Owlivia's Competition

Hi ^.^ This is my entry for s competition.

The myth info is in the picture

Here is the info on my character (and the reasons for the choices)

Myth: Japanese Tanuki
Name(s): Normal – Tab (due to lack of paying) Other personality – Pyre (Tanuki can manipulate fire)
Eyes: Dark Brown
Eyelashes: long black
Eyebrows: Cream
Hair: Chestnut
Ears: Chestnut/dark chocolate tips
Feet (relaxed form): Black
Tail: Chestnut, chocolate brown
Frame: Skinny, lanky (If he’s not careful he can put on a lot of weight)
Birthday: 2 February

Clothing:
He likes lots of buckles, pockets, shorts and short sleeve T-shirts. He prefers to go without shoes and has a shoulder belt (?) which holds a little bag with pebbles (to use in illusions) leaves (in case he needs to transform) and candy (because he loves food ^.^).

Forms:
Tab has two (main) forms. While he can shape-shift at will, he prefers to just switch between human and his normal form. The normal form is a humanoid tanuki. He has tanuki ears and a tail as well as black circles around his skin. The rest of his body is olive. Half of his calves as well as his feet are covered with black fur, with a small claw on each toe. Also, his teeth are pointy.
In order to go unnoticed by humans, he also has a human form. It’s pretty much the same, except his ears are normal, he has no tail, no black circles around his eyes and normal feet. ^.^

Quirks:
He has two personalities, Tab and Pyre. This is because the myths have two personalities, originally, the Tanuki were seen as evil, now they are good. That is also why Pyre is older than Tab.

Tab is the more common one, a happy go lucky 13 year old boy who loves playing tricks on people. He wants to travel as soon as possible, so he raises money busking as a performer. Some of which he gives to the old man, Jake, who raised him. Despite his ability to make rubbish look like money, he prefers to actually pay as he is an honest person. He tells himself that he wants to leave to remove his burden from the old man, but in reality, he is trying to isolate himself because he is scared of what Pyre might do.

Pyre is the less common personality and considers himself to be 16. He is anti-social and malicious. He especially enjoys hurting people and tormenting their loved ones. He loves chaos and will attack anything for fun (except dogs). Pyre has full control of the Tanuki fire manipulation ability, but is not very good at creating illusions, the opposite of Tab. He also refuses to shape-shift to look like a human because he hates them and considers them below him. It is because of Pyre that Tab now lives with Jake.


Views on humans:

Tab: would rather just get along and wants to be accepted for who he is.
Pyre: Sees them as game.


Everyday life:
Pyre is rarely seen. Tab is home schooled by Jake, busks for money and goes to public places just to cause (mostly) harmless mischief.

Tab Likes:
Food
Jokes
Games
Helping people
Drumming on things

Tab Dislikes:
Going to bed early
Sour things
School
Sitting still
People in pain

Pyre Likes:
Chaos
Destruction
Blood
Well matched fights
Dogs

Pyre Dislikes:
People
Sweets
The cold

Hopes and ambitions:
Tab: To become a travelling performer
Pyre: To die in an epic battle

Back Story:

When Tab was younger, about 10, he was poor and caught paying a vendor in Japan with fake money. He tied to run away, but was grabbed again. Pyre came out and took the vendor’s actions as a challenge, slaughtering him by burning him alive. Tab regained control before Pyre could attack the onlookers and foolishly ran to his home where his father was tending to his sickly mother. His father was outraged that Tab ran to them, putting his mother in danger. So he told Tab to leave before he endangered them further. Heart broken, Tab bolted away without a destination in mind. Tears blurred his vision as he ran. He accidently collided with an old man. The old man asked what was wrong, so Tab, the victim of honesty, recounted the events. The man nodded knowingly and said that he was Jake, from America. Tab heard the angry mob, no doubt wanting revenge for the vendor’s death. Jake put his hand on Tab’s should to stop him from running. He calmly explained to the mob that Tab was his grandson and they had seen a similar looking boy run in that direction. The mob believed him, running of to catch a wild goose. Jake took Tab back to America and has looked after him for the past three years.

Tab’s background is based on the story Bunbuku Chagama.

Website References:

[link]

[link]

Let me know what you think ^.^ (sorry for rambling)