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AMITYVILLE ACADEMY ENROLLMENT FORM



Name: Elaphe Rivers
Nicknames: Fuzzball, Spot, Small Angry Weasel Dog, "Squirrel", Oochi Boo, HOLYSHITGETITOFFME
Gender: Male
Age: Unknown, though he has all the caustic spitfire of an ornery little teenager, so it's assumed he's somewhere in the 'adolescent' stage of his species.

Faction/Race Monster - Nguruvilu

Personality: Elaphe is a runt, even by the standards of his own species, and therefore feels a need to make up for this by being as loud, ferocious and intimidating as humanly (monsterly?) possible. Any natural pleasantness about him which may or may not exist is buried under countless layers of insecurity and bravado, which he clings in a sort of constant, high-strung desperation. Point out how little he is? Oh, that'll get you stung in the knee and shrieked at-- if you're lucky. Mention anything like adorable or cute when he's slithering by? Not only will he go after you then and there like a tiny rabid weasel; he will make the effort to find your room, lay in your bed, and bite something very sensitive (with every intention of removing it) while you sleep. The lengths he'll go to defend his 'toughness' are not only ridiculous; oftentimes they're downright suicidal, and he'll inevitably be the one who gets punted across a room, tied in knots, or just outright stepped on by larger monsters for the antagonism.

Secretly (though it's still obvious to everyone), Elaphe is a very timid, awkward, and even softspoken boy at heart, though he firmly believes all of this makes him even weaker than his tiny body does and is therefore in constant, fervent denial of it. Yes, he may secretly enjoy long bubble baths and singing to himself (most who hear this phenomenon shrug it off as a Chipmunks movie playing somewhere close by), but out in public? He will not only kick your puppy, he will FIGHT IT TO THE DEATH (or at least, give it the old college try).

... Also, like any TRUE monster worth his salt, he refuses (often stupidly) to back down in the face of any threat, digging his heels in and doing his best to intimidate a foe right back with bristling tiny hackles, flared eyespots and waving tail-claws-- ... until someone pulls a knife, and he screams and wets himself like a little girl. No, seriously; he has a ridiculous, borderline-PHOBIC ingrained fear of cutlery thanks to his species, and even brandishing a butter knife is usually enough to get him running away in near tears.

Ironically, Elaphe hates the fact that he's intelligent and takes well to academia, feeling very much like some awkward cliche of Brain Over Brawn when the brawn is what he's SO DESPERATELY WANTED his whole life. He'll even make the conscious effort to appear careless or disrespectful in class, believing it helps to foster his "tough guy" image, but once he's home, racked with anxiety and guilt, he'll inevitably wind up studying 'til midnight anyway.

Why are they enrolled in Amityville Academy? Academy tutelage wasn't usually relevant to Elaphe's family, who had always done just fine with the old "home school" approach of teaching the young pups to lurk in river systems and antagonize swimmers. His siblings (eight of them, and all sisters) excelled in their craft or were at least adequate enough to go establish their own whirlpools in the human world without issue, but when the time came for him to pass the graduating test of an illusory human encounter...

Well, the incident involved a kiddy pool, some mistaken identity like "kitty!", and a five year old girl the likes of which to frighten a demon. Needless to say, Elaphe was lucky to finally dislodge her and make a get away, shaken, humiliated and very nearly having died in that horrible six inches of water, but at least alive.

... It was then that his parents made the executive decision to send him to Amityville instead, hoping it might give their poor runt of a son some sort of alternative 'career' path, or at least make him less likely to be overtaken by toddlers.

Natural Ability: Drowning Grip: When submerged in water of (their) ankle depth or greater, the grasping strength of the Nguruvilu's tail-claw multiplies, ranging from approximately x2 in extreme shallows to x10 when completely submerged during adolescence, and gaining additional strength as the creature matures. Elaphe is no exception to this, of course, though given his lacking size and strength to begin with, against fairly large or strong opponents, he'd still be pretty useless.

ALSO NOTE: This effect is universally lost the moment an Nguruvilu is removed from the body of water, and "alternative" sources (ie: that questionable punch bowl at the party) MAY be used to trigger the effect, so long as any liquid in question still contains a high percentage of water.

FEAR: OW JACKDAMMIT YOU UGLY BITEY SQUIRREL: Typically triggered by a rush of fight-or-flight adrenaline, Elaphe's internal venom glands become supercharged with a fairly potent paralytic compound-- delivered through either his flexible viper fangs or barbed tail spear-- which may physically stun, cripple, or even completely immobilize an opponent, depending on natural resistance/size/et cetera.

At his current first year level, the effect only lasts an average of 30 seconds to one minute, and the venom does not effect any vital-to-life functions such as breathing, so by itself, it's ultimately pretty harmless short of letting him outmaneuver opponents on those tiny legs or getting in some strikes without being squished. He can only use it once in a battle, too, since a single bite or sting typically drains his whole venom stock and he's got to regenerate it for a day or two thereafter.

