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Name: Penelope Anne Figgins
Nickname(s): Penny -- to most everyone; Miss Figgins -- if you're nasty to the younger/more formal people

Age: 28
Birthday: August 24th
Sign: Virgo
Blood Type: AB

Favorite Food: Coffee, WINGS AND HOT SAUCE OH GOD, grape soda, medium rare steak, pasta with cream sauce, Now & Laters.
Hated Food: Black licorice, cabbage, tomatoes, mushrooms, most vegetables.

Profession: Assistant Segment Producer for the Destiny City Nightly News (DCNN)

Hobbies

Barbara Walters -- Her hero. Thou shalt not mock the name of Barbara Walters lest ye wishth a swift assth kicking...th.

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern (are not dead) -- Her cats. They are nice cats. When she started at DCNN, her first job was producing "special interest" segments, specifically the pet-friendly ones. It was her job to coordinate with the local animal shelter so that cats and dogs in need of a home could be broadcast out to the population. She never intended to become a pet-owner herself, but one day, an older cat with a mottled gray coat was brought on air. No one adopted him, and it pissed Penny off. A lot. Her segment had perfect numbers, every animal always got adopted, and she had no intention of changing that. So she adopted the male cat, and a week later, adopted a smaller female cat to keep him company when she was at work.

Kickboxing -- Penny has a lot of stress, and she feels that her stress is best channeled through kicking the crap out of an inanimate object. She has been going to the same gym taking the same class from the same handful of instructors for five years. If she doesn't exercise daily, Penny gets frustrated. It is how she works out any tension or aggression caused by her day-to-day schedule.

Mrs. Survivorman -- When Penny is not trapped in the studio for work, she makes a bee line for nature, particularly to somewhere with a body of water. Kayaking is a favorite hobby of hers, and on long weekends, she will sometimes camp out in the wooded lake areas just outside of Destiny City. It is how Penny decompresses from the stress of her day job when exercising doesn't do the trick. Her cellphone is always on in case DCNN needs her, but if not, she will drift along the water under a clear blue sky, drinking a beer and reading a book.

Smoking -- Like a chimney. At work she puffs away on smokeless nicotine sticks after a few unknown people (she will find out who you are) complained that she reeked of cigarettes. Outside of work, she indulges in Camel Silvers and won't make any apologies about it.

Gemstone: Sapphire

Virtues

Determined/Competitive -- Let's get down to business to defeat (dun dun) the Huns! Penny thinks that Rome can be built in a day so long as she is in charge of its development. There aren't many producers under the age of 30 working at DCNN; there's just one: her. She worked her a** off (and continues to) all in the hopes of showing every single person just how skilled and diligent she is. Penny would leap over twelve crying babies if it meant reaching her goal, and that makes her very effective at getting what she wants and accomplishing the things she sets her mind to. She races twice as hard when there is another competitor running in the lane beside her. Like Seabiscuit. She loves a challenge.

Up Front -- Penny likes to deal with her interpersonal problems out in the open. If you seem upset, she won't tiptoe. She will just blurt out, "Man, are you still crying over that girl?" Passive aggressive behavior irritates her because she assumes those people are simply too chickenshit to actually deal with anything. It is nice because, with Penny, what you see is what you get. She does not pretend to be anyone or anything other than exactly who she is, even if that person is a crass potty-mouthed smoker with a penchant for sarcasm and flaking out on you. At any given time, you will know precisely how Penny feels about you because she is probably saying it out loud. That kind of consistency can be comforting.

Entertaining -- Penny always has a story to tell, an idea to do something, or a wise crack to mumble. She isn't so much charismatic as she is a ball of activity. Though she is likely the kind of person people might need to take in small doses, Penny is definitely not boring and can always be counted on for a little entertainment, even if it comes via a ten minute diatribe about the insane eating habits of one of her coworkers or a point-by-point recitation of the Grizzlyman documentary. Most of her friendships are sustained because she is the initiator. When Penny has free time, she runs to her phone to call all of the people who she likes with an impromptu idea to go to Vegas or to go camping or to do something. She never knows when her free time will dry up, and she'll be sent back to the studio to work.

