Tanuchan

o.O I'm intrigued to say the least.... count me in too - however, depending on the amount of time and/or activity level needed for it, I might have to ask to be excused from it since I don't have too much free time available. PM me if this disqualifies me from your activity

Yay! Always glad to welcome new players!

Danelle Cortéz, 28, executive secretary. Tall, copper-haired with very light green eyes, and slightly freckled face. She wears her wavy hair shoulder-length, usually in a loose bun when at work. She has an easy smile, a somewhat exuberant character, and a rather passionate temperament under tight control most of times. Though discreet at work, she has an affair with Dan Gray (Mith's character). She'll go to the party wearing the costume of the Big Bad Wolf, making a pair with Little Red Riding Hood. If anyone wants to be her best friend and confident (possibly a guy, but girls are welcome too), let me know! And LRRH is already taken, so maybe you'll consider being a stranded Fairy Godmother? ~~~~ OOC: I'll be soooo lynched in first round!

I'm in, character and costume to come

I'd be in Open a signup, see who appears?

"Ack!" Tanny ducked without thinking twice, at the same time shapechanging into a wolf for the agility it gave her. Part of her mind saw an owl splattering against Wyv, and wondered when Patham had changed back. Hope seeing guinea pigs isn't making a mess of his owl insctincts... She chuckled despite the situation, promptly peeking just a nose out from under the table to see what had happened. She had just the time to hear Mynx' muffled oath as she fell on Wyvern. And she'll claim she has used all her feline grace, I'm sure.... better not tell her what I saw... An amused glint came to her eyes, and then she blinked as she saw a blur of movement towards the researcher's lab coat. It was almost too fast for her to see, but she was sure that their little guest had, for some reason, jumped straight into his pocket. Then something heavy fell on her, squeezing all breath out of herself. Her fangs snapped back at her attacker, and Stephen nearly got his ear snapped off. ::Stephen! This is not funny, get yourself off!:: The drunk ranger blinked warily, a hand checking his ear while his mind tried to correlate the smell of tangerines, the sudden instinctive urge to duck out of trouble's way, and the softly furred shape just under him.

Tanny looked at Stephen with a mix of astonishment and incredulity, spiced with a pinch of disgust and worry. "He's... drunk?!" she whispered, as Patham helped him towards their table. "I'd say it seems to, Wuffie... " Mynx chuckled, using one of her kitten minions to examine Stephen from head to toes. "And very happy about it, too." As Stephen sat rather heavily between Mynx and herself, Tanny gave him her most stern glare. "Stephem Hascodem, you're drunk!" "Mmmhmmm?" Stephen grinned toothily, nodding appreciatively in his friend's general direction. "Naw... 'fcursnot... jusht a tad... thpshy... g'whssksy they hav..." He smelled the drinks on the table with interest, wondering a bit about the furry, warm something that kept escaping his fingers as he tried to grab the glasses. He kept missing, until Mynx wrapped his fingers around a mug. "Wssksy?" "No. Coffee. Black." Mynx had a very firm voice, thought Stephen, trying to decide whether he should drink that. ::Silly ranger.... you should know better! How could you even think about promoting whisky without remembering Whisky?:: Stephen frowned at that, and Tanny rolled eyes as the muddled answer came, ::You'r... bab... dabbln... whisshky's whisksy...:: "Just drink that." She said with finality, noticing Venefyxatu and waving to him, inviting him to join their table. Mynx muttered something, and Tanny turned at The Researcher as Mynx completed, "I wonder if he's planning to turn us into test subjects... you'd think people has never seen bipedal tigresses before..." Tanny refrained from commenting that, and then waved also to Whisky in Babylon to shout a warm congratulation to her.

