Lucidum

Lucidum is a furry from Portland, Oregon, born in 1987 or 1988. A dedicated, if lazy, writer and artist, Lucidum was going through a lot of "furry soul searching" in 2010 for about a year, as his previous fursonas have been attempts to settle on a permanent gender and species, and have thus far failed to suit the artist's needs, beliefs, and short attention span.

Fursonas
Originally a wolf named Ookamishichiyou (Wolf Moon in Japanese), and eventually changing into a shapeshifting, chimeric fursona going by the same name, Lucidum's original fursona felt ill-defined and more like a character than a furry version of himself.

His second fursona was a raptor named Comah (short for Comahuensis, part of the scientific name of the raptor species he chose), which lasted for quite some time until yet again he got bored and desired to change species.

He attempted several more fursonas, including Flux, another shape-changing, yet ill-defined chimera, and Longi, a hermaphroditic Gorgonops (a prehistoric predecessor to mammals). Eventually (in 2010 September), he realized that his most recent fursona, yet another chimera named "Lucidum," was what could be his true self, that perhaps his short attention span and constant species and gender changing was a part of who he really was. Thusly, he adopted the following as his true, complete fursona:

Lucidum

 * Full Designation: AIU-0888 "Lucidum"
 * Species: N/A- Lab created chimeriform
 * Sex: N/A- Sexless
 * Height: 5'4"
 * Weight: 135 lbs
 * Function: Multi-Role Infiltration, Seduction, Sabotage, and Psychological Warfare; Proof-of-Concept Experimental Design.

Bio: Created in a joint effort between the military and the shadowy Gestalt Research Corporation, "Lucidum," as the experiment has come to be called for its distinctive "eyeshine," was created for infiltration of enemy organizations through seduction. The creature's body is made up of nondifferentiated cell clusters, similiar to those of a planarian worm, which allow rapid adaptation to nearly any environment, regenerative capabilities, and genetic incorporation. This, combined with a completely artificial recombinant DNA structure, allows it to take genetic samples, nominally obtained through sexual intercourse (which, given its natural sexless form, is accomplished solely anally or orally, as it has no genitalia) from semen or vaginal fluid. This sample, once obtained, is incorporated into the AIU-0888's "blank slate" genetic structure, adding a randomly determined focal trait, most often simple ones such as fur color or pattern, sex, species, etc. These randomly determined traits accumulate over a number of samples, meaning that, essentially, Lucidum is able to absorb traits from a single sexual partner (ideally a seduced enemy leader or other person of import) until they are an exact copy of said target with the intent of replacing them for strategic or political purposes. This is, however, a relatively slow process, and experimentation indicates that it takes approximately 1000-1500 genetic samples to enable complete copying of a target's form, and then the form is only sustainable for up to three days. After which time Lucidum's natural cell structure and immune system manages to absorb and overcome the invasive, adopted genetic code. Note that the creation's name, "Lucidum," originates from its distinctive blue-silver "eyeshine," which is, for reasons unknown, the only physical trait belonging to AIU-0888 that, despite repeated experimentation, is always apparent regardless of the number of genetic samples taken by it.

Lucidum's original, natural, "default" form is of a speciesless fur, with ebon black fur, glowing reflective blue-silver eyes, and no apparent species or sex, with no external genitalia or sexual characteristics, and, despite being mammallian in appearance, no discernable link to any one animal known. Due to the creature's unique cell and genetic structure, it eventually absorbs all DNA samples taken into itself, completely purging itself of all derived traits. However, this process is slow, and at any time between test missions, it will retain traits from previous encounters. More experimentation regarding the length of time it takes to completely purge its system is required, but tests indicate that it may take as long as twelve months to completely purge a target's full genetic code from its systems.

With military concerns about the length of time it takes for the creature to fully copy a target's form, AIU-0888 does possess an alternative method to shapeshifting. To take a complete genetic sample all at once, Lucidum is capable of voring or unbirthing (if currently in a female form) a target fur, taking their entire body within its own, encaspulating them and breaking down their genetic code in a few short days, allowing for perfect mimicry in less than a week. With a range of different body types and species targeted in mind, the chimera is able to unhinge its jaw like a snake, and its gullet and stomach are able to stretch more than ten times their original size and still remain pliable, tight, and supple. The disadvantage to this is, for one, the target is absorbed and broken down completely, meaning that they are effectively killed. Secondly, this genetic code breakdown overloads Lucidum's genetic structure, forcing it into the target form immediately following complete absorbtion, which requires a lengthy amount of time for 0888's body to recover from, effectively trapping it in the form until it can recuperate. This method is only adviseable if no other options are available.