OC Reviews (Slow updates)

Paddy O'Niell [A+]

SarahWolverine
❌Right off the bat, this application is 1743 words, so I would try shortening the application if you submit it to another OC review❌
Name: Paddy O'Neill

Age: 48
Wow, I actually really love this age. It's so uncommon.
Fandom: Original
Yay!!
Gender: Male
Backstory: Patrick 'Paddy' O'Neill was born 1965 in Derry, Northern Ireland, as child to old parents - at least old for that time. His father served in World War 2 on side of the UK. He was one of the few presbyterians in Derry, where most people were catholic.
When he was 7, he heard the shots of the Bloody Sunday.
But despite growing up in a civil war, Paddy lived very happily. He met his best friend Kilian 'Kili' Macleod in the kids group of the church. Kili was a little prankster and class clown from the start and they quickly grew attached to each other because the bigger Paddy protected Kili from the people who didn't like his shenanigans very much.
Another friend of his was his three year older cousin Caoimhe Douglas, who lived in Belfast but visited him often. He downright adored her and she was probably the most important person in his life.
They grew up and not much changed - Paddy stayed the friendly bloke who helped if he could but often also just sat back somewhere with his guitar; his father had taught him to play as he got older. And Kili stayed the little rascal he had always been, although Paddy protected him less, because Kili didn't like the entire guardian business anymore ("I'm not five anymore man, and you're not my dad! It's embarassing!"). Kili however now dragged him often into his shenanigans as helper.
Then one year late in middle school, they had a new student in class who had to repeat a class. Angus O'Malley was a year older than the two but they started to become friends - Although Kili and Angus argued a lot. Angus was a cynic who had no respect for teachers, but who also liked to write poems and philosophise.
About what Kili and Angus argued the most was the current situation - Angus always treated the cruelty of the civil war as something not changeable anyways and made fun of it, while Kili always was appalled anew by the assassination attempts and street fights with the police.
Paddy stored his emotions inside; he loathed the situation as well, but loved his life with his friends in Derry nonetheless.
When Angus was 21, he went to London to become a policeman. Kili had only ever called him stupid and nuts for it, Paddy worried about him for what consequences this job could have.
Kili and Paddy shared a flat together, a shabby one but theirs nonetheless.
Then Paddy's aunt died when a car bomb detonated. She was the mother of Caoimhe and Paddy never heard of her again, presumably because the rest of the Douglas Family went into a witness protection programme.
So far, so bad. But in 1988, when Paddy was 23, he and Kili came home to the house with their flat in destroyed. Someone had placed a car bomb and blown it all up.
Standing in front of the ruins, Paddy decided he was sick of it. Sick of being afraid because of his belief. Sick of always having to be cautious who he was around. Sick of losing people he loved. Sick of living in fear.
I love that this story has to do with serious issues that people faced and still face today.
So with his guitar and a few other belongings he packed his bags and went to Dublin - Leaving behind a Kilian who screamed at him to come back, he couldn't just leave, Dublin was no better!
Dublin really only proved to be marginally better. There were still assassination attempts and Paddy still had to be cautious - Especially now that he was homeless.
He didn't stay homeless forever, though. After about half a year, someone offered him to do a few jobs for him. Nothing big, just delivering a few packages somewhere. Paddy was a big guy (2 meters tall!), he'd make sure that those got to the right address, wouldn't he?
I love the detail, but still, it is very long.
Paddy knew the entire thing was shady, but after some reluctance, he gave in. He didn't like it but he had no other choice either. Even if he ever so often wondered, if he didn't just gave another IRA terrorist the material to build a new bomb. If he didn't just help the people who made his life hell.
After those little jobs however, someone else came to see him.
Aaron O'Connel said he was the one behind the packages and would like to offer Paddy a more grand opportunity to end his miserable situation.
Work for me regularly and you get clothes, a flat, a steady income.
Paddy knew that this was fishy. But Paddy also had lived half a year lonely, cold and often hungry. He was falling apart like his poor old guitar.
So he agreed and became part of the O'Connel Clan, Ireland's most influential Mafia Family. Aaron cared greatly for him and Paddy learnt quick, especially because there wasn't much bloody work for him at the start. He was treated friendly and Aaron made him his right hand and bodyguard after two years. From now on Paddy's supervisor Ben Clean was his colleague.
In 1992, when Paddy was part of the clan for 3 years now, Aaron arranged a dinner at home so Paddy and his wife Freya could meet.
Things were still a little troublesome when he arrived - Freya had wanted to make the dinner herself - and suddenly, a little man came walking into the living room.
