a_sporking_rat | My AB OCs: The Werecats

I only have two werecat characters, Cleo Wilson the werelion and Klaus Weber the weretiger. You've met Klaus in SvS as one of the visitors from New York, and Cleo, while she's not appeared yet in person, has been mentioned in passing in it as well, and I plan for her to show up later to help save the St.Louis werelions and take them back to her Pride, though I'll need to work to make a situation where she thinks that risk is worth taking (since doing so would draw the attention of Anita & Co to her Pride, which she quite understandably doesn't want!)

They're both very majestic, powerful people, both in personality and in terms of physical strength/supernatural power, and thus they're not the main characters in my novel but instead are people who the protagonists (all teenage humans) encounter as they learn more about the supernatural communities. Cleo is an ally, but one that they have to earn, since while she's a hero to her people who will do anything for them, she's not going to go out of her way to aid anyone else when it could mean anything bad might come back to her Pride's doorstep as a result. If she can help a bunch of clueless kids out and not have it interfere with Pride business, she'll do it though, but it probably won't end up as simple as that when I write it. Klaus will end up as a reluctant guide/mentor regarding the therian communities due to accidentally ending up responsible for them, possibly because he infects one or something like that. They're both good people, they just also need reason to get involved with strangers, especially when they might have to risk their life or the lives of the people they're already responsible for, because, shocking as this may seem, they have lives and motivations and stories of their own and don't know they are characters in a story and thus are not immediately aware they're supposed to drop everything for Our Heroes. Crazy, right? The fourth wall is actually there!

....sorry, I'm just fed up with that aspect of Anita, among many many MANY others. Anyway, Klaus Cleo, everybody!

CLEO WILSON
You've actually already met Cleo, in a way! She was my werelion queen in the That Guy Saga.

Obviously, she's the Regina for the NYC Pride, and she was born a werelion because at the board where she was played, canon was tweaked so that *any* therian species could be, like the tigers and snakes, hereditary and infectious both. Her mom was a werelion, so was her dad, and so was her maternal grandmother, who was Regina of the Pride that Cleo was born into. She grew up in a house with her mother, aunt, sister, two brothers, and three cousins, all of whom were werelions too. Her father and her cousins' father were in the Pride, but I don't know if they lived in the house with them. Her current job is a firefighter, though I might change that to something less demanding/with a more stable set of hours, since I don't really know if it's realistic for her to be able to manage being a Regina *and* that too. She's supposed to be kind of over-worked and strapped for time, so that's why I went for that, but I'm starting to think that, with as much as being Regina will entail, she could probably have a much more ordinary day job type deal and still have that going on. What do you think?

In her original backstory, a new Rex took over the Pride when she was eight, killed her father, and the females in her Pride who had children, including her mother, grabbed their kids and fled to the NYC Pride so he wouldn't kill them, but I think I'm going to change it so that the Pride that Cleo was born in to the first place was the NYC Pride, and she took it over from her grandmother when she got older, though she didn't win it by inheritance alone; she had to prove herself against all other challengers like anyone else, no nepotism! But Cleo proved the best of the lot against would-be Rexes and Reginas alike, and has been the reigning queen ever since, still taking on all comers and winning. There was technically a Rex at the AB board where I played, but the player was never on, so the Rex was never around in-game, and when he was in-game he didn't really do anything related to *being* Rex, so it was pretty much all me and Cleo. Luckily I was fine with that!

Cleo is simultaneously classy and brassy, balancing a ladylike refinement with balls of steel and a lightning-quick tongue to match her razor-sharp mind. She can spot bullshit a mile away, and can match it, parry it, or call it out for what it is all with equal ease. She is confident and proud, and this gives her a charisma that makes it virtually impossible for her to go unnoticed in room or unrecognized as the queen that she is who, like all royalty, deserves respect. She'd rather not get her hands directly dirty if she has her first choice, but she also has no problem doing so when the situation calls for it. In fact, when it comes to times when members of her Pride are having problems of any sort, she'll dive right in to interfere on their behalf (whether they like it or not, or even know about) to fix it for them, and she takes a personal hand in settling all disputes between Pride members. Cleo takes CARE of her kitties! Harm a whisker on them, and there will be Hell to pay from her personally. This also means that any new Rex had better think twice before he tries to do that usual "kill all the cubs" thing--the natural way is always trumped by Cleo's way.

