Challenges Of Life Damien Daric
Bonded: 08-31-12
Bonding: A Little Slice of Heaven — Grimm
Rank: Damien
Gender: Male
Species: Siberian Husky
Damiens have always been the warrior type, the fierce, protective ones, and in this sense, Daric is no different. He will defend to the death his family, fight with fang and claws, and not shy away from the pain of battle. He is not to be underestimated, for nothing is more important to him than his family. Go deeper than that, however, and you will find a brightly intelligent Familiar, who knows much and seeks to know more. Inquisitive, he is full of questions on all things he’s not certain of, but he does seem to know when the best time is, and when it isn’t, to ask. And if it isn’t? Well, you’ll just be questioned later on. He’s not going to forget these things, after all.
When it comes down to it, though, Daric is a peaceful type. Words can change the course of things far better than any violence, and he’s going to use them before he attacks. Some may see it as a weakness, this ability to talk down situations instead of just attacking in a mindless sort of way, but he does not. Words are powerful; they can cut to ribbons, or heal the hurt. There is always something to understand, and violence for violence’s sake is a poor way of coming to understand anything. He is patient, and he is steady, and there will never be any backing down. But there is friendliness, and there is mercy, and above all, there is the willingness to understand.
There is a sense of old, with Daric, a sense of timelessness that will never cease. He is his own being, and he does not need anyone to make up his mind for him. He will always be a constant at your side, but that does not mean he will always agree with you. But he doesn’t expect you to always agree with him, either. He will never be shy about speaking his opinion, about challenging yours if he truly feels he should, but there isn’t too much of a temper to speak of. He's happy with who he is, and he's happy with who you are. There's always room for change, of course, but that's just part of life. And a part of life he's excited to face, both alone and with his friends and family.
Oh, will you be busy with brushing duty. A Siberian Husky’s coat is double layered, and thick. The majority of Daric’s fur is a solid red, but part of his muzzle, throat, and chest darken into a crimson color. His eyes are interesting, one blue and one brown. He’s pretty average for a husky, standing about twenty-two inches at the shoulder, and weighing about forty-five pounds
Mindspeak: Bold #CC0000
Night Guard Calum Familiar Garron
Bonded: 10-01-10
Bonding: The Night Filled With Lanterns - Maeko
Rank: Calum
Gender: Male
Species: Pyrenean Mountain Dog
Personality: He is unhurried and balanced, turning to a low snarl or growl on the rarest of occasions- heck; he barely displays any emotion at all. It’s unbecoming to whine and beg, and often a sign of weakness, so relaxed and a little robotic he may be at times. Sure, it’s sad that the Aluna over there got eaten by a Hippogryph, but it’s nature and he understands that. At least, that’s how he used to be. Bonded to T’Rae, he is no inherently aware of her feelings sometimes even before she is, and cannot block himself from mirroring her emotions. If she’s sad, he will be sad, if she is neutral, he, too about something, will be neutral.
He is a guardian, thus finding something he fears (possibly a bath), is quite difficult. Thieves, marauders, bears, Ikal’daka- he is not afraid of any of them and will challenge them to a fight should they make harmful gestures towards T’Rae. Yet he is not stupid, and can assess any given situation easily enough to figure out if it’s even a good idea to go launching yourself into a five foot seven inch canine’s face. Yet if they are harming T’Rae- he will do it, readily sacrificing himself for her out of the most unselfish of loyalties. He never asks for anything in return, despite being a constant presence and giving all that he can to you.
Set in his ways, this Familiar has his opinions about just about everything and will not hesitate to interrupt and tell you that his way is in fact better, and here’s why. It might get annoying, but Garron is rarely wrong and doesn’t usually speak up unless someone needs to be put in their place, or is going to get themselves killed. Around T’Rae though, he will confide everything, and has no problem getting into disputes about whether or not she’s allowed to go somewhere ahead of him. His views are as hard to change as T’Rae’s- but nobody said an old dog can’t ever learn new tricks.
Description: He looks quite strong with all that fur and flesh, with an elegance brought out in his movements- which are never wild and imprecise. Most of his power is in his hind quarters, from which he is able to spring and make fast movements needed in the life of a sheep-herding dog, The Pyrenean Mountain Dog. In coloration he is light silver, solid from his head down to his toes. His eyes are a dusky gray, dark and thoughtful.
