The Raccoon Meet: Richard Isaac Nicolaides But he goes by: "Vinci" He's: 24 years old And a: Procyon lotor (common raccoon) Stands: 5'2" tall Weighs: 90 lbs Born in: Athens, Greece To: "Mama" and "Papa" Nicolaides (we don't know their names yet!) Works as: Interior designer, painter by commission Religion:He says he's pretty much agnostic. Sweet but aloof, artistic and pessimistic, Vinci is the type of person who has the potential to shine, but not enough confidence to pull it off. Although at first glance, you might think him the more flamboyant of the duo, this is far from the case. Vinci prefers to be the one quietly following in his charismatic partner's footsteps. Being a bit more practical, he feels it is his job to stop the yumar from putting his foot in his mouth. Actually, he's far too slow on the draw for this, but hey, he tries. Having recently moved to the United States, Vinci is still new to many things, and more experienced than he lets on in others. He's actually quite booksmart, but the problem is that he's got so much whirring around in his head (in three different languages, no less), that it's often hard for him to sort out. A perfectionist, this causes him to become easily frustrated with himself, and on a whole, he tends to be self-conscious. Imagine being quite wordy in your native tongue, and then barely able to get the point across in another language! He gets embarrassed by his thick accent and the occasional language flub here and there, but he's better at English than he perceives himself to be, and he usually makes perfect sense, even if his words aren't in the perfect order. Vinci has just stumbled into a job as a senior interior designer. He's not sure if it's actually his true calling, given that his coworkers are either playing pranks on him or are actually out for blood. He's certainly not as outgoing as Arty is, and he is shy, but Vinci is a warm conversationalist and once he gets going, it can be hard to stop him from yakking it up! Particularly if you get him started on one of his favorite subjects, Greece and baking. He still manages to retain an aloofness in regards to a lot about himself, which should probably be an alarm-bell to Artisan. Vinci hints at having made some bad choices in life, but he's also keen on not talking about them. We've just learned that he was addicted to both alcohol and heroin at one point. The latter appears to be completely out of his life; the former is still a problem now and then since he's well, let's be honest, a cheap drunk. He can be rather passive-aggressive, choosing to brood quietly instead of being honest. Although this is non-confrontational, it's also quite a dangerous stance to take, particularly given how open and truthful Arty is. Vinci also prefers keeping his relationship under wraps, as opposed to Arty, who is comfortable and frank about it. Though awkward looking and not terribly attractive, Vinci has inherited the typical procyon adorability factor, and often uses this to his advantage, whether he's conscious of it or not. According to him, he would much prefer being seen as a fierce wild animal, rather than a cute cuddly thing, but he can only hold the grouch routine for so long. Vinci's hobbies are painting (he sells his work as a freelance artist), egging Arty on, regretting having egged Arty on after they both get in trouble, and baking. He's good at the first three, horrid at the last. No one seems to have the heart to break it to him yet. In short, Vinci's a bad person with a good heart or a good person with some bad habits, depending on how you look at it. He's trying to become more independent and self-assured, but he has a long road ahead of him still. Hopefully, he will also overcome his negativity and destructive tendencies before he drives an even bigger wedge between himself and those he loves.
