Angels Application: Salgiel - Irena Pasternak

† The Mundane

Profile

Birth Name: Irena Olga Pasternak.
The name Irena is a Russian/Bolgarian/Romanian/Finnish name meaning "Peace". Olga means "Holy", or "Blessed" in any number of Eastern European languages, and Pasternak is a Polish/Russian/Ukrainian/Jewish surname, with the oh-so-lovely meaning of "White Turnip". Altogether, this name makes little sense and has no obvious meaning. Something like "Peaceful Holy White Turnip" doesn't quite sit right, does it? When one looks at the totally ambiguous and vague simbolism involved VERY CAREFULLY, however, one might begin to start to see where there is some semblance of meaning. Or something. Snow, without the power of wind behind it, without the strength of earth moving underneath it, is very serene, gentle, and dare I say, peaceful. Snow also has a tendency to almost glow with its own light at times, which could represent something holy. Irena doesn't mind her first name, hates her middle name, and doesn't really know the meaning of her last name, but if she did, she'd probably hate it too.

Angelic Identity: Salgiel, Angel of Snow.

Place in the Spheres: Irena attends St. Christopher's on the Hill. She is in 6th form, and lives in a townhouse in the general viscinity of the school with her parents and older brother. Voted most likely to slap you in the face when you need to get a hold of yourself.

Age: The early end of 16 years old (making her older than most of her classmates).

Birthdate/Astrology: Born January 4th
Sun sign Capricorn, Ascendant sign Libra, Moon sign Aquarius. On the surface, Irena is straight-forward and a bit of a goody-goody: punctual, well mannered, efficient, and intelligent. She has a tendency to be aloof and cold to strangers as she is overly cautious about whom she befriends. With her ascendant sign in Libra, there is a whole other facet to her personality that only her good friends can see. Libra's flair for fun and harmony come out in full force when she feels secure. Although she never loses her sun sign's strictness in adhering to rules, Libra allows the sporadic, unhinged, childlike side of her Capricorn nature to run free. To balance out the conventionalism of her sun sign, Irena's moon resides in the most unconventional sign of all: Aquarius. With her emotions ruled by the often overly logical and sometimes militant Water Bearer, she tends to disregard any emotional output of her own. Aquarius' knowledge and understanding of the spiritual world, however, gives Irena a subtly empathic edge, in that she can pick up on someone's emotional state fairly easily. Aquarius adds to her aloofness in social situations, and lends her an inkling of that 'untouchable' rock-star glam that the sign is so well known for.

Likes:
Order - A bit of a chronic organizer, everything in her personal space is categorized, co-ordinated, and easily accessible. She organizes her closet by colour and style of clothing, she arranges her CD collection alphabetically and chronologically, she takes perfectly organized and informative notes (and sometimes sells them in neat little packages to her friends and classmates - she could probably start a business if she had the time), and basically put, has a great dislike of chaos and disarray. This need for order is far from an obsessive or compulsive type of problem, but a cluttered area will severely cramp her style and lower her efficiency. Irena's closest friends should take note, though -- leave her unattended in your room for any length of time and you might find it neat and tidy when you return. (Oh horror of horrors.) It should also be noted that this love of order is very closely tied with her successes. As a planner and strategy-nerd, she really needs her world to be as straightforward as possible. Preferring that things just be orderly, but realizing this is often not an option, she will gladly organize the world around her. Sometimes she'll ask for help, but if the job doesn't get done in some semblance of good time (like right away), she'll just do it herself and be mildly disappointed that the person didn't 'come through' for her.
Sweater-Vests - Irena's affection for sweater-vests is almost ridiculous, as she very rarely leaves the house without one if she can manage it. (School is a different story - she is very serious about adhering to the rules, and uniform rules are no exception)
Mushy Romance Novels - (Not of the Harlequin variety) Her soul salvation against the woes of a nonexistant romantic life, mushy romance novels make up at least half of all the books Irena has ever read. She loves them, despite not being particularly romantic herself. As far as she is concerned, they outline the perfect romance, and anything less than novellic proportions would not be acceptable to her. (Maybe that explains the lack of interest in the opposite sex...)
Starchy Food - Pasta, potatos, chips, bread; you name it, she loves it. She can't get enough of the carbs, and can't understand the Atkin's diet at all. This no doubt contributes to the few extra pounds around her midsection and thighs, but she'd never trade her sweet, sweet starches, even for the 'ideal' figure.
Teamwork - Irena works best in a team. She is not a leader, although she does have a talent for getting people to work for her and utilizing their abilities to suit her goals. She is a tactician, and prefers to work in the shadows, while someone else gets the spotlight and functions as the group's figurehead.

