10-18-02 @ 2:18 am EDT

This was originally posted at 10-17-02 @ 8:09 pm EDT but I am editing it for typos now!


That title should turn you off!

Well, I haven't babbled in a while, so I may as well now!

I was working on mini profile-type things for the characters of Manitou Island and Return To Manitou Island and came up with new characters, plus new details for some old ones. Lemme share! Mild mild spoilers here, yes, but not really enough to ruin anything so feel free to read if you're so inclined. Or whatever.

ABISTARIOOCH/MARTEN: The "Marten" I spoke of earlier, in my "Butterfly Dwarfs" entry, I think it was. (Too lazy to link!) He's the companion of Glooskap and is of the race of the Mikumwess or Mikumwesu (have yet to determine which spelling, if either, I will go with), who are closely related to Manabozho's Maemaegawaese (in my own mythology--as it said in the entry, I still don't know if these two are the same or not!). He appears as a tallish man of one of the Algonquin tribes (northeast coast/New England), and can have butterfly-type wings if he so wishes, but usually keeps them hidden/invisible. (I was about to say it's like retracting claws, but it's not, so...) He has a cheerful, friendly disposition, but you shouldn't let looks fool you, as he's a skilled trickster and quite able to defend himself and others should he choose. He's especially good with the bow and arrow, and can change his form at will.

AUGWAK: The chief of the GeeBees is on hand yet again (does he never die?), just as greedy and grasping as always; but Chakenapok (keep reading) gives him an enormous amount of power which just makes him...um...enormous. He reveals the true original nature of the Wendigoes before they were greatly reduced by Gitchi Manitou to spare the Island, and it's not a pleasant sight, as Charmian learns.

BAGUCKS: I have yet to determine if Bagucks will make it into the sequel, but if he does, he will most likely be a minor source of comic relief. Basically he is just a scrawny bird spirit who tends to cause trouble--irritating and meanspirited, but not really malicious. I can clearly imagine Charmian or Manabozho grabbing him by the neck.

BLACK ELK HORN: This is a spoiler, but I won't tell how it happens so that should make it all right! :P In the sequel, Black Elk Horn becomes the chief of Stick-In-The-Dirt's tribe...you can sit and theorize over how that happens. Not gonna tell.

CHAKENAPOK: I've babbled about him before, so there's not much to say. He's the antagonist of the story, with an unusual amount of power at his command...everything but the ability to free himself from a sort of containment curse, similar to the one...but oops! I'm going to give too much away there. :P Just ignore that part. *cough* He has another rather strange secret about his character, but I can't reveal it. Eh, you can probably figure it out on your own anyway!

CHARMIAN: She returns to the Island in the hopes she can again protect it from evil, but she's facing some crises. Number one is a loss back at home, which prompts her flight to the Island. Number two is her anger over why Tal Natha and the others never asked her to return in the almost-a-year she spent back at home. Number three is Geezhigo-Quae, who very much dislikes mainlanders and blames Charmian for all the troubles that have descended upon them. And number four is two new characters, who both end up vying for her affections...not gonna say who THOSE guys are, you'll have to figure it out on your own. :) Needless to say, Charmian has a full plate.

CHIBIABOS/WABASSO: Babbled about him too. I believe he's the first of Manabozho's brothers that Charmian sets out to locate as part of her plans for the Island. That's another problem she faces--reconciling the four squabbling siblings, which won't be easy since they've all wandered off to various locations. Wabasso is the easiest to find and convince to come along, as he's the closest to Manabozho. I can't say much else about him that hasn't been said, and that wouldn't give much away.

CROOKED CREEK: A very new character, just a few days old! She's a native woman who sets her eyes on Francois. That's about it, though. :)

GERARD DUPRIES: He isn't in the sequel. Justine Dupries tends to wear a lot of black. You can figure that one out.

JUSTIN DUPRIES: In the time Charmian's been gone...he's started a family! Complete with a wife and a young son. But I can't say who the lucky lady is. Suffice it to say, it probably isn't who you'd think. If you were thinking it's anybody at all.

PAGE DUPRIES: Yep, this here is Justin's son. He's young in the story...probably around six to eight or so...but already shows hints of a great power. Aside from that, I have yet to really develop his character or ascertain his importance to the plot.

