welcome to your new hell, Welcome to the Menagerie. Or as we like to call it, Dome Sweet Dome! We are an eight-year strong futuristic shapeshifter and sci-fi creature roleplay, dedicated to bringing you a world unlike any other; a world in which your character has become an experiment and must fight for survival in a domed city, cut off from the rest of the world. Choose to be any animal in your fight for survival in an artificial world built by the Keepers as they subject you to experiments beyond your control. Choose to wander the world inside the walls alone, as a Rogue, or find safety in numbers in one of the groups known as Rings. How will you survive?
60 - 65 ºF
blustery with scattered showers spotty sunshine
YEAR 2309
shift bans.
» Cougars (aka Puma, Mountain Lion, Panther)
» All Tiger Species
» All Lion Species
» All Wolf Species
» African Leopards
group bans.
none.
encouraged !
FEMALE CHARACTERS! create a RETRO or ANTHRO and get 250 CP + a free skill! read me for more info!
last updated: april 19th, 2016
Click on each Ring or Retro group image to view their ranks!
GROUP UPDATES
CARNARING
Jocelyn Edelwolfe is the new Alpha! Seija Mulviene is the new Beta, and Grey is the new Delta. Lead Hunter is now Boone Haywood, Head of Border Patrol is now Noelle Ndango!
FALLENRING
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FULSIRING
Fulsi has a standing treaty with the Nakoma, granting limited access to their fresh water.
NAKOMA TRIBE
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ANALOYA PRIDE
a while back, the Analoya suffered a suspicious poisoning of their river, luckily with few casualties; the Bellator are suspected of having taken part in it, and there are whispers that Pride leader Wanderer is talking alliance with the Nilda for access to their clean water.
BELLATOR HERD
As new leader of the Bellator, Loril has instituted some rank changes. See this thread for more information!
LAWAII FLOCK
no updates!
NILDA PACK
no updates!
CARNARING QUICK STATS
ALPHA -- Jocelyn Edelwolfe, Clouded Leopard, played by IronChild
BETA -- Seija Mulviene, Spotted Hyena, played by Seija-chan
DELTA --Grey, Mackenzie Valley Wolf, played by Kriss
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She was bored. Slansky had been sent on a mission again which gave Akane all sorts of free time. She had completely cleaned out the train car, scrubbed, and reorganized it. Went on a run, grabbed some grub, talked a bit with some of the other members of her ring and … she was bored. Her feet kicked lightly as she watched two kids argue over a game.
After watching it escalate twice, she wandered over and separated them – sending them off to different parts of the camp. It was something that was interesting here. The adage, “it takes a village to raise a child” was never truer than here. Everyone helped everyone, and she was beginning to feel more at home here than ever before. So many people were unhappy – after all they were glorified zoo animals, but a part of Akane had made peace with it. What other option was there?
Husher, Akane’s father was also out on patrol as was Cole. She couldn’t figure out whether or not it bothered her that she was only sent out for Sight Watch or Lookout, and even that had taken some arguing. She took a big sigh, kicked a rock and decided to head over to the oasis.
Slan wouldn’t have liked her going alone but she was frustrated. There was still a lot that bothered her about her father. He seemed different. Well, that wasn’t fair they were all different, they had to be. But she was his daughter, she knew him better than anyone … didn’t she? They had not really spoken much about her mother, and Cole seemed to not like Akane much at all.
Thank God for Slan. Between Cole and Husher and new people, she was so grateful for him. His acceptance and understanding were comforting and to Akane, he was worth his weight in gold (even if occasionally he was a complete dolt.)
It had become a habit to make herself scarce when Slan was gone, and often she spent whole days in her Fox Form hunting or dozing in a hole. Hell of a lot better than sitting around all day doing nothing. Not to mention her world was different as a vulpine. It was easier to focus on the here and now. Without a second thought she slipped into a twin-tailed red fox, and disappeared over a dune.
