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Username: Ashtail Foxclaw
Name: Jean Shepherd
French origian, pronounced ZHAHN, sometimes called Jean (JEEN)
Age: 19 yo, born 23rd of March
Gender: Male
Eye Color: Toasty Topaz [x]
Hair Color: Dirty blonde
Hair Length: short, shaggy, just past his ears
Height: 175 cm || 5ft 9in
Weight: 83 kg || 180 lbs
Scars/Tattoos: few scratch marks from street and cat-fights.
Tattoos: Left side of his torso snake/skull/butterflies, his right ankle/foot butterflies, compass rose on his shoulderblades. probably more to come. Plenty skin left to ink.
Piercings: naval, tongue, eyebrow (right side, snake)
Ear piercings (each ear): 2 lobe (studs), 2 upper/higher lobe (studs), 3 helix (loops), 1 tragus (stud)
Ethnicity: Asia American, mostly takes after his American heritage.
Sexual Orientation: bicurious - doesn't know - exploring.
Weapon(s): claws, fists, and headbutts - or anything useable within range.
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Species: Werecat
tab tab (Jean does not possess the ability to pass the curse on and turn others into werecats)
Abilities:
{ Feline : Shapeshifting }
tab tab Jean has the ability to change individual features of his body to that of his feline equivalent, sometimes in exasperated ways and even in a mix of the two. He can not grow any bigger than what he is now, but he can turn into a cat about panther size or even all the way down into a kitten. The colour and pattern of his fur never changes and he will always show as a blonde cat regardless of his shape.
Through trials and tribulations, Jean has learned to transform with his clothes and piercings, sometimes letting the piercings show but mostly hides them in the shroud of his transformation to avoid them getting yanked out. He can at this point also retract his ears and tail in human form but tends not to, as well as speak human while in cat form.
Potential forms: Average street cat [x] - Kitten [x] - Panther size [x] - Humanoid form [x]
{ Feline : Keen Senses }
tab tab Jean is naturally very flexible and sensitive. He can hear as well as any average cat, run just as fast, jump from high up and land without issue, balance on thin ledges, and bend into almost unnatural shapes like a contortionist.
{ Animal Communication }
tab tab Having been a part of the animal world for so many years, Jean has developed the ability to understand most city creatures. He can communicate with both birds and rats, but he has a tough time understanding animals from the forests and fields.
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Personality:
{ Energetic, Excited, Sociable }
tab tab Jean is highly motivated to engage with people and interact with others. This, to him, is where all the fun of life is located. He tries to meet as many different people in as many different places as he can, always on the move for the next experience and crafting memories with the strangers all along the way. While some doesn’t get along with that type of person, others can easily get swept up in his whirlwind and join him on the next big adventure.
{ Talented, Musical, Dumb }
tab tab The wild beating of his heart does have a rhythm and no one can deny that Jean has a talent to follow that beat. While he doesn’t learn well and can barely read and write, he is incredibly intuitive in both music and social interaction. Jean doesn’t learn by shuffling through books or spending endless hours hunched over at a desk with a teacher at the front of the class - no, he has to learn by pouring blood, sweat, and tears into something passionately. He plays music by ear; while he knows basic chords he would never be able to play from sheet music, which often makes his performance improvised and alive. But despite being talented, Jean isn’t exactly smart either. He only learns some things by failing - multiple times.
{ Passionate, Temperamental, Emotional, Territorial }
tab tab Jean does not like being told what he can and can’t do. He wears his emotions on his sleeves and he tells things like he sees it. If you cross him, he might’ve been laughing with you a moment ago, but now he’ll be in your face pushing for a fight. And while he can be foul and unfriendly at the drop of a hat, he isn’t endlessly stubborn in his grievances. You can speak with your fists and when that’s done, he can forgive and move on - most of the time. He does have a lot of insecurities and it makes him guarded, but at the same time you’ll be in no doubt when he’s happy and upbeat. And while he’s not particularly good at communicating, he is trying.
{ Wild, Free-spirited, Stray, Homeless }
tab tab Jean does not conform to normal society standards. He has no ambition or drive towards success, no intention of ever working an honest job, or spending his time worrying about bills and laws. While some mistake him for being anarchistic, he doesn’t actually reject governing bodies - he just doesn’t abide by their rules either. He lives by the term ‘Survival of the fittest’ and simply lives to survive, day by day, and takes what he must without guilt. He’s not cruel and uncaring without principle - he won’t take candy from a child - but neither does he target specific groups of people for being more rich than others. It’s a lottery of misfortune for those that cross his path. Neither does he care to have a home, he lives on the street and he is happy for it. Sometimes he’ll couch surf and other times he sleeps under a dumpster in his cat form, then he might occasionally break in somewhere to keep warm, but he doesn’t stick around to just one location. In a sense, you can say everywhere is his home.
Bio:
{ Too Long ; Didn’t Read ; Trigger warning (not sure it’s necessary put putting it anyway) }
tab tab Jean got turned into a werecat as a baby/toddler and grew up throwing tantrums. Got expelled from school after kicking the stuffing out of another kid and eventually ended up in a youth center where he learned music. He was then groomed and abused by an ex-cop at 13 and then decided to say ******** it all and live a carefree life. Also, he’s Aaron’s brother - Jean hates cops so they’re a bit at odds.
