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EBC: Philos the Clouded Leopard

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Description

NOTE WHEN DRAWING THIS CHARACTER: I love to see others use their own eye styles when drawing my cats, instead of mimicking mine.  My cats only have one color per eye, everything else is purely the style.  Thank you!

╰☆ O T H E R  N A M E S ☆╮
Philly, Philly Cheese, Phil

╰☆ A G E ☆╮
1 year 3 months [started at 9 months]
Born May 28th

╰☆ G E N D E R ☆╮
Male

╰☆ S P E C I E S ☆╮
Clouded Leopard [Neofelis Nebulosa]

╰☆ V O I C E ☆╮
His voice is rough and medium

╰☆ R A N K ☆╮
Apprentice

╰☆ T H E M E S ☆╮
n/a



Family & Traits


If you'd like your cat to play some part in his history, or be related to Philos, please let me know.  :] I have a few openings in his history that I would very much love to fill.

Father: Unknown clouded leopard
Mother: ???; clouded leopard [was captured; may be alive or dead]

Foster Mother: Avelina; Siberian/Caspian tiger [breeder]
Adoptive Sister: Ambrosia; caracal [Bounty Hunter Apprentice] PancakeShiners
Adoptive Sister: Camilla; tiger mix [unknown] MAY BE ADOPTED
Adoptive Brother: Cassiel, tiger mix [unknown] MAY BE ADOPTED
Adoptive Brother: Balius; tiger mix [deceased] 

Genetics

Dominant: 50% Chance
Bullet; Purple brown eyes
Bullet; Purple rosette pattern
Bullet; Purple front leg spots
Bullet; Purple spine spots
Bullet; Purple sparse light undercoat
Bullet; Purple ear spots

Recessive: 25% Chance
Bullet; Purple neck pattern
Bullet; Purple face pattern
Bullet; Purple hind leg stripes
Bullet; Purple tail pattern
Bullet; Purple white muzzle
Bullet; Purple brown face

Carrier: 15%, 10% or 5% Chance
Bullet; Purple dark brown fur color [paternal; 5]
Bullet; Purple black paw stockings [paternal; 10]
Bullet; Purple broken rosettes [paternal; 15]
Bullet; Purple inner rosette spots [maternal; 15]
Bullet; Purple green eyes [maternal; 5]
Bullet; Purple black back due to larger spots [maternal; 10]

Physical Attributes


Philos really is your average clouded leopard.  He's just a little out of practice.
He's stocky, with plenty of muscle.  His legs are short and sturdy.  His body is long and sleek, but not so much so that it makes him appear thin or elegant.  His neck is also long, but not thin.  His muzzle is moderately wide and deep, but rather long, and his ears are a little big.  His tail is about as long as the rest of him is, and strong within reason.  His fur is rather short in length.  Like all clouded leopards, Philos is rather small compared to the other big cats, and will be a little shorter than a caracal at full size.  He also has large, stout paws. 

Though he doesn't have them yet, Philos will eventually learn to master most of the abilities that clouded leopards are known for.  Clouded leopards are said to be the link between big cats and small cats, but are believed to be closer related to cats of the panthera genus.  They can both purr and roar, and Philly thinks this is pretty nifty, so he will do both often just to show off how cool it is.  Their big muzzles give them biting abilities, and they're known best for being excellent climbers.  The idea of being a ninja kitty is amusing to Philos, but he has a long way to go yet.  He also loooves water like nothing else in the world, and will eventually become a decent swimmer.  Philos will also eventually develop good stamina and agility as part of his species' skill set, and if he weren't so overly enthusiastic he could probably be stealthy too.

However, although these things seem like fun, Philos is a slow learner and needs to be told things carefully and patiently, so he has a long way to go.  It gets frustrating at times, but I'm guessing with a mentor like Scorpio, things should work themselves out.

