Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2012 11:02:20 GMT
Francis
Human Form *Credit goes to Artist*
Basic Information
Age: 3 in Cat years, mentally about 30-32 by Human standards. When in Human form he appears to be 18.
Gender: Male.
Sexuality: Heterosexual, unused to anything else, to be quite honest.
Rank:Wanderer, may be called in to the Heroes Guild from time to time.
Canon/OC: Established Canon
Canon World/Face Claim:Felidae/Francis (Version from the First and second book, only bits and pieces from when he was in ‘Salve Roma!’ will be used for his History…because that book’s theme is in Rome. >>)
Cbox Name: Ruukah
Other Characters:Doviculus, Leomon, Dorumon, Nyra, Jorgal Xytus (Will be dropping him due to lack of muse, will pick him up again when muse returns.)
Powers And Abilities
Strengths:
Physical: While being incredibly smart, Francis is still just a cat, nothing more, nothing less. An Adult American Shorthair, to be precise, about fourteen pounds and 14 inches tall.
Being a Cat, his eyes can basically act as low-light amplifiers, allowing him to see in the dark much better than a Human can once given the time to adjust. Contrary to popular belief (And I believe, in the books), Francis can see well in color.
Cats have an exceptional sense of balance--they saunter along high fences only an inch wide, seemingly without fear, walk along rooftops and perch on fence posts to survey the lay of the land. Their ability to perform the equivalent of yoga on a tightrope is the result of fine-tuned coordination of physical and nervous systems. The cat's supple body allows it to move smoothly and it's adapted shoulder blades and collarbones mean that it places it's feet directly in front of each other as it walks--thus walking along narrow ledges requires no special movement. It's tail can be used as a tightrope walked would use a pole, to balance and counterbalance as necessary.
However, it is the feline organ of balance,called the Vestibular apparatus, that gives it its excellent balancing skills. The vestibular apparatus is part of the inner ear and consists of three fluid-filled semicircular canals lined with millions of tiny hairs. Movements of the cat's head cause the fluid to move around in these canals,moving the hairs and sending signals to the brain telling the cat about direction and speed of any movement. The organ also gives the cat information about it's up/down orientation.
Although the system is present in most mammals, the cat has refined it to allow very accurate control of it's head position. The information that is generated in the vestibular system is combined with that coming from the eyes and muscles to control the whole body, allowing it to maintain a fluidity of balance seemingly without effort. However, like the graceful swimming of a swan, all the action goes on unseen to produce a seamless performance.
One of the cat's unique characteristics is it's ability to land on it's feet after a fall. While it is not true that the cat lands safely on every fall and from any height, it does have a remarkable ability to save itself by turning around in midair and landing safely on all fours, providing that the fall is not too great.
As a cat falls, it enters into an automatic sequence of events that allow it to flip over--in less than a tenth of a second information from it's eyes and vestibular system set into sequence automatic movements that first turn the cat so that its head is horizontal and upright, then bring its body around. Nerves in the spine cause the back end of the body to turn around, too. The tail acts as a counterbalance to prevent overrotation and, by arching it's back to absorb some of the shock of hitting the ground, the cat usually lands successfully and without injury.
A cat's sense of smell is believed to be about fourteen times stronger than that of humans. The bit of nose we see, the nose leather is quite tough to allow it to absorb rather rough treatment sometimes.
Humans and cats have a similar range of hearing on the low end of the scale, but cats can hear much higher-pitched sounds, up to 64 kHz, which is 1.6 octaves above the range of a human, and even 1 octave above the range of a dog. Cats can judge within three inches (7.5 cm) the location of a sound being made one yard (approximately 91 cm) away.
Linguistic skills: As well as being an expert detective and very smart and clever for his kind, Francis also knows a few languages. His most prominent, besides English, is Ancient Greek and Latin. His owner is an archeologist who knows the languages as if He was the one who invented them, after all.
Weaknesses:
Overwhelming curiosity: You read right. While able to control it on some days, most of the time Francis is unable to resist exploring whatever he hears or sees, and if there's a mystery or murder to be solved, he'll be on it in a flash. This can, at times, get him in to trouble.
Water: Like most cats, Francis has a fear of water, though when desperate times call for desperate measures he isn't above getting wet.
Mortal: Despite his quick thinking and vast amount of knowledge, Francis is still just a cat. Speedy, yes, but still a cat.