Why This Animal: A dog is a most interesting choice, not to exotic, overly common. Yet they obeyed authority well enough and were easily trained, with had an unerring sense of hierarchy that could occasionally be disrupted. Out here on Whazzit, as with other planets, most canines will assume a leadership role if they think they have to, and T’Rae, without her captain or others, has done just that. Troublesome it may be, but a dog can adapt to both situations rather well, but remains loyal throughout. In tune with instinct, it is able to use logic in evaluating a task, and often believes that it will eventually come to the right answer through persistence and more thought. Yet it does have some emotional side and great knowledge of it, often playing to the weakness of its companion. Emotion or logic? The dog can decide which to use properly. Yet what dog? Tracking only goes back so far- and the exact purity of some species just simply can’t be known. In that case many decide that if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, well, it must very well be a duck. T’Rae herself looks like a Vulcan and acts like one- so would there be any justice in assuming the form of something decidedly a mutt? Of course not, not when Garron is so tied to her in more ways than one. So purebred he became (at least he looks like one!). But which? There are so many!
Taking charge comes naturally to T’Rae, so should not he too be a leader? Dogs which herd livestock are given free reign over their herds, protecting them and doing as they see fit. They do answer to someone- but it doesn’t mean that they aren’t occasionally stubborn. Intelligent and fine learners, it’s no surprise that the dog can move with precision to get the exact result he was hoping for, be it a situation that requires slow or quick thought. With that air of command and some height to her, the creature must then be something of similar stature.
Perhaps because of T’Rae’s crisp appearance, this Familiar found himself coiled up in a coat of thick, almost-white fur. On that note it may be some clever little poke at her neatness and lack of control over her own hair, for his immaculate pelt takes much work to maintain and is not going to just fall all smoothly around him as though things like wind don’t exist. It will get tangled and need to be brushed, but there’s something appealing to it regardless, just as there’s something to be said for uniformity.
Garron?: It’s true that Garron could be taken as the name for a despised beast, but only by those who have come to know his wrath. To T’Rae his name is French in origin, meaning “guards” or “guardian” which is precisely what he aims to do. The slight lilt of a French accent in his gruff tones makes itself known most readily when he is in the midst of protecting those he holds dearest to him. He’d prefer this other side (some joviality and sophistication) to remain hidden, coming across as cold and even aloof at times.
Mindspeak: Italic #413839
Afraid of Kindness, Frozen and Flightless Angel Ashaya
Name Meaning: Love, a deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person
Bonded: 12-25-11
Bonding: Sad Anticipation — Geoffrey
Rank: Angel
Gender: Female
Species: Ural Owl
Song: Watashi to Warutsu wo | Lyrics
Befitting of her Angel rank, Ashaya is soft in almost every physical aspect. Taking on the form of the Ural Owl, her powdery feathers are like touching cloud, particularly the longer color of feathers covering her chest, which she is fond of having stroked when she is willing to permit T'Rae's touch at all to begin with. Pale blue dominates most of her body, tinted just a little with an undertone of light turquoise green the right light although it's clear that blue is the dominant shade. The bars marking her feathers are a pattern of plain simple pink that never blurs at all with her blue; you will not find a single speck of violet anywhere on her, for all her colors are very distinctly delineated from each other. Her round face, always watching coldly from half lidded eyes that seem deceptively calm, is a slightly darker shade of blue from the rest, a lightened variation of steel blue that replaces the turquoise hint of her body with a shadow of silvery grey. As might be expected, this Angel's eyes are a clear shade of blue, surprisingly bright despite the layer of ice behind them. In terms of size, she does not vary at all from her spirit animal, at just under two feet in height including her tail feathers, and weighing less than the same number of pounds.
Born from the bond between T'Rae and Geoffrey — the Kah-ka itself — she is an expression of both souls at once, combined. It is because of this that Geoffrey is the only one she even acknowledges exist, although once she joined T'Rae, even he would receive no active attention from her, his acceptance only visible in her passive acknowledgement and the permitting of any attention he might turn on her. Though her own bond is irrefutable, she nevertheless shares a part of Geoffrey: a manifestation of his own emotions for T'Rae, and the weakness and vulnerability in him that accompanies those emotions.
Ashaya's name encapsulates every aspect of that existence. To begin with, her faithfulness is indestructible. To T'Rae, she is the epitome of what an individual should be, utterly devoted and completely without malice. She is filled only with longing and adoration for her bond. She is an angel who has fallen, however, and has been disillusioned by the outside world. Jaded by some of the things she is seen, she has withdrawn a great deal, and become master of hiding herself away. Great pains are taken so that T'Rae never knows the true extent of her absolute aching for the Vulcan and her happiness and safety, and even greater pains are taken to never, under any circumstances, display her affection where other eyes might see. Hers is a subtle but deep bond. Nevertheless, when they are alone; and she will endure any interminable about of time or hardship in order to wait for T'Rae to turn her attention to her for even a few seconds; this little owl is receptive to any and all signs of affection, appreciative of even a brief glance in her direction. She is never obvious with her own displays of affection, though in her own quiet way, she will attempt to express herself to T'Rae, most frequently by resting nearby, or perched upon her, her greatest joy being the touch of her bond's hand.