Physical Description: Um. Well, Elaphe is male, and would probably look fairly young? In a human guise, I'm sure he'd WANT to look huge and intimidating, but the best he'd probably be able to pull off was maybe 4 feet of height and some scrawny, thin-shouldered rail of a figure. I don't mind him reflecting a bunch of his monster attributes, either, so stuff like the krait patterning on flesh, ears, creeper-graspy-tail and whatever else are totally kosher if desired. This is seriously one of those 'I have no idea what he'd really look like as a human' characters, so uh. Yeah.

... Also this is kind of miscellaneous information but I don't think I put it anywhere too clearly: his 'natural' form is approximately 3 feet long from nose tip to tail when laying flat and very sleek/tube-like, with his head and neck/midsection/tail in a roughly even proportion of thirds. He's probably about 3-4 inches in diameter at the thickest bony part of him (the ribs), to give some sense of size against other creatures.

Eye Colour: I think his beady little red-orange eyes would probably translate to something cute or unintimidating despite his ANGRY LITTLE GLARES. You know, just to spite him.
Hair Colour/Style: ... Uuuuh. I don't think he'd have a buzzcut or anything, but there could be anything from mild shag to ponytail length and I wouldn't see it as off? As for color, uh... it'd be nice if it somehow reflected off his 'true' form in a way, but take that as you will? If he wound up having the krait-skin thing all over, I imagine the most logical color choice would be something approximated to his dark banding streaks so it didn't clash and all that? IDK, ARTISTS, YOU HAVE FAB JUDGEMENT.
Skin Colour: Uh... could be pale, oooor totally reflect his little sea krait theme all over with weird blues and tans and blacks? Seriously, open ended.
Clothing Style/Colours: ... Elaphe would very much like to look like a total badass. Chances are, however, that the children's department wouldn't carry much in black leather and metal spikes. TAKE IT AS YOU WILL?
Extra: Uuuuuum. I would kind of like to see his creepy tail-hand survive into his human guise if possible, but other than that, whatever? He can be as monstrous or not-monstrous as the artist feels comfortable doing.
References: AHAHA. Um.
Prelim 1
Prelim 2
Rough Final
CS3 final linework
FULL SIZE FINAL AHMAHGOD

Oooh, yes, you bring up many valid points about his parents, totally! I know I said it before, but I am supremely appreciative for the crit! <3 Also, TIME FOR A LITTLE UPDATE; mostly because I need to flesh out the addressed areas and add in a couple of... special... things.

On Developing Abilities: I would actually like for both Elaphe's FEAR and his bite/sting to mature and gain a certain amount of strength as he gets older, if possible! Both would essentially just be getting generically more powerful with no real mutation; his tail-claw could have a more impressive pull, and his teeth and fangs... well, at its apex, I'd like his venom to be a fairly strong (but definitely temporary) physical paralytic. It'd make sense for his species, I think, since paralyzing or partially crippling a victim in the water (even for just a minute) could make them much more vulnerable, ooor on land... well, lessen the chance of actually getting crushed before he could run the hell away.

On Elaphe's Family And Feelings Therein: It's a sad but undeniable truth that Elaphe's parents sent him with absolutely no expectation of their son coming back a lean, mean scaring machine. It's been painfully obvious to them since he was a pup that he'll never get much bigger and would probably get himself killed as soon as he went to the human world like his siblings, so they're just hoping to Jack that Amityville will redirect his career ambitions toward something a little more appropriate.

You know, like a swimming coach, or a school moat cleaner-- things that typically wouldn't be fatal to a small cocksure water rat (... fox).

Somewhere deep down in his logical brain, Elaphe is also very aware of his parents' intention behind enrolling him, but for now he's still clinging stubbornly to the delusion that he will bulk up and become Halloween's Own Terror Of The Sea by graduation. This safety-blanket lie may one day dissolve when he comes to terms with his lot in life, but for now, he'll deny it like the dickens.

On Diet and Creature Habits: Being a creature of the water, Elaphe's diet consists mainly of fish and other seafood-type proteins. His preferred species are actually those imported from or related to the human world (mostly due to a sort of 'inherited' taste from his ancestors, many of whom made their livings in said fleshyland), though he'll also consume Halloween's native catch without complaint, so long as it's fairly fresh. For a monster, he has a pathetically weak tolerance to anything explosively spicy, horrifyingly gross, vomitously fermented or rotting, et cetera. Like a true fox, he is also technically an omnivore, though the only other things he'll usually touch are fruits or vegetables (also fresh) with the occasional bland starch or two.

Behaviorally, he has a few odd habits notable. For one, he grooms himself daily-- both old fashioned cat-style and via daily bathing in the cleanest water he can access. Given his sensitive nose, he hates foul smells, and hates smelling foul HIMSELF even more. He also enjoys languid stretching (... when nobody is around) and, if given the chance, will always gravitate to any body of water when he's heavily stressed, as he draws a familiar sort of comfort and/or security from it. He's even been known to fall asleep on his back in the middle of ponds and moats before, floating on his back the whole time like a weird blue otter.

... When he's feeling more reclusive, he may also sleep on river or pond bottoms instead providing they're fairly comfortable, given his natural ability to breath underwater at will.