Dislikes:
Chaos - See 'order' in the 'likes' section. It really is central to her personality, which is why I felt the need to mention it again. Irena really likes order and dislikes disorder. This doesn't mean that she has a problem with seemingly 'chaotic' personalities, or with casual clutter or disarray. In fact, she is usually rather efficient at finding the order within disorder in that sense - for example, a person who is typically spontaneous will not bother her in the slightest, since she knows that spontanaety is a pattern for that person. The type of 'chaos' in question is the sort one finds in a crisis situation, when everyone around her seems to be going insane. She would be the one to try to calm everyone down instead of allowing herself to freak out with them.
Rebellion - It seems like it kind of goes hand in hand with 'chaos', but her reasons for disliking rebellion don't follow suit with her reasons for disliking chaos. Irena believes rules exist for a reason, and sees rebelliousness (especially in younger people) as foolish and immature. If she ever came across a rule she didn't like, she'd take her concerns to higher-ups instead of senselessly refusing to follow it, and she doesn't understand why anyone would do differently (probably because she's never yet faced a rule she deemed unfair, and so has never felt the need to rebel against one).
Shopping - THERE IS NEVER ANYTHING FOR NORMAL PEOPLE! >:O Outburst aside, it really is true: Irena hates shopping for clothes because all she can find is 'old bitty' stuff that her grandmother would wear, or skanky, revealing, tight fitting clothes she wouldn't feel comfortable in. It frustrates her that she can never find anything for conservative people like her... but she can always rely on her lovely sweater-vests.
Lack of Manners - There is a proper way to arrange place settings. You don't burp without excusing yourself, and you NEVER burp at the dinner table. Farting is right out of the question. She's not as terrible as she sounds, because she doesn't necessarily voice her ire over other people's lack of manners, but her strict upbringing has impressed upon her the importance of etiquette in all social situations. The most reprimand an offender would get, though, is a roll of the eyes and a curt, "That's disgusting."
Anti-social Types - As a quiet person, she understands and can deal with other quiet people. Those who sit alone in dark corners glaring at others, making obscene gestures, or otherwise trying to intimidate others really bother her, however, and she can be personally offended by such a display even if it wasn't aimed at her. Intimidation tactics don't work at all on her, because although she prefers to avoid conflict, she will promptly whip out a spine and some intimidation tactics of her own if she feels someone is looking down on her or trying to scare her.

Is Neutral On: PEANUT BUTTER 8D (I am a shit disturber.)
Politics - She has no real political leanings and prefers to just not think about it. As long as things are getting done to her satisfaction, all is well. If not, she'll change things so that they run smoothly, and if she can't do that, she'll complain to someone who can. Perhaps she will develop a mind for politics once she starts to see how unfair and cruel the world can be, but her 16-year-old inner-idealist keeps her content within the present political system.
Drama - Susie and Eric are fighting? George kissed Brian's ex girlfriend? Who cares? She has no time for the petty squabbles and schoolyard dramas that her peers seem so intent on having. She ignores gossip and rumours, and is not swayed by them in the slightest. So the new girl's parents are satanists and making friends with her will totally ruin your chances at popularity? Whatever. She's a nice girl, and Irena will treat her like any other member of the student body.

