SANTINO - Bull Terrier.

[santino]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: #626262][scrolly:w(230),c(626262),as(padding-top: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; font-family: arial; text-transform: lowercase; font-size:10px; letter-spacing: 0px; color: FFFFFF; text align: justify][/scrolly]g e n e r a l Birth Name: Santino Nickname: Tino & Saint Current Age: Six Years Gender: Male Date of Birth: August 14th a p p e a r a n c e Breed: Bull Terrier Eye Color: Brown Coat Color: Brindle & White Visual Reference: Click f a m i l y Mate: None, currently. Pups: None, currently. l i k e s • Intimidating others. • Arguing. • Being infamous. • Lying. • Independence. s t r e n g t h s • Reputation. • Silver Tongue. • Independence. • Fighter. • Strategist.

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: #626262][scrolly:w(230),c(626262),as(padding-top: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; font-family: times new roman; text-transform: lowercase; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0px; color: FFFFFF)][/scrolly]m e m b e r OOC Name: Courage. Gender: Female. Years of Roleplaying: 5+ Referral: Link + Affiliate posted on my forum. Other Characters: Courage. p e d i g r e e Sire: Caesar (Deceased) Breed: Bull Terrier. Dam: Adelaide (Deceased) Breed: Bull Terrier. d i s l i k e s • Questioning his authority. • Being depended on. • Being underestimated. • Idiots or thieves. • Not being trusted. w e a k n e s s e s • Untrustworthy. • Not willing to compromise. • Greedy. • Power hungry. • Domineering. a s s o c i a t i o n Once a stray, always a stray.

f r i e n d s

coming soon

Not very likely, unless you'll be of some use to him; he is capable of friendships, but see's them as more of a 'mutual and acceptable using of another being'. Santino is very independent, and does not see friends as anything but a crutch or (if they prove themselves worthy) a pawn. Otherwise, they may well be a waste of space. If close enough to be considered a 'friend', do not expect any compassion or adoration; you will have respect, as you have earned it. That is all.

e n e m i e s

coming soon

Quite frankly, Santino believes in the motto that 'everyone is your enemy, until they show you otherwise'; that means, once you've met him, you've already made a bad impression. He is never polite to newcomers, whether they are male, female, human, or canine. No one is to be trusted until they've proven their loyalty.

p a c k l i f e

coming soon

The idea of Santino joining any sort of pack is a far-fetched idea at best - but it is not completely out of the question. He considers himself a leader, and a justifiable one at that; and he would not accept leadership from just anyone. If he finds a pack that proves itself useful to him - with a leader that he would not be ashamed to be under the command of - he will join their ranks. Until then, he will remain independent, and perhaps consider owning his own troupe - though, as age progresses on him, his chances of doing so are wearing thinner through the years.

p e r s o n a l i t y

KEYWORDS.
just a few words, the back cover.

Independent • Dominant • Liar • Inconsiderate
Nefarious • Aggressive • Territorial • Cruel

BASIC.
this is what you need to know.

Santino is not your typical storybook villain. Most would perpetuate the dog as a buff, but idiotic thug - but they could be no more wrong in their assumptions. Yes, Santino does have a rather muscular physique, and he does, as a matter of fact, consider himself a thug. The falsehood in the statement is that he is an idiot. Whoever had coined the stereotype that one can not be strong and wise had never met the Bull Terrier - he was very intelligent, even though he used his intelligence for nefarious purposes. Often times this will provide an upper hand - upon first impressions, dogs will consider themselves smarter and braver than Tino; and only when it is too late, they realize their mistake.

This canine has been compared, among many things, to a gangster; it is said he may even be the canine definition of the word. He is bossy, brutal, and above all, he is fearless - this has given him a reputation as being cold, stingy, and (to put it quite nicely) a jerk. Being inconsiderate is something the dog has perfected to the utmost degree; he could care less who he offends, and often times goes out of the way just to do so. If there is anything that whet's the Bull Terriers appetite, it's the rise he gets out of other dogs with his venomous, double-edged words. He has many enemies - in fact, it's not known if the dog has any friends, or is capable of forming a relationship based on trust - and he has the scars to prove it. The most notable scar is that which is presented proudly on the bridge of his nose - a deep, fleshy U-shaped gash.

No one is quite sure what to make of the dogs past - it is formulated from rumors and tall tales, all of which he seems to accept and acknowledge, even going so far as to give them some merit. However, because so many of the stories seem to conflict on certain matters, it can be assumed he is not telling the whole truth - and this is something he prefers to keep that way. When asked about his past, he will simply refer one to the many rumors whispered through the streets; surely, one of them must be true, right?

