Launa Viander

Launa Viander is a fictional character who has been featured in many stories and media throughout the years and with her popularity with the creator and fans alike, she is the longest-running and most developed character in the history of TwinStudios. With Xendrian coming in second in terms of development, artwork commissioned/requested and bodies of work. Her characterization came to be in the fall of 2003 originally as a season-themed fixture in league with all the themed characters of anthropomorphic females done by the fandom.
The upcoming tenth anniversary in October/November of 2013, the next incarnation of Launa will retire her trademark dress, gain additional muscle and a new overall look. This is also for a planned finishing of the flagship series Chronicles of a Trickster.
==Development History==
The conception of the character came around in late-2003 in to fit in with the Halloween brush of various anthro and non-anthro characters that fill in the scene every year. Especially that of the black cat and their history being synonymous with witchcraft and all things evil. Wanting in on the action along with the fetishes of female muscle and large chested females came in the development of a towering, muscle-bound feline female who was just going to be there for the purpose of being there for that holiday in competition with other so-called 'sexy' girl characters. In the original idea, her name just went by as "Launa Moon Viander" which stick around until a few years until moon was removed from the name and entered in with the dutch name "Marijenen" which contains that word "Marij" which means bitter.
Fitting for part of her most notable personality traits. There was a single-shot idea leading up to the commissioning of Inu-jean as the artist to make the first picture, though appearing slim, she was the basis of all future images of the sorceress. Future pictures depict her in different sizes, shapes and appearances depending on their style and what she's doing. But true to her form she is always the heavy musclebound type where most would prefer the slim but still muscular version of herself still bearing the massive and incredibly firm breasts she always had.
===Personality===
Launa has a multitude of emotions and personality traits but the three that stand out the most are rage, motherly instinct and her own ego. Her anger is the most prominent as she is known to have serious anger management issues with people who often outdo her in trickery or when her friends get harmed in which this case her rage becomes her power. Often so Launa has been known to act in ways that made her distrusted with others and sometimes the source of her enemies.
===Nation of Origin===
Many characters have their origins in nations based on where their creators were born, what nation has been depicted the most in media based on popularity or history behind them, or for the majority, based them in the following nations: Japan, China, Australia, Russia, Egypt and the United States. Seldom, there are lesser-known characters that come from places that have real-world internal conflicts to justify their reason for being and their state of mind making them perfect emotional and/or physical fodder for the heroes or villains.
There were so many places to establish Launa in the real world but can't just be placed anywhere where she can't grow as a character. There were ideas she could have been British, French or even American based on their histories associated with mythology in magic but the decision ultimately fell for her to be Dutch. Currently Dutch, from the modern-day Netherlands but Launa is born and raised on a fictional sea-town of Oleander in the region of Frisia in what used to be the Holy Roman Empire. However as time moved on, she would adapt to the new nation and establish herself as a Dutch citizen, simply by birthright.
===The "European" Bombay===
Historically, the role of black cats in Europe have been known as symbols of bad luck/omens often associated with witches and dark sorcery and in accordance to history of the time led to a frightened and hysterical public giving them their extermination. Launa's phenotype is based on a fictional branch-off of the real-life cat breed the Bombay cat Wikipedia: Bombay Cat - http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Bombay_cat. The best known of black cats. This lead to the creation of the continent-wide European Bombay that has been known throughout the nations of medieval Europe before the influence of Pope Gregory IX, combined with the religious vilification Wikipedia: Vox in Rama - Vilification of Black Cats - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vox_in_Rama#Vilification_of_black_cats to the cat as an incarnation of Satan, gave the public the fear of black cats that ultimately lead to their extinction across continental Europe.
This breed, once a wild, native type of house cat now live in very few numbers and are ultra-rare among cat fanciers. The breed is known for their naturally shiny coat, firm musculature and short and often through a unknown genetic mutation no whiskers which often becomes an impediment for sensing their space surroundings. For Launa these traits often show during her transformation with the exception of her eyes which remain a steel blue instead of yellow slits. A musculature visible on her before her ingestion of Ooau which provides for extra strength and speed like her counterparts and incredible balance and agility that surpasses seasoned gymnasts.
