Welcome to Gaia! ::

ATTENTION!

My character Christopher has now had his backstory drastically revised and hopefully for the better. Please take time to comment and offer any critiques if you would be so kind to do so.

Thank you, and that is all.


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Section 1: Welcome!





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1.) Welcome!
2.) Cliffnotes to Christopher Dunche
3.) Backstory
4.) Serum/Transformation & Friends
5.) Reason Chosen for Island
6.) Items/Possessions
7.) About the Animal
8.) Art/Donations

Section 3: Backstory

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Christopher was born on October 14th, 1985 to Kenneth and Anne Dunche. He was raised in the Port Huron area of Michigan (Town of Residence: Croswell) which he quickly became accustomed to. His surroundings gave him the best of both worlds. He lived with his family on property surrounded by the woods. However, they bordered right next to a city-like area with all the major modern conveniences. Depending on his mood, he had many choices to his disposal.

However, Christopher was more accustomed to nature. He was known for finding ways to escape from the house and run out into the woods to explore or have some juvenile adventure. While it did cause many headaches for his parents, they did find it adorable and amusing, just anticipating what he might attempt next.

He was terribly fascinated with wolves at an early age. He would often be found going through encyclopedias and information books to learn more about them. He couldn't explain why he felt so strongly about them but it was like he was connected to them and shared a spiritual bond. His behavior would usually reflect this too. Even at the early age of 3, he was very honorable, protective, caring, social, defensive, territorial about his possessions, and just had this inexplicable spark of wildness in him.

Nearly every night, he would have vivid dreams of meeting wolves, running with them, petting them, even becoming one. After a period of time, his parents took to calling him “Little Wolfpup.”

Christopher also had another love in his life right away; the art of cinema. He was immediately fascinated with movies and constantly would act out scenes from various films which actually proved to be a form of entertainment for his parents and their guests. He didn't just like movies for purely entertainment either. He could see it as a valid form for expressing certain ideas and perspectives. He knew right away this is what he wanted to devote his life to; to become a filmmaker.

In school, Christopher was known to either keep to himself or be quite social. A lot of his fellow classmates were attracted to his colorful personality and his storytelling. During lunchtime or breaks, many of the kids would ask him to tell them a story. Half the time, it seemed like he was doing the teacher a favor in that respect.

However, a grim day for Christopher arrived when he was 13 years of age. The economy in their current residence was declining and his father was soon to lose his job. They had no other choice but to move where the jobs were. Christopher, despite knowing they had to do this, threw a huge protest and went kicking and screaming. They ended up relocating to Troy, Michigan, a rather built up city. Christopher despised it and was very sulky for the first year of his new “home.”

At his new school, he noticed the place was nothing but a popularity contest. He found it disgusting and just went to his own rhythm as usual. At first he got a lot of flak, but he overcame it by showing he was not one to be triffling with. After he showed he was not intimidated by this unneeded hell on earth, he was basically left alone after that. He went his own way as so did the others. Eventually he became well known like at his old school and found he had formed many friends and acquaintences. He didn't mind it but had a select group of friends he truly felt connected to. He mused to himself that it was his pack.

Christopher soon formed a new trait from his Drama class. One of their assignments was to perform a lipsynch to a song of their choice. This rubbed off on him and soon after, he would just subconsciously lipsynch to a song. He adopted it into his personality and used it as another form of entertainment for those around him.

After 4 years of tedious work, Christopher graduated from high school at the age of 18 and enrolled into a local film school. Near the end of the year, all the students had to turn in a completed screenplay for their final grades. Figuring he might as well write about something he knows about and is fascinated with, Chris came up with a screenplay involving native american culture and wolves. It concentrated on the idea of animal totems and becoming one with it.

It was a very spiritual piece of work and got good marks from his professors. Since the response was overall positive, Christopher looked into getting funding to put together a film production. It took a few months of shopping the idea around to possible investors and a lot of rejection and revisions, but Christopher lucked out and received a grant as funding. With that step out of the way, next was to assemble a small cast/crew and scout locations.

It didn't take too long to put together the crew. There were a lot of aspiring people in the business looking for work. The issue now was finding his cast as he wanted to use actual Indians in his film. Plus, there was the issue of trying to use wolves. There was no way he'd be able to do it with wild ones. That was out of the question. However, there was the possibility of a wolf sanctuary, and usually, there was a reservation nearby.

Christopher and the crew did some traveling and eventually found a willing Cherokee reservation and wolf sanctuary down in Minnesota. However, they weren't without guidelines, the major one being that they had to get acquainted with the wolves at the sanctuary and that when they were to shoot any scenes with a wolf, someone who acted as caretaker to the wolves had to be present on set in case things went wrong.

