FOX, jerusalem

[Jerusalem Fox]

JERUSALEM DANIEL FOX

....the mask

Your Name: Woah
Where did you find us?: The wonderful Kevlar! ;D
How long have you been roleplaying?: I believe… about two or three years.
Password: [admin edit!]

...basic character information

Birth Name: Jerusalem Daniel Fox
Nickname: Jerusalem absolutely detests nicknames, he believes them to be a display of orneriness or lack of respect, so it’s not really surprising he doesn’t accept any when they’re directed towards him. Other people, however… If he comes up with something clever, he’s going to use it.
Gender: Male, most definitely.
Age: Sixteen
Grade: 11th
Birth date: March ninth, 1994. His parents frequently boast it was one of the best days of their lives… Or they would, if there was still contact between them.
Program: [Bachelor of Science]
Major: Massage Therapy
Major Explanation: Jerusalem has always harbored a curiosity for the world around him, though his explorations never stopped simply with the world itself. His fascination turned to people- which were where he was satisfied. Each person was different from the last, and while he had thought his interests were in psychology through and through, there was something about actually being able to force someone to relax in a pleasurable way that seemed more appealing. The reactions were always different, and he was able to observe people at a much closer proximity- and due to his previous almost fanatical studies in psychology, he can still generally get them to open up while working out whatever tension they may have. As for how this relates to a crow- his natural curiosity is sated well enough with each person, and it was something that didn’t require much strength.
Animal Identity: Crow.

...personality

Likes:(at least 10)

• Studying has always been something he’s been interested in. Even from the time he was a small child, Jerusalem always had his nose in some sort of book, and generally the only sound coming from his room would have been a thoughtful grumble or the turning of a page.
  
• People-watching can sometimes fall under ‘studying’, but he prefers to give it it’s own respectable title. People are what interest him the most out of the world, and this was the case ever since he discovered that each person was different from the next; each preconceived notion or idea could be completely out of place from one person to the next. That is why he makes an actual effort to simply sit down and watch someone, learn their behaviors and the little quirks and habits that make them who they are.
  
• Various theories have always perked his interests, it doesn’t really matter what they’re about or for, he’s going to read up on it and attempt conducting a similar experiment. Behind his back, his parents referred to this as his own little addiction.
  
• Shiny objects touch at the more avian side of him, and like a typical bird- he’s known for tilting his head at whichever particular bauble catches his attention… now, if it were to be a strapping young man, shining with sweat in the sun- that’s just a double whammy.
  
• Impossible riddles are never considered impossible by Jerusalem. If someone brings up why a raven is like a writing desk- he actually has an answer, and that answer actually makes a fair amount of sense. Perhaps he’s got better things to do with his time, but he can never seem to think of those things when he’s solving a riddle.
  
• Proving people wrong also makes him smile- there’s just something about proving his intelligence over another’s that gives him a sense of satisfaction that is rarely derived from anything else.
  
• His practice is obviously something he enjoys, being massage therapy. People have a tendency to open up a little more whenever they’re relaxed, which is exactly what his massages accomplish. There’s also a little bit of simple pleasure he gets from feeling someone else’s body under his hands.
  
• Boys. For once, this liking is generally not expressed. He feels it is more of a guilty pleasure, and the way he was raised is largely accountable for his almost ashamed feelings about it. Sure, he understands that ‘some men’ prefer other men, but as far as his world was concerned, he wasn’t allowed to be one of them. Now that he’s away from home, he’s been slowly admitting this liking to himself.
  
• Rumors have always served to feed his curiosity about the world and those around him, it doesn’t really matter whether or not they’re true- he likes to hear about the possibility of ‘drama’, even though he generally doesn’t act on any of it.
  
• knowledgeable males are always considered more attractive to Jerusalem than simply ‘cute’ or ‘attractive’ ones. To him, attractiveness is mainly based off of knowledge. The smarter the boy- the more attracted he is, and little else seems to matter.
  

Dislikes: (at least 10)

• Sports were never his favorite thing… Having been a weaker child than most, he didn’t have the strength or stamina for any sport, really. His parents eventually gave up trying to enroll him in them, but he still hosts a festering dislike of them.
  