===Clothing Style===
: Main article: Viander & Company - Clothing Style
There were many clothing designs that were hard to describe text-wise but a classical single-piece dress showing a opening through her cleavage suited well and that lasted from 2003 to c.2005 which thanks to a dress-up game by Crowchild called Rio: Dress to Thrill: Halloween 2007 SE Rio: Dress to Thrill: Halloween 2007 SE - http://www.furaffinity.net/view/855803/ created the basis for the dress that stood with her today. Currently classified as Silk, Leather and Steel, that skimpy number modeled after the setup from the game became the standard dress Launa wears for the past 830+ years.
When the first drawing was made in the new dress there was to include a short back cape but the artist, BoosterPang didn't want to include it so it remained what it was and has been used ever since. Modifications where made as different artists took on the character, importantly open-front shoes to allow her clawed toes out for more movement plus lower the heels because of her being a powerful ass-kicker, she or any female fighter-type cannot handle well with high-heeled, diamond-toed shoes. The trademark oval sunglasses included in the game to become lennon-style teashades with red lenses. that usually plant firmly on the top of her and below her line of sight.
===Principal Weapons===
Her two principal weapons are always in use for her for the occasions of fighting armies, supernatural enemies or to make herself far more intimidating than her size and power limits to. Her first is the longsword Ravenaire. With a blade long as her body is tall, the double-handed weapon endowed with her own power, is capable of fighting by itself or handled well by Launa thanks to her years of swordsmanship. The second but lesser-known weapon is her heavy battle axe when in use for heavy meelee tasks. As an extendable handle for specialized moves or to throw in more of her weight of the blow.
===Transportation===
There are two methods of transportation Launa uses to get herself around the world. Self-teleportation is one where she can send herself anywhere without the use of casting a spell. Perfected since the mid-1800's, her method of travel before then was through mirrors or enclosed spaces like closets.
In the 1970's her other method of travel came to pass after abandoning the traditional broom due to several injuries and accidental drugging. Her thrill of stunts and excitement led her to build a monster V8 motorcycle known as the Netherbeest, a powerful monster of a machine with a mind of its own.
==Biography==
===Mischievous Beginnings===
Lillian Marijenen Viander was born in Oleander, a small coastal town in the Frisian region of the Holy Roman Empire in the year 1174. As she grew up in a peasant-level family, she spends most of her time working hard on the farm and supporting her family through whatever means are needed. At age 10, Lillian after surviving hardships of life and the abuse and cruelty of her grandparents, Lillian develops a feeling of playing various acts and games against the public. All thanks to the arrival of a jester who came into the town and since then, had developed a strong liking to him.
The jester taught Lillian all of the various tricks of the trade. This not only got him out of sticky situations but earned him a few coins along the way. For his time, he had never once got caught in the act playing his tricks until the day a local from another town spotted him and was immediately chased out of town by the locals. But this doesn't stop Lillian from taking those lessons as if they were law. This was the start of her personal reign as a prankster. Her best work involved a swarm of rats that flooded into the local mead hall which then went into the barns and caused a small stampede. In other times, she resorted to pickpocketing a few for change, even the most skilled thieves didn't notice their loot was stolen by her until it was too late.
She has been caught, but only for the small stuff, not for the things that made her infamous.
===The Arrival of the Old Woman===
One fall morning in 1197, a old woman walking into town and her appearance gave everyone a seriously creepy vibe both in the townspeople's minds and hearts. What made it even more surreal about this woman is that she is followed by a large group of cats. When the woman bumped into Lillian, she responded with a cold stare and an insult that strikes her own heart and enrages her. But was pulled back by her mother before she would do something regretful. However this doesn't stop her from pulling something on the woman for her actions.