When it came to get to know the wolves, the crew was very nervous. Christopher was relaxed but he still knew he had to tread carefully. He put his knowledge of wolf communication and behavior to use and tried to imitate it. His attempts at first didn't work so well. Even though he knew the behavior, this was his first time ever really getting to interact with them.

Eventually, he caught on and was able to bond with them a little better. Over a period of two months, he had built up enough of a trust to work with the wolves, particularly one female wolf who seemed to take a liking to him. Her name was Lyall. With that obstacle out of the way, they could finally move onto filming the actual movie. Production on the film began when he was 19 years of age.

The beginning of the production was a grueling process. Trying to coordinate a scene with the wolves proved to be a real chore. Many occasions, the crew would make a sudden move that would make the wolves nervous or defensive. Most of Christopher's days were spent contemplating banging his head into a brick wall. He knew he should have been more specific with his crew instead of hiring a bunch of incompotent sheep. Well, at least he could chalk it up as experience.

Plus, he had formed a new canine companion through Lyall who seemed to follow him around whenever he was at the sanctuary. Over time, things fell more and more into place and the production ran smoother. Christopher could be none the happier. He spent a lot of his days off at the wolf sanctuary and hanging out with Lyall. It was all soon nearing an end though. He would hate to leave after spending so much time working on this project and getting to know everyone and the wolves but that was the nature of the business.

However, things came to an end that was far worse. Christopher was in the woods with his Boom Mic operator, Lyall, and one of the wolf caretakers. They had just wrapped a scene near the cliffs and were heading back when Christopher lost his footing and fell backwards. The wolf caretaker and Lyall were practically behind him and they all went for a tumble.

What happened was a blur. Christopher was dazed and confused and took a while to snap out of it. That's when he noticed he was laying on top of the corpse of the wolf caretaker, his neck snapped. He felt nauseous and turned away. He tried to move but yelped in pain. His left leg was broken. Then it occurred to him. If this is what happened to him and the caretaker, what about Lyall?

He heard some whimpers in the distance and managed to crawl in that direction despite the immense pain. Christopher was horrified to see the sight before him. Lyall's skull was cracked and bleeding out. Her ribs had punctured through her flesh. But she was still alive. Christopher couldn't stand seeing her in pain, listening to the heavy breathing and the whimpers. He reached for a rock and with a lot of hesitation and tears, smashed it on top of Lyall's skull to put her out of her misery.

Christopher's mind became very unstable at that point. He hoped that his boom mic operator had gone for help although he wasn't sure he wanted to be found after what he just did. A week passed by before Christopher was found. He was in a deranged, feral state, he was obviously suffering from malnutrition, and his leg was badly infected. It took a lot of effort to detain him but they mananged.

He was quickly rushed to the hospital where his leg and poor health was treated. Not long after, he was taken to the mental institution for treatment. For the first few months, he was constantly restrained as due to his wild behavior. The doctors went through a number of treatments before Christopher finally started returning to his sound mind.

Once he was more stable, the doctors were actually able to have therapy sessions with him. Christopher would still have the occasional outburst but with each session he had, it would fade. After a year of treatment, Christopher was allowed to return to society under the conditions he had to see a therapist at the end of every month for psychological evaluation.

Before he returned home, Christopher collected his possessions from the reservation and as a keepsake, one of the Cherokees gave him Lyall's tail. He was very grateful. He bought a plain music box with a very mesmerizing tune and put the tail inside for safe keeping.

It was almost like nothing had happened when Christopher returned home. He was pretty much the same person. His mannerisms did seem a bit more wild in nature but it wasn't anything terribly serious. It was part of who he was now and he accepted that. It's not like it changed who he was either. Besides, his parents were just glad to see him again. It was good to be home.

After a while though, Christopher got that feeling of entrapment, the same one he experienced when he was 13. He felt like he had to move on. He decided to edit together what he had of his film and travel the film festival circuit and visit several colleges to have screenings of it. It would give him a chance to get away, enjoy life a bit more and maybe find a place to call his own.

This turned out to be a blessing as he got to visit many different states and cities and towns. Not to mention some of the scenery there was at his disposal. The movie was well received too which gained him some popularity. Interacting with the crowd and fans felt good. It took a lot off his mind and it actually relaxed him a lot. He still needed his days alone as it became too much at times. But the overall experience had been rewarding.

During his tour, Christopher met a man claiming to be an investor and wanted him to do a documentary on wolves. He arranged for Christopher to fly out to an island where he would meet with the people in charge of the operation. Christopher was a little wary but the idea appealed to him. Plus, the island that was described to him sounded great. Why not go for it.