Harry O'Connel, 3 years old and in his teddy pyjamas, stared up at the giant stranger in their living room.
Paddy asked the little guy how's it going but Freya came in, a little embarassed that her son had come when he was supposed to be asleep. When she carried Harry backt to bed, he only talked about "the giant."
Paddy was a close friend of the family by 1995, when Aaron asked him if he could sometimes stay with Freya and Harry. Harry was going to school now and Freya's cardivascular disease was getting worse.This was the second time Harry and Paddy met, this time so that Harry would remember it, too. Over the next year, Paddy met Charlie, Harry's best friend and son of Freya's best friend Gwen, juggled a life inbetween babysitter/guardian and mafia bodyguard and became part of the family.
Freya got pregnant in 1996 and died in childbed in september after giving birth to a little girl. There was only so much her heart could take before it failed.
Sophie O'Connel, name of the little one, grew up with Paddy as something almost like a second father. Paddy continued to care for the O'Connel children and for the father as well, since Aaron's mental health started to suffer.
In 2005, Aaron told Harry about what he did for a living and how he wanted Harry to follow him. Harry, 16 at that time, hated his father for it and Paddy as well. He only slowly started to come back to being on good terms with Paddy.
2006, Ben dies. Paddy starts to feel old and Aaron's mental state only gets worse; he cares less and less for business, all of his energy is put into raising Sophie.
In 2009, Aaron dies. Harry takes the role of his father, plagued with guilt that he wasn't a better son. Charlie becomes his right hand next to Paddy. The next years are chaotic for Paddy, who has lost his every mentor and now takes this role for 'his' children. In 2013, my story starts.
Very interesting. Are you going to do a prologue?
Appearance: I can also offer you a picture my friend has drawn.
Paddy is 2 meters talls and has always had broad shoulders. In his youth, it made him look a little bit lanky, but when he started to work for Aaron and started training, he soon became one wall of a man. He has hair that reaches to his shoulders; it used to be ginger, by now it's strawberry blonde, grey streaks in it. He often wears it in a ponytail and his face is usually covered in a three-day-stubble. His eyes are grass green and he has wrinkles around the mouth, the nose, the eyes and the forehead.
Scars litter his body, especially his legs and arms, but they are not the most outstanding feature usually. However, next to one long scar across his leg which he got from playing street football, he has a tattoo reading "Patsy" - Patsy was Caoimhe's nickname for him.
I like the way he looks. I have not read a lot of OCs that were ginger. Thank you for doing that because it really works with his nationality.(Irish, right?)👌🏼
Personality: Paddy isn't as carefree as he used to be, but still friendly and kind. He is very patient especially with younger people, but also gives advice in a very firm way. Especially with 'his' kids (Harry, Charlie,Soph) he can be rather stern and tell them when they are behaving like douchebags, but he's also very proud and reassures them that they are wonderful people and that he's proud of them for all they managed to come through. During business, he is often very reserved but when he acts and talks, it's mostly calm and collected, emphasising that what he says is important. He often brings a steady point into the mess his boys make. Due to this calm side of him, he frightens some people, especially at work. If something was to happen to his children, he'd turn savage.
I love that he is protective over 'his' kids😹
Strength: Skilled at combat through years of training, he's a good fatherly friend and can play the guitar almost effortlessly since it has been one of the little hobbies he had aside from the job. He even sings quite well. He is also the most experienced at the job and is a good backbone for Harry's and Charlie's messy plans.
Weakness: He loathes the sounds of gunshots. He's stuck playing the role of the Atoner: He loves his children so much and hates himself for all that he's done, he sees his only true purpose in keeping these kids safe. Thus he sometimes rather gets himself badly injured than them and tries to protect them when he should take care of himself. (Since his kids also care greatly about him, he hurts them by hurting himself.) He's still sometimes reluctant making long term decisions such as deciding who to trust, which can lead to complications.
His love life is also a wreck, same😹since he's afraid of letting a stranger into his world, risking that his family would be harmed. And he's in general afraid of managing this kind of love and relationship.
I love that he doesn't have a designated love interest.

Mary-Sue: 0%
Originality: 100% I love how he doesn't have a perfect love life, I love his backstory and struggle, and I love the way he looks.
Interest: 90% Your character is so good, however you lost me when I saw that that the application was 1700 words. But I will still definitely read this book!!
Statement: Majestic🦄
Admin: Eliza💖
SarahWolverine