• Being wrong causes him to feel uncertain and unstable, and as a person who values stability and security over a lot of other things, having evidence thrown at him when it pertains to him being incorrect about something causes him to get a wee bit defensive.
  
• Most food is generally unappealing to Jerusalem and his rather slight build, but he’s simply a rather picky eater at heart. After years of sampling, he’s just discovered that ‘no one can prepare the food correctly’.
  
• Stupidity really upsets him. If he believes someone to be behaving in an unintelligent fashion, he’s going to say something about it and most likely stick his nose where it doesn’t belong.
  
• Music is something he is very picky about. Most of it falls under this category simply because he’s a picky little boy with a habit of flip flopping between liking some quiet music, and hating all music.
  
• Talking about his missing fingers is also upsetting. During an accident in woodshop, Jerusalem wound up losing his index and middle fingers on his right hand. Tiny stubs remain, and sometimes they can be rather sensitive. Due to the nature of the accident itself (carelessness) he’s rather uncomfortable talking about it.
  
• Perfume clogs his nostrils and makes it hard for him to breathe. While he likes bright colors, he certainly doesn’t like bright smells, especially since he doesn’t like most females to begin with.
  
• Showing more skin than his arms and face makes him uncomfortable. While he can get carried away occasionally within a moment, he generally feels naked if his torso isn’t covered.
  
• When people don’t give specific deadlines, it really irritates Jerusalem. Their version of ‘as soon as possible’ and his version are usually completely different, and while he generally finishes things within a few days after they’re assigned, he still prefers to have due-dates, if for nothing else other than jotting down something in a pocket-calendar.
  
• Losing his pocket-calendar causes him to panic a wee bit. It’s not that he fears he’s going to miss anything specific, it’s just the fact that he feels irresponsible if anything that he owns and frequently uses gets lost. He doesn’t like evidence of carelessness being shoved in his face.
  

Fears: (At least 3)

• Deep water makes his skin crawl- and anything over six feet deep is considered to be ‘deep water’ in his opinion. He was never a good swimmer, and several dunkings from the schoolyard bully as a child have soiled his opinion of the liquid in regards to swimming. These days, he quite simply refuses to go past the six foot marker in pools.
  
• His own irresponsibility already cost him two fingers for just a moment of carelessness, so now he goes over everything with a fine-tooth comb before doing anything with it. He requires praise over his achievements to feel normal and happy, and he doesn’t feel he can get that without everything being perfect.
  
• Being worthless is something that scares him. He strives to do well in every class and subject, solve every problem he’s presented with, and it’s all because he’s afraid of simply fading away…
  
• Thunder has always frightened him, ever since he was a little boy. It’s followed him to the present, which is why if it’s storming pretty badly- he’s probably going to be curled up in a ball somewhere and crying.
  

Strengths: (At least 3)

• Intelligence is often a key part of success, and luckily enough for him, he was born with a fair amount of it, and the rest was acquired over years of devoting himself to potential knowledge.
  
• Observant people are generally hard to lie to if they’ve watched the potential liar for a fair amount of time, and know what to look for. While it wasn’t exactly due to a fear of being manipulated or deceived, Jerusalem both picked up and was born with highly observant tendencies, likely stemming from his animal counterpart.
  
• Diligence has helped him plow through mountains of homework in record time, but it’s also helped him to learn how to adjust and adapt to his surroundings, as well as how to talk to people. If Jerusalem were to view everything as a task- why couldn’t he accomplish it?
  

Weaknesses: (At least 3)

• Jerusalem is more than a little narcissistic. The things he does are not meant to help society in any way, shape, or form, really… It’s simply for his personal enjoyment most of the time. He looks out for ‘number one’, and these self preservation habits have cost him a few potential friends. There was a time when he wasn’t centered on his own needs and ambitions, but it seems a little far off, now…
  
• It’s his way, or the highway. To put it quite simply, he’s bossy. He feels secure in his own choices, but subjecting himself to someone else’s judgment? To him, that’s like asking to be run over by a truck- utterly stupid. He’s normally quite polite about his bossy ways and habits, giving subtle suggestions or taking the lead before someone else can do much, but it all stems back to his insecurity and trust issues with people.
  
• Poetry and intelligence make him swoon. There’s something about softly spoken verses that just make his knees buckle, and if a bit of brains were added to the mix- he’s most likely going to be quite smitten.
  

Overall: [400 words minimum]

To those who don’t know him and have very little contact with him, Jerusalem can generally come off as just another bookworm or little geek. It’s true, he would much rather read a book than play sports, shop, or do anything else that most of the teenage youth finds exciting or appealing, but those people haven’t run into the charming side. Having gotten used to the fact that if he sweet-talked someone enough, he’d eventually get whatever it was that he wanted, Jerusalem has become quite the charismatic fellow over the years, and he knows how to talk to people; what will make them sympathize with him, get them riled up towards someone else, et cetra.

A people-watcher at heart, Jerusalem is perfectly happy conversing with a different person each day, learning their habits, postures, and ways of speaking simply because he can. Having gotten bored with puzzle books, he started turning the world around him into a giant problem to solve, starting with one person at a time. He can be seen as rather nosey if he’s caught trying to pry into someone’s business, or perhaps bossy if he’s assigned to a small bundle of people for a group project, either way- it’s obvious that he doesn’t ever really honestly care for whoever’s business he’s sticking his nose into, nor does he really want to accept the ideas of the people he works with for group projects.

He can be rather manipulative at times, and will do or say whatever he feels is necessary to accomplish a goal, whether it’s ditching ‘friends’ to finish a project or staying up for three days straight and drinking minimal water just to see if hallucinations have a higher likelihood of happening at that time.

Despite the sometimes self-centered tendencies he can adopt, Jerusalem is naturally a curious boy. If something new is presented to him, he’s almost childlike the first time he comes into contact with it. However, the problem with his curiosity is that sometimes it can manifest itself into the people themselves, and not their most recent drama. This is where the people-watching comes into play, and it’s not always a welcome habit. Some people get frustrated with him because he’s too quiet during his observations, and some people don’t know how to take or handle his silence.

Still- all of that is mainly the outer layers of his personality. On a deeper look, it’s relatively easy to tell that he’s a fearful person, as well as the fact that he lacks general confidence in himself as well as trust in other people. He doesn’t like to talk about deep feelings or anything like that, these discussions generally lead to him feeling weak and insecure, even more so than before. Most of his behavior is a direct result of trying to hide his insecurities and vulnerabilities, and anything else he was taught to be ashamed of.

...appearance

x x

Celebrity Play By: Ed Speleers
Appearance: [400 words minimum]
Jerusalem was never a strong, healthy boy. In fact, he was the exact opposite. As a premature baby, he didn’t have enough time to fully develop within the womb before entering the world, and so he was trapped in the hospital for quite a while. Even after he was released to his parents, he never grew to be as large as the other boys his age- he lagged behind. Standing around five foot eight (at best) and weighing around one hundred and fifty pounds, give or take a few, it’s easily apparent that he’s never going to be particularly strong. Instead, he was able to pamper other aspects about his physical appearance.

It’s obvious that his hair is well taken care of, washed and lathered with only the products that are best for it’s type, and so it’s color has remained a rich honey shade, somewhere between brunette and blonde. Then again, there are a lot of in-betweens when it comes to Jerusalem. His eyes happen to be the most notable, considering they’re an odd, glassy mix of green and blue, sometimes seeming more blue- other times appearing to be entirely a light green. While he knows for sure that it has absolutely nothing to do with his moods, other people fancy arguing otherwise.

Going back to his general appearance- something that has a tendency to surprise people is the fact that he is missing both his middle and index fingers on his right hand. Despite this- he’s surprisingly deft with that hand, able to do everything he could do before, perhaps minus the flair he previously possessed. When asked about what happened, he can get rather defensive, so it’s best to pretend A- said person hasn’t noticed, or B- it doesn’t matter either way. Aside from that, his bone structure is rather delicate compared to most, and the smooth skin that covers him often gives him a rather soft appearance. His liking for preppier clothing doesn’t really help him to appear entirely masculine, but his lack of a firm masculinity as far as appearances go was made up for by a more domineering personality.

