Welcome to Gaia! ::

Information
Full Name: Julia Stryker
Age: 30
Birthday: July 2nd, 1977
Race: Scandanavian
Marital Status: Single
Family: Warren Stryker (brother), Janet Stryker (sister)
Birthplace: Lund, Sweden
Residence: Burlington, Vermont
Occupation: Unemployed
Vehicle: Toyota Prius {img} (rarely drives)
Favorite Color: Lilac
Favorite Gemstone: Pearl
Favorite Beverage: Ginger ale
Known Likes: Snow, privacy, cities from a distance, food experiences
Known Dislikes: Being disrespected, noise, children and babies, high heat
Pets: A huge hairy German Shepherd mix named Mandy

Physical Description
The two sisters Janet and Julia look much alike - both tall and pale. Julia's looks are softer and odder than expected, like a little blobby nose, a tall forehead, wide blue eyes and a bit of a tummy from her love for pastries. Her hair is frosty blond, medium length, either let loose or braided. Her clothes are fashionable and lean towards gentle colors like periwinkle blue or pearl. If her disposition was sweeter she'd be pretty cute, but her usual frown and serious stare make that comparison difficult.

Her build is average in body and bust, with the combination of short arms/legs and weight making her look shorter than she really is.


Personality
Julia is highly intelligent and knows it. She prefers to set herself apart from other people, both out of a sense of superiority and simple discomfort in the presence of others - she feels she must always be on her guard, knowing that it is easy to find her weak points. Namely, her temper. Anger is the fire in her otherwise cold attitude. When angry, all of her logic goes flying out the window, and she will take down the cause of the upset or fall trying. One would expect this to take the form of verbal use, but Julia prefers the physical approach. She can punch surprisingly hard when it comes down to it.

The rest of the time the world sees only a carbon copy of Janet, or maybe a more brutish form of Janet. Julia's fists-on approach to problems and reluctance to speak with most people make her out to be much duller than she really is. She is defined by hidden qualities, ones she only lets herself see. A love for dogs, for instance, or her fascination of the world of pastry cookery. Things like nature, sports (and tolerating Warren) attract her, but she goes to great lengths to hide this from Janet, who would undoubtably disapprove.

With her lifestyle - that of the high class, very proper, with rules laid down by Janet like the law - pursuing any of these is an impossibility. Janet is the one person Julia fears, and the person who has the power to make her life a misery. Given a choice between staying in her sister's good graces and choosing what she wants to do, Julia would inevitably choose the former.
Julia makes no mystery of herself. The only company she likes is her own; she is never really comfortable around other people and always feels the need to be on guard around them, and thus is very easy to rile, being so tense. Anger is the one emotion that flares passionately inside her - when angry, she is completely illogical and singleminded. The rest of the time she's...strange. Very cool, disdainful, unshakeable and closemouthed, but with an undercurrent of life that sets her apart from her sister. Julia is defined by the fact she has hidden qualities her sister lacks. For instance, one wouldn't expect she loves dogs and is a pastry fanatic, but there you go. Things like animals, sports (and tolerating Warren) attract her, but she hides these activities from Janet, who would not approve one bit. She resents not being able to do these things often but if given a choice between being "free" and being wealthy, she'd choose wealthy.
In her own environment she is an unstoppable force; she knows what she wants and how to get it, and pity those who stand in the way. But in the world of dog-eat-dog - the alleys in cities, jobs and the harshness of nature - outside of her world of luxury - Julia is woefully ignorant. They have never lived anywhere else and there's no need for the siblings take care of themselves or get employed. Everything is taken care of.
Life
Briefly, her living conditions right now:
She lives in a huge house with her older sister and younger brother. Their income comes from their well-to-do mother and work Janet and Warren do on the side. Well. Warren's an underpaid barista, actually. It does give him pocket money. Their mother lives in a nursing home that's fancier than her old house and is quite happy there, only poking into their lives to jerk a few chains here and there.
It's a darned good life as far as lives go. The three siblings constantly fight as they are all very different in personality. Still, they don't have to work...Julia spends most of her time inside and hardly goes out at all. And that's fine.

----

*frowns at hearts* stare

heart : *burns*

Much better (;

The myth
Firebird is the phoenix of Russian myth. It is described as a swan sized bird with marvelous red, orange and gold plumage that glows like a fire, even when the feather is not attached to the bird any longer - its glow is enough to light up a dark room. A later appearance is a small bird with the same crest and tailfeathers of a peacock.

Seeing the Firebird is both a blessing and curse. It brings terrible luck once seen. There are many tales about it, but one of the most famous is part of the tale of Ivan Tsarevich and the Grey Wolf.



Some say the Firebird flies around a king's castle and once night falls swoops down and eats all the king's golden apples. Others say it is simply a bringer of hope, and others still say pearls fall from the bird's beak to give something of value to the peasants. For the first, a common tale is that the king (tsar) commands his three sons to capture the creature that strips the apple trees every night. The golden apples give youth and strength to all who eat them. The sons do not catch the bird, but they catch one of its glowing feathers.

Several things apply from the book by Mercedes Lackey. The Firebird of the book cannot help eating the golden apples - they are her sustenance. Anything not magical or extremely rare in origin will be tasteless to Julia as a result. The bird also casts a spell of sleep to faciliate her thieving.

Why Firebird? Her personality has a wariness befitting a bird. She generally flies solo and would rather be left alone; not the attitude of many birds but much like a swan, which the firebird's looks are based off of. The way she presents herself to the world will not change. Becoming a pretty bird doesn't reflect any inner loveliness. Her reputation as a Firebird is affected by her attitude. If she projects kindness, one sees a radiant bird, beautiful and free and magical. If not, one only sees the sharp curved claws, the burning flame and tearing beak.

References
Wikipedia
Firebird by Mercedes Lackey

Alex: The first person she met in Athlaias. Alex is confusing. He reminds her of Warren in the beginning, but gets more and more annoyed when it feels like he's mocking her. You may have claws and a tail, mister, but you might want to think twice about your attitude.

Damian: A giant, terrifying telepathic and courteous wolf-crocodile. He represents everything that frightens her about Athlaias, yet Julia likes him anyway.

Ivy: If an animal ever deserved to be made into a rug, Ivy would. Julia has no tolerance for anything that eats clothes, even an innocent goat.

Jamie: ???

Travels

RP log!

rolleyes

rolleyes