Because of her source, and the time at which she appeared, Ashaya naturally is not a perfect being. Despite her blind love for T'Rae, she suffers greatly from the worry that it will somehow be exploited, or that her presence might annoy T'Rae, or be a distraction, and although reassurances calm her for a while, from time to time she still becomes unsure whether her emotions for T'Rae are mutual. T'Rae would not be the first person after all to have a part themself that they disliked. As a result she keeps much of her activity, her true thoughts, her true feelings, her true life a secret from T'Rae, and even more from the outside world, a world which incidentally she barely acknowledges the existence of. When it's said her devotion is blind, it does not mean to the faults of T'Rae, which she accepts openly and with complete mercy and understanding, but to everything that is not T'Rae. On the one hand this keeps her safe, as well as T'Rae, hides a vulnerability for both of them, but on the other hand it fills her, in many cases, with a sense of loneliness locked away, self-inflicted though her deprivation of nearness to T'Rae might be. Try as she might, she will never be able to fully express herself, and must rely on faith and T'Rae to be able to translate the ambiguous words that she on rare occasion offers up to her bond without prompting.
Mindspeak: Italic #adf0f6
Creeper Talwen
Bonded: 12-26-13
Bonding: Daily Christmas Advent 2013 — Geoffrey
Rank: Creeper
Gender: Female
Species: XXX
Mindspeak:
Clean Escape Creeper Yasolin
Bonded: 11-22-11
Bonding: Tell Me Your Secrets - Katsumi
Rank: Creeper
Gender: Female
Species: Meerkat
Personality: There is something almost sociable about this self-proclaimed hermit. She swears up and down that she hates everyone (especially you), but she doesn't shy away from the chance to get in someone's face somewhere. She's snappy and she's harsh, but her bark is much worse than her bite. She's not naturally an aggressive brat- in reality, she's something of a coward. Some shinies shrink down to avoid being attacked by stronger predators, but she opts to puff herself up and seem much more dangerous than she really is. None of this changes the fact that she's just plain rude. Admittedly, there is something ultimately sad about this Creeper. She tries so hard to convince everyone to just leave her alone, but in the end, she fools no one.
Appearance: Meerkat
Her long body is black, pure and simple, with charcoal gray under her amber eyes that runs down her muzzle like a cheetah's 'tear' tracks. Upon the rest of her coat are many blue-green leopard spots that shimmer in the sun like oil. She is not a leopard, however, nor is she a cheetah. She's smaller, lighter, longer, leaner… She's a meerkat, and a damn pretty one.
Mindspeak: Bold #0A0A0A
Ariel Anuraag
The origin of suffering is attachment to desire.
Bonded: 03-20-12
Bonding: The Four Noble Truths Speedbonding — Maeko
Rank: Ariel
Gender: Male
Species: Cape Mountain Zebra
Personality: While Anuraag certainly jokes around as all Ariels do, he seems to be a little more serious, a little more subtle, than most. He's as master of expressions and looks, capable of bringing laughter to a situation simply by acknowledging the inherent silliness of the moment. He is quite self-aware, though he rarely resorts to self-depreciating humor as that's just not his thing. He's a creature born and bred out of desire and is not one to forget it, making most of his jokes rather sexual or need-based. He'll laugh out loud at the corny things couples say and do when they're in love, and might even make a few humorous suggestions, but he means well and does a good job playing Cupid. He can always lighten a mood and is not shy about offering helpful suggestions to those that find themselves wanting. There is a lot of suffering in life, but why not just acknowledge your desire and chase after it? He understands that T'Rae has many needs in her life, ambitions and desires that drive her in life- and he embodies this.
He's also an excellent therapist, when it comes to relationship problems. That lovely dinner for two at your favorite restaurant that Geoffrey just happened to book after your fight over the color of the walls (clean is the answer we're looking for)- yep, that was all Geoff. Anuraag in no way did anything at all. Hooves don't cook your favorite meal, and psh, where's he going to keep money and receipts? Really, it was all loverboy's idea. That's why he's footing the bill!
Description: Anuraag's chosen form is that of a Cape mountain zebra. It's an interesting choice, but one can't help but think of T'Rae whenever they look into his dark ruby eyes, where life-hardened confidence indicates a strong personality. His short coat is set to a backdrop of sunshine yellow, twisting and pale shades that never darken or brighten to eye-catching, blinding shades. Laid over this are his handsome stripes that run over a stocky but muscular build. It's as though they're been washed in a gradient, dark as the dying embers of a red sunset, and fading to hot orange and burning yellow by the time they reach his hooves. His snout is especially detailed, sexy markings serving to bring out his darkest feature— those stunning eyes.
As a Cape mountain zebra he stands about four feet tall at the shoulder, weighing in at a sturdy 500 pounds.
