Artist's commentary
Jacky (Juliana Rosmini) - General Info
- Age: Between 20 and 22
- Height: 5'4’’
- Physical: Athletic. More muscle than fat, on a small(ish) frame that is otherwise average. Her left shoulder is permanently damaged and can’t support the weight of her body alone.
Species: Jacky is a Kaldel (Coddle, or Kaelin'yFiae). A type of shapeshifter unique to her story that will develop and use only one totem form in it’s lifetime. Jacky’s totem form is Shydog.
- About the tail: She does have a tail, but it’s rare for anyone to be aware of it. She hides it. Usually under a scarf tied around her waist, or under long hoodies/jackets. She hasn’t had it her entire life and is kind of weirded out by it/self-conscious of it.
Family: Jacky isn’t human, but her foster family was. As an infant she was adopted out to a pair of Italian-Americans, Milo and Clara, a niece and uncle. Milo (Papi) died when she was young. Clara (mom) passed away around the time she was 16 or 17 (in both cases probably of something genetic that Jacky could not have inherited). Present day Jacky has pretty much found closure and moved on.
History: Her history is being rewritten so I won’t be posting it in detail. In summary, after Milo and Clara died Jacky found herself in several stressful, frustrating situations that ended terribly(and potentially in a body buried in her basement). During this time she reached a stress-induced breaking point that kickstarted her transition from ‘human’ to active shapeshifter. As a Kaldel, her form took a shape driven by imagination and fulfillment of an inner need. She felt small and vulnerable, so her totem manifested as a stout, aggressive animal.
Personality: Good natured. Playful. Very expressive. In her younger years she’s much more aggressive. Jacky had her 'wild years’ between the ages of 17 and (early)21. After making a grave mistake as Shydog and putting herself in a situation that she should have ALREADY learned not to get into, she realized her headstrong and reckless behavior wasn’t doing her, or anyone else any favors. By the time she’s 22 she has mellowed out. She still has a temper, but she’s more reserved, a little more patient, flighty, even jumpy. She has begun to see Shydog as a weapon and feels put off by the fact that the form that is supposed to be a manifestation of her inner needs is so capable of eating faces.
Interaction:
- Adults: Entirely dependent on the person. Generally speaking, if the other person isn’t invading her space too much or treating her like garbage, they’ll get along fine.
- Kids: Jacky is pretty much always tolerant of kids. She (occasionally) assumes the momma bear role but is better thought of as an older sibling that lives away from home. Shydog won’t bite a kid. If she gets upset, she’ll walk away. Unless it’s a spoiled brat. She might put a spoiled brat in their place.
- Animals: As Shydog, Jacky is used to having equally aggressive animals in her face. She’s used to having to fight. She’s used to having to use her teeth to make a point. She is VERY tuned into body language and has learned to be paying attention to it always, to a point that normal, human interaction is somewhat on the back burner. She’s more comfortable in the company of monsters than people. People are too good at hiding their intentions. Animals are pretty up front about what they’re thinking and what they’ll do.
Shydog
- Height: About 3’ at the shoulder (for simplicity’s sake, tiger sized).
Why 'Shydog?’: 'Shydog’ was a nickname given to the form when no one had really gotten a good look at it. Jacky was iffy about letting anyone see it and the best they could guess it was dog-like. Hence the name, 'Shydog’. Shydog isn’t a separate entity. It’s just a nickname for Jacky when she’s in her totem form.
Shydog isn’t a species: It’s a manifestation of Jacky’s inner needs. When she developed the form, she was feeling very vulnerable, human, and small. Shydog was developed to be able to defend herself sufficiently. It isn’t actually a species. It doesn’t reproduce. It’s another form of Jacky’s and one of a kind in the sense that the 'species’ was born from Jacky’s imagination and vulnerabilities, and has no reproductive origins.
Physical: Stout and sturdy. Shydog is thicker than Jacky and embodies everything that Jacky’s human form can never be. She has thick paws and teeth, contrasting Jacky’s small hands and figure.
Personality: Shydog IS Jacky, so they share the same personality. However, she is capable of doing more as Shydog and has a tendency of being EXTREMELY aggressive in a fighting situation. She is always aware of what she’s doing and won’t attack someone who isn’t asking for it. She’s kind of honey badger. She doesn’t give a shit. If it’s bigger than she is and threatening her, she’ll bite it anyway. And she’ll leave a mark. She judges her situations carefully and won’t leap into a fight that can be resolved in some other way unless she just really, really dislikes the other person.
