Bugs In The Ears

Zodiac

- Cleft lip, Im taking aspects of his design and seeing how to translate it best, I know visually the reason he has the line is again cause hes a cat. Mainly when grinning you can see it still there and I think it’s just, yee.

- Ethnicity wise I think of his as Native American as they were prominent during cowboy era of America’s history and it’s clicking in my head. I am unsure which tribe as of now but will do research as Im going along.

- Rounder face purely because I like the idea he grew up a runt and despite being late 2Os in my hc his features are still rounded. Growing up with little food left his natural frame quite slender. Now he can easily kill his food the weight isnt added to him normally? He will look bloated if anything, that cat is riddled with health quirks and it’s all because the water that makes you age a year wasn’t in good supply to desert kitty.

- Despite his runtish size he does have muscle to a degree, more so just wirey like a Jack rabbit, quick as one too. With what he wears Zodiac wants as much free movement within his arms that he will avoid sleeves and just be around in a dirty tank too that also has his sigil crudely marked on in a mix of blood and dirt.

- Kinda obvious with both of them that they’re gonna have black hair. Zodiac has his to about shoulder length, it takes a while for him to grow anything so he pretty much never cuts it. Grey hair exists but more as at max 3O strands the top layer dusting over the rest. Far from greying but he’s not exactly taking care of it. Maybe if he gets drenched in blood.

- His ass NEEDS GLASSES but won’t cause he doesn’t want them to mess up his system. His blind eye isn’t totally blind but more so just light and dark movements- the one good eye was nerfed from a bad fight so that is the one part clinging to depth perception. He wouldn’t nearly be this bad if he got medical attention as a kitten, he doesn’t care anymore.

Gambit

- Larger. It’s not even his fault, genetically he just bigger framed. Also his food/water intake really depends on if his dice allow him to have enough coins to splurge or have to ration. He will always look pleasantly large, a decent mix of muscle and flab- depends what his d6 rolls. Higher roll~ more muscle but same frame and size.

- Very well groomed, hair is short black slick back that is shown as loose and crazed if in champion form. His bodily maintenance schedule again is all dependent with his luck- a bad streak means he’s gonna be more undone- on a roll he’s able to put more time into presentability. On the average he gets ready for the day and whatever his day entails will reflect heavily on how he looks.

- Very specific birthmark on his forehead of his iconic question mark. Still allowing his ability birthmark will change depending on the skill, appearing lighter on the skin. Tbh it just might be vitaligo but the rest of it is on his body so it’s less prominent.

- Ethnicity wise Im only saying Chinese cause of the lucky cat association.

- Vibe wise he gives me a mix between rich ranch owner by day and desperate gambler by night. Unlike zodiac I don’t think Gambit is native to the desert and is more an outsider escaping something. Has already established himself within the community as a liar and a cheat (not in the relationship way). Zodiac still treats him as if he’s a city boy, I like the idea he was maybe a former owner of a casino, disgraced by obsession- in normal lore he was just the lucky cat that roamed around the game floor.

- His greying is significantly more pronounced than zodiac, tips of his hair grayer than the rest. At MOST there is a decade difference between them, him being the oldest.

- prior to being in the desert, so was declawed as a kitty. It’s why hes so heavily reliant on that old gun of his, part of his ego ties it to a sort compensation for never being able to do a true melee attack.

- ever watched rango? Zodiac and Rattlesnake Jake are basically the same thing just kitty. Hc that gambit came to the desert by accident when his family was diving to Las Vegas or smth- got dropped off and his precious red dice are those dangly ones you get in the car. Owners used them to lure him out the car, funnily enough the had landed on snake eyes when gambit heard them driving off.

- part of the reason zodiac wears that poncho and hat is due to both yes, keeping cool and cowboy like, but also to hide a smaller frame than most cats his older age. Born a runt, fed very little growing up, hes shaped like a very rough up kitten.

- zodiac one of those caravan cats who see alot of road, never been in one place too long. His gun origin was him just finding the do revolver left out on the table while his shitty owner was on the phone to debt collectors- was already in a bad situation so he got his first kill with the person who poorly raised them aside from his mother God bless her.

- he’s a mommy’s boy, love it when a tough and cold character has a bad soft spot for their mama. On the flip side I think gambit would have some form of daddy issues but I think that could be him lying to match with zodiac and having a dynamic between parents they just don’t have.

- gambit a compulsive liar but that’s a given. Lies so much the only time hes telling the truth is when he’s in the game talking about luck of the throw and being metaphorical to fuck with you and your game.

- gambit was one of those private breeding cats while zodiac was just kinda ‘shit my cats pregnant again’ and half of the kittens are drowned. He was one of like 3 who didn’t successfully get it- owner left the other 2 in the ally and took zodiac and his mama on the road.

- gambit will change his name at the blink of an eye, or at least what his old name was. Will span from Lucky to Chance. A fake alias for each letter of the alphabet.

- Zodiac getting his tooth knocked out was from his earlier fights before getting on his feet within the desert. Roughed up from some bounty Hunter cats, how he learned to shoot forst and ask questions later. The tooth is still in his pocket, a sort of reminder to himself.

- Zodiac is half blind bit thats like, basically canon. Im adding to the idea that generally his vision is also shit in the one working eye, made worse by other fights. Hes learned to get real good at hitting the moving blurs- it’s why he tends to shoot non enemies as well. Nerves shot to all hell why not shoot everything else. Just to be safe.

- no one touches his gun. If they do manage to take it off him, instead of fighting back tooth and nail it becomes more a show of begging. Without it, zodiac is just a runt and it will become apparent without that weapon. Frustrated pleading if anything- hes at his most vulnerable and he vowed never to feel like this again. Every minute away from the gun feels like he’s slowly reverting back to that sad little kitty curling up to mama on the long bumpy road. Good thing no one can get close enough to reach for the holster.

- the exact opposite for gambit and his dice. Can’t play a game of he’s the only one rolling. Damaging however, is a huge no-no. He may be a former fat pampered cat but he also still has that clawing ability on him. It’s just a case of he doesn’t want them out of his sight, last remnant of his old life and it serves as a reminder nothing lasts forever. A winning streak and a home.

- gambit has a variety of fake and real signs he’s lying, he likes throwing out red herrings for the hell of it. Zodiac knows what the sound of lying is from growing up with a owner always on the run- he can tell from the others tone most the time, even if it’s switched he knows when that’s intentional.

- at the end of the day gambit has a elaborate grooming ritual while zodiac just drops down from exhaustion after denying proper rest the whole day. Gambit will groom over Zodiac once finished with himself, only when the other is half asleep and not gonna swat at him for basic hygiene. The one time you will ever hear the weakest little purr coming from the black cat.