On Your Side -- Though she will put herself before others, Penny will also put her friends before the rest of the world. Even if she thinks a friend of hers is 100% wrong, she will tell them so, but then support them regardless. ("You are so wrong, it isn't even funny. Now let's go yell at this guy.") She was the little girl who punched her best friend's boyfriend for yelling at her. She was frequently manipulated by quieter friends to say the things that they wanted to say. Penny exhibits a blind loyalty when it comes to her friends because they are her friends. Anyone who is close enough to be considered in that category will earn her allegiance.

Flaws

Workaholic/Inconsiderate -- Penny might bring event scripts on a date just in case it doesn't go well and she wants to make good use of her time. She skips family reunions to sit in a dim editing room helping put the final touches on the reel for the next day. She volunteers for additional assignments the weekend of her sister's wedding. Penny is not considerate of the feelings of others and will always put herself and work before everything else. The friends that she has understand this, and they like her for her crass, ambitious demeanor. The problem is... there aren't many of those friends. Who has the time?

Meddling -- Because Penny is convinced that she could live other people's lives better than they can live their own, she is frequently a little too persistent about that need to help them improve. If you come to her with a problem, she will assume it is because you want to fix it, not because you just need to talk. A person who confides their problems in her has just opened up the door for Hurricane Penny to come whirling through their lives on a mission to fix all that is out of place. She doesn't do this with love or grace. She does it with a lot of "What the ******** made you think this was a good idea?" and "Who in their right mind would be interested in that?" and "For ******** sake, who eats smooth peanut butter?" Penny's mouth flaps like a flag in a maelstrom, all in the name ******** Up Your ******** Up Life.

Jealous -- In college, Penny wanted to be a newscaster. Barbara Walters was her hero. She practiced sitting in front of her mirror with a brush as a child, reciting the lunch menu or her favorite books to work on poise. As she got older, that world shattered. Messy hair and dark circles don't look good on camera, apparently, and Penny's gruff and speedy vocal delivery did not test well with audiences. It didn't help that "Figgins" was not the kind of last name you put up on a billboard. The chip on Penny's shoulder is massive about this, and she is incredibly jealous of people who have the things that she wants, be it success, money, good looks, or a loving companion. Penny wants what she can't have, if only for the reason that she can't have it.

Delicate Like An Elephant -- Penny is not graceful physically, or verbally. She doesn't usually say the right thing, just the first thing that pops into her head. At work, this gets her in a considerable amount of trouble. Telling her boss that something is a "crappy idea because..." does not go over well. With friends, she often doesn't know how to handle their hurt feelings or bruised emotions. When faced with someone who is upset, Penny gets confused and often makes jokes or otherwise does not treat the situation tactfully.

Penny Figgins has lived in Destiny City her entire life. Her parents were high school sweethearts. They both also lived in Destiny City for all their lives. She doesn't want to be in Destiny City her entire life, but seems to be doing just that.

She attended Meadowview and made good grades. Penny spent two years at DCU before transferring to an out-of-state institution. She got a BA in Journalism, and then a MA in Production. After graduating, she came back to DC for an internship at DCNN. She never left and is now a full-time, ladder-climbing staff member.

Penny believes that the current terrorist drama in Destiny City will catapult her career forward. She is constantly looking for a big break.

Official Title: Cimmerian Page of Pluto

Nickname: Merian, Meri

Planet: Pluto

Aspect: Cimmerian Shade

Cimmerian shade is a term that refers to extreme darkness or gloom. It is based on the Cimmerian myth of a solitary people who lived in perpetual darkness at the edge of the world. As a planet, Pluto is too far from the sun to receive its rays, and a phenomenal characteristic of the planet is that it, too, is in a constant state of darkness.

Challenge: "We will fight in the shade!"