Hobbies:
Stress Relief - Irena's life is full of stress. She pushes herself as hard as she possibly can, and because she's generally so reliable, others push her just as far. She is always working toward her goals, without breaks, without stalling, sometimes without sleep. As such, anything she can do to calm herself down is good by her. She'll try just about anything that doesn't take too much time or energy. She'll try low level Yoga, Pilates or Tai Chi, go for an art or archery class or two, or any number of other types of stress relief. She is fickle with these hobbies, though, and usually doesn't keep up with them because of her busy life.
Organizing - The surest way to figure out if something's wrong with Irena is to examine how often she's organized her closet, and how many times she's gone through her notebook to see if anything's out of place. The more upset, stressed, tense, or just generally bad Irena is feeling, the more she'll organize. Since her own room is chronically spotless, she will often go into her brother's room to add some order to his more cluttered living space. Family and close friends are aware of Irena's need to organize even their things when she is really upset.

Aspirations/Dreams: Since she was a very little girl, Irena knew what she wanted to be, and how she wanted to get there. Though her goals have changed a little over time, and her plans for reaching them have matured through the years, she is still a very determined girl, and will not rest until she has achieved the success she has always dreamed of. That said, Irena's plan is to become a doctor of psychology. She knows that her logical mind and her ability to listen to people without judging or coddling them are her greatest assets, and she often finds herself playing psychologist for her friends, because she is usually able to unobtrusively analyze their problems and clarify them.

Irena's sense of her goals is somewhat like a ladder, with her ultimate goal at the top being a solid career as a psychologist, a nice home, and possibly a husband, but she's not too concerned with that part just yet. She prefers to take things one step at a time, though, and the goal directly ahead of her is getting into a good university. She is entirely uninterested in anything that would cause her to lose sight of that goal, so she stays away from the things that some of her peers run into. She will gladly have an under-aged drink with some friends in the safety of one of their homes, but she would never be found doing anything to excess or putting herself (or her friends) in danger.

NPCs

Andy: Irena's brother, real name Andrei, age 22. Andy is a Sagittarius with Aquarius ascending and his moon in Leo. Because of this volatile combination, he is a busy-body. He is always on the run, rushing from one impulsive activity to the next. He finds risks exciting and loves the adrenaline rush he gets when putting his neck on the line in the name of fun. Of course, his parents only know about a fraction of his escapades. If they knew he had his tongue pierced at 16 or that he had taken skydiving lessons at 18, they probably would have disowned him. He still lives at home while attending the University of London. He tends to be untidy, but he is not a slob, which is no problem for Irena because she doesn't mind organizing his life for him and he doesn't mind having it organized. As outlined in the History section, Irena and Andy are fairly close, and outsiders might not assume right away that they're siblings, thinking instead that they're good friends. They fight like siblings, but only in the confines of their home. Andy's physical description is fairly close to Irena's. They have the same dark hair, gold-brown eyes and olive skintone. At 5'11, though, Andy is taller and has an athletic build like their father. He is rather attractive and naturally flirtaceous, so Irena's friends could potentially develop crushes.

History

Irena's parents met and married in the central region of Russia . While living in Russia they both worked as engineers, earning enough money to get by and a little to put aside for savings, but not much more. Soon after getting married, Darya conceived their first child. Irena's older brother, Andrei, was a welcome addition to the family; however, they found themselves struggling to make ends meet, especially on only one income since Darya decided to stay home to take care of their son. (Not that she had much choice - Mikhail made more money out of the two of them, and neither of their parents were particularly capable of taking care of an infant.)