It seemed as though free time was beginning to be a thing of the past. Back in kindergarten all you seemed to have was free time. You could go outside, watch television, do whatever you wanted and no one would tell you to stop and do work. Now it was all about work. Outrider duties, scouting outside the tribe areas, patrolling the borders, making sure Carna weren’t being complete monsters. Everything was about the Menagerie. There was no time to sit down and simply breathe. Even if you did have a moment to yourself, it would be spent worrying about the next day, about whether there was enough food, whether you had enough warm clothes or that person who had been sick would make it through the night. They were stuck in medieval times with nothing to aid their survival except each other.
When Valeria had been told to go out and see if she could rescue any unsuspecting anthropomorphs she had thought it would be a good opportunity to get some fresh air. The first idea she had was to head back over to Fallen territory and see if she could pick up any strays in that area. Frankly, she was not interested in being anywhere near Carna Waterfront. The Carna scared her and she had a bad history with their kind. Val really only felt safe around Nakoma or Fallen; even Fulsi and the retromorphs were hesitant about her species.
The anthro’s legs carried her quickly over the terrain, her agility allowing her to jump over logs and twist around trees with ease. She was thankful for that skill at least. She was also thankful for the fact that it appeared to be summer within the dome. Val had lost the jeans and put on a pair of shorts, as well as her white t-shirt and a thin cardigan. Her feet were bare, allowing her soles to pick up the vibrations in the earth and detect any nearby movement. She was freer than she had felt in a long time. Her eyes held up, the world appearing with clarity that she had almost thought lost to her forever.
Fallen territory appeared rather quickly. Val slowed down once more, and as she did her right eye flickered out of focus. “Damn thing,” she mumbled to herself, walking through along the length of the main train car. Valeria headed towards the oasis, hoping that she would not run into any unfriendly Fallen shifters. Most of the ones she had met seemed to be kind enough to people like her, but there were always the odd one or two that disliked anthros. At least Quick had been nice to her. If it wasn’t for him she would be dead by now. I should find him later and thank him again, she thought to herself as she walked into the shade of the trees.
It was cooler within the oasis and Valeria liked the calm certainty that it gave her. Her feet picked up a small vibration to the left, and her ears swivelled in earnest. Turning in the direction of the source, Val spied a dash of red as a fox moved over one of the dunes. Grinning, Val began to run towards it, trying to work out if it was Fallen, and if it would care to amuse her for the afternoon. Val was not intending to return to the Nakoma until after dark, which meant she had plenty of time to kill. As she ran over the dune, however, she noticed that the fox had completely disappeared. Frowning, she let her ears pick up the sound of wind and she felt for any sign of movement. As she waited, she awkwardly pulled her cardigan sleeve over her furred arm. “Where’d you go?”
Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, Akane chanted with each stride. Not only had the stranger spotted her it perused her, and quickly at that. Just as the anthro appeared over a dune, the fox dove for a bush and froze in anticipation.
The question of where she’d gone echoed quietly across the sand to her large ears. After a moment her head peeked out to fix light hazel-blue eyes (that had no business in the head of a fox) to the suspect in question. How strange.
Her head canted to one side in curiosity. She had expected a predator’s frustration over losing sight of their prey, but this girl almost looked like she lost her friend at the mall. Maybe she was new? Nah … she looked like she’d seen some time in the dome. Lost? More likely.
Without further hesitation Akane slipped from the palm bush and sat almost cat like, her tails wrapping around her tiny paws. A bark of warning escaped her to grab the stranger’s attention but she did not draw near. A light chortled fox-chirp escaped her.
She would remain curious, but doubtful. ”Can’t I help you?” She asked politely, shaving off the slight mistrust in her mind from her tone. It would not do to assert aggression to a someone in need of help.