Weapon: Steampunk Crossbow-like Weapon with (Magical) Arrows

Back Up Weapon -- A lantern. It does the same things, but she swings it over her head to tap into the magical properties.



Fighting Style: The bob and weave. Merian is very, VERY petite. She is nimble and agile and tends to fight more with kicks than punches. Her attack is a stealth buff that does not harm anyone so it is best used in conjunction with other fighters.

Appearance: The Steampunk Barbarian. But, you know, classy-like. For color scheme, I imagine a lot of blues, silvers, and creams, but I trust the artist. Her hair is whitish, and she has blue eyes. If it is blue overload, feel free to switch this up. I'd be fine with her having a similar color scheme to Sailor Pluto, if it fits with the theme.

Merian is NOT this kind of Cimmerian. She is feminine-looking, but not near-naked with spilling cleavage and a come-hither mouth. More like this. In my mind, I picture her with a very high boots (or boots with extremely fitted leggings) with a loincloth style skirt fitted around her waist with a knotted belt with extra long panels of fabric -- one in front and one in back. I'd also like the top to be one-shouldered where one of her arms is fully armored/covered, and the other is bare with just a simple bracer or arm cuff.

I am really open to different ideas for her weapon, but I'd like for some kind of bow/arrow sort of thing to be happening. It'd be cool if she had a quiver. I dig the aesthetic.

I also like how Natalie Portman's costume looks here, if it helps explain my tastes.

Hello, coda!

I left it a little nebulous because I wasn't certain if it would be allowed. But! Allow me to clarify. Maybe get some feedback on its feasibility too, if you have the chance.

In a dream world, I would say that Penny is one of the main producers for the DC Special Reports, and that her specialty is designing/preparing the stories on DC crime, specifically that of the senshi/nega variety. I feel like she is too young to be a head producer on anything, more of a head beneath another head. She is the one who is constantly trolling police radios, following up leads, etc. trying to break the news first on the latest crime disaster relevant to DC's unique crime problem. She makes decisions about content, writes scripts, but must get it approved by her boss before flying into the actual production of the visual component.

On her day-to-day job, I would like to steal a quote from a website I used when writing her up:



The whole article is longer.

So she is very high up in the chain, though she is not at the top of it. I imagine that the majority of her coworkers resent her for her rise through the ranks. I have also considered writing in something about her parents knowing people at the station/working there once to help explain why she would rise so high so young.

Backup Plan 1: If that is too much power for a 28-year-old, then I would have her just be an info gatherer for the producer who IS in charge of the Special Reports. That way she is still involved in the crime scene of DC, even if she has less power.

Backup Plan 2: If it isn't cool for her to be too involved with the magical criminal reporting, then I would just say that she does Special Interest stories for DCNN, but is trying desperately to get moved to where the real stories are at.

Does that answer it? The first chunk is my ideal scenario, and chunks one and two are my back-ups in case that is not permitted.

Excellent point. I'd like to play her constant grappling for power, manipulating the competition, and otherwise bringing her A-game in the name of career dominance.

I think I'll switch her to an Assistant Segment producer. She gets to help, but she doesn't make the second to last call, or the last call. She just does the leg work and then watches her work get passed off to her boss.

I would like to go to the magical land of what-could-be. I will build a nice house.

Annnnnd... I think I'm ready.

Please give me crit all over the place!

YAY CRIT

It hides allies visually and probably subdues sound in a minor way, just to add to the stealth factor. One of the drawbacks to it in the Knight form is that it muffles sound within the area of effect so that senshi-to-senshi communication would be nearly impossible as well. I'll make the concentration requirement clearer in the Squire stage, for sure.

Thanks, Mouse!

[edit] Eep, was asked to clarify.

The Knight stage builds on the Squire stage attack. In Squire, she creates a creeping pool of darkness for stealth. In Knight, that space is larger, and she is able to help her allies move in it. In addition, she can choose to not target the environment and can instead target an individual, forcing the darkness that she usually brings to the place around them to them internally through blindness. I will make it clearer that the 'invisibility' is also in the Knight stage!