The most widely accepted story - of not only how he got his reputation, but also that scar - is that when he was a much younger canine, he pissed off the wrong dog; a dog that was known, unsurprisingly, as one of the most brutal pack leaders in the city. Anyone who came to know Santino would certainly agree that this sounds quite a bit like something of his doing. The two got into a violent brawl, and both barely escaped with their lives. However, the other dog left the city quite abruptly, without so much as a word to his followers or companions - nor to his nemesis - and the pack could do nothing but disband, as the ties between the members began to wither with no solid leadership. So, it has come to be said that Santino is nearly immortal - and has come to be hated, and feared, by any who know his story.

IN DEPTH.
a little deeper; a little more complex.

Many of the things Santino enjoys taking part in may seem cruel to others - but then again, he has a very sadistic and twisted sense of humor when it comes to others. Tino's favorite past times include intimidating others, either with his harsh words, or his actions - which may or may not be direct threats to the safety of the receiver. He is always getting into verbal arguments, and being sarcastic whilst doing so. He takes pride in being known, and feared, by most dogs on the street - and if they're not scared of him then, they will be once they've met him. He revels in getting his way; either through honest intentions, or lying - though he prefers the latter - less work, and often a more worthy outcome. Finally, perhaps the most adored thing in his book, is just so: Santino doesn't have to give a damn about anything, or any one, except Santino.

There are many things in the world that Santino has taken a certain dislike for - and most of them are for selfish reasons, understandably. When his authority is questioned or disregarded by ignorant or arrogant canines, he is quick to anger, and has a temper like a bull. Another hatred of his is being expected to do something - he loves to disappoint people, but he hates being made to feel responsible for anything or anyone but himself. People who underestimate him because of his size or age; or mock him for either. Though he is very much a thief, he does not believe others should take from him - it's more of a double standard than anything. What is most confusing about his attitude is that he becomes aggravated when others call him out for being a liar - he expects others to trust him blindly, despite proving (more than once) that he is not worthy of such loyalty.

Santino believes he has more strengths than he does weaknesses - and while this may not be true, there is no way to convince him otherwise; he hardly finds fault within himself, but is quick to find it in others. One of the things he remains most proud of is his reputation; which saves him from having to exert more effort than is minimally required to get his way in any given situation. Santino has a silver tongue - this means his comebacks are swift and powerful. He is quick on his feet when it comes to personal attacks or witty banter; he also commonly uses his words to get his way, twisting his own words, or those of others - he is quite the wordsmith. Due to his independence, he does not have anyone that can be a 'weakness' for him - so threatening his loved ones is not a suitable threat; which, to many would not seem like a strength, but with his reputation and tendency to be hated, it comes in handy. He is a valiant fighter, and equally versed in the use of strategy in physical and mental matters - he does not simply rush into battle, crazy with blood-lust.

Because of his nature as a liar and a deceiver, Santino draws a thin line between enemies and friends. Except that he has many more of the former. He is not trustworthy, and often turns his own friends against him. Seeing as he is not willing to compromise or work with others - he often makes it harder on himself to get what he needs, because he feels the world owes him, but he owes nothing to the world or anyone who inhabits it. Perhaps the word that most people would use to explain him would be greedy; a selfish and devious being who simply wants things his way, or no way at all. Santino is excessively power hungry - this ties in with his avarice, and he will go as far as possible, pushing the envelope to its uttermost limits in order to be just a step ahead of everyone else.

p h y s i q u e

Truth be told, his looks perfectly accentuate his personality - his interior is every bit as sharp, tough, and thick as his exterior seems to be. His build was incredibly bull-like, in appreciation of his breed's name - and he would often be described as stout, husky, or rigid. Beneath his thin, smooth coat, there is a thick layer of sinewy muscle, which seems to ripple with every step; it was no exaggeration to say that this dog made a intimidating first impression. Not to mention various amounts of jagged scars that accentuate his physique - most dogs can act tough, but few dogs have the merits to prove it.

While most dogs in his breed standard are a pristine, milky white, Santino is not a bit like their - sure, he has his white points, mainly on his neck, stomach, and nose bridge; but what sets him apart from most is the mahogany brindle that paints itself across the canvas of his fur. He has a bit of a mask which includes a thick 'eyeliner' of black around his eyes. This seems to make him look every bit as devious as his nature provides. He is rather proud of his looks, though he does nothing to keep them presentable to others, aside from making himself look as large and dangerous as he possibly can.

