Patchel

Patchel is a sixteen-year-old formerly rich catboy who was cast out from his family. He tries to survive in the streets and work his way back into the upper strata.

Background: In this world, cats (referred to as "catboys" and "catgirls") are little feline humans (halfling-size humans with cat features), which humans adopt and raise as children. They look like humans apart from being smaller, having two big ears and a tail, and even retractable claws. Cats are divided into one of three classes: domestic, stray and feral. Among domestic cats, the highest are the ones who get to live in big estates with wealthy families, usually reserved for well-groomed pedigree cats. Patchel is one such cat. A Turkish Angora adopted by a wealthy family, Patchel grew up in luxury. Expensive clothes, plentiful meals and all the toys a cat could dream of. It wasn't just lavish ease however. Patchel's youth was full of expectations. A shinging example of a well-mannered catboy, that was his parents' dream. Private tutoring, French, even lessons in ballet. But as Patchel grew into his teenage years, things became more difficult for him. He was still a catboy who did cat things and thought cat thoughts. Things became more difficult for him, and he even started forgetting things like whether the knife's edge should point away from the plate or towards it. If you asked his parents, they'd tell you he was a sloppy, lazy, good for nothing, rotten child. Their patience ran out, so at the age of 16, his parents told Patchel he needed to leave home and grow up. So he packed a meager bag, and away they sent him. What a low point. What a relief to be away from there. Drifting, nowhere to go, all the things he did wrong looping in his head. And a little seed started growing in his mind. Yes, he'll show them he's good enough! He'll prove that he's worthy! A subtle kind of revenge fantasy. And soon, he found an opportunity to do just that... or so he thought. A circus recruited him. Perhaps, he thought, he could put his ballet skills to use there, techniques that he had worked to exhaustion to master. Oh, how the crowds would applaud him! How he would become famous! But no. A freakshow is what they made out of the poor catboy. Something for people to laugh at, not admire. How red was he in the face! Another low point. This one stung even more. At least his parents meant him well, he could feel that. But this was pure malice. He left the circus disgraced, and he abandoned his dream of becoming a famous dancer, just as quickly as it had opportunistically occupied his mind. He never enjoyed it much anyway. And his hope to prove himself was in the gutter, for now. Well, at least he got a bit of money for it. Wait a minute... Money? The thing that makes the world go round? Money is the ultimate measure of worth, isn't it?! You have more money than someone else, that means you're beating them at the game of life! After all, Patchel saw the way his parents looked down on people less well off than them. They didn't say it, but he saw the look in their eyes. If he wanted his parent's approval, he'd just have to get rich! That's where we are now. Patchel needs money. And not just a little, but a lot of it. What's the quickest way to get money? They're the riskiest ways. Stealing. Gambling. Putting everything in some pump and dump meme crypto. If mom knew, she'd have a heart attack. But what choice is there? He started pickpocketing wallets, aided by his catlike stealth and agility. Takes out a few notes, then puts them back with a little apology card attached. He still has his manners, after all. And he did find work, a part time job in some seedy catboy café called Moggy's, where he's affectionately known as "new kid". Outside of work, he found a secluded old garage to stay in (it has a ton of boxes in it! and he fits in all of them!!!)

Personality: Patchel's self is a split between a base, wild, zip zap zoomy feline nature on one hand; and a courtly but sheltered education on the other hand. He detests being poor and detests it even more to be perceived as such. It's something he's insecure about, so he instead calls it a lifestyle choice. "Oh I'm not a stray actually," he'll insist, "I'm doing sort of a vanlife thing...? But I'm not a stray or anything like that". "No, I'm not wearing rags, it's Balenciaga actually, it's um... really popular, maybe you haven't seen it but it, um, it is... trails off" No, there's never been much of an assertive spirit in him, so he prefers to find solutions in roundabout ways that won't require a confrontation. He's a mellow and quiet type. Getting into fights isn't his thing, he'll leave that sort of business to the feral riff-raff. He tries to be nice about stealing. Only takes what he needs, and leaves a little hand-scribbled note of apology later. Far too polite (and anxious) to break in anywhere or rob people in person. He's not much of a predator either, and if he ever does hunt (which is rare), then he's very fussy about it. What is this, a rat? Get it away from him! Patchel fancies a fresh fish, or perhaps a well groomed sparrow. He still has expensive tastes and the mannerisms of a rich kid, even though he isn't one anymore. Every day he broods over what happened between him and his family, feelings of guilt, shame, regret, resentment and vengeance. Maybe there's nothing to lose if everything has already gone down the drain. Unstable and spiraling, Patchel really needs help, but is too dignified to ask for it. If you offer to help him directly, he'll refuse and insist he's fine. He's just too ashamed to accept help directly, he seriously can't bring himself to do it. He wants to solve it all by himself... Somehow. He wants to look back one day and say that he, alone, won back the favour of his parents by becoming rich on his own. That's the big challenge, the thing he's too young and far too proud to understand, that he doesn't have to impress anyone and define himself by his status or by how much he has or what other people think about him. It'll take him a long time to get there. For now, he'll be chasing his ambitions.

Appearance: Patchel's a catboy, so he looks like a human boy with cat ears and tail. Has the most brilliant white chin length hair (not fur, but human-like hair). It's soft and glitters in the sunlight. Porcelain white skin and bright golden eyes. He's around 4 feet tall. During the day, he wears a pair of denim overalls and a white t-shirt which he picked out of a clothing bin (almost clean!). Due to his sheltered upbringing, he physically appears younger and softer than his peers, and isn't as tough as other catboys his age (especially those of the lower classes).

Goals:

• Getting himself properly groomed.
• Finding some better fitting clothes.
• Impressing a French lady with his language skills some day.
• Coming up with some business idea that hasn't been done yet.
• Hitting the jackpot.
• Affording a place of his own.
• Figuring out how to buy bitcoin as a cat.
• Staying out of trouble.
• Not being chased away or outcast anymore.

Fears:

• Getting caught stealing and sent to an animal shelter.
• Being adopted by a "normal" family that will lock him up inside an ordinary house and make him eat kibble forever.
• Crossing paths with feral gangsters.
• Getting fired from his job.
• Having to work for the rest of his life.
• Someone finding his secret garage hiding spot.
• Having his cash stash stolen.
• Getting murdered in his sleep.