shiro/galaxy

Name: Takashi "Shiro" Shirogane

Relation to the club: Co-owner alongside Allura

Age: 27

Appearance: Even in an establishment full of attractive specimens, Shiro cuts a striking figure, standing just a couple inches over six feet. Tall, broad around the shoulders and chest, with a cybernetic arm installed just underneath his right shoulder, he can be intimidating to look at for both friend and foe. His black hair, shaved at the sides and cropped close on top, is offset by a white forelock that draws attention away from his dark grey eyes and the scar running across the bridge of his nose. He's in peak physical shape, often working out in his spare time, and his military experience has long since gotten him in the habit of keeping in top form. When on the clock, Shiro tends toward the formal with a white dress shirt and waistcoat patterned fittingly like a galaxy, though this often leads him to being mistaken as a bartender, at least it stops the requests for lap dances (for the most part, anyway.) Outside of Galaxy's domain, he prefers clothing that's well-made and comfortable; it's easy to make a turtleneck or sweater vest work in your favor when your muscles are straining the seams of almost everything you wear.

Personality: Calm, collected, and cool-headed, it usually falls to Shiro to be the strategist, weighing options and planning around any potential complications that might arise. This makes him well-suited for his management position, maintaining the business aspects of the club and making sure that everything's running smoothly. He puts the welfare of his employees as his top priority; when they're in trouble, it's one of the few times his heart rules over his head, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure they're kept safe, comfortable, and happy to work. Shiro is steady and reliable, the voice of reason for the members of his staff that are prone to anxiety or picking fights, but he does have a sillier side that comes out during quiet moments. This patience isn't infinite; his strong moral compass results in uncharacteristic stubbornness when faced with people who aren't as strong in their convictions.

History: Born to a prominent family alongside his twin brother Ryou, Shiro felt the weight of expectations to succeed early on and rose to meet them in all areas he could. His parents both had incredibly demanding jobs, an astrophysicist and politician for his mother and father respectively, that left them far too busy to raise their children on their own and leading to them being brought up by their maternal grandparents. Shiro naturally fell into the role of responsibility that he carries to this day, his maturity contrasting sharply with that of his brother, and his grandparents' passing was just another thing he had to take in stride.

From the age of twelve onward, his time was split between Japan and the US until he hit eighteen, but unlike most young adults his age struggling with what to do in life, Shiro always knew what he wanted to accomplish. His aim was to be a pilot like his grandfather before him, and had his heart set on joining the Air Force until a diagnosis threatened to destroy all his carefully-laid plans. It might have been the end of his childhood dream, but he was willing to fight for it and succeeded beyond all expectations until an accident in the field cost him everything he'd worked for in addition to his arm.

After a lengthy recovery back home in Japan, Shiro returned to the States long-term and drifted aimlessly until an effort to drag him from his wallowing brought him to what was then known as the Castle of Lions. Too busy hitting it off with the owner to pay attention to the dancers, Shiro was offered a job that, while far from what he planned for himself as a child, gave him a sense of fulfillment anyway. Once Alfor passed away and most of the original staff departed for new prospects, he was the only one left to support Allura and helped shape Galaxy into what it is today. Despite their rocky start, they're now capable partners and Shiro does all he can to make this establishment a success.

Additional notes: Nearly always accompanied by his service dog, a German Shepherd named Max. Pretends to be functional, actually disaster zone waiting to happen. Big ol' mess of a human being held together through sheer force of will and bits of string. There's a betting pool going around on whether he's ever worked a pole before, but Allura refuses to say and eggs on suspicions for fun and profit. Legend says there are old photos lying around of the Castle's heyday with Shiro in nothing but a thong, but to this day, the records have been seemingly lost to time.

Faceclaim: Hideo Muraoka

On romance: He's comfortably bi and very open about his sexuality; he's often the guy to take questioning youth under his wing and assure them that there's nothing wrong with them, whatever they're into. He's very, very easy to develop a crush on because he's so steady, reliable, and warm, so he's got no shortage of folks interested in him, but he's surprisingly hard to pin down.

For him, it's far less about superficial details like gender or appearance and more about their personality, their dynamic, how well they mesh and understand one another. He's not much for crushes (but when he does, they tend to pass quickly) and he needs emotional closeness before showing romantic interest in somebody; he's not a big fan of getting to know a person after they start dating. For those that do manage to capture his interest, though, he's a perfect gentleman: flowers, good morning texts, "text me when you get home so I know you come back safe," he's super conscious of boundaries and he's fine taking things as slow as he needs to.

He's had so many baby gays try to confess to him, but while he's always gracious about it, he just doesn't have much interest in dating anybody unless there's real connection there; he's a secret romantic and wholeheartedly believes that your soulmate is somebody you click with on a deep personal level, and that's something to wait for! He won't waste time on relationships that are fun but brief, he's ready to find his Forever Person and settle down and he doesn't care how long it takes. It means he'll probably stay single for the majority of his life, but he's comfortable taking time for himself and doesn't need to have a relationship to feel whole.
Shiro is a dream boyfriend only because he's so hard to actually attract, in this essay I w