality</strong>: Very articulate, possessed of a sharp mind and sticky fingers. Cocky and charismatic while in the presence of others, Valentine often exhibits almost crushing self-doubt when alone. He's been walking a high-wire act for years, and he knows it's only a matter of time before the winds come.<br/><br/><strong>History</strong>: Val was born in a little nowhere town in south Mississippi, and despite having lived in New York for almost seven years his accent still slips through now and then. He never knew his parents, and was raised in a strict religious orphanage. The day he turned 18, they threw him out and he struck out for New York, having no better ideas. When he reached the city he spent most of his time wandering the streets, visiting libraries and museums; as a result, though he lacks any formal college education he is self-educated to a respectable level. To get by, he works for a few local news rags churning out articles and editorials, and lifting the occasional wallet or pocketbook.<br/><br/>It was during his ninth year at the orphanage that he discovered his ability to shapeshift. Some of the older, crueler girls were picking on him, and before long he had shifted into his morph-form and frightened them away. The ferocity of his form terrified them so much that one's hair turned almost solid white, and another refused to speak for nearly a year. Afterward, the nuns who ran the orphanage kept him under watchful eyes, leaving him little opportunity to master his abilities until he escaped their custody. He hasn't heard anything about others like him gathering in the city, but with his fingers on the city's pulse he knows<em>something </em>is coming...<br/><br/><strong>Other</strong>: Val has an affinity for underdone meat, and his senses are exceptionally sharp. He is capable of full flight in both his morph- and animal-forms. His thick, leathery wings offer minor protection from violence in his morph-form, and his physical appearance is often enough to send many attackers away screaming in terror.