	The Yumar Meet:Artisan P. Sunspot (He claims the P. stands for "Perfection", among other things, but between you and me it's "Patrick".) But he goes by:"Arty" He's:27 years old And an:Acinonyx consimilis maris (yumar) Stands:6'2" tall Weighs:200 lbs Born in:Havre de Grace, MD To:Nalya Marina Sunspot and Lucas Nigel Sunspot Works as:Tech support operator for Dolphin Technologies Religion:Christian Bitter. That about describes Arty perfectly. He's pompous, he's argumentative, he's vain.. well, he's a typical cat! That said, he's not a bad guy. Sure, he's loud and ranty, but Arty is an honest, passionate fellow who wears his heart on his sleeve. He's incredibly dedicated to his partner, his faith, his family and.. yeah, even his job. Artisan is a cutie-patootie and he knows it. He also wants -you- to know it and has no problem telling you. Repeatedly. He's very confident, although he might be playing up his ego a bit for kicks or compensation. It's hard to say. His confidence seems to be the backbone of a lot of strength, making it easy for him not only to ream into "morons" at work, but also to sit down with someone and discuss things honestly and openly. He has no problem putting his feelings and opinions on the table, and is baffled by Vinci's habit of bottling up. Intelligent and very opinionated, Arty sometimes has trouble grasping the concept that not everyone is going to agree with him, and that those who disagree aren't automatically wrong. He can get pretty defensive, and whether he knows it or not, he can be something of an instigator. His short fuse can be a problem sometimes, he can jump off the handle quite easily and often needs to be calmed down before he becomes irrational. Artisan was crushed by his father's suicide eleven years ago, and it remains a dark cloud over his life and the source of a lot of his anger. He still is furious at his father, and at times, he blames himself for it. During his college years, Arty was a bit of an activist, but has retired that part of his life for Vinci's sake. He still dreams of becoming a famous singer, however, and he's got quite the voice. He's just waiting to be discovered. Artisan is very charismatic and can definitely carry an audience with his enthusiasm and often flamboyant behavior. He's the dreamer and the romantic of the pair, often cooking up crazy schemes and getting himself and Vinci in trouble. Arty loves Vinci and is very devoted to him, even if he can't figure him out most of the time. He's learning to listen more to his partner. He's been warned by a trusted old friend that Vinci might not be as honest and innocent as he makes himself out to be, but it's yet to be determined whether Arty will take this into consideration. Love is blind, in more ways than one. Let's hope that Artisan isn't badly hurt by what appears to be a tempest brewing.
	Peaches The boys' pet cat, Peaches does not seem permanently scarred by the rather undignified name bestowed upon her by Artisan.
	Mr. Coco Mr. Coco is an evil criminal warlord bent on conquering the world and making everyone his slave. Fortunately for us, he's an evil criminal warlord in the form of an immobile stuffed red panda, Arty's childhood toy.
	Nalya Nalya Sunspot (that's said 'Now-lee-yuh', by the way) is mom to Arty and Kelly, and seems to already consider Vinci part of her family (something which boggles the raccoon). She's pretty easygoing and accepting of her son's lifestyle, if not completely approving, although it seems to have been a gradual warming. A cheerful sort, she still has a bit of a fireball personality if you cross her. She also seems to have a lot of strength behind the surface, given the death of her husband and a clash with her in-laws over the situation. Currently she's at slight odds with her son's vehement dislike of her new boyfriend, Tom. Oh, you don't have to call her Nalya or Mrs. Sunspot. She would prefer if you call her "Mom".
	Kelly Kelpsing Sunspot, Arty's kid sister, has just turned sixteen. She would rather be called "Kelly" and considers herself a misunderstood intellectual. As wordy as her brother is bitter, she loves to wax poetic and over-analyze, usually to an unwilling audience. Kelly is going through a bit of a lonely phase, and an identity crisis. She seems very self-conscious of her yumarian heritage, and wishes she were a "normal cheetah", to the point of shaving her head and dyeing what's left of her mane.
	Custard Half monarch butterfly, half raccoon, Custard is Kelly's best friend. He was born without wings and is seethingly jealous of anything that can fly. He speaks with a curious mixture of insect and mammalian dialects, which makes him a tad tricky to understand. Kelly seems to know what he's saying pretty well, though. When she gives him a chance to speak, that is...
	Spük One of Arty's coworkers, Spük is one cool cat who doesn't let anything bother her. She's relatively quiet, save to spout the occassional sassy comeback. Most of her job seems to entail settling Arty down and keeping him from turning Arkie into sashimi. Actually she's not really a cat, but a "scaredycat", a type of goblin. Tech support is her side job. Her other career as a Warlock Assistant only demands one day of work, Halloween, so she is forced to deal with Arty, Arkie, and the rest of Dolphin Tech for the other 364 days of the year.
