CIVILIAN . SHEPHERD, DONOVAN

MALE

SO SO GAY

TWENTY

29 FEBRUARY, 1992

AMERICAN

ENGLISH

NOT DON JUAN

0.50

Civilian

None

None

04 Oct 2013 by TERR

Jellyfish

no

very high

q from skyfall (fanart)

Surviving from paycheck to paycheck, Donovan tries to be responsible but never has much left to save. Living in an apartment far out of his budget, he manages to pay off most of his rent by doing the majority of the housework for his considerably wealthier and short-tempered flatmate of two years, Altan. Altan is the timpanist for the LA Philharmonic, and a rather avid interior decorator who often throws Donovan's things out if they don't match the aesthetic. If he had any friends, they'd probably be a bit concerned over his living arrangements, but as it is he continues it perfectly acceptable.

After losing his job at a small flower shop that went out of business and being out of work for three months, Donovan has recently taken the position as a radio cohost for a folk and bluegrass station (101.9 The Sunshine Station), a job he managed to acquire through his flatmate's connections and impatience. He works for the evening show, Sunshine After Dark, where his slow and soothing voice has been a hit with their estimated two listeners. He enjoys the relaxed atmosphere of the late schedule, and likes to do somewhat pointless interviews with random locals.

Donovan's dark brown hair has grown out into unruly curls that he has little care to attempt taming. Reflecting his financial situation, his wardrobe consists mostly of oversized sweaters and cardigans bought through second-hand shops, mended several times rather than replaced, leading to a rather frumpy and awkward appearance. All his pants are either too short by a few inches, or cuffed at the bottom, as he never puts much time into making sure everything fits properly. Even his nicer clothes, button-downs and jackets, are ill-fitted and not quite trendy. But everything is clean and he tries not to wear anything that shows much skin as he's painfully modest. He's average height, 5'10", and a bit underweight from inconsistent eating habits, but at least has decent posture that saves him from looking too pathetic.

He's pale bordering on sickly, maintaining his pallor by not getting out too much and an intense dislike of the summer. His eyes are a muted green, heavy with perpetual sleepiness, and hidden behind large-framed glasses.

Quiet and perhaps appearing standoffish, Donovan's tendency to avoid reaching out socially cannot be attributed to any amount of shyness or insecurity. Neither is it a hatred of people that motivates his detachment as he respects even strangers by default, but there is a certain degree of coldness despite his overall gentle disposition. He'll treat even the most difficult people with the same casual kindness and easy smiles if engaged, and he enjoys interacting in controlled amounts, usually on a more one-on-one basis. But creating an ongoing relationship with Donovan requires a lot more effort than most would view worthwhile, as he prefers keeping acquaintances at arms-length and does not trust easily. Growing up in a crowded household with far too many siblings, Donovan has preferred to keep the peace and privacy he has since found.

Donovan is somebody that's quite content to go with the flow and adapts to new situations easily and without complaint, even when caught completely off-guard. He's used to not getting his way, or having much of a say. His overall life view is that everything works out the way it should or it doesn't, so he rarely spends time worrying over things that cannot be changed. Donovan isn't exactly what you'd call an idealist, he's just somebody who has very little expectations of the world and doesn't like to think of things in terms as "unfair" or "deserve" and thus never has any reason to feel sorry for himself (or anybody else.) This has made him rather resilient, but also a bit too numbed and neglectful of his own feelings that he keeps so deeply locked down. He's willing to put effort into achieving the things he wants, though choice is still a relatively new concept, and will take risks, but may also give up a bit too easily if the odds are clearly not in his favour. He's not somebody that seeks recognition for his accomplishments, no hungry ego to feed.

He's not educated well in most subjects, although he's excellent at math and has taken a recent interest in philosophy to seek understanding in place of the religion he's come to reject. He's a bit ignorant of science and history, never exposed to subjects such as evolution, but he has plenty of practical skills such as cooking, sewing, gardening, repair, and first-aid. Despite his lack of higher education and almost no context for pop cultural references, Donovan is surprisingly intelligent and does pick up on new information quickly and is open to new ideas. Quick at picking out discrepancies, Donovan immediately notices if information given does not match what has been known or observed. This makes him adapt at identifying lies, knowing quite well when others are exaggerating, manipulating, or misleading. Never blinded by a kind smile, he can see through intentions with ease. However, if harmless or of little consequence, Donovan keeps these observations mostly to himself. Neither calling the offender out nor dismissing it, he stores these details away. His lack of reaction often leads to others incorrectly believing that Donovan isn't all that observant, a bit naive, and unquestioningly obedient. But he actually notices and remembers far more than anyone would guess, collecting and linking information together into complex mental webs. The lies people tell sometimes reveal more than the truth, and Donovan is quite good at passively drawing the truth out. He's nothing but patient, and his obedience only exists for as long as it's convenient. When invisible lines have been crossed, and feeling betrayed, Donovan is good at cutting his losses and burning bridges without much regret.

He handles rejection and criticism well, even when presented harshly or rudely, and is somebody that is very difficult to truly insult. Unfaltering tolerant and patient, Donovan isn't unaware of other people's faults but accepts them on an as-is basis and has no plans of changing other people's behaviors or opinions even if they conflict with his own. Donovan rarely feels threatened or driven to a need of proving himself to others when challenged and is not easily baited.  He's more likely to shrug off insults than attempt to deny them, and will gladly let others feel as if they've won an argument by avoiding engaging in one in the first place, although sometimes has a bad habit of inciting people's anger with his occasionally flippant attitude toward serious situations. But he's likely to let others to have their say, and then continue to do things his own way without drawing attention to such.