After a few years of the grind and toil of life in Russia , and having fallen further and further behind financially, Darya and Mikhail decided to take their chances with immigration. Both being engineers, they were accepted rather quickly as far as these things go, but the process still took over a year to complete. By Andy's fifth birthday, though, they were living in a new townhouse in a middle-class sector of London, England. A higher demand and salary for engineers at the time meant that Mikhail had full time work, and Darya could afford to stay home and raise Andy.

Another year passed in relative peace, but then Darya found herself pregnant again. This time, Irena came into the world and Mikhail, who had always wanted a daughter, was delighted. Darya wasn't sure they could handle another child on one salary, but loved Irena just the same. Andy, though a bit jealous at first, quickly became fond of his little sister and tortured her as any caring older brother tortures his younger sibling.

The loving little family unit functioned rather efficiently until Irena was three years old, and Andy was nine. At that time, Darya decided to go back to work so they could afford a better life. Babysitters were often hired to watch the kids when both parents were working or too tired to take care of them, but due to some unfortunate (and laughable) occurances - a sprained ankle, a child lost in a park, some missing jewellry, and an awful aquired habit on the childrens' part of gorging on stockpiled sweets before bed and waking up with sugar hangovers - Darya and Mikhail realized babysitters were probably not the best idea.

Around the time that Irena was six and Andy 12, Darya and Mikhail decided that Andy was old enough to take care of himself and his sister for the few hours of the day that nobody else was around. Even though Darya and Mikhail were present most of the time, they were very tired from long hours of work, so Andy became Irena's main caregiver. He helped her get dressed in the morning, helped her brush her hair and teeth, walked her to school, helped with her homework, and more often than not was the one to tuck her in at night, so it is needless to say they became very close, even though they continued to tease each other like typical siblings.

Irena lived under the care of her brother until she, herself, was 12, and by then she had a reputation for being more responsible than the 18 year old Andy, and was left to take care of herself for the most part. It was evident from very early on that there was a huge contrast between Irena and Andy's attitudes and dispositions. Andy was spontaneous, adventurous, outgoing and excitable while Irena was quiet, reserved, and pretty much a homebody. Irena was notorious for obeying the rules, while Andy was equally notorious for breaking them. All in all, they seemed like opposites while growing up, and gave their parents quite the run for their money.

The rest of Irena's life so far has gone without hitch and without much distinction. For all intents and purposes, she is a normal teenage girl - albeit one who hasn't discovered the allure of the opposite sex yet. (Well, that's not exactly true, it's just that the 'man' she's looking for only exists within the pages of a romance novel. No one her age would quite measure up.) Her life has been dominated by school, family, and friends, and not much else has interfered with that. Yes, indeed, Irena has lead a very boring life. The boringness contributes to her rather well-adjusted personality, her work ethic, and her ability to remain calm under pressure. She hasn't had to deal with things like poverty, disease, or even death, really - her father's father passed away when she was too young to really know what death was, and the rest of her family are still alive and well. She hasn't experienced heartbreak, and though she's had to deal with squabbles with friends and popularity contests, she's mostly kept away from those (as outlined in her personality).

Personality

First and foremost, Irena is cold. With snow as her element, this part of her personality is very important. The distinction must be drawn, however, between cold and frigid. Irena is not frigid - she does not shy away from people, she isn't a hermit, she doesn't hate human interaction, and she doesn't frown on displays of affection directed at her or anyone else. Like the snow that is her symbol, she is serene, quiet, soft and smooth, but cool. Her aloofness is a product of her cautious attitude toward others; she wants to avoid irritation and hurt, so she doesn't let people get too close too soon. To continue with the metaphor, she can sometimes even be bitingly cold, and walk away from a stranger who is talking to her simply because she can't be bothered to allow such a person to get to know her. This aloofness is at its worst when she feels threatened or lonely, or doesn't have a good friend nearby to make her feel comfortable.