Philly's armor is made for mobility, because he does a lot of things that demand sharp turns and quick movement.  For that reason, the only solid metal thing on him is his choker.  His 'cape' is made of normal, but not fragile cloth, and on his chest and belly is stolen armor made of woven leather.  All of the metal in his armor is made of iron, and held together with leather straps.

History


Send away for a priceless gift
One not subtle, one not on the list


Philos' mother was a clouded leopard used solely for breeding.  Her relationship with her cub was a difficult one.  He wasn't born as a result of a romantic relationship; in fact, it was an arranged breeding, and she only met him once, so it really was hard to love little Philos.  He was always disappointed that she didn't like to play with him, and that they couldn't really connect.  In the end, she decided she wanted a better life for him, so when he was about a month old she tried to escape to the empires.  

Philos couldn't recall how exactly they managed to escape the city... he only remembered the pursuing bounty hunters that followed.  They ran, out of the dead zone and into Shadow Empire territory, but still the bounty hunters followed, and his mother was getting tired... before long, just inside the dense forest, she realized she wasn't going to be able to outrun them.  So, she did the unthinkable: she dropped Philos, in the hope that the bounty hunters would be distracted so she could escape.  One hunter stayed with Philos, while the other two continued the chase.  

Hours later, the hunters came back, with the female clouded leopard in their grasp, and they all went back to the city.  Philos never saw his mother again after that day.  After her stunt, she was deemed an unfit mother for Philos, and he himself couldn't help but feel a little bitter towards her after being told what exactly had happened by the hunters.  He was told that she had selfishly abandoned him so that she could escape to what she had told Philos would be their 'new home'.  Despite the attempt to teach Philos something, it was quite true.  He was given to Avelina, a tiger who had fighter in her bloodline, in the hope that she might have a desired influence on young Philos.

If you'd like to say your hunter met Philos this day, I'd love to work something out.

Send away for a perfect world
One not simply so absurd


Of course, when you're a clouded leopard raised by tigers, life isn't going to be perfect.  The cubs were rather rough on Philos, and the tigress raising him didn't have any sort of attachment to him, though she thought he might have potential later on in life.  For this reason, she always pushed him a bit harder than the others.  He always felt like he couldn't live up to the expectations he was given, and found it to be quite overwhelming.  The one thing that made his life enjoyable was his fellow foster cub, Ambrosia.  Though she was affected quite differently than Philos was, the two grew close and nearly inseparable as they grew older.  

It was a bit rough between Ambrosia and Philos, but not in a bad way.  She was always rambunctious and played hard, but found her to be endearing and amusing in the end.  She would always be up for a game once her urge to nibble on her brother passed, and they would sleep together when the day was over.

Philos did still care about his other siblings too, though, and looked up to the older and stronger Avelina.  He wanted very badly to impress her, even if deep down he doubted he ever would, and for this reason he was determined to become a fighter someday, even if the thought that he'd have to fight to the death was frightening.  That's what the humans wanted.  What the tigress wanted.  And if that's what it took, he was going to do his very best.  Besides, that's what Ambrosia wanted too.  She loved to fight, so she was always there to encourage her to do the same.  Fighting was never something Philos liked to do.  It felt rather awkward for him, but he ignored it and pushed on, driven only by the urge to prove himself and the belief that he had no other choice.

That is, until one day... something changed his mind.

In these times of doing what you're told
Keep these feelings, no one knows

Philos was hiding his discomforts and dislikes deep down.  He felt an obligation to become a coliseum fighter.  And after all, how bad could it be? He was about to find out.