Blby seemed to hesitate, possibly scared by all the noise and the presence of the minion who was still sniffing him in a very curious and friendly manner. Tanny looked around to be sure everything else was relatively alright - she would hate to have to rescue Wyvern from a dissecting table, for example. She looked at Mynx, who seemed also puzzled by Blby but had already conjured something for him to drink. Pig seemed rather comfortable in The Researcher's pocket, licking at tangerine remnants. "Hmm... Kitty, maybe we need someone who understands these little guys better than us..." "Someone who doesn't naturally eat them, you mean?" She grinned, chuckling and looking at Patham, still sprawled on the floor and apparently trying to decide whether he'd be safer there or as an owl. "More or less... " She also grinned, and deftly picked a thread of Earth to facilitate communication with her friend. ::Stephen? Stephen, stop smoking - I can sense that smell even from a simple Earth link!:: She wrinkled her nose, disgusted at the sensed smell of Stephen's malodorous cigarettes. ::Those will end up killing you - not the least because some beast will think you're trying to poison it.:: All she had back for the moment - strangely - was an amused chuckling, and something she wasn't quite sure what was meant - her friend gave her a generally dizzy sensation. ::Please, can you come to the Cabaret Room? I think you might help us... it's a bit... messy around here... are you alright, Stephen?::

Tanny smiled hearing that mewing, for the kitten minion were really cute. Though she knew also that they could be dangerous, and hoped that Mynx had all of them well trained. Mynx seemed to pick that thought, and frowned at ther. Tanny had the grace of blushing - well, she knew Mynx well enough by now to be sure she wouldn't let the minions harm anyone or anything she herself wouldn't. "So, kitty... what do we do now?" She whispered, stiffling a giggling as she felt something brush against her legs under the table. It seems Bartleby is a bit afraid... She felt then a slight pressure against her legs, and just visualized the small Bartleby scuttling backwards and being stopped by her legs. "Wait and see what happens?" Mynx lifted an eyebrow, still amused by what her Mage Sight revealed. Tanny suddenly remembered that the last she had seen of Ozy, he was ducking under a table. And without a second thought, she stooped to check exactly who and what was brushing against her legs. "Ouch!" Tanny rubbed her head, having banged it against the table when she drew away, startled to have met Bartleby's big eyes staring directly up at her when she had checked under the table. The noise seemed to frighten the small guest even more, and she apologized. "Sorry, I didn't want to startle you... come, how about a small drink with us? I'm sure the others are too distracted among themselves... " she waved a hand to mean the confusion behind them "... to pay attention to two girls and a guest in a quiet table." She smiled, a bit puzzled by all the nervousness she sensed in Bartleby.

Hehehe.... Take your time, Mynxie

A shadow moved, almost too fast for human eyes. The creature sensed it dimly at the edge of its perception, different from the other shape scurrying away. A noise came - sharp as a breath intake. The shadow resolved - did it? - in a winged shape that stood in the golem's path. ~~~~~~~~ OOC: just to clarify that this new winged shape/shadow is not Mynx's character, nor Degorram's

Soft image of butterfly-to-be, wings still diaphanous from its birth and colors still slowly coalescing into the promised shape. Remnants of the chrysalys spread all around with the light of a myriad suns glinting off them, playing with shapes and shades.

I think it's a nice idea, Katz I remembered this thread at the Libray... http://www.patrickdurham.net/themightypen/index.php?showtopic=13129 And also, for those curious, there are several threads posted in the Library that came originally from the AM UBB - usually they have a subtitle referring to Archmage, so it's easy to spot them. There's very nice work in there

AoA stands for Angels of the Apocalypse, a guild in a mass multiplayer online strategy game called The Reincarnation (previously known as Archmage; the Pen was born in their UBB writing rooms)

A wolf pads into the Cabaret, attracted by the nice smell of oranges. Following the light that comes through the window and plays with the shadows, she locates finally the source of the smell almost hidden in a corner. Smiling, she approaches him then changes into a woman. "Hello, traveller... seems you're new around here. Have you come from afar?" She points at the orange. "That's a variety I haven't seen very frequently around the Keep. I wonder if the seeds would grow here..." Turning, she signals for some refreshment to be brought. "My name's Tanny, nice seeing you around."