His animal form resembles an average crow in almost every aspect- except for the fact it’s slightly larger than a normal animal, and there’s a much higher degree of intelligence in those beady black eyes whenever he’s in this form. His feathers host different tints and hues- ranging from a sort of purple to a dark indigo, depending on the lighting. Other than that- the only difference is that his right foot is missing two talons, making it slightly more difficult for him to perch places.[/size]

...history

Parents: Jethro Alaric Fox – 48, normal by all accounts.
Abigail Marilynn Fox – 43, shifter.
Siblings: Jericho Marie Fox – 21, normal by all accounts.
[400 words minimum]
The Fox family comes from old money, plus whatever earnings are added to the bank by the newer generations. While this family was well off, there were a few new problems that were added to older ones whenever Abigail joined the family, marrying Jethro. Before her, there had been no chance of any shifter-blood mingling with the family, not that they would have known, anyway. Very little time passed before she started having children, though she did manage to leave a few years between Jericho and Jerusalem. The mother of the two children was lucky with Jericho, considering she didn’t seem to have any inclinations towards shifting at all, as demonstrated when her twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth birthdays passed with little to no abnormality, aside from the fact her mother wouldn’t let her out of her sight, and kept her on a rather short leash. It was just practice for Jerusalem, it seemed.

Despite being under the ever watchful eye of his hawk-like mother, Jerusalem grew and developed as well as he could, considering he had been a good two months premature at birth, organs underdeveloped and unprepared for the task of supporting him on their own. He lagged behind the other boys, never seeming to grow to their heights, or bulk up with a normal amount of muscles. Instead, he remained sickly; prone to asthma attacks throughout his adolescence, unable to participate in any strenuous activity. Perhaps that was why he was spoiled as much as he was, or maybe it was because Abigail had lost her ability to bear children due to complications at his birth- either way, it wouldn’t really matter when it came right down to it, Jerusalem learned he could get pretty much anything he wanted, so long as he displayed a ‘polite’ behavior, and perhaps a wee bit of begging. The boy developed like this in an upper-class household, collecting books and trinkets to study and work with for as long as he remained interested.

Other children didn’t really interest him at first, but the more he watched them; the more they began to resemble tiny puzzles for him to work through. Some were motivated by sweets, others by games… Eventually that became too simple, and his mother’s gaze more watchful as his behavior flourished. The years passed, for the most part he was a normal child (If spoiled and oddly intelligent, perhaps a touch snide), but then came his thirteenth birthday. Other than the few months before, Jerusalem can’t recall a time in which his mother was so demanding and protective of him, never letting him out of her sight… When he started to show specific signs, Abigail wasted no time in taking him into the root cellar, locking him away and standing just outside the cell- watching eagerly as his bones popped out of their sockets, shrinking and adjusting even as his organs shifted and aligned themselves. The worst thing he remembered feeling was the sprouting of wings.

True to history, Jerusalem did enter a rage- attacking whatever his talons could sink into, which included his mother’s hand when it strayed too close. Even now- he either can’t seem to remember anything about what happened, or he simply chooses to let others believe so, just so that he doesn’t have to talk about it. Soon after this incident, his mother arranged to send him away to the academy, doubling to have a story to tell his unknowing father. From there- he lost contact with them for the most part, receiving only minimal letters from his mother, with no return address. Other than developing control issues due to having none of it in his earlier years- Jerusalem functioned just fine without his family, with only the occasional pang of loneliness, and a touch of carelessness that cost him two of his fingers in woodshop.

...connecting human to animal

[One Paragraph Minimum (Can be point form)]

• Problem solving abilities- Both Jerusalem as a person and your everyday crow possess remarkable problem solving abilities. When presented with an issue, Jerusalem will study it for a time before making an action. Unfortunately, his knack for problem solving is applied too frequently, making just about everything something that should be solved.
  
• Curiosity has gotten the better of both just about every crow as well as Jerusalem. It’s hard for him not to stick his nose into anything and everything just once. Coupled with his natural desire to learn and do well- this has made him an extremely successful student, but it’s also given him a problematic desire to dig through closed boxes or bags simply for the sake of knowing what’s inside.
  