Philos was three months old, and the time he'd spent with a foster mother and her cubs was coming to an end.  Soon he'd be old enough to start a life of his own, with a human not of his choosing, but in the very least he had some influence on what he did with his life.  At this point, he was confident that he was supposed to be a coliseum fighter, but he'd been influenced and brainwashed on that decision from the moment his mother abandoned him.  Of course, he was growing curious about where he would spend the rest of his days.  On a visit to Massilia's coliseum, he slipped away to do a little exploring.  Ambrosia was home sick that day, so the clouded leopard was alone.  And it was here that he stumbled across a dark, musky room while trying to find a way into the coliseum.  Curiously, he didn't hesitate to head inside to explore it.  Inside he found many cages with cats in them.  He thought it was strange; he'd never seen cats in cages before.  It was here that, after striking a conversation with one, Philos discovered that being a fighter was not all it was cracked up to be.  In fact, it sounded terrible - like some sort of nightmare.  Since his owner's home was just outside the coliseum, he didn't even go to find the others who had come with him to the arena... he just ran straight home after hearing all that.  He wasn't sure what he was going to do.  But one thing's for certain; he definitely didn't want to be a coliseum cat anymore.

The next day, Philos immediately made his thoughts known to Avelina, and started changing his behavior to give their owner the idea that he wanted to be something else.  Everyone was confused by Philos' sudden change in behavior, and Ambrosia tried to change his mind back so they could train together, but his mind was made up, and by the time the cubs were old enough to be sold, it was apparent that Philos was designated to become a Guard.

Just as she had tried to convince him, Philos tried to change Ambrosia's mind.  She was a friend, no, a sister to him, and he didn't want to see her in a dirty cage, only to be eventually killed in the coliseum.  But she was a stubborn cat, and one who loved to fight, almost needed to at times.  She was headed down a very different path.

I'd like to determine which cat it was that changed Philos' mind.  Let me know, and we'll figure it out.

Whatever happened to the young man's heart?
Swallowed by pain as he slowly fell apart


Both Philos and Ambrosia began their separate training sessions... while they still found time to be together occassionally, it was never quite the same again.  The training sessions were hard on Philly.  They left him exhausted and anxious.  At the end of the day, he strived to go and find his caracal friend, where they would play a brief game like they used to, enjoy a cuddle if they could but he would always refuse if she asked to playfight.  Though still cheery and loving, Ambrosia was getting a little rougher, which scared him... it was always on his mind, but in the end, he decided they were still brother and sister, and he should support her no matter her decision.  And thus, Philos didn't hesitate to go to his friend's first fight.

Before she entered the arena, Philos stopped to talk to his friend... telling her how the cat had told him that to survive the arena, you had to be savage and heartless... even if you started out innocent, you couldn't survive unless the coliseum changed you.  And that was what scared Philos the most.  He couldn't imagine Ambrosia changing until fairly recently... and so he asked her to promise that she wouldn't change.  To which she quickly replied, "Of course, silly! Who else would I be but myself?"
...he didn't quite think that she understood what he meant, but their time was up.  Philos gave his friend one last hug, and watched her go.  Only after she was inside did he realize that he might not see her alive again.

The clouded leopard forced himself to sit through the fight, tensing every time the ocelot opponent attacked his friend.  And even when she did get out alive, he was a little scared.  Ambrosia had killed someone... but there was no sign of fear on her face.  And when he tried to greet her as she walked out, she didn't stop, didn't even meet his eye.  She looked so confused... Philos didn't quite realize it, and still doesn't know... but it was the first step Amber took towards becoming a monster.

And I'm staring down the barrel of a 45
Swimming through the ashes of another life

At 7 months old, Philos becomes a Guard for Massilia.  He never saw Ambrosia fight after that first time, and would eventually avoid her if she approached him, making an excuse to get away or simply just running off.  It was now that Philos began to feel very alone.  All links to his past were gone, and his job left him exhausted when his shift was over, whether it be a day or night job.  As time went on, he grew to like his life less and less, only wanting that simple, carefree life back.  Or better yet, start a new life altogether.  And that is what brought his thoughts to the empires.

All the cats in the city knew about them, even young ones like Philos.  But because of what his mother did, and what he'd been told, Philos always thought of the empire cats as selfish and rebellious... he was hesitant to escape for this very reason, and didn't intend to leave Massilia in the first place.  However, there was one particular day, when he was 9 months old, that Philos made the rash decision to leave Massilia forever.