His brown eyes, which in most dogs seem serene and doe-like, are every bit like the piercing blue eyes of a husky; they seem to leer and twinkle with mischief, though they seem to have no describable light in their depths. They are cold and calculating, and do not often look upon the face of another dog without some hint of disgust or displeasure. Much like his eyes, his facial expressions leave much to be desired - he is often considered distant, with a stoic and blank expression the common aesthetic.

b i o g r a p h y

• He was born of his mother, Adelaide, and his father, Caesar, more so out of necessity than of pleasure or lust. From the very moment he formed in the womb, he was intended to be sold - not by a reputable breeder, as one might assume from the history of seemingly every purebred that walks the street - this dog never had a future on the stage, despite his seemingly clear lineage. He was not bred from parents plucked from thousands of dogs for their ample genetics, he was never going to be the ideal Bull Terrier - he was simply born from two dogs, brought together by a poor man's hope of turning a profit on their young.

• Surely enough, once his eyes had opened, and he was weaned from his mother - he was set up for the solid price of $800, which was actually considerably reasonable, at least to the owner, for a purebred dog. However, no one had thought to tell the man that people would only pay top dollar - and yes, $800 was quite a fetch for a non-registered, non-reputable breeder - if they knew the puppies would not grow into health problems and thousands in vet bills as time wore on.

• Santino's parents were no exemplary set of stock; and in fact, had several disqualifications that any breeder worth their weight would have simply taken as a notion to toss the dogs aside. First, and foremost, his mother Adelaide had blue eyes - the single most disqualifying trait for the breed standard. And while it was, of course, a recessive gene, because they carried it in their blood, Santino and his siblings were more likely to produce children with blue eyes; in other words, they would produce undesirable offspring, and were then, themselves, undesirable.

• When the owner could not find homes for the dogs, he drove the price down - $700, $600, $500 - but still, he got no takers. It was not that the dogs did not deserve a home - but no one, especially in the poor neighborhood he inhabited, could afford these dogs; something that he would come to see in time. Many of the puppies had become sick - unable to get their shots, immunizations, and boosters. Poor as he was, the man could not afford to do all of this - and because the dogs had remained in his care for so long, that was six more mouths to feed; eight more than he had the resources for (parents included).

• Santino and his siblings were separated from their parents at eighteen weeks, and dropped at the humane society - which was not accepting dogs at the time - but that did not stop him from leaving them in the box in front of the door, on which was scribbled 'dont hav muney to care for these pupies, plese take care of them'. All of the puppies - save for Santino - were horrified, stuck the sides of the box, huddled together and whimpering; they did not understand what stood before them. The danger, and the lack of opportunity that laid just beyond that door - especially in a poor neighborhood where people didn't have the money to adopt a dog, and a shelter didn't have the money to take care of more dog's themselves.

• Santino, on the other hand, would not simply sit here, drowning in the scent of fear and cowardice; the air in this box had become stifling and he could feel himself suffocating. It did not take long for him to decide he was going to get out of here - and his siblings could follow if they wanted, but it was not likely that they would want to. So, with a stretch, a jump, and some scrambling, he made his way over the side of the thick cardboard prison, and flopped down onto the cool concrete of the porch. He set about exploring, smelling the scents of the hundreds of dogs who had gone in the door - some had come back out, but many's scent ended once you reached the front door - except for the old, faded stench of their tracks from many months ago. It was an unsettling feeling, and Santino made quick work of getting out of there; his siblings, despite his coercing, would not go. He was never really sure what happened to them since then.

• Grew up on the street, quickly learning that life was not all it was cracked up to be. He was already rather hardhearted as a pup, but his heart became quickly set in stone as the years passed.

• He had a run in with Ezekiel, who proved to be just as much a troublemaker as Santino - and he had a whole pack to back him up. Luckily, this dog was anything but a cheater, and agreed to a one on one fight with the dog - but it likely wasn't out of fairness, but out of vanity; he was sure he could kill Santino quickly, with little effort. A few choice words were shared, and it broke out into a brawl. Santino survived the fight - with lots of lost blood (mainly due to a large gash on his face which would later come to be his trademark scar), and a serious limp. Though they both healed rather cleanly in time, too much physical exertion can bring out the many physical problems that still reside just below his muscles and skin.

• Ezekiel, likely embarrassed that he could not kill such a small dog, decided to leave town in order to reserve what little pride he had managed to salvage after the fight. With no leader, his group was forced to disband - while it would have been a logical step for Santino to take over the gang, he did not want to be tethered down; nor did he choose these followers, and they did not seem suitable for his needs - they seemed the bottom of the food chain, and would prove of no use to him in the end, after all the responsibility he had to take in order to command them.

p l o t t i n g

insert plot thread here, and other posts