Shindou

Shindou is a polite, yet sadistic and egotistical Mario.EXE. He was created on January 31st, 2023 by Tumblr user @deimosdotxyz.

Biography
With every franchise, there will undoubtably be fans who create content for it, whether that be writing, videos, or even games. The Mario franchise is not an exception - there have been many fans who have created content for it. The recent surge of Mario-themed horror works by the fans had caused the appearance of Shindou as a byproduct - a digital tulpa that took form from that type of content.

Shindou resides within a certain ROM hack of Super Mario 64. While the "true" name of the hack is not known due to it going under many different names, the most common name used for it is "Super Mario 64 Personalized ROM". This naming choice is intentional, as Shindou's particular choice of prey is those who enjoy content of that nature.

Upon the ROM hack being played, Shindou will adapt to the player's mind. He will alter the game to appeal to them, such as modifying level design, or even creating caricatures of other Mario characters they like, in an effort to lure them deeper into his domain.

After Shindou decides that the "game" is "over", he will take the player's soul, and make them a permanent part of his world.

Abilities
While Shindou's powers are limitless, knowing no bounds, there are three abilities in particular that are most commonly observed:


 * Caricature Creation: As stated before, Shindou can create caricatures of other Mario characters. This can range from characters present in the main game all the way to entirely different Mario EXEs. These abstract doppelgangers possess slightly less power than what they are based off of, and will dissipate after enough time.


 * Body Contortion: Shindou can stretch and bend his body to extreme lengths in order to catch his prey.


 * Game Manipulation: Shindou has complete control over his realm, being able to twist and alter it to his liking. He will often use this to his advantage, such as suddenly creating obstacles in order to catch players off-guard.

Weaknesses
Players are only vulnerable to being attacked by Shindou once the ROM is first opened. As long as you do not open the ROM he is contained in, you will be safe.

Trivia

 * Shindou was initially a concept for a Mario Mix of Rewrite by SpringlessEcho. However, his lore is undergoing revisions in order to distance himself and become more independent.
 * During a playthrough of Shindou's game, the number of Stars on the HUD is a fixed amount that never changes. It does not represent how many stars the player has, but rather how many souls Shindou has collected.
 * Shindou can speak Japanese.