Jane Mallory, aka Arachne

Jane spent seven relatively-happy years with the FBI's Counter Terrorism Division. However, that changed when she "erupted" and manifested several unusual super-powers. Although her ability to assume any human guise, secrete poison and almost-perfect camouflage would prove very useful to her career, she was forced to end her association with her employers when she became the focus of a bureaucratic pissing match. Reluctantly, Jane left the FBI and, eventually, joined The Foundation - a group that she had previously considered The Other Side. Although she is realizing that perhaps her former enemies aren't quite as reprehensible as she had been led to believe, she's still having some difficulty adjusting to her new life. The fact that she has a three-meter prehensile tongue doesn't help, either - some of the suggested codenames she heard were quite rude... Foundation Redux -  these bits are set almost ten years after Jane joined The Foundation, and seven years after she left. The group has re-united for a short campaign so, go figure, I'm writing again.

Disguises...
A gallery of Arachne's favorite faces. Most recent addition: August '02

Stories are listed in chronological order for the character. Vignettes are scenes - usually self-contained, sometimes not. Preludes are longer and (I hope) more complete stories about the character.

Prelude - Endings and Beginnings
How did Jane reconcile being an Aberrant and a special agent for the FBI? Easy, she lied to a lot of people. Of course, it fell apart, eventually...

Vignette - Turning Point
aka "It's All About The Tongue" - that title's for you, Rob.
After a year on the run and trying to find her way in the world, Jane receives a little direction and commits a rather grotesque crime.  
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Vignette - Getting Off On Wrong Foot...
Just an amusing little something I dashed off to provide some relief from all the gloom-and-grit of the other stories. Jane joins the Janissaries and immediately makes an impression on one of her co-workers.
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Vignette - Building On Bad Impressions
Written to distract the game's GM who was going through a rough night of medical tests, I decided it was worth polishing and publishing. Jane's little "joke" upon joining the Janissaries leads to an unpleasant encounter.

Vignette - Unexpected Costs and Benefits
Another amusing little something I dashed off. Jane is called upon to justify a rather alarming expense report.
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Prelude - Leaving Again
Nearly three years after her departure from the FBI, Jane reaches another career impasse after a job in Riyadh goes sour. 
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Prelude - Happy Holidays?
Jane goes on vacation to England, picks up a guy, and is accused of murder. Yep, it's just another day... This story has been heavily extended from the vignette it once was. The timing is a bit tricky, too. It's set after the main event referred to in Leaving Again, but before that story's framing sequence, so just apply a mental shoehorn as needed. 
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Vignette - Dinnertime Conversation
Another short scene. Jane catches up with DCI Gillen (Happy Holidays?), and is rather surprised by their conversation.
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Vignette - The Morning After...
Picks up immediately after Dinnertime Conversation. Jane makes a new acquaintance and re-discovers her sense of humor. Incidentally, I have caved in to impulse and cast Mark Gillen.
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Vignette - Pleasant Surprises
Set approximately two years after The Morning After, Jane decides on a major change - and has some decisions made for her.
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Vignette - Repercussions
Just as she thinks that she's found some stability, Jane learns that impulsive actions can have long-term consquences. (Warning! Adult situations. Don't read if you're not mature enough to handle same).
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Foundation Redux - On Being Black Widow
A short vignette. Jane's ruminations on having to revert to her old persona in order to get some business done. Occasional tweaks/kick to the text by D. Webb, who happens to play Veil.
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Credits.
Jane/Arachne was part of an Aberrant game, which is published by White Wolf. The troupe has converted to Champions, weirdly enough, but we soldier on. Now we've just got novas and metahumans and mutants to deal with... And, as of 2005 we're back to Aberrant again. Oookay, whatever. I ain't the GM.
I blame the GMs - Rob and Dave - entirely for Jane's powers. A woman would never think of a prehensile, venomous tongue for her own character... 
A variety of actors have been used for Jane's likeness, and credit is given on the appropriate page. The picture, above, is of Chloe Annette and is used without permission. The pic for Mark Gillen is Trevor Eve (who's character on Waking the Dead was an initial inspiration for Gillen, incidentally). None of the actors cited have anything to do with this website or its contents, beyond the fact that I've pinched their likeness. If you're a Limey-eating entertainment lawyer, drop me a line before you serve me with a subpoena, as I'm sure we can work something out.