Ambrosia had pulled him aside that day.  She demanded to know why he was avoiding her.  She asked if their friendship meant anything to him anymore.  And when he didn't answer, she slashed his face.  Philos snapped.  But in the end, all he really did was call her a demon and walked away.  What he hadn't known was Ambrosia was feeling rather alone herself.  She'd just become a bounty hunter apprentice, and had needed some comforting, but had obviously gone the wrong way about it.  Philos probably wouldn't have walked away if he had known, nor would he have reacted so rashly that night.

There were only two cats guarding the entrance to the city.  Philos, and a larger, more experienced Guard.  He was still new and not entirely trusted, so he wasn't allowed to guard alone.  Philos was faced one direction, towards the inside of the city, and the other facing the empires.  Suddenly, a rush of fur went right past Philos; a cat was trying to escape, and he hadn't even seen it coming.  As the larger Guard chased after it, that's when his rash decision was made.  Using the escapee as a distraction, Philos escaped himself unnoticed, and quickly disappeared in the forests of Shadow Empire.  

He's never told anyone, but he didn't go any further than Shadow Empire on purpose, because if Ambrosia ever changed and tried to escape too... that was the most likely place that she would go.  As much as he didn't like what happened, he still loved his foster sister deep down.

No real reason to accept the way things have changed
Staring down the barrel of a 45...
-- Shinedown, '45'

A new life.  That's what Philos wanted, and that's what he got.
He quickly learned that the empires were not what he'd been told they were.  In fact, many of them were not selfish at all... Shadow Empire was very welcoming, and within only a week he found himself able to smile again.  He became very childish, just as he used to be... because of his experience, he was afraid of change, and always looked back on his childhood, so he covered pain with fear.  

He's almost a different cat now.  Through his new experiences in Shadow Empire, he's all but forgotten the emotional pain he felt in Massilia.  It's still there, but he's learned to cover it up, and deal with it in private if it ever surfaces.  Shadow Empire was an entirely new start for Philos, and it helped him to overcome his difficulties, making him happier than he's ever been.

The one thing that Philos currently struggles with is his training itself.  He's a very slow learner, and needs to be walked through his training carefully.  In addition, Philos has become a huge pacifist, and hates fighting, which will likely pose a problem in the future.  Until then, he's making new friends, learning the ropes, and trying hard to keep up with everyone else.

Personality


Easygoing
- he has a very laid back and carefree personality.  He doesn't like to take things seriously, rather preferring to enjoy his life and all that it has to offer.  He doesn't sweat the details and prefers to look at the big picture.  It's for this reason that he tends to panic in highly stressed situations and times that involve his possible death.  It's at these times that he requires the support of his empire-mates to do things right.

Friendly - hostility is not in Philos's nature.  He's a very friendly, social cat who prefers to make love, not war.  Philos is a good friend.  He's always there to listen and offer advice, though said advice might not always be particularly useful.  Despite everything though, when it comes to the bounty hunters he has no room for love.  While the other empires he has very little problem making peace with, he knows the situation between the empires and bounty hunters and knows to avoid them.

Fun-loving - Philos always enjoys a good game.  He loves to have fun, whether that be an intentional activity or simply enjoying the tasks of being a member of an empire.  It tends to get in the way for him, or get him into trouble a lot.  Unfortunately, old habits break hard, and oftentimes his desire for fun often gets him hurt.

Unforgiving - despite being friendly, cheerful, and loving, he has a hard time forgiving anyone.  Though easy to take advantage of, if you betray or wrong him, it takes a considerable amount of effort to win back his trust.  Being rather gullible as well as holding grudges are two traits that tend to clash a lot, but in all honesty, deep down Philos fights to remain trustful.  He doesn't want his experiences to change him.