	Surf-Ark Arkie the seahorse is, uhm.. a bit of a ditz. Ok, more than a bit. He's a dolt. But he's so nice you can't help but like him anyway. Well, unless you're Arty. In fact, Arkie is so dimwitted that he had absolutely no clue that it is in fact the male seahorse who goes through pregnancy, and he's currently expecting. It's uncertain whether he's fully aware of the situation he's in (he knows he gets some weird cravings, though. Salsa on chocolate ice cream? YUCK!) At times, he borders on zen in his stupidity. For example, Arkie is surprisingly good at his job. He's able to calm many of the most irate customers, often telling them to "put the phone down, go have a cookie, and call me back when you feel better, ok?" Right on, man.
	"Suevlaki" (Character belongs to her creator!) Actually her name is Susan, and she's a deer. She used to live across the street from Vinci & Arty, but has since moved away. She is still one of their closest friends, and drops by every so often, skillfully avoiding Vinci's questionable cooking.
	"Bay-nee" (Character belongs to his creator!) Bennie, (Vinci pronounces it "Bay-nee") is a very good friend of Susan, and often the victim of Vinci's bashfulness and Arty's jealous ire.
	Graham Say "Howdy!" to one of our newest Ballpointe pals! Graham Fidelis is a happy-go-lucky tycoon (that's shorthand for tiger-raccoon, not a reference to his savings account, sorry) who takes all the trials that life has to offer and tosses a few bad jokes right back at it. He's the entire IT dept for all of Dolphin Technologies, so you can bet he's a busy guy. In fact, no one else had ever met him until he and Arty happened to run into each other during a server crisis at the office. Now he's made it a point to take time out from his hectic schedule to hang out with the rest of the gang at Dolphin Tech. Yes, including Arkie!
	Sonnet A real sweetie-mutt! She's one of Dolphin Tech's teenaged interns, and charms people with her thoughtfulness and eager-to-please personality. In fact, she's probably the only person in the world who can escape Arty's bitter ire; a real feat! She idolizes him in fact, since he's what she dreams of being; a talented singer. You could say they both have dangerous amounts of talent; Sonnet's just happens to be, well, breaking everything with her voice...
	Beanie One of Vinci's co-workers, this perky and mischievous collie just adores playing pranks on the unsuspecting raccoon. He's such an easy target! She's cute enough that she gets away with it too.
	Karma Another co-worker of Vinci's, she often appears aghast by Beanie's practical jokes on the raccoon, but secretly she thinks it's hilarious and will join in on the sly. It's all in good-natured fun, though. At least, we hope!
	Eau-Neaux A Parisian walrus with a real flair for interior design, Eau-Neaux is highly competitive and quite upset that the position she wanted was taken by some bashful stranger. The nerve of him! We don't know yet if she and Vinci will come to an understanding or if they'll turn into rivals, but you've probably got a good guess where it's going to end up...
	Candy Cow The daughter of Tormada Muen and Dulcy de Leche, Candy's all set to inherit her parents' interior design company. If she wants it, that is! For now, she's working as a secretary until she finishes high school. (Like a few other folks you've met, Candy is a bit character right now, whose full story will be told after "Vinci & Arty" ends!)
	Peanutbutter Angeli A raccoon waiter with a most amazing memory, Angeli is friendly, observant, and an old pal of Artisan's from college. Although he dreams about going back to school, he's now in charge of Ringabelle's diner after the owner's passing. Additionally, he is guardian and caretaker for his "cursed" cousin, Key Lime Pie, so that whole college thing is probably not gonna happen anytime soon. He's quite happy to see Arty after all these years, but something about Vinci immediately strikes him as a bit off, which he's just warned his old friend about. Normally an honest fellow and a good judge of character, could Peanutbutter Angeli be missing the mark this time around? I guess we'll find out!
	Krispy Kremes Krispy Kreme Donuts are Arty's favorite food. His addiction to them borders on obsession. Well, they -are- pretty good...
	Shinees Like most raccoons, Vinci's eye is quickly drawn to bright objects, which he refers to using a made-up noun, "shinees". Unfortunately, Vinci is NOT like most raccoons in that he tends to put these in his mouth. Dumbass.