Anyone who tries to degrade, put down, or walk all over her will swiftly get a taste of the claws; after all, she's a lion, not a housecat. That said, when it comes to politics between the various preternatural of the city, Cleo prefers to keep things peaceful and egalitarian (though with the lions having a touch of an advantage, of admittedly--what, you think she wouldn't be biased on their behalf?) and will aim to placate more powerful enemies before she jumps to simply eliminating them, as she wishes to protect her Pride from suffering the effects of a resultant backlash. She is quite careful with her words when speaking to other important figures, though of course there is only so far that she will bend on behalf of not offending them in a delicate situation--she is politically savvy, not politically passive! She will take risks and make aggressive moves, it's just that it will always be (in her opinion) justified when she does. Needless posturing over who is the most powerful in the room is distasteful to her, especially in leaders, as it only indicates how weak and immature one really is. She believes that one's power and authority should be able to speak for itself--and hers indeed does. Her aura is truly dominant in all things that she does, be it fighting or yielding, because even when she does the latter, she's doing it to win.

And win she will, or die trying. Cleo is courageous when shit goes down, a brave and powerful fighter, not to mention tenacious. Oh, Cleo is a very determined woman indeed, and when she sets out on a crusade, be it matchmaking for an Omega who can't get a date or taking on every other shifter group in the city, she stands her ground to the last. She is not only commanding, she is resilient tough with a capital T, both mentally as well as physically. In or out of battle, she thinks and acts on a bigger, grander, much more vibrant scale than most would expect or dare. When out of battle and on a day to day basis with her Pride, this manifests as her being warm, bright, vivacious, and welcoming. She is a bighearted woman, and is a gentle guide for newbies, always ready to ease them into life as therianthropes and help them find their place in the Pride. However, this eagerness to help can go overboard, as in earlier mentioned cases of her overstepping her bounds in trying to fix all the problems of anyone in her Pride. Her resilience makes her extra hard to divert from this behavior, as does her cleverness and charisma, which have made her capable of great deception and deceit, which she sees as being okay to use even against her own Pride members if she deems it to be for their own good.

Probably the biggest problem that Cleo has is time, or, rather, a lack of time. Being a firefighter means always being on call, because anything can happen at any time, and being a Regina is of course a very heavy responsibility as well. This leaves Cleo with very little spare time, and her favorite thing is to grab a little chunk of it all to herself to just relax. One of her biggest fantasies is just to have a nice long vacation far away. It isn't that she dislikes being a Regina or a firefighter, she wouldn't give either up, it's just that doing what she loves and cares about comes with a price, and once in a while it'd be nice to get away from it all...but she can't. Besides, if she actually ever did get a vacation, she'd spend the whole time worrying about what was going on at home! Being overworked can also make her tense, irate, inflexible, and/or unable to take on new tasks as well, which can be deadly for a therian leader.

Lookswise, I based her on Queen Latifah. She's 6'1, probably around 240 lbs or so, she has a lot of muscle, she has a lot of chub, she has a lot of tits and ass and hips. She is a thirty-year-old African-American woman with brown eyes, caramel-brown skin, and her shoulder-length hair is straightened and bronze-brown. Cleo uses stylish clothes to flatter and accentuate her body with all its luscious curves. Her clothing is often structured, fitted, sleek, or even snug, but never tight. Accessories are generally elegant and understated, but still large so that they are in proportion to her; because of her height, she can pull off pieces that would overpower or appear gaudy on a shorter woman. She prefers to wear fine jewelry, not the most expensive but still quality-made. Overall, her look is one of glamor and confidence, which matches her personality perfectly.

KLAUS WEBER
I have him as a white tiger in the Anitaverse, though I think he'd also make a good wolf or lion if I tweaked his background...he'd still be white in animal form with blue eyes, because he's supposed to be kinda Mary Sue Special and badass-glamorous and whatnot.