Man, golem, Knight - they all stared at the opening. Inside, the creature slowly recalled long-forgotten functions of his body. Thin strands of mass expanded slowly, getting thicker. Senses buried deep awoke. Curiosity. And something else. Fear? Or anger? A shaft of light advanced through the floor, banishing shadows.

MIA mods-to-be... if any of you want back in the list, please drop a post/pm - Savage Dragon (Super-heroes) - Merelas (back to basics... possibly)

Why didn't they see it? Was he really the only one whose eyes were open? Those two were ... radiating, yes, but not in the way he would expect from a Spirit. Of course, he had never seen a Spirit before, so he had no real way of knowing, but these two ... they couldn't be Spirits. He could sense their confusion – surely true Spirits wouldn't be confused? In fact, he could feel their confusion pressing into him, as if they were trying to push him away. Perhaps they were – maybe they knew he knew they weren't real Spirits and were trying to stop him from telling anyone. And what if they knew that he knew that they knew ... no! He cut off the thought before it could spiral him deeper into the madness. It was hard enough sensing what everyone around him felt without adding crazy thoughts like those as well. Despite what everyone else thought, he knew that he wasn't crazy. He could go there, and he had, but he knew he wasn't. He was just ... different. When the Chieftain stepped forward he could sense their confusion becoming stronger. Suddenly it became too much for him and he ... did something. It hurt his head, but it must've done something to them too. Letharen stayed on his knees while the tribe chanted. Amareyha stood behind him, her hands on his shoulders to indicate that he was the legitimate chieftain of the tribe and the Sam'ey'aren dancing in a circle around them and the Spirits. As the chanting of the tribe picked up speed, the Sam'ey'aren danced faster, apparently without effort. When the tribe suddenly stopped chanting, the Sam'ey'aren vanished so quickly it almost seemed like magic. Then Letharen got back to his feet and spoke the traditional greeting. “Though I am but Chieftain, I welcome you to the tribe. In the name of us not as enlightened as the Sam'ey'aren, We are at your disposal should you require it of us.” After that, Amareyha took the word. “Chieftain, behold the Spirits that have come to guide us. Spirits, favour our Chieftain, Letharen by name.” She accentuated every sentence with a high-pitched sound at the end, not noticing how Tanny and Stephen were trying to keep the confusion from their faces. After a few moments of silence, though, she started wondering whether she had offended them. Then one of them made some of those strange, unintelligible sounds and she relaxed again. Though strange, it didn't have a threatening sound so she assumed she was doing good. ::What do we do now?:: :: Well... answer them?:: Tanny's mental voice was suddenly tired. Stephen sent a reassuring thought to her, then chose carefully neutral words and hoped they were conveying the right feeling. "We are honored to meet the Chieftain of this Tribe, and we assure once again that we come in peace and with nothing in our hearts but the best wishes towards you." He bowed and could sense Tanny doing the same. In the next second, something hit Stephen - his mind to be precise. Feelings of confusion, dread, and deep hatred flooded and threatened to truly blind him. He gasped, holding his head with one hand and grasping his staff so tightly with the other that his knuckles went white. Tanny turned to him in alarm, their telepathic link bringing her an echo of the turmoil in his mind. Suddenly, it was focussed on herself also, with such force that it awakened her deepest instinct. She changed without thought. Where there had been a woman holding her friend, now there was a black wolf turning towards the Tribe, gray eyes piercing the crowd and fixing themselves on one creature at the edge of the circle around them. Panic erupted in the clearing. Amareyha had her hands over her mouth, eyes rounding in disbelief as her mind clutched to the briefest of images she had caught from the transformation - a half human-half wolf shimmering on two paws before stabilizing in the wolf-form that now stared angrily at The Sh'ynte. Amareyha could almost - but not quite - sense the impending attack of the Spirit and her mind blanked out at the mere possibility of heresy, of one of the Blessed Spirits attacking the Sh'ynte. For the Sh'ynte were sacred, untouchable. They were born that way, with the memories of what came before their birth, of what came during previous life cycles. Often, these were memories of lives lived as other beings, yet they were never meant to be carried on into the next life. These unfortunate souls were always avoided by most of the Tribe, for fear that all of them would be punished for having access to the forbidden memories. As such, it was the Sh'ren's duty to show the compassion of Illonia and prevent the Sh'ynte from being cast out completely. After all, it was Illonia who had allowed these memories to seep through, and only the Sh'ren had the vaguest idea that it happened as a sign of things to come. Amareyha shrieked as Tanny's strong hind legs coiled for a jump. Letharen gasped and sprung to get his spear, eyes locked on the black wolf-demon that had apparently possessed one of the Eltaran. He shouted both warrior cries and warding words, lithely crouching and ready to impale the unholy beast on the black-and-silver blessed spear using its own weight, and thus free the Blessed Spirit. The Mehran wailed and scattered, just as afraid of the Sh'ynte as of the possessed Spirit. They ran wildly and blindly, unfortunately unable to avoid Stephen when their escape route crossed the spot where he was standing, still clutching his head and his staff, linking deeper into the earth in order to try and soothe the rush of feelings that was assaulting his mind. Slowly, with sweat beads of concentration forming on his forehead, he had finally managed to push the offending feelings out, using the vastness of the planet