It is difficult for her to make friends, but once she has them, they are for life. Irena is loyal to her friends and especially her family, and would bend over backward for anyone who would do the same. She may even seem like a doormat to outsiders, but if the other person in a budding friendship doesn't reciprocate the effort she puts forth, that partnership will not last very long. She can be very critical, mostly of herself, but sometimes of others as well, and has very high expectations. She has definite goals and plans by which to accomplish them, and anyone who gets in her way will surely be swept out of it as soon as she can manage it.

Irena possesses a chameleon-like quality, socially. Other people's personalities rub off on her very easily, especially when she is close to them. She is not much of anything by herself; she is quiet and unobtrusive, and would rather curl up with a book than call someone, so she relies on other people to give her a social life or any sort of exciting personality. As such, she unknowingly seeks people with bubbly, enthusiastic, happy personalities. She feels she connects better with these types, because they allow her to be 'herself' - that is, she feels a sense of freedom around them that very few people allow her. Little does she know, this sense of freedom is mainly just the happiness that they feel from being so bubbly, reflected in her because of her tendency to absorb other people's moods. Although she is an independent person and can do things just fine on her own, she is most happy when surrounded by friends.

Although she would say that she loves to be alone, Irena is a much more social person than she gives herself credit for. In fact, it wouldn't be a lie to say that she needs others, even if she does appreciate solitude from time to time. Without other people in her life, Irena would be somewhat of a recluse, and that lifestyle is definitely not for her. It would depress her, because she craves the fellowship that one finds in a group of friends. She works best in a team, somewhere in the background, pulling strings and making things happen without taking much credit for it. She has a quiet but commanding presence that tends to allow her and others to just 'get things done' without much thought, and she always keeps on track with whatever projects she takes on, unless something far more important comes up.

A long fuse attached to a very explosive temper make for a fearsome sight if anyone is ever able to push Irena over the edge. She usually doesn't pack much force by herself, and it takes quite a lot to upset her. The problem is, every little criticism, irritation, annoyance, slight, and insult is tagged and stockpiled somewhere in her mind, collected over time (sometimes months, sometimes years) until it becomes too much, and she lets it all go in one massive explosion. This doesn't mean that she bottles things in order to angst over them constantly. Once a problem is stored away, she forgets about it, until the time when she explodes and deals with everything in one fell swoop. Then, the shelves are cleared, the stockroom emptied to make room for the next year or two of aggrivations. Anyone who happens to be on the bad end of one of these explosions might not forgive her afterward, unless that person is fully prepared for the onslaught. As stated before, she usually doesn't pack much force by herself, but for these occassions she has at her command a devastating combination of verbal and mental abuse to unleash on those around her.

Irena's sexuality is worth noting, despite it being practically null and void currently. She is not a sexual person, though she occasionally craves some sort of companionship with someone, and hopes to one day have a husband and a few well trained pets. Sexuality, however, barely comes into it. She doesn't see anyone, male or female, as a potential love interest, has never had what one would typically call a crush, has not yet kissed a boy or gone on a date (both of which being things she is forbidden to do, anyway), and just generally doesn't think of such things. Her education and the pursuit of her dream overpower any drive to find romance she might have possessed. Because of this, flirtation and things of that nature are rather lost on her. She doesn't frown at them or look down on them, she just doesn't understand them. At the best of times, she may simply be indifferent to someone's flirtation, and at the worst of times she will be perplexed by it. The only time it would be a problem is if she has something more important to do and the flirtation is incessant; in that case, she is likely to issue a stern warning to the offender and move on with her task.

Stern is a good way to describe Irena's outlook on anything of a serious nature. Whether it's a project at school, running an errand for her parents, or helping a friend sort out a dilemma, she is likely to give it her full attention. She is extremely no-nonsense in such situations, and will not accept any tomfoolery or interruptions from friends. She can become quite insulted if someone tries to pull her away from something she deems serious, and this is likely to be a major point of contention for anyone with a more relaxed way of dealing with things. She isn't very good at multi-tasking, so if she doesn't pay complete attention to the problem at hand she may never finish it. Irena has a reputation for being dependable and responsible, and if she did something to change that image, she'd be quite upset. This is one of the few areas where she may have problems with friends and comrades - because she tries so hard to get the assigned task done right away without question, she may look at others who take their time and do things at a more relaxed pace as procrastinators or hindrances.