Though he knows his place in the matriarchal clan tiger society (which he *completely* supports and thinks is best), he is very dominant in his personality. Not as in the spoiled asshole way that LKH/Anita seems to think dominant is, but as in he's capable, determined, self-assured, professional, and gets things done. Klaus has a very dynamic personality that, combined with his commanding voice and impressive figure, often makes people want to scurry to follow his orders. up-front, clear, direct, and often concise. He does not play silly little games, and will not tolerate attempts to make him, nor does he soften his blunt no-nonsense all-business edge when dealing with particularly sensitive or shy people, and he will often end up scaring them or hurting their feelings simply by being himself, which he certainly doesn’t mean to do at all. Klaus is not cruel, no matter what some people may say of him. Klaus abhors cruelty when it is not deserved, as he believes that it should be wielded as a samurai wields his sword, with purpose, not thrown about because it can be. He can turn cruel himself when pushed, admittedly, but he makes a damned noble effort against letting it get the better of him, and he despises those who are cruel only for no reason other than their own enjoyment. He will come to the defense of almost anyone who cannot fight back against someone hurting them, so long as he is allowed by his Streak and Little Queen to do so. Cowardice also gets his goat; in fact, it sickens him to the point that he might well pull someone's arm out of its socket. No, really. He could, and he would.

He’s a very brave man himself, and passionate besides in his own way, despite his often stoic countenance. Though he will never, ever be described as quiet, Klaus isn’t talkative unless he actually has something to say, and, as mentioned, does not mince words. He is, in his own unique manner, an engaging enough conversationalist and is not without a good deal of natural charisma resulting from his commanding personality, and he is equipped with a dry wit that puts idiots in their place very quickly. One more thing to remember: Klaus has PRIDE. Not egomania or narcissism, but he is a proud man. And he can’t be bullied or bossed around unless you're a dominant female and/or female weretiger, so don’t even try. He is INTENSELY loyal to his Streak/Queen as a weretiger, and intensely traditionalist, and he is rather suspicious and disapproving of other tigers who are not. In many ways, he's the gender-flipped version of women who, like Anita, suffer from internalized misogyny: He completely believes that the female dominance of weretigers is right and proper, that strong males like him are the exception and not the norm, that said strong males should never try to usurp the women but should instead use their strength to serve them, please them, preserve their place at the top of the heap, etc.

Speaking of females and serving them...while Klaus holds no official position in the Streak ("That's for women"), he does play the role of the stud horse, copulating with and impregnating any female tiger that he is ordered or asked to. Yes, he's gay. But that doesn't matter. This is duty for the Streak and for his species, and his wants and desires and preferences are NOT important compared to that, as he will be the first to tell you. However, while he's been made to breed, he's never been made to actually marry or take a permanent female mate, and he is allowed to seek male lovers as he pleases so long as he continues with his duty whenever he is called to do it. However, he does not in fact have any of these at the present moment. Klaus is NOT the type for casual flings. He's a very monogamous sort (no, he doesn't think that his 'job' with the weretigers counts sexually/romantically), and is looking for nothing less than a permanent relationship with The One. Also, he's very grateful that his aid hasn't been asked for when it comes to actually *raising* his offspring, as Klaus really can't stand kids. He'll father them with a tigress, but he can't be around the little monsters for more than a half hour whatever their species--and would strongly prefer not to be around them at all.

Basically, he's very strong in mind and personality as well as body, but he's still very much a product of his culture. Ironically, he's against any sort of elitism EXCEPT the kind that tigers practice. Isn't cultural indoctrination a marvelous thing?

His other flaws include that he's aggressive, even arrogant at his worst (getting better as he gets older, though), suspicious at times when he has no real need to be, dissatisfied if his very high standards are not met by himself and others, cold/mean/etc. when he doesn't realize it/mean to be (which unintentionally makes him a hypocrite on the "hates needless cruelty" bit), argumentative when contradicted or overly (in his opinion) criticized, and he has a hard time admitting when he's wrong, and when he does, he tends to blame himself in a way that indirectly blames others--“It’s my fault for letting you handle this.”, that sort of thing. While he may SEEM like he can do anything, there are things he can't handle, and when this happens he tends to just shut everyone else who can help him out and will continue to insist he has it in hand while things are falling down around his ears. Still, when it's all over, he will take responsibility for himself and his actions, always.

He's a white male in his late thirties, a few inches over six feet, and VERY built, with defined muscles especially present in his arms and from the waist up, with quite an impressive set of abs and pecs, though his legs are hardly scrawny either what with him being into kickboxing and all. He has blue eyes and long white hair that he wears in a ponytail a la Karl Lagerfield. It has an unusually 'fluffy' look and texture to it, almost like fur. Yeah, can't you see Anita being all over this poor guy? No wonder he got picked to go to St.Louis! His job is that he's a fashion stylist ("Yes, I'm a gay man who works in fashion. How original, I know.") and he dresses as stylishly as should therefore be expected, his signature look being a pale suit jacket and trousers paired with a fabulous sweater.