JEAN-CLAUDE GAUTIER: Another very new character, though the character prototype has been around for a while, since around my last trip to the island when I had to lug a lot of stuff around. He's another voyageur, similar to Francois, only not quite so genteel. There's sort of been an influx of mainlanders to the Island since Charmian's last visit, and the small town in the current story has bloomed into a big settlement complete with furriers and taverns. Gautier is one of the trappers who frequently passes through, though of course no one can come and go from the Island as ably as Francois can. (So he's probably taken a few detours.) He tends to drink a lot, verbally abusing Walks-On-The-Shore (keep reading), but there should be quite a funny scene/subplot involving him and Pakwa.

GEEZHIGO-QUAE: I already mentioned the wind manitou, the Sky Mother who rebukes Charmian for bringing such discord to the Island. She blames mainlanders for the Island's problems, and Charmian ends up having to prove herself to gain the woman's approval...not an easy task, considering. At first Manabozho shows contempt for her Turtle Spirits (for reasons I cannot give just yet), but as soon as he finds out they serve her he's forced to show some respect--meaning she's quite a powerful manitou, to instill fear in him so easily. (Though Manabozho isn't exactly the bravest character you'll find.)

GLOOSKAP: Another one I've babbled about before. He's the culture hero of the northeast coast, similar to Manabozho, only not so flighty. He's been put through a lot more trials than Manabozho has, and so looks down his nose at the other hero. He was actually in much the same position, long ago, as Manabozho is now, and is annoyed to find that things have so gone to hell since he retired to a cave beneath the waters. As Geezhigo blames Charmian, he blames Manabozho; so there are some unpleasant feelings going on. He's called upon for help when Charmian determines the foe they're facing is much older and more powerful than they'd previously thought, and Marten tends to help alleviate the tensions between them.

KENU: "Thunderbird," a character of minor/moderate importance. He isn't fully developed and I don't know what his relation to the plot will be yet. The characters find him slumbering, in giant thunderbird form, in Skull Cave, but he can also assume human form as a somewhat elderly man.

KHIIETA: You can catch a glimpse of her in the preview, wherever that thing is! She's the new Ocryx on the block, and appears to be of a friendly temperament, but I can't say much else about her. The preview tells a little bit more.

FRANCOIS LACROIX: I already mentioned a new character development regarding him in a previous entry. But I need to correct a little thing I got wrong. His wife was attacked and killed a long time ago by a small band of hostile Iroquois...his young daughter, on the other hand, is a different matter. I don't know if she'll be in the sequel or in a spinoff story...but she's most certainly not dead. In the meantime, Crooked Creek has moved in at Francois's place on the Island in what started out as a joke challenge but ended up turning into something else.

LILY FLOWER: Her character may be more developed as it might be revealed that she has a suitor...and a rather odd one at that...

LITTLE DOVE: Yes, she's in the sequel, in a different role from before...but I can't clarify any further. :) Let's just say that when Charmian runs across her...she's not living with her father...and her appearance has changed.

MALSUM: Look back on previous entries if you must know more! He's Glooskap's twin brother, who was killed when the two fought. Despite his...um...deceased state, however, he still wields immense power, in different ways.

MANABOZHO: There is SO much character and plot development regarding Manabozho in the sequel that I can't even get started! Suffice it to say he plays a VERY major role in the plot--in fact, it rather hinges on him--and there will be quite a lot revealed about him and his past.

MASHENOMAK: A rather minor character, an antagonist of Manabozho's. I don't think this creature will play a major role, yet.

MISHUPISHU: Same as above, except he may be a bit more like Augwak in that others tend to abuse him in the name of comic relief.

MORNING STAR: A moderately new character, Morning Star is an Iroquois who was kidnapped from her tribe by an enemy common to her kind and to the natives on the Island (who are more or less Ojibwa). The raiding party, on reaching the Island, was overtaken by Stick-In-The-Dirt's people, and Morning Star was one of those brought back to the tribe. Stick-In-The-Dirt tended to her as she recovered from the ordeal and ended up growing close to her...but this is a mildly difficult situation, considering her tribe is one of his tribe's greatest enemies, and Morning Star wants to go home. Not sure if this'll play a big role in the plot or in a sidestory, but I thought I'd share it.