Overall, he's learned to deal with problems by not dealing with them at all, brushing any worries under the carpet. If a solution seems too complicated or requires too much effort, Donovan will find an easier alternative and carry on. He's willfully forgetful and oblivious to things he doesn't care to worry about. While good for his blood pressure, unfortunately some problems aren't so easily ignored, and this method is likely to blow up in his face in some occasions.

Donovan was the second-born son of Jedediah and Deborah Shepherd, a fundamentalist Christian couple still early into their marriage. Suffering miscarriages twice before, they considered their children as blessings and vowed never to use birth control. His brother Benjamin was barely a year older, though the two boys had never quite learned to get along well with Ben's bossier and more active nature and Donovan's lack of interest in taking part in any of his schemes. Ben was taken as their father's favourite, while Donovan spent most of his time with his stay-at-home mother while she tended the vegetable gardens, cooked, and cleaned. His father worked as the judge at the small Iowan town's courthouse, with a sizable inheritance carefully invested.

Things were quiet for many years, until at six, his mother was once again pregnant. And although Ben protested at the addition of another sibling, Donovan was comfortable playing the part of a responsible older brother to Eden. He rarely got to see other children, so the opportunity of having another sibling that wasn't Ben was welcomed. Almost a year later, Deborah gave birth to twins- Faith and Grace, and Donovan's perception of his duties to his younger sisters grew. He was always encouraging of them, without ever being too overly protective. They'd play dolls and have tea parties, while Ben only grew more annoyed at their presence while continuing to insist on his rule as the eldest that Donovan continued to dismiss.

They were home-schooled, under very strict conservative values, and although Donovan was never exposed much to more than a glossed-over version of history and only the very basics in science that didn't contradict his religious upbringing, he discovered a talent in mathematics. With very little else to do, no school friends to play with, no television or video game access allowed, Donovan spent a majority of his free time reading to his sisters and practicing piano. He loved listening to the radio, although his access was heavily monitored and he got in trouble on several occasions for listening to the wrong sort of music.

His mother continued to have many children- Hope, Isaac, Jeremiah, Kaleb, Lydia, Matthias, and eventually Noah (which he helped deliver at home.) The ever-increasing amount of siblings began to feel overwhelming, even when they moved into a much bigger home, with most of the responsibilities of educating his siblings falling on Donovan. While Donovan remained incredibly sheltered from the outside world, never exposed to different ideas, his mind tended to wander and consider the possibilities of what else there could be. He began to realize that he cherished what little privacy he could scrounge up, that he had no idea of his own desires or choices he could make in life. What choices even existed, beyond following his parents' path.

When he was sixteen, his parents arranged for him to go on a date with a lovely girl named Elizabeth from their church, which was of course chaperoned by her older brother Owen to make sure nothing distasteful occurred. And Donovan almost instantly fell in love… with the brother, agreeing to go on more dates just to spend time with Owen. Owen was tanned and lightly freckled, muscled from helping around his family's farm, and had a smile that made Donovan lose track of reason. If Elizabeth was suspicious, she never made any note of it. Donovan and Owen's first kiss was somewhat of an accident, leaning in far too close to whisper as they found some time alone in Donovan's room, a turning of the head at the right moment. The continuation wasn't an accident, though clumsy and nervous, and far too soon interrupted by Ben. The next two days were miserable, beaten and locked in his room, until his father finally came to issue an apology. A regret that he had allowed his son too much time doing womanly duties, that it must have been his failings as a father that led Donovan down such a confused and sinful path. Jedediah had spoken with the church leaders, and had gotten recommendation to send Donovan to a summer camp to correct such deviant behaviour in teens.

And he attended, indoctrinated with self-loathing, graduating from dispirited to completely despaired. When Owen contacted him, his own situation just as unforgiving, it was with a proposal for the two of them to escape to anywhere else, the promise that elsewhere accepted people like them. The only conceivable option left was to run away. So they did, taking the little money Owen had from working, hitchhiking across the country and taking any odd jobs they could to survive. Still underaged, Donovan was wary about being caught and dragged back home where even greater punishment awaited, but part of him wondered how much they'd bother to look for him. After all, his parents had eleven others with another on the way, and were probably glad to be free of the shame he brought upon them.

They eventually wound up in LA, where Owen was enamored with the freedom and nightlife, and Donovan was beginning to shut down. He tried hard to adapt, wanted to find some semblance of normalcy, but highly confused by the dissonance of everything he grew up knowing and the reality of the world. He kept himself as isolated from the busy city as possible, keeping himself occupied by reading all the books he'd never had access to before, and numbly listening to the radio when everything was becoming too much. And Owen got involved with alcohol and drugs, began dealing to make money, and often brought many of his new questionable friends over to their rundown flat. Conflicts between them arose, Donovan concerned over Owen's addictions and how they were changing him, and Owen insisting that Donovan was clearly far too conservative to ever appreciate their newfound freedom. Eventually Owen got arrested, and Donovan didn't bother to bail him, selling off the remainder of Owen's drug supply to offer as the first month's rent at a new place. Finding an ad on craigslist, he moved in with a man named Altan, the timpanist for the LA Philharmonics. Altan had a volatile temper that had driven out all his previous roommates, but Donovan remained unbothered and they managed to get along well enough despite their differences. Altan is the only person Donovan has ever managed to explain his situation to, having created a simple backstory as an only child with dead parents for anyone else who tries to pry.

It became clear he didn't really have a good grasp of finances, but he managed to get a job at a small flower shop for a year and a half. He liked it because it wasn't too busy, but that was also the reason he ended up losing the job when the shop had to close from lack of business. Recently he's taken up a position as a cohost for 101.9 The Sunshine Station's evening programming.

It has been claimed that he makes delicious waffles.