{ Birthdays and Beginnings}
tab tab Joy, oh joy. A new baby was added to the family and while Jean was a straggler compared to his 9 years older brother Aaron, they were a happy little family for a time. A year after his birth, Jean was toddling around as toddlers do, enjoying being a dumb blub of drool while chewing on everything within reach. Playing by the open backyard door, a feral cat was spotted sneaking in, a blonde and strange creature whose tail was swishing in every direction and with piercing eyes staring calmly at the baby. Having no attendance by a grownup, Jean toddled on over to the cat and grabbed that tantalizing swishing tail, biting down on it as he did with everything else. This sent the cat into a sputtering rage, clawing and biting the baby who (after a couple of awkward moments) burst into a wail and wee-woo wee-woo; first trip to the hospital.
tab tab Jean got sick - deadly so - and while he was at the hospital being treated for a high fever, he underwent changes. You see, this cat wasn't just any normal cat. Next time Jean's family laid eyes on him, their beautiful little brunette baby had turned blonde and now sported both feline ears and tail, even canines and claws.
{ Early Years }
tab tab The next couple of years, the calm and cheerful baby turned into a little monster. Jean’s destructive nature turned up to a hundred and everything got chewed, thrown, and clawed to bits. It was a rough time, but eventually the baby tantrums subsided and Jean got big enough to play outside. The world was a big and wondrous place. Jean loved it! Every day he would be out and climbing all over the neighbourhood playground, sometimes even exploring old buildings, or climbing trees if he could find any. Jean was often told that it was dangerous but he rarely listened and a couple of concussions and bruises wasn’t going to dissuade him - and for a time things worked for the family. Then came school.
{ First full transformation }
tab tab 1st grade turned to 2nd, and then to 3rd. By 4th grade, Jean could no longer keep up. He fell behind in every subject and teachers didn't care, which further frustrated him and alienated him from his intellectual family. It made him more emotional and uncontrollable, and thus he kept getting into more fights with other kids over smaller and small issues.
tab tab This all came to a boiling mess of emotions, which exploded on a random Saturday. His father had sat down at breakfast with his newspaper, relaxing from a week's worth of hard work when Jean suddenly threw his entire breakfast and plate at him, unprovoked. This earned Jean a harsh slap and a scolding that could've left third degree burns, before being sent to his room. But rather than following orders, Jean ran for the door and disappeared into the streets - only 10 years of age. This was the first time Jean fully embraced his feral nature, accepting that he'd never belong and intended to just disappear forever. When he was no longer running on pure emotion, the tank empty and his legs hurting, he found himself alone in an unknown alley. He sat there, quietly, trying to comprehend why everyone was so angry with him all the time. It wasn’t until a young girl walked by, stopping, then approaching and crouching, holding out her hand towards him and calling ‘come kittykittykitty’, that he noticed he was no longer a little boy. The blonde cat took off down the alley and away from the girl, fleeing off into the next and then the next, traversing the maze of concrete that made out the trash can of a city. He was thoroughly lost and with no idea of how to turn into a human boy again.
tab tab Jean was gone for almost two weeks, eating scraps from restaurant dumpsters and getting some experience beat into him by other stray animals. Then one day a guy from a pound caught him - as best Jean could he fought the man off but eventually got stuffed in a cage among all the other cats and dogs. This was the first time he was truly scared and wanted to go home. He cried helplessly all night long, called for mom, dad, and Aaron, but no one was there to comfort him, and he now regretted everything. As dawn came around a caretaker was making rounds in the kennels and found a naked young boy in one of their cages, dirty and exhausted. Being turned over to the police, an earlier missing's person’s post was quickly associated with him and within two hours of being found, he was back with his family. For the first time, he didn’t feel like he was about to get scolded for something and instead accepted the crushing embraces all around. Perhaps home wasn’t as bad as it had seemed.
{ Taming the Music Within }
tab tab While the time on the streets had significantly changed Jean, school didn’t change the least bit and before long he was getting into fights again. Facing off against a bully this time, Jean severely injured the kid which resulted in him getting expelled. Finding a new school wasn’t easy with Jean’s growing record and he too fought the idea of going back to school passionately. Tired and beaten, his mother accepted to homeschool him but it quickly turned out to be an impossible task and before long Jean was back to just playing and not learning anything. It was by pure luck that his mother met another mother with a troublesome child, she explained how a nearby youth center took on difficult kids from 10 to 17 and with nowhere else to put Jean, his mother thought to try the place out. While the youth center was mostly for those who had spent time in juvenile, the ‘principal’ of the place said he’d gladly take Jean on regardless. Of course it cost the family a bit of money, but if it would help Jean improve it would be money well spent - and there were results before long.
tab tab First step was to release some of all this pent up energy and frustration, to try and get his tantrums down to a manageable level. A music teacher volunteered to take a crack at it, taking the kid to see the instruments where he gave him a couple of sticks and said "Go wild". The drumset was beautiful, although a little beat up, and Jean played this monster like his life depended on it - all day without getting bored and hammered through blisters. For the first time in his life, Jean was so spent when he got home that there was peace all evening and this continued throughout the first week. Before long he was making friends - not without a few fights - and even the grownups were great!
tab tab It seemed things were looking up and Jean was excited to leave home everyday. But, even through these newfound passions and friends, Jean felt like he was missing something and he yearned for the freedom he felt as an alley cat. So, when no one was looking he would sneak back out into the streets as a cat.