to clear his mind, when he was thrown to the ground by the collision. He flailed his arms to try and grab something, instead letting go of his staff. It hit Tanny right on her rump – not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to distract her. The sudden, sharp pain in her rump made Tanny change the direction of her jump at the last moment, head turning towards the new attacker. Letharen screamed in frustration, seeing the wolf-demon land rather awkwardly to the left of the spear and immediately turn around to face the other spirit with a snarl. Meanwhile, the impact had caused Stephen to lose his link with the earth. When the feelings came rushing back, it was worse than the first time. He got up, flailing wildly and trying to get away from the source. He hadn't taken three steps when he ran into Tanny, who had jaws open ready to jump on him. Something sharp and red-hot seemed to sear through Tanny's mind, and she felt the wrongness of the target between her jaws. She froze, as quickly and completely as if a command of old had been issued by her Priestess in the Temple of Dyrenne. In that fraction of a second, she recognized Stephen's dazed mind and snapped out of her madness. Tumbling back into human form, she collapsed to the ground - or to what would have been ground if Stephen's chest hadn't been in the way. "Tanny? What's going on?" Tanny whimpered and whispered some words in a language alien to Stephen, repeating something that sounded like a denial. Suddenly, he sensed a fire-hot thread of energy being buried in the ground underneath his feet. Stephen frowned, confused. Tanny obviously needed some peace and quiet, just like he did. He gently started pulling her in the direction of the temple when she interrupted him with a muttered, "The other way". He changed direction the way she nudged him, vaguely noticing that Amareyha and the chieftain were having an animated discussion somewhere behind them. He could only hope they wouldn't be too offended. When they arrived at the entrance of the temple, though, Tanny frowned. With a somewhat dreamlike look, she turned to yet another direction, muttering something Stephen didn't quite understand. Some day I'll have to learn her mother tongue... supposing that's what she's using, not some wolf-tanuki mixed language... “This way, Wolf-Lady ... this time I happen to know the temple entrance is right here to my left.” “No ... this way, Stephen. Not back to the temple. Safer ... there,” she pointed, with a soft sigh. Following the direction she had indicated, Stephen led her through some bushes to a hidden pathway. After following it for a little while, they came upon a small lake. Some logs were conveniently arranged on a pebble beach and they sat down, both trying to sort out their minds. "We're going to need a way to get away from the tribe to have some peace, preferrably before they burn us or something...", Stephen finally muttered. "Burn us? What are you talking about?" "I'm pretty sure we didn't go along with their ritual too well ... I'm also pretty sure they can be insulted by this ..." "Oh, by Dymarra's heart... Stephen, we don't have a clue about what they're doing and saying... that ritual could even have been for blessing us as their next meal... " Standing up, she started walking to and fro. "And what a meal that would be..." Stephen chuckled, sensing Tanny all bristled up. "Try cooking a wolf in a pot..." "Wolf?" Tanny blinked, confused. Stephen frowned, starting to feel uneasy with Tanny's overall reactions over the last hour. "Yes... you shapechanged... " Tanny sat down again with a groan. "From the sounds of it, you are as surprised by that as the tribe was. I can't say I paid much attention though ... something hit my mind, too." Memory rushed back. Tanny closed her eyes, breathing deeply and sorting through them - between what was alien feelings imposed on her now and then. Between the catpeople and the Clan people. With a shudder, she discarded the memory of a fiery thread being thrown down into earth to anchor herself. "... Great." Arching an eyebrow, Stephen queried, "Great? Is that the only thing you have to say? You almost tore my throat to shreds, you wild beast!" "Wild beast? You hit my rump with your staff!" "Well, better than your head... I'd probably lose my staff if I had." Grinning, and quickly stepping out of Tanny's reach, he completed, "Too hard." Tanny's groan and half-hearted attempt to jump at Stephen ended up in giggles, that soon took a panicked, hysterical note before getting mixed up with tears. Gently, Stephen wrapped his arms around her and patted her back. "There, there, Wolf-lady... let it go. And then tell me what is that you're bottling up." He hushed her, sitting down with an arm across her shoulders. "Have your folks never told you not to lie?" He let his humor creep into his voice, hiding behind it a growing worry for his friend. After some minutes, sighing, Tanny shook her head. "Sorry, Stephen. I don't know what it is. Since we left the Pen through that thrice-cursed Portal on the guild grounds, memories and dreams have been trying to invade my mind. Not only that, but something else... something deeper. And more powerful." "So your past is trying to possess you like a common demon?" "Oh, no - nothing like a possessing demon, don't worry." Her smile was lopsided. "Not even a Tanuki-Demon." She couldn't help not grinning back at Stephen's grin, then sobered up and finished in a whisper, "It's blood possession, more likely. Power. Power... in my blood." Closing eyes, calling to herself a thread of earth to link her to Stephen, she groped for the tenuous energy she sensed folded in layers of mist. The jewel she wore at her throat flashed for a second when protective earth threads wrapped around her, and then she used that steadying energy to bring to her what she finally found - a glowing thread of fire, contained by threads of water. She caught, first, the surprise in Stephen's mind. And then, without pause, the next image - Stephen squeezing a tanuki to make it breathe fire so he could light one of his cigarettes ... Both toppled on the floor giggling helplessly.