===October 31st, 1197===
On that night, Lillian prior to being told by her Father of a big announcement left with a bucket and string. Based on rumors from the townspeople, the old woman lived in a cottage in the outskirts of Oleander through a dark and scary road. The trick she had in mind was new that involved dumping a bucket of swampy water over her head. The plan was simple of course when it was executed with the bucket falling and dumping it's disgusting contents over her head. However this was the first time Lillian has gotten caught by her uncontrollable laughter. Pulled off from the ground and up to the old woman's face, The old woman revealed herself in true form as a powerful and evil witch named Belia. Stricken with fear at her power, Belia tells Lillian about why she has so many cats; It's really all of the unfortunate souls who have messed with her and had turned them to cats as her slaves and prisoners. Lillian would make a nice addition to her collection.
There Belia began her incantation on Lillian which slowly transforms her into a black cat but through the painful transformation, she distracts her and runs from sight. Getting as far away from her and her laughter, it was until she came across a small pond and moonshine to reveal her new form. Instead of of feeling the repercussions of her actions, she instantly wanted revenge. Running back to the cottage Lillian now running on both human and animal fury came through the window and fights the witch in an effort to force her to change her back. It was only met with energy attacks until a leap behind a mirror became Belia's undoing as it destroys her. With Belia dead, the souls of the cats were free, all except for Lillian since the curse wasn't completed and the only one who can undo it is dead, she was left with the fate of being a humanoid cat forever.
===Reign as a Villain===
Though Lillian had to live with the consequence of never returning to Oleander, she is left with all of the books and items Belia left behind at her disposal. In her time, Lillian has learned how to master some of the magic the books had and uses to give her all sorts of abilities such as raising the dead, forging energy attacks, changing objects and living things to other things and even shape-shifting. Unusual for her since the most seasoned practitioners of magic take decades to master one of the dark arts. Lillian mastered the first four in less than six months. The only thing that she hasn't been able to achieve was to find the means to free herself of the curse which also renders her immortal.
With all the new power in her hands, it leaves the newly empowered Lillian to spread her trickery to a new level, as a villain. From robbing the rich to unduly influencing kings, lords and churches to do her bidding, Lillian, a strange creature loved manipulating the gullible and even destroying those who get in her way including fools who dare out-trick her and knights that want her head.
===Coyote===
: Main article: Coyote
Learning so much of the travels into the new world, Lillian has taken the route to see what new peoples she can play her games with, In her journeys into the new world she did encounter one, the trickster of the early native Americans, Coyote. In time they learned so much from each other and eventually became the equivalent to partners in crime. Being the more seasoned trickster, Coyote has taught Lillian far more lessons that even impressed her. With so many civilizations in both the old and new world alike, it was a match made in hell for the two. However Lillian's trickery would only go so far when invited to the realm where Coyote calls home. The Hall of the Celestials, the home of the Native Council where he is their servant.
At first encounter, she comes across Alyeska, fellow servant to the goddess Tahera, the great white wolf. That's when it ended in disaster when she brutally attacked Lillian. All of her magic to defend herself was blocked or fired back at Lillian and receives a brutal beating in which she wasn't prepared for. Coyote eventually stops the fight and stops Alyeska even through her incoherent babble of Lillian being responsible for the death of her "children". Lillian doesn't even know a thing about it but Coyote doesn't want her to mind it. However it did set the stage for what comes next.
===Valkyrie Lillian===
Against his objections and equaling of her to a god like he is to the mortals, Lillian needs to learn a thing that magic can't always deal with, fighting. Admittedly, her encounter with Alyeska proved that. Coyote couldn't win against her argument and she needed to learn how to get dirty with her fists. They ported to the shores of the North Sea and Coyote leaves her for her to "journey" to be a fighter. It would comes too soon as she is captured by Lord Vorgendurr and his group of Vikings. He knows of her exploits decades ago and sees her as a valuable asset to be unstoppable. Much to Lillian's objections and that Vorgendurr has inhibited her powers to prevent her using it against him.