Post by Valeria Kazakov on Nov 7, 2013 7:47:47 GMT -5
The slight rustle of a bush would not have been heard by regular human hearing, but Valeria picked it up with ease. However, in order to prevent herself from alarming the creature, she instead turned towards the direction of the sound very slowly, as though she was simply looking around without an air of confidence she would find something. Her eyes came to rest on the face of the fox, its edges slightly blurry to the distance and her already poor sight. At least she could see at all; it was better than most days. Val had not come across many fox shifters her in time at the Menagerie; mostly she was accustomed to the company of other anthropomorphs. Still, the creature fascinated her, and the woman had to consciously make an effort not to stare.
At the words, Valeria smiled slightly, and once again tugged the sleeve of her cardigan down. She held it down with her right hand, trying to hide the fur that covered that appendage. Of course, it was obviously enough from the ears and eyes that she was an anthro, but Val had become used to trying to hide it from strangers. Frowning, Val’s head cocked to the side slightly as she tried to determine the shifter’s angle. Was she asking out of genuine curiosity or was she looking to pick a fight? It could really be either of the two but Val wasn’t prepared to jump to any rash conclusions. It wasn’t right to judge by first looks.
“I had been hoping to see an old friend here and thank him but… He’s probably busy.” Valeria’s words curled awkwardly around her tongue, her accent tainting the words with their Russian heritage. “Of course I have time to spend and I… Well I don’t quite feel like going back yet. How about you? Why so hasty to disappear?” The girl raised one eyebrow in question, taking a hesitant step forward. Her feet picked up another vibration nearby but it was too light to be a person. Most likely it was simply a branch falling from a tree. Despite that, Val couldn’t help her eyes quickly dart in that direction before returning their gaze to the fox.
Stopping halfway between where she had started and where the shifter was sitting, Val decided to let the other creature decide whether or not to close the gap. It would be simple for the fox to simply disappear again, but Valeria hoped that she decided to stay. Good company was hard to come by and from the looks of it, the fox was rather young, though exact age was impossible to determine. She would most likely have been younger than Val had been when she had found herself in the prison they now called 'home'. Too young to really know much of the world and of life, still in constant need of guidance. But children were their future, and children in the M tended to behave very differently to those outside. No more talk of annoying siblings or parents, or not having the latest gadget; their minds were turned to thoughts of survival. The world inside was falling apart.
The fox’s head cocked to one side at the stranger’s words, hovering in an almost familiar accent. She kind of sounded like Slan. Her light eyes assessed the Anthro as her large ears flickered in thought. She didn’t seem threatening – though Slan would have cut her tail off and stuffed her back into the box car for a week for being so impulsive. Hell with it, she seemed nice.
Black legs stole a few steps forward before Akane shifted into the form of a younger woman. Long, wavey brown hair and light eyes – unchanged in color from her foxform – hovered in nature between delight and caution. Still hesitant and ever watchful she stopped a few paces away.
”Anyone is uneasy with a stranger, especially where it could get you killed,” she began. ”Well, I don’t know who you’re looking for but he’s nowhere around here,” her hands lifted and dropped to slap once at her sides. She’d not heard or smelled anyone but the Anthro for quite a while.
”Though I’m kinda new here myself,” her hip hitched to one side in a relaxed manner and her hand came up to shade her eyes as she looked up at the taller girl. ”You’re an Anthro right? You part of the Fallen or Nakoma? Not that it makes much difference to me,” she said offhandedly. ” Unless it does to you…” she amended uneasily. Some of the rings were touchy about encounters and became aggressive if you said something stupid.
Post by Valeria Kazakov on Feb 26, 2014 21:59:49 GMT -5
Staying where she was, Valeria let the fox decide when to come forward. She didn’t want to pressure the other creature into confrontation, or frighten her away by being too hasty. Thankfully it took only a few moments before the fox padded forward, shifting into its other form. Unlike many others in the Menagerie, this girl did not run at the first sight of a mutated creature. Anywhere else and the anthro would have instilled a sense of disgust and perhaps rage. Fallen – despite not being her home – still felt safe and familiar. Valeria was aware that the oasis hadn’t been under Fallen rule for a time, so she understood the possibility that there would be unkind personalities lurking.
