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a little queen of spades

Journal

Created on 2006-01-17 17:22:36 (#9283375), last updated 2007-03-21

191 comments received, 1,423 comments posted

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40 Journal Entries, 6 Tags, 14 Memories, 0 Virtual Gifts, 15 Userpics

Basic Info

Name:	Njoki Rainmaker
Location:	United States

Bio

Name: Njoki "Trixie" Rainmaker
Fandom: OC loosely based on a WoD concept.
Photo: Various - open to pb suggestions.
Alignment: Neutral
Opinion on MonstersIt doesn't matter what they are or what they do, just so long as they don't bring the heat on the rest of us. Act out, get caught, be stupid and you're fair game.

The 10 Second BackgroundHer father was an oil-worker from the American West who was shipped over to Northern Africa to work with the local governments on the oil refineries. In time, he found a wife over there, got married and had a child. Years passed and when his contract was over he opted to move back to America. Her mother recently passed away, her father has gone back overseas to work and she's left in Middle Area to go to school and make her fortune in the world.

Skills and Screw-ups+ She is a werehyena.
    Pro: As a werehyena, she can take a lot of damage. She's stronger than your average human, slightly better senses.
    Con: There is something fundamentally 'off' about her. If she's upset about something, even a baseline human can pick up that something is wrong. Also, she has a bad temper and a silver allergy.

+ She has an affinity with the dead.
    Pro: Talking to the dead is a good way to get advice and learn about things, helps her with her job.
    Con: They're not always going to tell the truth, opens you up to scary things from Beyond (or what-have-you), makes dealing with the living more difficult.

+ She is a rootworker in the hoodoo tradition.
    Pro: A good job that pays the bills.
    Con: Respected, but not well liked in the 'normal' community.

+ Her English has a heavy North African French accent.
+ She is not physically attractive. However, she does have a sort of charisma to her. It's not entirely unlikely, after all, women threw themselves at Henry Kissinger.
+ In a fight against an evenly matched opponent, Njoki would lose. She is not a good fighter. That being said, she's (usually) intelligent enough to pick the right battles.

Appearance+ Bodytype: Short, solid, from a distance can easily be mistaken for male. As her daddy said, "Built like a brick shithouse, no wind'll ever blow her down."
+ Coloration: Black hair, black eyes, dark skin. If caught in low-light, her eyes often reflect green.
+ Clothing: At school she's conservatively dressed - long pants, long skirts, plain shirts. Even in gym class, she won't be caught dead in shorts or a t-shirt. On weekends, she'll wear blue jeans, work boots, button-up work shirt and all her jewelry is carved bone. She really likes bones.
+ Scent: sandalwood, bonedust, blood, sweetgrass, something musky and vaguely cat-like (civet oil?), horse, coffee, tea, rose petals, and who knows what else.
+ Scars and other identifiers: Oh, lordy yes. She is covered in traditional scarification - in a North African/Himba style.
+ Accent: A strong North African French accent - not entirely incomprihensible, but it takes a little getting used to. She's also fond of the out of date slang her father uses. e.g. "Well, shitbrindle me, darlin'!"
+ Images: [Snarling.] [Side shot.] [Human.]

How to Pay The BillsNjoki practices hoodoo, an 'underground stream' of African American spirituality; shamanistic folk magic practiced by many irrespective of religious belief. She makes her living as a rootworker -- someone who lays and removes tricks, does simple divination and what might be referred to as 'hedgecraft'.

It's certainly not a glamorous job but it (usually) pays the bills. Her real talents of working with the dead, protection, tracking, hunting magics aren't as necessary or useful. She is next to useless when it comes to working with love spells, legal cases or healing.

She will gladly remove a trick from most anyone, but will take the time to think over whether she wants to lay one. Nasty stuff, but she's usually willing to do it.

Full Moon FuntimesIn her terms, Njoki is Ajaba. To anyone else in the know, that would be a werehyena. For all intents and purposes she appears human (or very close to it) and works hard to hide what she is from others.

It takes a lot of energy to fully switch from one form to another and it's very rare for her to do so any time other than on the full moon. The 'forms' are human, something close to human, the classic 'half-n-half' werecritter.

Keeping semi-close to a WoD system, her inhuman traits get stronger as the moon fills - her temper gets short she has trouble appearing human. If she gets emotional, then some of her more animalistic characteristics will appear - darker eyes, vestigial whiskers, her arms and torso elongates, and her neck lengthens slightly. Her cheekbones and jaws become much more pronounced, her ears lengthen and enlarge, her eyes become large and black. This form is definately not attractive, but extremely effective for frightening someone.

If she fully shifts into a half-n-half state, Njoki does not look like the classic movie werewolf. She’s similar to the strange, leggy version from ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ and from a distance she could easily be mistaken for a bear. Features to look for:
» large, strong jaws.
» shaggy hair and a mane that spikes up in a ridge along her back
» strong front legs, smaller, shorter backlegs.
» she can move on two legs, but is more comfortable on four – similar to a gorilla.

It is her sacred duty to try and maintain some semblance of balance in her part of the world. She follows an entropic force of nature but (hopefully) not a corrupt one and so if something or someone is sick, wrong, or weak it's her job to weed them out. (Subtle Hint: DO NOT take injured people to see Njoki, her methods of healing are usually fatal.)

PersonalityAt her core, Njoki is an opportunist, trained to take advantage of the weakness of others and that requires sharp wits. Her English may not be that good, but that does not mean she is slow or stupid; in fact, she often plays up her accent to make people under estimate her.

As previously stated, she has a temper and isn't always able to control it. However, she's more likely to wait and curse someone that offends her than snarl and immediately attack. It's a little of both cowardice and prudence.

Recommended Reading+ Haskins, James. Voodoo & hoodoo : their tradition and craft as revealed by actual practitioners. New York : Stein and Day, 1978. -- A good introductory guide to the history of hoodoo and voodoo in America.
+ Onishi, Norimitsu. "Deep in The Republic Of Chevron". Sunday New York Times Magazine. July 4, 1999. -- An editorial on American oil workers in Nigeria.
+ Pickrell, John. "Rebranding the Hyena" Science News. Vol. 161, No. 17 , p. 267
+ Yronwode, Catherine. Hoodoo in Theory and Practice: An Introduction to African-American Rootwork. [http://www.luckymojo.com/hoodoo.html]

Soundtrack+ Robert Johnston, Janis Joplin, David Bowie.

((Howdy all, I'm Takhys. Any questions?))

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