Does she dislike interacting in her Shydog form? (I’m sorry this question is kinda phrased weird)
Usually she doesn’t advertise the fact that she has another form. Jacky’s from a present day continuity where 'fantasy’ is real, but still unknown to (most) of humanity. When they know about Shydog and if she likes them, she’s totally cool with it. She’ll wrestle, lay around, walk and talk, and may even chase shiny things on string. Post-mistake she’s a little more reluctant to take the form. She feels like it’s weapon. She sort of gets the 'I might be a monster’ mentality for a little while but realizes that she can’t just stop using the form at all.
Is shydog part of any Mythology like Hhoota?
Ffff you got me there. I’m not sure how to answer this one, but I’ll try! Kaldel’s (the kind of shapeshifter that Jacky is) are a kind of mythological creature in Jacky’s canon. There don’t appear to be many of them left and they may not be native to Earth’s mythological group. They would have been split into tribes (each tribe handing down a totem design that each member of the tribe would have their own 'spin’ on). Shydog herself is unique to Jacky. A new totem with no tribe. Usually Kaldel’s assume a traditional form passed down from ancestors because to create a new one is not considered safe or culturally acceptable. Too many things can go wrong. (Imagine rearranging your bones and organs with no knowledge of where they need to go. Instinct provides some filler, but that’s a scary, potentially deadly situation to be in). Because Jacky has never met another Kaldel, she was thrown into a situation where she had to become something new, with no traditional 'blueprint’ laid out for her. She was fortunate enough to have Gale and Kira to help her through that. Hhoota as a mythological entity is much more.. random? He’s a god and most of his abilities are based on the beliefs of ancient worshipers, developed over time by ancient peoples, rather than by Gale.
mizana-imari: Jacky’s favorite food? I think you pretty much have just about everything about her thought out already |3
I never know how to answer this. :I I’m kind of ashamed of myself. As long as Jacky has been around I’ve never given her a favorite food. It’s kind of a long-time gag that no one ever sees Jacky eating. They know she must, but they can never catch her in the act. Like a mouse. She probably eats like a bird. She wouldn’t be big on fast food. She’d like fresh stuff, but I don’t see her as being overly picky either. I’ve been juggling the idea that Shydog doesn’t have to eat constantly to keep her energy level up because as a type of mythological creature, she’s actually drawing in energy at all times like Gale and just doesn’t know it.
Is there anything she likes to do in her spare time? Hobbies perhaps? c:
Boxing! At least she used to. I don’t think it was ever a competitive thing for at least while her mom was a live and for a little while afterward, Jacky did boxing. She knows how to defend herself, throw a punch, and dodge. These are all useful things I needed her to know. She’s athletic but in present day is more of a runner than anything. She would do some (realistic) parkour. Aside from that she probably likes to hang out on the couch and watch Stacy play games. She’s used to adventure and isn’t well adjusted to sitting still unless he’s around to entertain her.
Why is Jacky so small compared to Shydog? I mean, Jacky is basically a stick and Shydog is a brick. How does she gain so much mass?
This troubled me for YEARS because from a design perspective, I didn’t like the fact that Shydog and Jacky don’t 'match’. Jacky is very slender, quick and fast to climb and hide. Shydog is stout, powerful and designed to stand and fight. As explained earlier in this post, Shydog assumes this shape because it’s something Jacky can never do in human form. Jacky is very breakable. Shydog is brute force in a can. She’s afraid that her subconscious mind designed the form to be a killing-thing because of a complex relationship she had with another character that she later shot in self defense. In reality, Shydog is just a manifestation of Jacky’s desire to defend herself. As for the gaining mass.. :D I got nothin’ there. Beast said what I had been thinking a while ago. I think she probably just uses matter that’s already around. (I tried to explain it with my werewolves once, when I still interested in working on them, but just failed all over it). This is gonna be one of those rare instances where I say 'because magic’.
When Shydog talks, do they still sound like Jacky or is their voice all weird and distorted?
She sounds like Jacky! Its the same person (Shydog is just a name for Jacky in another form). I always wondered if her voice should sound different because her shape, inside and out, changes, but I guess I figured it’s simpler to just give them the same voice.
Anonymous asked greekceltic:
May I ask why Jacky has a bell on her quills?
That’s her Cat’s Eye. Which is a device created from a real cat eye. I didn’t cover it in this post, but Cat’s Eyes and Winking Cats are a pretty big part of her story arc. But lordy, this post was long enough already. Long story short, than little orange marble is where her clothes go when she shapeshifts. Its the miracle that keeps her from running around naked. I guess I’ll just keep editing this. If y'all have any more questions, let me know. Sorry for the horrendous post length.