Bretheren: He calls others of his species 'Brother' or 'Sister', due to the fact they all come from the scientific Family of Felidae. This can possibly wear on ones nerves a bit.
Humans: While he loves his owner, the man with the IQ of a balloon known as Gustav, that big oaf, he still doesn't know that in this world, Humans -can- understand him now, as only Other animals can speak to eachother coherently in the books. So...
Superiority complex: Francis has a -slight- superiority complex when it comes to conversing about Cats and Humans (What cat doesn't), given their abilities and all. And while his views on some may differ, he still treats them with as much respect as a cat an give a Human...Ones that can understand him, however, may be a different story..
History: At times, Francis just wishes that God would give him a break, even had Him promise to him, but like always the spiritual deity doesn't seem to keep his word when it comes to his misfortunes. Francis fits the trope of 'Iron Woobie' to a T, for no matter how difficult life's challenges/mysteries are, he manages to keep his head held high even as he cries for a fallen Brother or Sister. However, he still mourns for the dead, and can even become depressed about certain subjects relating to his past.
Human Form: Francis doesn't realize that he -does- have a Human Form he can shift in to thanks to the Game Master's influence, and nor does he realize that using it will take some getting used to, as while Human he lost all senses but his balance, claws, fangs and hearing (the human form is mostly for show anyway). These Shifts will come and go at Random, most likely when he wakes up from a nap or something -or if needed for a thread-. But most of the time he will remain as a Cat.
Weapons And Equipment:
The only weapons Francis uses are his teeth and claws, though he has extensive knowledge about Humans. His brain is probably his biggest weapon.
Personal Information
Personality:
Wise-eyed Francis is very kind and Compassionate, willing to lend a helping paw if anyone needs it. Sharp-witted and always very observational, Slightly naive and educated/intelligent to the point that he can learn to use a computer, enjoy human music and read human literature, even understand Human speech. Ambitious, if a bit impatient at times. Can be a bit of a snarker, and when things get tough, he tends to be very serious about it and doesn’t take jokes lightly. Tends to be sarcastic. Moralist views, smart-alecky, a bit spiritual. Francis is a naturally curious, but slightly snooty creature (what Cat isn’t?), in fact one could call him the feline equivalent of an amateur wannabe detective, despite the fact he’s actually an expert. However this curiosity can lead him to things that may prove dangerous. Francis isn’t much of a fighter, but he will bear his claws if he has to.
When it comes to his ‘work’ as a detective, Francis tends to become an equal mix of passionate and obsessive over it, as well as cynical/pessimistic at times despite a few smart-ass remarks or Humor to possibly lighten the mood. To make matters worse, he tends to get in way over his head, even if for a good cause, tends to think 'with his heart' rather than with his head at times. In the past he had resisted the call of solving mysteries many a time, but in some occasions, he really can’t help himself due to his curiosity, and at times, his ego. If there is a case to be solved, weither animal or Human related, he tries his very best to crack it. He is very knowledgeable for a cat, knowing many things, even taking to memorizing both Human and Feline anatomy, from clawbone up to fur. He cares greatly for his Human, Gustav, even if Francis views Gustav as more of a ‘Can opener’. He trusts his instincts a lot. When confronted with a dead body, he tends to get a bit depressed over it before his detective skills come in, often trying to imagine what the person was like before they became a lifeless husk.
History:
Francis has remained with his Human, Gustav, otherwise known as the Man with the attention span of an Anvil and other such playful descriptions, for as long as he can remember. Gustav, or Gus, works writing romance articles in magazines when hes not busy working on archeology, so when ever Gus gets writer's block they move.
Francis and Gus move into an old, run down house that was originally a laboratory for the great Professor Preterius, a scientist who was determined of making a skin bonding adhesive, using cats as his subjects, these experiments are revealed to have awful side effects.
Francis first meets Bluebeard early in the movie, and also finds a nasty surprise in his back garden. Sascha, a victim of the killings was apparently killed by a 'can-opener' (human) according to Bluebeard. After his experience, Francis discovers new allies and enemies, as well as other killings. Francis makes a discovery in one of the houses in the new neighborhood, a sect of cats lead by Joker, the right hand to the prophet Claudandus. Francis is then chased from the scene and meets a blind female cat named Felicity, who he shows affections to, then later finds her brutally decapitated. Francis makes friends with Pascal, a very intelligent old brother (cat slang for "tom-cat"), who uses his owner's computer to list the cats in the neighborhood, which he intends to use to help find the killer.