Hmmmmm.... apart your gorey side, kitty, I like the idea of the plot... Alright, I can't really promise I'll have the time to manage this, but consider this a half-yeah. When you open a sign-up, I'll decide what to do... meanwhile, I'll catch you around to talk about this

How about you give us a quick summary of the plot, along with how gory your posts will be... then we decide if we want to be in? After all, as you pointed out to me - Vannacutt Point was a psychotic (and bloody/gory) story but it is one of my favorites, with a character that I loved playing

Not at all! You are perfectly ok to play as an Honored Guest, and we'll be more than happy to have you in the game. The only requirement is that you're able to post at least once every 48 hours (day phase length), and that you can RP

If *I* (think I) have time, you do too ... pretty please? *grins*

A Jechum sighting!!! *tacklehugs Jechum*

Olayna Nolan, 14, William's sister. Brattish girl, she's starting to make eyes to guys - preferably older guys, to her protective brother's disgust. Olayna and William got along well enough until their father died, and from that point onwards Olayna made a point of opposing William in everything she possibly can. William has more than once tried to make Olayna care for their baby sister, to which she replies that their mother needs some kind of occupation - and promptly disappears from William's sight to do some kind of mischief (in his eyes). Average height, long wavy dark hair framing alluring green eyes that flash like a cat's when she's angry or excited. Has a sharp tongue, directed mostly to her brother who she considers a bully. If anyone wants to be Olayna's current interest(s), feel free to

I'm in, character will come probably on the weekend.