"The truth is, I'm a sad old Koopa. But that shouldn't stop anyone from having a happy life. Not on my watch."
Sheldon Turtwell is a Paper Mario fancharacter made by MSPA Forum user Todd Ingram. He is a male Koopa who is the philanthropic mayor of Portabella Outpost. His name is based off of parts of a turtle used commonly for Koopa names, such as "shell" and "turt".
Turtwell in Paper Mario style. (by Todd)
- 55% Mend
- + Selflessness, Empathy
- - Instability
- 30% Logos
- + Reasoning, Memory
- - Obsession
- 15% Ardent
- + Zeal, Anger
- - Rage
Distinguishing Features[]
- Golden monocole over left eye
- Dark green shell with normal Koopa pattern
- White dress shirt adorned with a dark purple bow.
- Black, well polished shoes
Personality[]
Sheldon Turtwell's first concern is always for others. He is empathetic to a fault. He can't stand seeing people at odds with each other, and will risk his own well-being to keep the peace. With his reasoning skills and political sway, he usually succeeds. At boardroom meetings full of stuffy, stubborn suits who never stop shifting the blame, he's always the one to get them to wring each other's hands instead of each other's necks.
With all the happiness he gives to others, however, Turtwell doesn't have much left to give to himself. His self-esteem is rather low, and he doesn't like when people go out of their way to help him. According to him, he doesn't deserve it at all. Part of this is because of his...well, temperament. But we'll get more into that later.
Turtwell's negative opinion of himself is rooted mainly in shame. He's done things he's not proud of to keep Portabella's community a successful one, and he has immense trouble living with himself. He knows that he must hide it, however, so that he can keep helping others whenever necessary. It's the closest thing he can do to make up for his actions in the past, even if no one knows he perpertrated them.
Backstory[]
Sheldon Turtwell is the great-grandson of Everett Turtwell, the founder and first-ever mayor of Portabella Outpost, back when it was a mining community. Sheldon didn't know this, however, until after his childhood. He grew up in Turtwell Manor, a gargantuan estate in Poshley Heights. Everett's children moved to the Heights after his passing, and have long since distanced themselves from his rural upbringing by earning a vast fortune. As a child, Sheldon was showered with gifts and every one of his chores was done by servants. This didn't spoil him, surprisingly enough. He always tried to do favors for his servants to pay them back for their work, even if his parents found it inappropriate.
While studying business at Gladshell University, he found a book on Portabella Outpost and its history. He was shocked to discover a picture of his great-grandfather on the very first page, shaking hands with a tough-looking sherrif. He couldn't believe all the wonderful things his great-grandfather had done, and took a trip to Portabella to see what he had created. When he arrived, Portabella was in a state of political disarray due to a budget problem. Overcome with a discovered love for the town of his ancestor, he ran for mayor and won by a landslide. He used his fortune to renovate City Hall and fix the economic problems, winning the respect of the townsfolk. And all was well...until that day.
A saloon had just opened in Portabella Outpost, run by a couple of Goombas from the city looking to make a buck. The saloon was extremely boisterous, and those who frequented it adopted some of its amorality. The club was a blemish on Portabella society, and it drove Turtwell crazy. Seeing this new-fangled, scum-producing hole in the wall calling itself an establishment...it brought him to levels of anger he never thought possible. In a rage, he went to a hidden chamber of City Hall where his great-grandfather kept scores of dynamite that were once used to clear mining routes. He took a dozen sticks and brought them down to the town square, and snuck them into the basement of the saloon before detonating them. He then scrambled away to an empty warehouse to watch the destruction...only to see the townsfolk gathering together to stop the flames, with fierce looks of determination on their faces. He saw that he had been proved wrong, that the strength of Portabella's community would not be deterred by a two-bit saloon. Filled with shame, he fled the scene and returned to his home at City Hall. He coudln't bring himself to tell the people what he had done out of fear that they would revolt against him, and instead decided that the only way he could come close to repaying them would be to serve them as best he could as mayor. This doesn't stop the dynamite episode from haunting his every waking moment, and causing him to worry what would happen if the Portabella community ever reached another boiling point...
Relationships[]
LINDA T : Aside from various bureaucrats, Linda T. is one of the few people in Portabella that Turtwell encounters on a regular basis. Like everyone else, he admires the work that she does. He heard, however, about her response to the dynamite incident, and feels extremely guilty about it. He wishes he could tell her it was his fault, but is afraid of what her reaction would be.
CUPPA: Turtwell often checks in on his employees to make sure they're content, and every time he does, Cuppa waves him over for a cup of tea and a chat. It's almost unheard of for Turtwell to refuse. He has a lot of baggage and it's Cuppa with which he feels the most comfortable unloading it. To this day, she remains the only soul in Portabella Outpost that Turtwell has confided in about the dynamite episode. Her eventual acceptance of it brought a great deal of respect for Cuppa into his heart. He still can't bear to leave it in the past like she wants him to, although if anyone would be able to convice him to, it's her.