...literacy

RP Sample[/i]
A reply from a previous rp.
Jeremiah could recall a time back in Bluegrove when he had the strangest urge to buy a lot of tomatoes. He had followed his instincts that time, and it had turned out when he got to Kacy's grandparents ranch, they had been lecturing a rather smelly Kacy about skunks. They had been little at the time, four and five years old at most, and when he ran up snickering with his tomatoes, they had a tomato war. That had been the start of those subconscious urges for him, just to get a few things at seemingly random times. That 'sixth sense' of sorts lasted a little while after each summer, and if he thought about Kacy enough- sometimes he could swear he knew exactly how her day was going. After that thirteenth summer... It went away. It didn't seem to mater how much he thought about her, or how much he willed himself to try and be able to... to feel how she was doing- he couldn't. It was as if the country refused to let it happen, and eventually he had stopped trying.

It wasn't to say that he didn't care- it was more like he had a lot of other things going on. Tracy, for example. She was a sweet girl, but the world seemed content to let her die. He spent every moment he could with her, even shaved his head once she lost all of her hair. Her death... It crushed him. He felt selfish to admit it- but he felt as though everyone was leaving him, and that there was no way out of it. He hadn't spoken for a long while after Tracy died- and even when he did start speaking again... It was only a mumble, more of a soft little sound than actual words, and only directed towards his grandparents and sister. He didn't seem to really care for much anything then, and he didn't open up to anyone but the horses. All of the horses responded to him. He had slept out in the fields with them, made those whispered noises to them... Moose followed him everywhere- and normally he was the horse that only did things if he was asked to. During those empty and numb days, he'd always been there to nudge Jeremiah's back at just the right moment.

He wasn't able to feel anything in those days, and he didn't feel like he was strong enough to weep. There was a large difference between crying and weeping- crying was just shedding tears... but weeping? Weeping took the strength out of every muscle in the body, it ravaged what little emotional and mental strength was left, and it left people so... so vulnerable. He had wept- but it had been later on, when he was out alone with Moose. The feeling of being so numb hadn't gone away when he rode Moose out to the river, but the moment he stuck his toes in the swimming hole, Jeremiah had lost control of it all.

He couldn't really remember what had happened, one moment it was early morning, and the next he felt so drained, looking up at the star-filled skies with Moose snuffling at his shirt and nibbling on it. His face had tasted salty whenever he licked his lips, and his eyes had felt so dry... After that- he started taking more of a healthy interest in life again. Talking was still absent for the most part- but there was life in his eyes again. Nothing had really improved after that point until he came to Whittington Academy, and that was still debatable in some areas. The mention of cancer always made him freeze- it was known throughout the house that there were to be no movies that had any sort of hospitals in them... But life went on.

"Y...-er n-ot n-now." He responded to her comment of not being alone. He understood the need to be alone sometimes, but after being betrayed... Isolation didn't seem like the best choice to him. When she leaned into him, Jeremiah's brow furrowed and the muscles in his jaw flexed- eyes blinking rapidly for a moment. It wasn't right for her to have to go through all of that for someone who had just betrayed her. Apparently Kale hadn't even told her about it- he had just... Kept it from her. No sign that he was sorry about it. He had really wanted to just throttle Kale the moment he heard that Kacy was going to be alright. Shifting slightly so that one of his legs could stretch out, Jeremiah took in a deep breath and slowly let it out, staring out at the water.

When her hands gripped his own heavily callused one, Jeremiah let out a little laugh when he looked down at their hands, noting how much larger and weather worn his own were in comparison to hers. That was probably because his work at the ranch didn't end with the summer- it was continuous, everyday until his chores were finished, and then he was more often then not out doing other things that could sometimes be even more difficult then those little chores.

"I w-w-as th...ere f...f'you, ai-nt n...no r-reason t'feel b-bad 'bout i-i-t..." He murmured, turning his head so that his nose was touching her hair. The city was going to have one hell of a time wiping away that country smell from him, especially since all of his clothing smelled of the country, there was really no such thing as 'new' clothing to him, such things usually consisted of work jeans and some more flannel shirts. His younger sister had gotten him some running shoes from some store once they had arrived here, and the smell made him curious. He was used to smelling a mix of grass, hay, and horse sweat on his boots.

"B-b-ut, w-ee...b...oth ha-ate soccer n-now, r-r-ight?" He teased her, letting out a deep laugh as he looked back out towards the lake. [/b][/i][/size]
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