Shopow

==Who is Shopow?==
Shopow is a selective mute who has been on VRChat since the release. They usually hop around very specific worlds or adventure to find hidden gems in which they save into a special world playlist, only seen by trusted friends of theirs; additionally, they also try to visit all their friends to cheer them up or provide company. Among the abundance of avatars this player has, they only use two, a Hoppou Angel, or a Pusheen. 
Up to present time, they started creating worlds for others to come view, witnessed and contributed with a bunch of unique players, groups, and trends in VRChat. This player was a former Legendary User, but after having to reset twice due to conflicts with groups in the past, they are all over the place with trust ranking. This also means that they've had to start fresh with friend lists and aliases. 
=== Shopow's Previous VRChat Bio ===
"I am a mute Hoppou⁄Pusheen who chills‚ dances‚ and loves making new friends․ I play on all platforms, along with Full Body Tracking + Haptic Vest․ Sometimes I use a soundboard․ I have a fan club apparently․ From Ugandan Knuckles to 29th Wind Cult‚ content creators to life long friends‚ 2B AFK to Reality Dysphoria․ I've seen it all‚ now I wander VRChat‚ witnessing what the community will do next․" 
==History and Biography==
===Before VRChat===
Between 2003 to 2010, a close relative with extremely high skill in video games used to have the name "Shopow". In late 2010, after focusing more on life, they have handed over the name to who we have befriended and met today. This is the second generation of Shopow that we all know, in the far future, the name will be passed down to a very specific person as the third generation, Shopow has yet to decide nor has met the one who is worthy of the original name. Other than VRChat, they really enjoy video games, art, music (production, composition, etc.), and coffee. 
===Early Experiences of VRChat===
Starting from February 1st, 2017 when VRChat came to Steam, The Great Pug was home to Shopow. He originally was an unmute desktop player and actually became very extroverted to the public, drinking at the second floor watching performers on the stage, and relaxing at The Roost in front of the fireplace as an avatar called a Pusheen-a fairly large, gray, tabby cat.
After finishing a performance in 2018, he was approached by three mute players wearing Hoppou avatars who happened to be targetting another player, grabbing their attention by pure accident. He noticed they stared at them and stood still while remaining quiet. After a brief moment, curious to know more, he became an original member of a movement called Hoppou Raids.
===Groups and Cults===
After going through the recruitment process, Shopow has been affiliated as a member of the Hoppou Empire, later becoming a guardian; leading raids and welcoming newcomers. They were one of the pioneers of a dangerous movement that is under the grid called "Group Hunting", where a cult or group would be in "Hunt Mode", this first started when the Ugandan Knuckles flooded into VRChat in January 2018. A suggestion by Shopow in the Hoppou Empire came into light as a joke to get rid of the Knuckles, it was a slight success, but it caused corruption which lead Shopow to leaving the group. 
File:2018.1.png|Shopow with an old Legendary group in 2018 (1)
File:2018.2.png|Shopow with an old Legendary group in 2018 (2)
File:2018.3.png|Shopow playing Werewolf with ShatteredSky, Chicken Nuggets, BIllySolo, and JordanLp1 (2018)
Upon leaving, Shopow has been involved and gone through many friend groups for the next few years (Vtubers, RP Groups, Twitch Groups, etc), many of which would disband due to either: inactivity, corruption, the fire nation, people moving on, etc. However, there were a few incidences that lead to Shopow's involvement to notorious groups such as the 29th Wind Cult, and the Suicide Cult. Shopow only tells his full story about this to those who are closest to him, but these interactions reinforced his mutism. 
One group that he resides in is called the Wholesome Homies. During January 2020, in The Black Cat, Shopow was running around as a Pusheen, gaining head pats and attention. In the bar area, he bumped into two players that were a part of the small group, afterwards, he was adopted by the group after showing signs of affection and attention. This group has became a sanctuary for players that Shopow befriends, and to keep them in a server for him to hang and communicate with. 
Another group that Shopow usually hangs with is the Cult of Void, this group was introduced to Shopow in May 2021, through a person they used to be in a relationship with. The "cult" holds dear to them as this is another one of their preferred groups to hang around with. The group holds a few D&D sessions that would occur weekly, and Shopow would come visit from time to time, spectating or sleeping during the session. They are usually in Warhammer avatars, or very fascinating ones. 