On Human Forms: Despite making him larger (if only topping out around 4 feet high), Elaphe, rather ironically, feels very uncomfortable staying in his 'human' form any longer than necessary and, the moment class is out, he'll almost always revert back to his natural form. This is due mostly to the fact that his family has never had a tradition of changing shape, and he feels even more like a fish out of water walking on two legs than four.

On Living Conditions (AKA his Dorm Room): Naturally an oversized rat doesn't need a ton of room or, really, even a ton of furniture. Elaphe's room is sparse, but clean, and in place of a bed, pushed up against the far wall, is a large freshwater fish-tank (complete with the occasional plastic skeleton, silk plant... and maybealittlebubbletank SHHHHH) that he sleeps in at night. That aside, there's a pair of sizable plush dog-beds for Nosi and Lapid, their food bowls, a couple of floor pillows, and a handful of chew toys that Elaphe himself may also occasionally partake of BUT SO HELP HIM HE WILL DENY IT TO HIS GRAVE.

ON PETS: ... When Elaphe first set out on his own, pets were the absolute LAST thing on his mind-- and then, he met Nosi (aka, "Not Silver").

Nosi, to put it kindly, is stupid-- as in, THIS caliber of ridiculous, survival-of-the-fittest-Darwinism-breaking stupid. One day, seemingly out of the blue, Elaphe noticed that the Kirinni was following him and, after three hours of trying to shake the creature from his trail, jumped into a deep pond with the intention of finally losing her.

... He didn't expect her to jump in right after him-- or that she'd sink like a rock, bleating and flailing ineffectually. Hating the fact that he actually felt GUILTY for her, he used his FEAR to drag her out and back to the shore, thinking she would then leave of her volition, and leapt back under. AGAIN, she plunged after him, proceeded to start drowning, and the process repeated. It repeated seven times before he finally realized she was just too stupid to understand, and resigned himself to taking her home.

Ironically, he is very fond of her (though he'll never admit it), and will even take the time to groom her after class each day. She's also proved surprisingly useful as his main mode of land transportation on campus since enrollment (given his tiny EVERYTHING legs and feeble ground clearance), even if she does occasionally run into walls and has this HORRIBLE HABIT of prancing in public.

Additionally, he has acquired a second "pet" since coming to Amityville-- a hilariously familiar looking Scareon whom he has deemed Lapid. Lapid is, thankfully, a much more intelligent creature than Nosi, even capable of various tricks upon command. His easy going temper and low-maintenance needs were the reason Elaphe conceded to take him home as well, found roaming outside campus walls near the forest (clearly very hungry), and it was, but a certain very miserable realization hit him all too late on the way back...

At first he didn't get why people were laughing and snickering, but then, it hit him. They were totally Candlejacking twinkies. TWINKIES. Needless to say, incidents of being mistaken for another someone's "pet" (or at least, bad jokes about having clingy cousins) have skyrocketed since he obtained him, but... no, Elaphe can't even blame Lapid for that misfortune. He (guiltily) enjoys having a partner-of-the-water too much for that.

He's also hoping one day that he can train him as a water rescue aid for Nosi, so he doesn't have to always save the Kirinni from drowning by himself-- but alas, THAT IS A FAR OFF FANTASY.

Prancers Gonna Prance~ ;D

I had never heard of a Nguruvilu before, but, hot damn, I love them already!

He's very well thought out and I can't honestly find anything wrong with him. His personality is sound, his neurosis about his 'cute factor' is just awesome, and... Yeah, he just rocks.

I love the derpiness of Nosi and how Elaphe came by her. (Or vice versa? x3)

Excellent character. I'll be rooting for you to get him. -thumbs up-

HOLY CRAP I WANT TO SQUEESE HIM AND HUG HIM AND LOVE HIM FOREVER~!! heart

Erh, now that that is out of the way. . . I adore what you've done with Elaphe. His character is well thought out and I can clearly see your motivation for all the major points without you necessarily spelling them out to me.

I love that his size is a bravo issue and that he's FRICKIN ADORABLE and hates it. There is really nothing I can add that you have not already addressed. :3

Best wishes on your quest & I will be rooting for him. <3

The figures of two student furtively slipped into the gym. The vaguely female one suddenly jumped and squealed, "Oh em gee, Bruce! Don't grab me like that! I thought you were that Red lady!"

"Oh come on babe, you gotta trust me, this place is empty." Bruce leaned in closer, "It's just you, me, and the pool."

"Oh you!"

"Oh you."

Soon playful splashing and giggles echoed throughout the gym. So caught up in each other, neither student noticed that they weren't quite as alone as they had thought.

Dun-un

"Come'ere, Cindy, I have something I wanna show you."

Dun-un

"I'm not falling for that again!"

"Aw babe!"

"Well ok."

Dun-un Dun-un

"Hey wow...have you been working out? I don;t remember you being this...hard before. Or large..."

"Babe...I'm over here."

Dun-un Dun-unDun-un Dun-unDun-un Dun-unDun-un Duuuuuuuuuuuuun

"Then what's....AIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!"

Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun

An hour later...

"Bin! Where have you been, you! And stop your dripping on the carpet!"