Why this form? When you look at Anuraag there's no question that this Ariel belongs to her, and yet there may not be many who would peg her for the zebra type. It takes one who really knows T'Rae to understand the nature of this form, and for the rest that feeling of rightness will be enough. A traditional zebra is black and white, a perfect balance of the two starkest views of life, Yin and Yang. Achieving balance in life is important to T'Rae, whose inner nature struggles against the exterior. Just like with the zebra's stripes, what you see in her can be interrupted in many different ways.
A zebra is a creature of clarity, of logic at its most perfect stage. The more you look at a zebra, the more you study it, the more you realize just how complex it is and how entirely logical its striped coat is. Not a single stripe is without usefulness, not a single muscle without a purpose. However similar he might look to others, his striped coat is individual and unique, in the same way that T'Rae is different from all other Vulcans in more ways than one. He understands what suffering is, what hard work is, and understands the feeling you get when you accomplish your dreams and finish your work. It is an inner pride he represents, a deeper meaning to life that surfaces only when you have done something worthwhile on your own…
The zebra is assured of himself, knows what he wants and has the confidence to achieve it. Anuraag is balance in its truest form, and for that reason above all else, he makes the perfect companion for T'Rae. Should you ever lose your way, he will help you understand how to adjust the scales to achieve equilibrium once more.
Mindspeak: Bold F9C00
Ariel Namazzi
Bonded: 12-07-13
Bonding: Half Price Day Gift 2013 — Geoffrey
Rank: Ariel
Gender: Female
Species: XXX
Mindspeak:
Meticulous Archivist Imp Familiar Sasau
Name Meaning: Transmit, to send from one person, thing, or place to another; convey; to cause to spread; pass on; to impart or convey to others by heredity or inheritance; hand down; to pass along (news or information); communicate
Bonded: 12-01-12
Bonding: Half Price Day Gift — Meliai
Rank: Imp
Gender: Male
Species: Smooth Backed Gliding Gecko
If you could take a Kyorli, shrink it down to almost pocket size, replace the fur with scales and give him the ability to glide up to 200 feet, you'd have Sasau. Of his many uses, he makes an excellent pocket planner or calendar. He's a fastidious facet keeper and list maker and never, ever forgets a thing. However, such a memory has come at a price. He has one of the flattest personalities in existence. He does not joke, or cuddle, or fight or get grumpy. He never even seems to pass judgment. Maybe he's a tiny robot. He's particularly good at killing a punchline by trying to explain the joke or telling how it isn't factually sound. Somewhere under it all, he does care for his bond. Only she might know this, but that's all that really matters. No one else has an opinion that will faze him.
Sasau clocks in at just under a foot. He has chosen the form of a Smooth Backed Gliding Gecko for its utilitarian versatility. He's small; blends in well, can walk on walls due to his feet and even fly. Well.. it's not really flight but 200 feet is a long way when you're 10 inches long. He's a muted, gun metal grey with two jagged, bronzey stripes running down his back. His eyes are a brighter Gold, taking up almost half his head, all the better to take the world in with.
Mindspeak: Bold #AE933C
Grand Symphony Imp Selatha
Bonded: 01-25-14
Bonding: A Blustery Blizzard Speedbonding — Saiph
Rank: Imp
Gender: Female
Species: Sea Otter
Nothing is too large for this Imp; nothing too grandiose, too impressive. Don't tell her the scheme she plotted for your surprise party was too lavish. Don't worry that she went to too much trouble in the Solstice festivities. Don't think she did too much research to explain that weird spot on your left knee. She's not given to simple things, this Familiar; if it takes any less than three stages of research or planning, is it really worth doing? Just don't expect her to stick around for the glory or praise. She doesn't do anything for the recognition. She just does it. Maybe sometimes for those closest to her, though getting her to admit it is more difficult than vaccinating a Fisi. Yes, she's awkward. She's introverted. She's also an incredibly sweet creature, when you get past the bluster and flowery speaking patterns that cover up, with difficulty, a sheepish and awkward inability to communicate directly. It's much easier to spend her time intricately orchestrating these grand gestures than to simply say what she's trying to get across.
With a sea otter's subtle grace, this bounding little Imp will never have trouble getting anywhere. Her paws are surprisingly good at grasping things; her tail just as good. Not that she really needs those — magic! Familiars are quite good with it, after all, and few as impressive as she. It seems to hang about her warm little body like a shroud, sparking off of her time-dulled bronze coat like a new penny. Soft gold shines a little more along her underside, splashing up around her muzzle and eyes that sit, large and kelp-green, in the sea of warm sunflower.
Mindspeak: Bold Italic #bd5e01
Imp Shi'durna
Bonded: 12-07-13
Bonding: Half Price Day Redemption 2013
Rank: Imp
Gender: Female
Species: XXX
Mindspeak: