Fractale
Distinct Explorer
I can't help but find it baffling that one of our oldest and well-known Gaia NPC's is basically a complete mystery to us. We've been given a long and detailed look into Damian Von Helson's past; we know of his origins, his bloodline, his battle over ownership of the shop his family entrusted to him; but what do we know of his partner; his best friend, Rufus the Cat? How strange it is that we know so little on him, when Gaia is so cat-obsessed....
What we do know is that he helps run Barton Boutique with his owner, Ian. We know that he's able to speak the (human) English language, fluently. When he was called to the stand, during Ian's Trial, Rufus claimed to have come from a long line of talking cats, and that he was the last of his kind.
However, in spite of that, I can't help but notice that he's never expressed a desire to carry on the bloodline to pass on his 'unique traits' to his kittens. (If the ability to speak human language is embedded in their genetics, that is) Nor has he ever actually come into contact with a cat of the opposite sex. We don't even know if Ian had him neutered, thus effectively preventing any more talking cats, like Rufus, from being bred.
We also know that Rufus makes claims to have grown up with Ian, and that he knows him better than his own mother knows him. And that, for some unexplainable reason, that Rufus has a tendency to- at times- bark like a dog (which he's claimed he's been doing since he was little).
What I'm personally, most interested in resolving is the claims by Rufus being the last of his kind of talking cats. I'm curious if there might've been some kind of event in the past that Rufus witnessed, first-hand, like the extermination of his kind, by something, or someone, and he was the only one who made it out, alive, which would allow him to make those claims with absolute certainty. Or if he was somehow separated at birth from his mother and siblings, and simply told that he was the last of his kind by Ian's family.
And although it's debatable as canon, we've seen another talking cat, introduced as Bob, in the 2011 Gaia Online Newbie Register Tutorial Video Intro; and has an official NPC account; along with the talking cats from the Sky Shop in Gaia's own Gama, Monster Galaxy; Mewli, Boof, Toby, along with another unnamed kitten
And with Gaia's latest game, Rumble Kitten, featuring yet even more talking cats, I can't help but wonder if Rufus and his family might've originated from the town of Fursbury, as strays, fought in the Rumble Ring, eventually earning high status, which enabled them to move elsewhere, find Ian's family and settle down with them in another city, as pets/ business partners.
I think it could be an interesting development for Rufus to come into contact with these other talking cats and see that he's not alone, being the only one left of his kind.
What we do know is that he helps run Barton Boutique with his owner, Ian. We know that he's able to speak the (human) English language, fluently. When he was called to the stand, during Ian's Trial, Rufus claimed to have come from a long line of talking cats, and that he was the last of his kind.
However, in spite of that, I can't help but notice that he's never expressed a desire to carry on the bloodline to pass on his 'unique traits' to his kittens. (If the ability to speak human language is embedded in their genetics, that is) Nor has he ever actually come into contact with a cat of the opposite sex. We don't even know if Ian had him neutered, thus effectively preventing any more talking cats, like Rufus, from being bred.
We also know that Rufus makes claims to have grown up with Ian, and that he knows him better than his own mother knows him. And that, for some unexplainable reason, that Rufus has a tendency to- at times- bark like a dog (which he's claimed he's been doing since he was little).
What I'm personally, most interested in resolving is the claims by Rufus being the last of his kind of talking cats. I'm curious if there might've been some kind of event in the past that Rufus witnessed, first-hand, like the extermination of his kind, by something, or someone, and he was the only one who made it out, alive, which would allow him to make those claims with absolute certainty. Or if he was somehow separated at birth from his mother and siblings, and simply told that he was the last of his kind by Ian's family.
And although it's debatable as canon, we've seen another talking cat, introduced as Bob, in the 2011 Gaia Online Newbie Register Tutorial Video Intro; and has an official NPC account; along with the talking cats from the Sky Shop in Gaia's own Gama, Monster Galaxy; Mewli, Boof, Toby, along with another unnamed kitten
And with Gaia's latest game, Rumble Kitten, featuring yet even more talking cats, I can't help but wonder if Rufus and his family might've originated from the town of Fursbury, as strays, fought in the Rumble Ring, eventually earning high status, which enabled them to move elsewhere, find Ian's family and settle down with them in another city, as pets/ business partners.
I think it could be an interesting development for Rufus to come into contact with these other talking cats and see that he's not alone, being the only one left of his kind.