Leaning forward ever so slightly, she gave the other girl her full attention. A frown creased her brow as she acknowledged the truth to the girl’s words; Quick was certainly nowhere near them. Her ears swivelled and flicked slowly but picked up no sounds other than the rustling of the trees and the girl’s breathing. There was no hint of fear in the regular in-and-out pattern, giving Valeria at least some comfort.
Following the relaxed manner before her, Valeria too let her shoulders fall a little, and shifted her weight slightly to the right. Her eyes were finally beginning to behave and she found she could see almost perfectly, with only a few moments of blur every now and then. As soon as her anthro status was mentioned, Valeria became slightly self-conscious, moving her right hand awkwardly behind her back. Due to the warmth of the sun, she had not brought her cardigan with her, so her heavily patterned arm lay in plain view. The fur that coated the appendage was a normal feeling and sight to her, but she was aware that others were not always as accustomed to it.
“Oh that’s okay,” she said, waving her left hand in a sweep away motion, making sure the girl understood it was a perfectly normal question. The topic of loyalties was often a touchy one, and Val also knew that everyone had a different reaction to it. “I am an anthro, yes, although that’s probably somewhat obvious. I’m Nakoma actually, though Fallen has been kind to me in the past.” She paused, trying to find another way to proceed with the conversation. Small talk was all well and good, until you both ran out of things to say.
“You’re new here you say? New to Fallen or to the Menagerie altogether? Oh ummm… You don’t have to answer if you don’t, uh, want to.” Falling over her words slightly, she wondered if perhaps there was some kind of boundary in those questions. Still, they were innocent enough, and most people she had met were comfortable talking about it. Although one thing she would need to learn sooner or later was that there was no such thing as a stereotype in the M – everyone was different and there was no telling who was what kind of person.
OOC: I'm a little rusty, so sorry for general grossness of this post...
Akane smirked with chagrin, mischievousness slipping into her eyes – though its origin was from her nature rather than her intentions. This was likely the closest thing she’d come to a normal encounter since she’d been in the Menagerie and inexplicably and all at once there was an easiness to the girl that was almost tangible. Her hand dropped from her brow to her cocked hip, her free hand raising and falling in her speech as if she were in the heart of Italy. She always had a habit of talking with at least one hand.
”Both. I was found after getting dropped off ever so kindly by the Dweeb Squad and a guy found me,” she winked. ”Too bad he was way to gorgeous to let go, not to mention he was my rescuer and I just couldn’t be without him,” her voice turned to the dramatic and her eyes rolled in self-mockery. None the less there was a genuine admiration and affection for Slan that she couldn’t hide in her voice. ”My father was also caught and brought to the Menagerie. He found me a bit ago and was not too happy to find me shacked up with a boyfriend twice my age.” She squeezed her eyes shut with a grin as she hunched her shoulders in a clear, ‘oops’ of embarrassment. She sighed and relaxed her posture then looked to the trees behind her.
”Wanna go get some shade? It’s like an oven out here!” she claimed waving her flat hand as if to fan herself. Then, without waiting for a response she turned and walked away, utterly assuming the taller girl would follow. She looked back and threw a smile at the Anthro. ”By the way, I’m Akane,” she said without missing a step and headed for the trees.
Once there she all but fell into the cool sand with audible appreciation, then rolled onto her back. One might have called her stupid or ignorant for being so careless around a new person, but Akane knew two things. The Anthro was more weary of her than she was of the Anthro, and when one acted at ease it was almost impossible for another person not to adopt the same air.
She hoped this would be an opportunity to make a friend from another ring. There was so little she’d pried out of Slan about everywhere else. She sat up in a semi-recumbent posture with her elbows in the sand. ”So what should I call you?” she asked, her face more placid now that she was not squinting in the sun.