For her meantime, she stayed with a group known as the Valkyries, a team of tough, strong warrior women who thought just as well as the men. Lillian's first days where brutal especially with the second in command. The brash and fight-hungry E'leisa, who brutally beats her on the first day. It was through shear willpower and growth of her abilities as a fighter is what got her to survive. Lillian's bitterness at E'lesia soon went away when she saved her life during a battle from certain death. For over 30 years, and with very limited use of her powers, she helped Vorgendurr be the most revered Viking the old world has ever known until that brutal day a rival horde wiped them out. Lillian fought bravely to the end even when her comrades fall all around her, she lived to see the fall of the Valkyries and Vorgendurr's reign with him finally freeing her inhibitions.
===The Cruelest Trick===
Reunited with Coyote, Lillian is blissfully unaware of what will transpire. On one cold night, Coyote and Lillian were together and as she was wanting to be intimate with him for the first time, Coyote drops the act of a lover and smacks her down. Revealing that he has been fully aware of her exploits since the very beginning. The very thing he can not stand is have an upstart take his place among the gods. Lillian doesn't understand but Coyote wasn't buying it, he knows of how the plans of the council changed all because her defeat of Belia so many years ago. Sending a spiral of events that costs Alyeska her only daughter by Tahera's will and win favor from him to her to be the trickster of the gods.
That's why he wants to get it all back by force by stringing Lillian along and empowering her so when her powers were at peak, he would take them and get back at the council. Lillian refuses but Coyote gives her no choice as he rips her powers and immortality from her and attacks her in her human state and leave her for dead. With her weakened and broken, Lillian thought he loved her, to which he replied that he never did, and that was the greatest tricked he ever played.
===Revenge Denied===
Lying and dying, Lillian is broken mentally and physically of what happened until the voices of the gods of the council call out to her to seek her aid in stopping Coyote from furthering his plans. Lillian was unable to do anything until they empowered her to fight Coyote and get her revenge for what Coyote has done to her. When she does find Coyote, the two fought brutally until she manages to get her powers back by throwing herself through his body and into the fire where she is "reborn" as old self. With her Viking skills and brutal tricks, Lillian has brought Coyote to the ground. However the council stops her as she now has her powers and can now deal with Coyote themselves. She refuses and tries to kill Coyote but is casted away to Siberia as it wasn't part of their plan.
Discovering that she was sent so far away and her powers can't take her back to the place where Coyote is, she lets out a loud scream to the sky. Letting those who can hear that her vengeance has been denied and once again had been used just so she can do their dirty work.
===Journey to the Southeast===
For years, Lillian walked on foot through the region hoping to make her way back to Europe. But ends up making a wrong turn and slowly ends up in the warmer climates of Southeast Asia. Cutting through the thick forests, she encounters a monstrously huge man. Xian-Tsu as he greets Lillian in a friendly manner despite his incredible strength as demonstrated by lifting a boulder ten times bigger than he is which led to a path into is personal sanctuary. She was courteous even to tell the story of her own troubles leading her up to now. Understanding, Xian-Tsu offered Lillian some special training along with a special secret when she is ready.
For that time Lillian acted as student and friend to Xian-Tsu whether it's doing simple tasks for his needs, to learning the new martial arts moves that compensate for his mass. After building so much trust, Xian-Tsu is ready to share how he got so big and muscular. It was on the discovery of a strange plant that grows around his home, at first it was a needed substitute for tea but the properties did a number to increase his size and strength a hundredfold with each workout he does. He didn't know the dosage then and that's what made him so huge and live far longer than any one around him. Considering that she needed to be stronger physically, Xian-Tsu offered her the plant to enhance her. At first she refused but then takes the tea.
With each workout session, Lillian can feel the changes take place in her body as she grew stronger with each exercise even growing to barely fit in her garments until they eventually burst under the new muscles. When the effects wore off, Lillian now possesses the body of a titan with over a thousand pounds of muscle all thanks to Xian-Tsu and his later training in how to fight with a larger body.