{ Zion City } grooming and abuse warning
tab tab This city was no place for a bright-eyed little kitten and it was the place Jean grew up. Being young, naive, and innocent, Jean's judgement was clouded and for years he never even knew what was going on behind the scenes. Every day Jean watched the principal interact with the other teens, the man an ex-cop having retired early after being shot in the line of duty, and Jean always admired how he had so much respect, no one ever defied him. Whenever he passed Jean, he would always say nice things and pat him on the head, and Jean loved being praised; he would gobble it all up and often tell his family how kind everyone was. As time went on, the ex-cop began asking Jean for help with menial tasks; print these papers, take this trash to the back - nothing Jean wouldn't do at home. Then he began to offer to tutor Jean if the boy struggled understanding anything and eventually let Jean stay late to keep practicing in the music room as well. One day he gave Jean a little gift, just a piece of candy and told him "This will be our little secret". Little by little boundaries were pushed, Jean oblivious to the malicious nature of every action as this man wormed his way closer and closer.
tab tab 13 years of age and Jean lost his innocence in more ways than one. Praise was turned to threats and little by little Jean was broken down. Family drama soon started up again and for a second time Jean ran away from home. Jean then started hanging out with an older girl from the center, 17 years of age and only a step away from being 'free' as she put it. Her and her group taught him many things like how to steal and get away with it, how to break in without getting noticed and other necessities to survive on the streets. These times were when Jean truly began using his abilities as a cat, manifesting and training them. It was so easy slipping in through a window or a crack, unlocking doors from inside and eventually they got into bigger and bigger gigs. With the shroud lifted from his eyes, Jean could now see how deep corruption ran in Zion City and all his trust in society was gone - he owed the world nothing and thus began his trip down a criminal road.
{ Aaron Shepherd }
tab tab Throughout all of his life, there was one person that Jean always idolised and mostly listened to. That person was his big brother Aaron. Anything Aaron did was cool and smart, and no one was good enough besides him. If Aaron was around, every other person became chopped liver in comparison. If Jean could get away with it, he would sit on his big brother’s lap and ask him a million questions all day, demand stories, or for them to play a game. This all came to a screeching halt as Aaron moved into adulthood and chose a law-enforcement career. While Jean had never told anyone what happened with the ex-cop, he couldn't comprehend how his brother of all people would want to be a part of and support a system so flawed that kids could be exploited by those supposed to protect them. It put a wedge between them and Jean didn't know how to communicate his frustration, so instead he started picking fights with Aaron and spending time out of the house more until Aaron moved away. They hadn't really talked since either.
Likes:
○ Music
○ Parties, Sports,
○ Alcohol and other substances (catnip and mushrooms are the best)
○ Socializing
Dislikes:
● Being patronized and talked down to
● Being told he can't do something
● Being reminded he's not particularly literary
● Law-enforcement
● His name being spelled wrong (Shaun, Shawn, Sean, John)
Skills:
○ Musically talented; Drums, singing, guitar, writing songs (though not without 70% spelling mistakes), perfect pitch.
○ Lawn-mower loud purring.
○ Cat-burglar, thieving, pickpocket, lock picking, cat-begging
Body Type: Lean, mesomorph
Health: Pretty good for a street cat, though remind him to get checked for fleas now and then.
Strengths:
● Will to live
● Courageous idiocy
● Doesn’t give up easily
● Honourable to an extend (is at least a semi redeemable feature)
Weakness:
● Can’t read or write well
● Learning difficulty:
tab tab Only by doing will Jean learn anything, and seldom does he learn the first time. If he falls out of the tree and gets hurt, it was an accident. Second time a coincidence. Third time he’s learning, but will still check 4th and 5th time in case he was unlucky the first three.
● Aggression and communication issues
What you look for in a partner:
♡ Saintly patience
♡ A calming presence
♡ Confidence and self-respect
♡ Understanding: Jean does not tie down easily, most likely won’t fit with a more monogamous relationship.
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Theme Song: Everybody Wants to be a Cat - Aristocats (Sam Robson, Acapella cover)
Extra:
Voice Claim: Rosendal
The type of songs Jean composes is often about the people he meet and life on the street - no way am I going to write actual songs for him, so imagine they exist.
Work: As people are running around with less and less money in their pockets, Jean will pick up some freelance thieving work, such as getting paid to unlock doors. He doesn't often take on jobs that requires him to actually steal something of value and he doesn't participate in group heists. You better pay him up front.
Housing District: 0000 Homeless Avenue
Occupation: {Leave Empty.}
(Freelance thief)
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