Irena definitely has a judgmental streak, and this is where her critical Capricorn nature comes into play. She has very high expectations of herself, and although she doesn't expect other people to match her expectations, she finds it somewhat disturbing when others don't set goals for themselves the way she does. She doesn't understand why someone wouldn't want to do their very best at everything they undertake, and believes it irresponsible to take on a task without having a complete grasp of its various intricacies first. In this sense, she is unable to see past herself and her own way of doing things. Her criticisms and judgments, however, are mostly kept to herself, so her friends and peers will never know what she truly thinks (or thought) of them.

Irena is not a very introspective person, despite the fact that she is constantly thinking and reflecting. Most of the time, instead of reflecting on herself, she is rationalizing something and making it easier to swallow. Instead of figuring out why she does something a certain way, she aims to convince herself that her way is the most efficient way. She rarely asks herself 'why', preferring instead to justify her actions without giving herself any reason for them. Generally, this approach works for her, and nobody else seems to mind too much, but if ever anyone asked her for her reasons for following a particular course of action, she probably wouldn't be able to answer.

Persistence and determination are two qualities that make Irena seem a lot like the Energizer Bunny. No matter what stands in her way, she will just keep going and going and going, ad infinitum. Her pace is slow but unrelenting, and anyone who needs to take a break by the wayside my find himself quickly left behind. Irena has a natural talent for pacing herself, which is why she never gets tired. She knows exactly how much she can handle without even thinking about it, and never deviates from the course she has set for herself. Part of the reason for this is because even when she comes across an obstacle, she is able to just continue working her way around it as if nothing happened. She doesn't stop to consider the problem at hand, she just tackles it as if it had always been there, and deals with it accordingly. Because of this, she can become set back on something, but she doesn't see it as a setback at all - she just sees it as the natural progression of the world. If she has to wait an extra semester to take a particular course, that's just how it's got to be. No use lamenting over what would have happened anyway. Because of this talent, Irena isn't surprised or caught off-guard very often. She is generally prepared for just about anything that stands between her and her goal. The negative side of this coin is that she can tire people out very easily, pushing them to do things they're not ready for because she would have been ready if she was in the situation. She is stubborn on this issue with her friends, insisting that if she can do it, anyone can, when that really isn't the case. She means no harm by it, but it can be quite annoying to others who prefer to take things more slowly, or who need time to analyse the situation before taking action.

A 'job first, life later' attitude is obvious from day one with Irena. If she's got nothing better to do, she can be convinced to go just about anywhere, with just about anyone, and have fun doing it, too. If, however, she has a project or assignment to complete, she will not leave her room except to eat and use the facilities. It doesn't matter how unimportant the project is or how little weight it carries - she won't rest until it's done. Even her parents, who are of a strict Eastern European upbringing, find this behaviour rather strange for a 16 year old girl, but they're not complaining. They're happy with her work ethic, and they don't mind that she stays home so often, but she sometimes does get lonely cooped up in the house, so they allow her to have friends over while she works if she can find anyone to spend time with her.

An efficient worker and a known over-achiever, classmates and peers might be likely to think of Irena as a brown-noser. She really isn't, but it doesn't bother her too much if others think of her that way. She doesn't work so hard for her parents, teachers, or anybody else; she works hard for herself and her personal goals, and she knows it. Which isn't to say that the snickers behind her back when she raises a hand in class don't get to her, but she justifies and reasons her insecurities away very quickly when this happens. This unfailing rationality is, oftentimes, the only thing that keeps her from over-criticizing herself, and helps her climb out of any ruts she ends up in.