Comedically, Shopow currently has a fan club that exists mainly as a joke. It is the second time he has had one since the first one disbanded due to conflicts based off of differences. 
===Selective Mutism===
The people that Shopow bumped into in the past were mostly friendly, but during his Pusheen phase (which lasted about four years), he would be a mute and wander around until a player notices them. This made Shopow's mutism more prominent as people would be used to him not talking, whenever the time is right, he would reveal his voice; however, some friends did not like this change which led to Shopow's mental health declining. He also uses a soundboard to entertain players with music and memes. Shopow is usually a mute in public lobbies, but will open up if approached kindly by a new potential friend.
==Where is Shopow?==
You can find Shopow lurking around in common worlds such as: The Great Pug, Poppy Street, and Hwabon Night; on the rooftop, underneath the overhang. Or in worlds that would be considered "hidden gems", such as his home world "The Sanctuary of Worlds", or his special world playlist. Shopow also loves playing games such as: Prison Escape, Murder 4, and Kitchen Cooks, more recently, you can catch him in his own worlds, working on an update. He is usually with friends, but if you want to befriend him, a head pat or hug will always work.
"If you'd like to know more about my worlds and the story behind them, please take a look at the wiki page for my story: Legend of Rakuen"
==Personality==
His personality shines through his facial and hand gestures, or his soundboard. He is often curious whenever an event in a world occurs, and is usually wandering alone, afterwards. Shopow will stare at a player and tilt his head to try and obtain their attention if they’re interesting, then proceed to poke them and give a head pat and/or a hug. This way of approaching others is probably because of his involvement in the Hoppou Empire and how a hoppou would act in public (quietly staring). Whenever he joins a friend, they would peek around a wall/corner and wait until noticed.
==Depression, Anxiety, and Tourettes==
Shopow suffers from depression due to a lack of motivation and passion through interests, such as music. His mutism and experiences with negligent players in the past has increased his anxiety, preventing him to open up to new friends more often. He was also diagnosed with a mild case of Tourettes syndrome, a disorder that involves repetitive movements or unwanted sounds (tics) that can't be easily controlled. For instance, you might repeatedly blink your eyes, shrug your shoulders or blurt out unusual sounds or offensive words. This is also another reason why Shopow would be mute, or avoid being seen by others.
==Depersonalization-Derealization Disorder & Reality Dysphoria==
Shopow also suffers from DPDR and Reality Dysphoria. DPDR a mental disorder in which the person has persistent or recurrent feelings of depersonalization or derealization. Depersonalization is described as feeling disconnected or detached from one's self. Reality Dysphoria, can be described as the idea of not belonging in the real world and that the virtual world is where Shopow truly belongs; however, his version is more severe as he cannot grasp reality in general. He is an Oneironaut in which he can travel through dreams, and lucid dream on command. He struggles to find true meaning and qualities in life as virtual reality, dream reality, and real life have their own elements of what is real and what is not.
== Quotes==
==Trivia==
* In the Wholesome Homies, there is a "Generation List" that is constantly updated by Shopow. It marks down everyone chronologically who has been a part of the Wholesome Homies; starting from December 2020 or earlier, and creating a new generation every two months.
* The name "Shopow" (show-pow) is derived from the food called Siopao (Shaa-Pau), a steamed pork bun. According to Shopow's relative, they changed the wording to make it easier to pronounce for westerners.
*Shopow's Steam account has a "18 Years of Service Badge", the profile used to be owned by his relative, but as mentioned above, was handed over.
*Shopow is currently in their 3rd phase of their account, due to wiping his account twice, once in 2017, and a second time in 2018.
*Every now and then, Shopow would yell the term "Gabba Gool", this is a reference to a video that Shopow was in, Gabagool is a type of Italian meat.
*Among the many VRChat contributors that Shopow has befriended, he has an interesting past with the content creator Radiant Soul.
*Shopow is currently majoring in music at his local university, and will eventually get his Bachelor's of Music.
*Starting from 2014, Shopow practiced lucid dreaming and became consistent at it, however, it causes his reality dysphoria to go haywire.
*From February 2017 to July 2021, Shopow was a Desktop User. July 2021 to present time, he also uses an Oculus Quest 2 (and sometimes goes on PCVR with full body tracking.)
*During early 2021, Shopow used to work at VRChat Kmart as customer service at the front desk.
==Links==
*Carrd
*Discord
*Patreon
*Steam
*Twitch
*Twitter
Category:People
Category:Characters