However, this “investor” was truly an associate of Dr. Moreau's and was just doing his job to lure in Christopher.

The island awaited him...

Section 5: Reason Chosen For the Island

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Dr. Moreau recalled reading a case, about a young man who had turned feral in nature after a traumatizing accident, while scoping for possible new test subjects via medical records. This particular case intrigued him so he did further research into the background of this Christopher Dunche. What he discovered fascinated him. The man's personality, his traits, his mannerisms... They were very much like a wolf, albeit a very civilized and sophisticated one.

That's when he began to ponder what would happen if he were to experiment on a subject who already had the traits of the particular animal he were to become. The idea piqued his interest and his curiousity grew.

He couldn't delay on this one. He just had to bring Christopher to the island and find out what would happen. Maybe it would even be a form of therapy for the young man. Perhaps he might form a colleague out of him (since he'd most likely welcome the transformation) which would prove useful for keeping taps on the other islanders. That's when the hunt for Christopher began. And they had just the bait for him too...

Yes, he would have one of his associates pose as an investor looking to hire the young man to do a documentary on wolves and that he wants him to come to the island to meet the people heading the project. He would then set it up to look like the man was working on a documentary on wolves but they turned on him. It was perfect. Besides, after all the "helicopter crashes" into the sea, someone would start getting suspicious. No, this was a more fitting "demise" for Chris and no one would really question it.

If anything, they'd say, "That's what he gets for spending his time trying to work with wolves."

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Why This Animal For Your Character?/What Makes This Concept?
Wolves have always been the animal Christopher has associated himself with. It was evident ever since he was a kid. He always shared many traits/characteristics with a wolf and always felt a bond between them, the Great Plains wolf particularly as he got to work with them on his movie. Any other animal would just not mix or define Lycurgus as well as a wolf could. While a wolf may be viewed as standard and typical by many, deep down it means a great deal to Christopher as it truly defines his personality and wants to finally release it the way he wishes for it to happen, complimenting both worlds he feels inclined to.

Plus, it would be fascinating to see the effects the serum/transformation would have upon someone who already shares the characteristics of that particular animal they are becoming. Not to mention it would be a nice change of pace to see someone who would openly welcome their transformation.

The fact he would be willing for this to happen might prove benefitial to others on the island. Some might come to accept what is happening to them with a bit more dignity or grace, maybe even take a lesson or two from Christopher such as his favorite saying:

"Nothing can touch us on the inside if we're strong."

Maybe it would prove to only create a conflict. The other islanders might find Chris a freak or weird for being so open to it. There's a possibility of them even shunning him for accepting it like he does. This could prove to cause a challenge for Christopher later on if he had to help someone through a rough time due to a change but they won't hear him out because they know his stance on the matter.

Also, since Christopher would be another male wolf and accepting of his changes, it might create some friction with the other canine transformees, particularly Ambrose. Seeing someone who is accepting of what has happened while he's still trying to cope with it might create a spot of jealousy or a clash. Maybe even a struggle of dominance.

Another interesting thing to note is the horrors that Christopher will most likely experience on the island will be different from most since he's not afraid of being changed. What these new horrors might be remain to yet be seen but they most likely will not be the typical kind most of the islanders have faced thus far. It would allow for a different perspective and spin on the events.

There are many other reasons and possibilites I'm sure but these the ones that currently come to mind.

Section 7: About the Animal



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General Information:

~Information Taken from Wikipedia~
The Great Plains Wolf (also known as the Buffalo Wolf) is an endangered subspecies of the Gray Wolf and native to North America. These wolves once ranged across the western United States and southern Canada, but were almost completely wiped out by the 1930s. In 1974, they were listed as an endangered species, and since then their numbers have climbed.

By 2004, there was an estimated population of about 3,700 wolves in Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Single wolves have been reported in the Dakotas, but these are considered to be dispersers from packs from outside the states and a breeding population most likely doesn’t live in either state.

A typical Great Plains wolf is 140 - 200 cm (4 1/2 - 6 1/2 feet) long from snout to tail tip, and weighs between 27 and 50 kg (60 and 110 pounds). They usually feature a coat blended with gray, black, buff, or red.

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Bibliography:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Plains_Wolf

ah, I see you play second life?

:3 Hello!

<3 Very neat idea!

3nodding

Yeah, that might be a problem. I guess I was thinking for imagery purposes to make her white. So, if anyone else says they are unsure of the white wolf aspect, I'll change it to the brown timber wolf like what he would become.

Thanks for the feedback.