MUDJIKAWISS: See older entries for more on this character. He's Manabozho's eldest brother, and the one with the most difficult personality. He's unlike the other three brothers in that he's an actual warrior, and he dislikes having to babysit them. He's the one Charmian has the most trouble locating and convincing to come back to the Island with her.

NISKIGWUN: AKA "Ruffled Feathers." Niskigwun is sort of like a captain of the guard of Geezhigo-Quae's Michinimakinong (Turtle Spirits, similar to fairies with dragonfly wings), and is assigned to keep an eye on Charmian when she vows to help protect the Island. It's unclear at first whether he's more of a protector or a spy, but he ends up frequently laying his life on the line for the group. He's a very stiff and proper sort, but Charmian manages to melt his reserve a little.

NOKOMIS: Manabozho's grandmother doesn't play a huge role, but she does act as a sort of comic foil for Old Mother Manitou. Turns out the two old women don't much care for each other. Nokomis also fills a somewhat important role for Charmian, but I can't get into that right now.

PAKWA: Suffice it to say that it's discovered that not all Wendigoes are rabid flesheaters...and at least one of them turns out to like drinking a little too much...

PAUGUK: The Death Spirit appears to Charmian after a particularly trying time, and she's determined to face him down to achieve her ends...only to find out he isn't exactly the worst thing she'll have to face.

PEEPAUKAWISS: Manabozho's second-oldest brother turns out to be almost as hard to find as Mudjikawiss, but not for the same reasons. He's the flighty, goony, girly figure of the bunch, and tends to scream in a very feminine manner when terrified--much to Manabozho's chagrin. He also pulls constant pranks on his younger brother, and so often ends up in more trouble than they're worth.

THOMAS RICHINGTON: I HATE that surname, so it could change at any time. Thomas is a British character with a rather weird parentage I can't describe at the moment; suffice it to say that when Charmian finds out exactly what it is, she freaks. He's around her age, so the two of them form a friendship and he fills Drake's role from the original story, only he's not nearly as flighty and goofy as Drake. He starts out showing Charmian the ropes, but the situation switches when it turns out SHE knows more about the Island than HE does. He has a very fast horse, and is willing to even face down a monstrously changed Augwak to defend Charmian.

SINGING CEDARS: New character. He's an Iroquois warrior/spy captured by the Island natives, of whom Black Elk Horn is ready to kill him--until Charmian steps in. She informally "adopts" him to spare him from the Islanders and to obtain important information, but this places her in a potentially awkward position with both them and Francois.

SOOLEAWA CHEPI: Wondering what Chepi's past was before she was the self-proclaimed Queen of the Windwalkers? Niskigwun has a few choice things to say, none of which Chepi is going to like.

STICK-IN-THE-DIRT: He may play more of a mentor role for Charmian, as he ends up explaining the meaning behind a strange gift Yellow Turtle leaves with her. Through him and some of the other elder characters (Silver Eagle Feather, etc.), more of the spiritual beliefs of the natives are revealed, and Charmian finds out she's been placed in a precarious and weighty situation indeed as the Island's protector.

WALKS-ON-THE-SHORE: He's a Huron (Wyandotte) who first appears burdened down with all of Gautier's belongings, following him about the town like a lackey. I don't yet know exactly what put him in this particular situation, but despite the slavish first impression he gives, Charmian finds him to be quite an engaging character. I have to work on his personality a bit more, however.

WHITE DEER: Frustrated in her attempts to find a husband, White Deer has taken to studying medicine like her father in the hopes that she can excel in this area, if not in others. In about the past day, though, I've toyed with another development regarding her and one of the characters already mentioned...and it's starting to sound alluring. And difficult. :)

PLEASE NOTE that the absence of any character names here does NOT mean those characters will not appear. Many of them WILL be returning...I just couldn't come up with something to say about them. Except for one, and if I revealed anything about them at all, even their name, I'd be giving too much away. So moving on!

Well! I just spent all evening typing THIS up rather than doing something useful like finishing Part 94 or R&Ring! So I guess I'll be going now. I will come back and proofread this entry later since it's so long, so please excuse typos--IF you even manage to make it this far!


WOW! Aside from a few corrective details, I think I found only ONE typo--a misspelling of Manabozho's name in the very first description. Neato!