Her features were undoubtedly of Asian descent, her cheekbones not high but prominent and her eyes almond shaped. Brown wavy hair fell to almost to her waist, and though she was thin she was toned. There was a physical ease to the girl that suggested she’d not sustained many injuries thus far in her life, was active, and her outward glow suggested real contentment. Or, at least – as content as a person could be in the Menagerie. Aside from her wardrobe and tangled hair, it would be easy to see her lounging at the beach after a volley ball game.
Post by Valeria Kazakov on Nov 29, 2014 21:15:32 GMT -5
The girl’s ease and relaxed posture gave Valeria a sense of comfort and trust that she was not always entitled to. With so many unfavourable characters moving about in the dome, it wasn’t easy to find someone she was comfortable and safe around. Slowly, she felt her own body begin to lose its upright and rigid structure, as she allowed herself to relax somewhat. Her feet, still warm on the sand, continued to monitor for any slight vibrations that may act as warning. Gradually, however, her attention moved from the sounds and movements around her, to the girl standing a few paces in front. Whilst her vision was lacking slightly, she was still able to see a few of the larger features of the girl’s face.
A smile crossed Valeria’s face as she listened to the girl’s dramatized story. It was refreshing to hear someone so carefree and unashamedly comedic. After living with a Russian father, Valeria hadn’t exactly been raised among comedians. Generally things were very serious around the house, with more frowns and eye rolls than smiles and laughter. It was odd to think that people within the Menagerie could be so much more open and happy than those on the outside. Perhaps it was because they lived in a world full of pain and loss; laughter was the best medicine apparently. Val couldn’t help but let out a small giggle at the girl’s movements. In all honesty, the anthro was quite fascinated by her – innocence was it? Then again no one was ever truly innocent in the Menagerie. Perhaps it was simply the young girl’s ability to joke about serious circumstances.
Val was about to open her mouth when the girl turned to look at the trees. Frowning, the anthro finally noticed the burning sun that rested overhead. Unfortunately there was no sunscreen in the dome; the Keepers weren’t that kind. Valeria simply nodded in response to the question, and as the girl turned, Valeria followed her. She hadn’t been to this area of the Fallen lands before, so she thought it best to follow the local girl in order to avoid any mishaps. The girl called back, uttering her name, which Valeria repeated to herself silently. It was a pretty name, she thought, and quite unique which would hopefully make it easier to remember.
The shade was a welcome feeling and Valeria too sat down, leaning against one of the thick tree trunks, her legs stretched out in front of her. She smiled down at Akane, wishing that she too could have the luxury of not being wary of the world. Unfortunately, that was not her life in lot and there were far too many people willing to harm her.
She was pulled out of her brief thoughts by Akane’s question. Blushing slightly, she recalled that she hadn’t given her name earlier. “I’m Valeria, but Val is fine also,” she said, pulling her legs up to her chest, and hugging them into her. For a few moments there was silence between the pair, and Valeria soaked up the cool wind as it rustled the trees. She felt no nearby movements and thanked whatever higher power existed for their solitude. Val recognised that Akane meant no harm to her, so for at least that day she would be safe. It was a welcome change from her usual routine of running away from harm.
“If you don’t mind me prying,” Val murmured, attempting to approach the subject with caution. “I do hope you are not angry with your father. I think, maybe, he only meant to protect you from this older man.” Watching Akane carefully, Valeria hoped she hadn’t stepped on any toes. Occasionally the anthro was filled with a dangerous curiosity, or perhaps it was simply her training as a psychologist showing through. Still, if Akane and her father’s relationship was strong, Valeria felt she had to keep it that way. It seemed that Akane’s father wished to only protect his daughter and that was a beautiful thing. Valeria would have given anything for that kind of a father, instead of the kind that throws his own daughter into the Menagerie and to her likely death.
OOC: you should nag me more next time I'm lame and leave you hanging for so long...