Post by Basil of Baker Street on Feb 6, 2011 9:50:02 GMT -5
~~~Welcome to Dreaming of Utopia!~~~
~~~The Basics~~~
Character Image
Character Name
Basil of Baker Street
Character's Origin
Basil The Great Mouse Detective
~~~About My Character~~~
What is your character's history? Are they a hero, or a villain, a sidekick or guardian? What has happened to them in their lives to make them the way they are today?
Basil is a Detective (and a mouse), of a thoroughly logical mind, but he is a hero, and uses his skills for good. Over the years he has solved dozens of cases with the assistance of his good friend, Doctor David Q Dawson. There was a time, however, when Basil worked alone, and this was how he preferred it. He could work swiftly, bypassing the slowness and inaccuracy of the Police, and jumping two steps ahead of them to head off any villain he was pursuing.
In his younger days, after his school days were done, he began to set himself up as an amateur Detective, being of sharp mind and thoroughly observant, and absorbed himself in petty crimes like minor theft. While he grew more and more skilled in the ways of the detective, he found himself struggling to maintain interest in his cases, and began to push further to discover things that were more challenging than the little mouse of the household having misplaced her Mothers jewellery, mistaken as stolen. He needed mental stimulation, and gradually found he had no desire to investigate a crime if it was simple enough a matter for the Police to handle.
Finally, he found a spark- a murder most foul, with a dozen suspects, it took months for him to unravel it, but he solved the puzzle. The triumph of success was only half of the victory. The challenge he had faced, and two particular suspects abhorrence for him, all built up the sensation of relief and quiet pride when a callous young Rat was arrested for the crime. It was from then on that he began to take fees which he decided upon, that he had the ability to do so, after news of his involvement hit the public. After a few months of this, he became far more reclusive, and refused to have his name emblazoned across the paper every time he had been involved- a side note, if any, would suffice, and occasionally he gave full credit to others rather than himself.
He found the rooms of 221B Baker Street comfortable, and reasonable, and Mrs Judson proved to be an eternally patient mouse when he had settled himself there to roost, as incredibly messy as it became, strewn with papers, chemicals, costumes and other paraphernalia he required. And here he happily lived alone, with only the Housekeeper popping in and out, as well as his clients.
The very first case he took with a partner in tow was up against his longest held foe, Professor Ratigan. Ratigan was the Napoleon of Crime, the mysterious evil force behind most of the crimes in London, whom Basil pitted his wits against over and over, each time narrowly missing capturing him.
One awful stormy night, when Basil clattered into his residence in the guise of a Chinese mouse, he discovered Dr. Dawson waiting for him, along with a little girl named Olivia Flaversham, whose Father had been kidnapped. His attention was elsewhere, and the depression of a dead end threatened to consume him for the evening, until he discovered that Ratigan was involved in the little girls plight. Jumping at the chance to apprehend the villain, he set off immediately with Dawson in tow (and reluctantly, Olivia too).
Over the course of the case, Olivia was kidnapped as well, but Basil persisted in locating Ratigans hide out. He and Dawson were lured there and captured, and it seemed like the end of everything- of their lives, of the case, of the entire Mouse empire, as the Queen was now in danger.
It was at this point that Basil realised he needed someone like Dawson; a reliable and trustworthy friend who would always have faith in him, and keep him on track. It was this friend who knocked sense back into Basil when he was just about to give up, and resulted in their fantastic escape and eventual rescue of the Queen, Oliva’s Father and Olivia. Ratigan went for one last dastardly pushed and snatched the girl again as he made his escape, but the trio of good mice chased him in flight (literally), before Basil finally had his last great stand off with his nemesis at the very top of Big Ben.
Ratigan was defeated, the case was solved, and Basil learnt that having someone along side him was a good thing, gaining a partner as well as having saved all of mousedom from a tyrant.
Describe your character's personality. What are their strengths and weaknesses, what are their passions? What qualities do they have that are good or bad?
He delights in a riddle to be solved, something intriguing and challenging. However, when he hits a dead end or has no work worthy to exercise his mind with, he falls into a mild state of depression and boredom, and takes to his cherished violin sulkily. Basil is prone to mood swings because of this, switching from energetic and excited to sullen and despondent, dependent upon how his work is going. He can be cool and short with others when in the middle of a thought process, though he never means to be hard on those close to him. When on a case, he is prone to leaving things to be revealed and explained later, rather than to immediately discuss what he has divulged. His greatest skill, of course, is that of deduction, and a patriotic determination to stop criminals and help those in need.
~~~Sample~~~
Give us a small sample of how you will play your character. Give us at least three paragraphs.
The rain battered the windows of 221B, Baker Street, and it seemed as though a gale was blowing outside. Mrs Judson was flapping about, worrying that they would be flooded, but Basil knew the water would divert away from their front door by the slight curvature of the pavement outside, and remained lounging in the arm chair where he was delicately tuning his violin.
This was a moment of solitude- he needed to think, and therefore needed to clear his mind with the exercise of music. He cleared his throat before raising the instrument to his shoulder, nestling it there with his chin and cheek and ensuring his whiskers were not in danger of being damaged against the strings. His thin tail curled around the arm of the char, out of the way, and he began a slow, lilting melody, drawing the bow back and forth skilfully as Mrs Judson continued to bustle about the rooms, tutting and chattering to herself irritably about the weather and its awful turn.
There was a loud shot from the human household above- Basil knew well the sound of a pistol firing- and the crack of the wall as bullets became embedded into it. A smile gradually graced his face, but only for a moment, as he allowed himself to move with the music a little and relax. He was entering the alpha state, clearing his mind feeling all tensions and trivialities washing away with the music of the violin…
~~~Bonding~~~
Why this character? What draws you to them, what makes you want to play them? Do you have anything in common with them?
I have to say, I don’t have anything in common with Basil, because he’s so very intelligent and I’m usually awful at solving riddles and things
However, I think this is why I’m drawn to him. It’s a character I admire, and of course, he is inspired by Sherlock Holmes, and was my first introduction to that literary character as a child, and I’m a Victoriana freak now. I absolutely loved this film when I was young, and I still absolutely love it now- even more, in fact.What would you like your custom title to be? This can be anything you like in reference to your character and will appear under your name.
Great Mouse Detective
Who else do you play here?
No one else currently!
~~~Newbies~~~
What is your name? (If you're not comfortable telling us your real name, that's fine. Just give us a pen name that we can use when addressing you.)
My name is Rachel.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Well, as mentioned above, I adore Victorian things, especially the literature, and I have many books from Alice in Wonderland to War of the Worlds gracing my shelf, along with many others. I’m studying Film Production at University, so I have a big love and interest in the word of film too, and it gives me far more appreciation of Disney movies, as well as all others, that I couldn’t have had as a kid.
How did you find us?
Through one of your other members, Bertie
What do you think of the site so far?
It looks lovely- especially the starry background, it’s just like the flooring in the Disney shop! And everyone seems very friendly.
Did you pm The Dreamer with the secret sentence? (If you haven't, check the rules!)
I am just on my way to do that now.