Gullible - his biggest weakness is that Philos hardly ever fails to trust someone upon first meeting them.  Despite feeling unsure about someone, or any skeptical emotions he may have, he will give in to pity every time.  It's extremely easy for him to be taken advantage of.  He's also very unaware of things in general; he rarely ever knows what's going on around him.

Secretive - despite being a cat who will without a doubt listen when someone needs it, he doesn't usually express his own feelings very well until it all comes outwards.  Simply, it makes him feel vulnerable and awkward, being a rather cheerful character he doesn't like to reveal the side of him that is rather uncomfortable, particularly concerning Ambrosia and his mother.  Philos doesn't have outbursts when this negative energy reveals itself, he usually manages to remain rather calm when he can't hold it in anymore, though to remain that way constantly would be impossible.

Bold - this cat is witty and sure of his actions.  He has no problems, most of the time, acting on first impulse.  Seeing as he doesn't really worry about things, Philos doesn't hold back the majority of the time.  Mostly, he won't hesitate to follow an order, whatever it may be.  There are, however, some things that may stop him in his tracks.

Positive - he's probably known more for his cheerful, 'look at the cup full' sort of nature than anything else.  He doesn't like to worry about anything, and you can count on him not acting otherwise.  He likes to take things slow and will almost always look at things in a positive light.  Again, when he can't put such a spin on a situation, Philos doesn't function correctly and requires support.  One downside to this trait is his short attention span.  

Energetic - Philos has an enormous amount of energy.  He tends to talk fast, react quickly, even be a bit twitchy when he's impatient to get things done.  This trait can be either a strength or a flaw depending on the circumstances.

Humerous - Philos is a bit of a clown, and he does like to poke fun in a light-hearted way.  He's a bit of a tease, especially likes to bother the more serious characters.  He doesn't mind a prank every now and then.  However, he's not a particularly annoying cat and rarely takes it too far with more sensitive felines (most of the time).  But... he has been known to taunt enemies in this way. He'll do that eventually.

Pacifist - Philos doesn't like to fight.  In fact, he pretty much refuses to most of the time,
and when training for battle he's most likely gonna stand there like a deer in headlights.  If he were forced into a battle, he's probably going to hide around cats he trusts, such as Scorpio or Seidon.  This is something he'll have to get past eventually.

Quick Notes

~Since he started to enjoy empire life, Philos wakes up just at the crack of dawn, sometimes even before the sun rises.  First on his agenda is waking up his mentor, so they can start the day. Second, if he feels like it he may pull pranks on sleeping cats.

~Philos is crazy about water.  Just mention a river, lake or pond and he'll immediately want to swim in it.  Whenever a hunting party is mentioned, he's going to ask if fishing is involved.

~Philos also likes climbing, just like any clouded leopard.  He'll climb on just about anything.  He likes the idea of using that to his advantage, and always sleeps in trees, never on the ground.

~There's a reason that Philos is so childish and care free.  He's become this way to cover up his pain, and it's healed him quite considerably, but he still hides his worries, fears, and anger from others using this method.  It's to the point where he doesn't even want to act mature or serious, because he doesn't like change and he cherishes his childhood above everything else.  This is likely to cause problems in the future.  

~Philos never talks about his past or his feelings.  He will usually only break down when he's alone.  Currently, though, the pain he felt in Massilia is far away.  Nothing is really bothering him.  He will cheerfully avoid the subject if asked.

~Philos is generally a friendly guy, but sometimes will tease and prank cats too far, not be sensitive enough where it's due, and say things he probably shouldn't say.  He tries to get these resolved quickly, but in some situations it's just not possible.

~When babysitting, Philos acts more like one of the cubs than an actual babysitter, making him more of a burden than one of the helpers.

~When playing with cubs, Philos gets so excited he forgets he's often bigger than them, and may play too roughly.

Relationships


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The-Skykian-Archives's avatar
AHHH I LOVE THE NEW LOOK