Although she is technically a debater, Irena is not good with head-on confrontation. When tempers flare, she doesn't quite know how to handle herself. She is quick-witted and sharp when involved in a civil, intellectual debate, but she's as good as mute if anybody is justifiably upset at her or around her. Nobody need worry about standing up for her, though. She'd rather walk away from a problem than fight it, and will easily sacrifice her pride and dignity just to get out of tense situations. When friends fight, she stays away from all parties involved until things have been resolved. She may be an aspiring psychologist, but she is not a mediator. She realizes this is something she'll have to work on to pursue her goal, but figures that she's got plenty of time to learn conflict resolution. An important note on this, though, is that there is a difference between conflict and stupidity. If someone is justifyably upset at her, Irena can get quite flustered. If, however, they are simply bolstering their ego or trying to scare her, she reacts in a much more caustic way, and will stay and fight. (She sees intimidation tactics as a sign of weakness, and has no problem knocking egocentric assholes down a few notches.)

Finally, there is a lighter side to Irena's personality that few have the opportunity to witness. She is prone to doing and saying things that one would never expect of her, so long as she feels comfortable and safe. In her own home, Irena is a bit of a nutcase, teasing her brother and parents constantly with silly, off-hand humour. With her closest friends she can be this way too, which may come as a shock to any casual aquaintances in the area at the time. It can seem like a complete turnaround, from the responsible, respectful, too-adult-to-be-natural goody-goody to the giggling, hyperactive infant, laughing maniacally while prodding her friend with a pencil. The truth is, that part of her is always present, but it is the proverbial 'inner child' that everyone seeks to protect and shield from the outside world. It takes a long time for her to let said inner child out in front of people; she fears others will see her as immature and irresponsible because of it.

Pros: mature, responsible, polite, courteous, sincere, fun, calm, driven, efficient, team-player, focused
Cons: judgmental, serious, quiet, aloof, pushy, stubborn, narrow-minded, critical, naive, avoidant

Appearance
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Build: Average height and weight. Her arms and legs are thicker than the 'ideal', and she is soft rather than muscular. She has curves, but nothing extreme, and her breasts are pushing on the 'large' category. Her belly is soft and squishy in that cute baby-fat way. Kate Winslett is a good example.
Approximate Age: Though she is only, in actuality, 16 years old, she appears to be older than that. She rarely wears make-up, she dresses like a trendy thirty-something, and keeps her hair rather plain. She does have the youthful glow of a 16 year old, though, so people rarely guess her to be older than 20 or 21.
Hair Colour and Style: The best way to describe her hair colour is to think of the bark of a tree in shadow on a gray winter day. It is very dark, almost black, but has a gray-brown sort of gleam to it in the sunlight. Her hair is straight and thick, but not coarse, which is an effect of her eastern European ancestry. She keeps it short (shoulder length at most) and doesn't do much with it. Usually she puts it up in a tight ponytail, but she occasionally leaves it down to hang about her face in whatever way it will.
Eye Colour: Light brown around the outside fades into a lighter honey hazel colour in the middle to give her eyes the yellow-brown effect of dried grass. Dark, thick lashes surround her eyes, and the combined effect can be rather shocking up close, because of the contrast between dark and light.
Skin Colour: Light by the standards of her ethnic background but dark in comparison to most of her friends, her skin is a mid-olive tone.
Facial Structure: High cheekbones and a wide jaw give Irena a distinctly European look. Her browline is pronounced while still being feminine, and her eyebrows are somewhat expressive when she wants them to be. Her eyes are slightly slanted and almond shaped, and her nose is long and straight, even a bit sharp. The peaks of her lips are also rather sharp, looking more like mountain peaks than arches. They are just a tad fuller than average.
Carriage: Irena carries herself with an attitude of cool, calm, collected comfort. Everything about her - her stance, her posture, the way she moves - gives off a vibe of casual confidence. She's not too concerned with how others view her or what she looks like, and her lack of self-consciousness comes across in the way she holds herself. If there's any one thing about her that attracts others to her, it would be this.
Usual Clothing: Would it shock everyone terribly if I said "sweater vests"? No? Good, because sweater vests really are Irena's thing. Aside from her school uniform, she'll tack one onto any outfit (which is okay, because she doesn't own a single shred of 'sexy' or revealing attire). Irena dresses like a 30 year old. She never wears skirts or jeans, only slacks. The majority of her shirts are either button-up dress shirts or polo-style casual. She does own some stylish clothing, though nobody would know because of the gaudy argyle-pattered sweater-vest over top of it.