As the case is solved, months pass and Francis enjoys a comfortable bachelor existence with his human companion and 'tin-opener' Gustav, until one day disaster strikes. Gustav is invaded by a live - in lover who aims to reform his life-style - and his cat's. Francis decides -or rather runs to escape his fate- to go on the road, and sets out one stormy night to try his luck in the country.
However, perils lurk in the country too. Soon the corpses are coming thick and fast. A serial killer is slaughtering the farmyard cats. The strange, blind tribe of cats who live in the sewage system, rescuing and adopting unwanted kittens, commission Francis to bring the murderer to justice. But who is the murderer? Are the sewer cats right to suspect Crazy Hugo, formerly one of their number, and his mastiff accomplice? Could the real culprit be the mysterious creature known to Francis as Monster Paw? What about the seductive Alcina and her family of forest-dwelling wild cats - how are they involved? What is the true secret of the satellite dish once tended by Diana the ecologist and her cat the ESP enthusiast Ambrosius? And why is a human hunter out to shoot Francis himself?
Reluctantly dabbling in the paranormal, Francis brings his logical brain to bear on the case, until all is made clear.
After that little fiasco, Francis keeps a calm, if not cautious life with his owner in their little home. To say that 'peaceful', however, is now an understatement, as after waking from a mid-noon nap, Francis finds himself in one of his oddest cases yet--He's not at home at all!
Sample Post
No matter how much he tried to avoid these types of situations, God seemed to always somehow lead his paws right to them anyway. If it weren't as much of a bother to Francis, who was simultaneously terrified and curious of the decrepit one story home he seemed to have landed himself in, he would have merely leapt out of the nearest window without a care in the world. However, the feline wasn't staring at many of the broken windows and walls littered with spray paint.[/size]
There was a dead body in the hall. A mottled tortishell brother, wide emerald eyes staring ahead in horror as what Francis could discern of his black, orange and white coat, while no doubt groomed well by some loving owner, now had another color to add to it's collection. Francis hadn't even expected to run in to the creature as he explored the residence, but it looked as though that this Brother of his was young, no older than a few months at best with a ragged, crimson line across his ribcage and blood staining the dull grey carpet. Judging from the decomp, He hadn't been dead no more than five hours ago.
Francis shook, chest heaving as he stared at the body with wide eyes, trying not to hyperventilate. Slowly, the older shook his head, his eyes never leaving the sad husk, even as tears burned a trail through his cheekfur. This creature was young, much too young to be in this sad state, he didn't even seem old enough to become a full adult yet! Never again would this young one enjoy what life had to offer, much less experience the joys of being a Father, and then die old and either happy at home or happy and strapped to a cold vet table. Francis shook a little, forcing his body to move after wiping away his tears with a free paw and gently lifting the body up..only to make another gruesome discovery.
These wounds were not done by another of his kind, the edges of the wound were too clean, too straight, done with more of less surgical precision. And the torso was completely hollow, save for the bones keeping everything together, the ribs even being sliced through and removed, no doubt in order to get to the harder parts behind them. This wasn't a scene out of The Aristocats, more like Saw only without the torture devices being turned on him. Feline let out a sad sigh, gently setting the body back down and sitting on his haunches, his expression flitting from one emotion to the next. Anger, sadness, Empathy, contempt, disgust, and a number he couldn't identify.
"Well, this is brilliant...First I wake up in a house that isn't mine, then I stumble across this poor fellow here..So many questions, so little time.." He mumbled, flicking his ears back. "And God said he would give me a break from this stuff, and like usual the Jerk In the Sky doesn't seem to like to keep his word." Francis shook his head as he stood up again once he had deemed himself calm enough to function, going back to his logical frame of mind. It only made sense that the Killer was Human. No one else would have been able to make Murder seem like a trip to Disneyland..Now the only question was why? Why was her here, and who was doing this?
Francis gave a small shake of his head as he turned to walk out of a window ahead of him, taking one last look over his shoulder at the body as he leapt on to the termite-riddled edge. He imagined that this Brother was frolicking with no doubt it's own family, being served scraps from their table at breakfast, lying in patches of sunlight when it wasn't busy raining, content and happy...Only to have it all taken away by some sick minded individual who probably did this out of some cruel joke. Francis said a small prayer in his mind before turning away from the body one final time before leaping off of the window sill, managing to avoid skewering himself on the broken glass, out of the house. He needed answers, and he was going to find them.