===Trickster of a Different Name===
After throwing caution to the wind and giving her new muscles a test run in destroying a small section of forest just for fun. She leaves the south-east and back to Europe where she makes a detour into Norway where she encounters a young man who is being attacked by a unnaturally large bear. Lillian saves the man from the beasts attack and kills it with her bare hands. For saving his life, he offered Lillian room and shelter for a while before she finally makes the last stretch home.
She then learned that he, is from a long line of Viking weaponsmiths and with his help, taught her how to make a sword to call her own. His teachings ultimately led to her finally mastering the art and forged a sword of her own, endowed it with her power and gave it a name: Ravenaire. After her departure, Lillian showed her gratitude by offering him a bearskin rug, made from the same bear that tried to attacked him years ago. When asked of what she did with the rest of it, she simply ate the whole bear.
Upon leaving, Lillian needed a new change of pace for herself and it started with her name, From then on when arriving back to the Netherlands, she calls herself now as Launa.
===The Great Purge===
: Main article: Mystical Underworld
Europe is home to hundreds of not thousands of small communities hidden from the rest of the mortal world. Home to elves, faeries, dragons and many other types that lived apart and through their legends. However in the rise of World War II, the Nazi forces were advancing all across Europe putting much of the communities in danger, Launa knowing this first hand that they won't budge let alone move out of the way of the impending war. Launa resorted to fighting her way out of Amsterdam during the fall in 1940. Leaving to the destruction of her own house when it was invaded to protect whatever resources they would have use to turn the war in their favor.
Launa seeked out the communities and tries to get everyone to run before the Nazis come in, but their refusal to move out forces Launa to take drastic measures by fire-bombing and using heavy illusions to scare the populace away. Many tried to stop her and either had been severely injured or killed by her in the onslaught. The word of her rampage spread fast not just in the mystical towns of Europe but of those all around the world, leaving them to flee underground, literally. The higher masters forged a new world through the Alps and escape. Little do they know that the Axis forces did advanced and destroyed the towns. A handful who refused the message were not so lucky.
Launa stayed behind and helped the Allies along the way as much as she can until 1945. After which, her actions made her a pariah in the mystic community forcing her to leave Europe for America until the heat is down. Despite many attempts at bounties to have her head, those people failed while in her stay in Duluth, Minnesota. Launa didn't return until 1976 and cleared for her actions by the Kingdoms of the Underworld save for the Draconic Kingdoms in 1983.
===Launa Viander Today===
Launa still holds life as the trickster but is more of a good character than she was as villain. Through the hardships and tragedies, she comes out on top as the most prominent female around. Currently she works as founder of her own stunts and entertainment company, professional body-builder and investor with a net worth of $1.2 billion dollars, all under the identity of her human guise Jennifer Aslan. She lives in a high apartment building, a more modern set from her old home she had to destroy. With her friends Sabrina and Azrealle.
==Other Media==
===Stories===
*Featured in several stories by Rinji Pantera: Clash of the Immortals and its Alternate version, The eighth chapter of Anthro.
*Phantasm09: The Outlaw and the Trickster and The Outlaw and the Tricksters.
*PolarZen: Tip Your Waitress
*Detroon1986: Origins
===Comics===
*Redfoxagent: Lucy vs Launa
*Ryuakira: Drowning In Air featuring characters by Muddyness
*Zenx007: Nexus vol 1. issue 6 p. 13-16 Nexus Storyboard by Zenx007 - http://fav.me/d6f01by
*Sergiroth: Flying Through the Room Flying Through the Room by Sergiroth - http://fav.me/d77wqb8
=== Games ===
* Eggo21: Feed-a-Furry update 1.2, April 5, 2016
==References==
==External Links==
*Viander & Co. Gallery @ DeviantART
Category:Viander & Company
Category:Characters