Abilities
Debate: Irena can argue someone into the ground, if she's feeling in the mood for it. She is a quick thinker and comes up with excellent strategies for nearly any situation on the spot. As long as things are kept civil and tempers don't flare too much, she can keep up with just about anyone. There is something about her presence that is just naturally powerful, even dominating, and sometimes simply the sheer force of her will can win someone over in an argument. She is not necessarily headstrong or arrogant, though. If she is proved wrong, and can't find a way to justify her side any longer, she will admit defeat. As long as she feels she is right, though, prepare for a difficult fight.
Strategy/Planning: Always three steps ahead of the game, Irena has probably already guessed what you were going to do and is ready for it. She's not psychic, she's just good at coming up with realistic situations in her mind and preparing for them. Not only that, but she's able to prepare for many different consequences of the same action all at once, and so is rarely surprised by anything. She's got an answer for every question (she already asked herself, and answered it in ten different ways to figure out which response would be best), a solution for every problem, and is never short on ideas. Her strategies and tactics aren't always the best - even the most careful planners make mistakes - but they are always well-thought-out and most of the time are effective.
Flute: Irena's parents thought it was important that she learn an instrument. After various failed experiments with instruments like piano and violin, Irena finally found a sound she connected with. She is by no means expert, and rarely practices anymore, but has a fondness for the soft sounds that a flute can make. Sometimes, just to unwind, she'll practice a little, but she rarely talks about it. She doesn't feel her talent is good enough to share, and she's not particularly interested in learning anything more.
Resistance to Cold: Irena's friends and family have always found it strange that she can spend hours out in the cold without even feeling it. Even on some of the coldest days, she won't get much more than a shiver, and she doesn't even really have to bundle up. Scarves, hats and gloves are unneccessary for her; in fact, she finds them too warm and restrictive, even on absolutely frigid days. Some people laugh it off and chalk it up to her Russian heritage, but many still find it a little crazy. There is a drawback, though: Irena dislikes heat so severely that on hot days, she's likely not to leave the house even for a moment. A day without central air is one day too many.

† The Angelic

Color
Primary colour: Quartz - D9D9F3 Secondary colour: Navajo White 3 - CDB38B

Symbol
What looks like a large, simplified snowflake (more of an asterisk, really) sits on top of an elongated (tall) isosceles triangle (two even sides). Snow Shower.

Key to the Kingdom
The key shines like silver but has a lighter, bluish colouring to it. The handle looks like a snowflake, and her symbol is engraved in the middle of the handle. The length of the key is thin, like a skeleton key, with three teeth at the end of it that look like ice shards. Picture is here .

Voile
Starting at the top: a tight-fitted, quartz coloured, turtle-necked bodice hugs her body, with loose sleeves made of a similarly coloured sheer fabric covering her arms. The same sheer material makes up her skirt, which sits over top of the bodice, held to it by a band the same bronzy-gold colour as her halo. This band is not seen, because immediately over it is a thick hip-band of light, tawny fur in her secondary colour, navajo white. Another equally sized band of fur serves as a collar, circling around her back and over her shoulders to come to a point above her breasts. The same tawny-brown fur circles her wrists as cuffs for the sheer sleeves, and her boots are also covered in the fur. The boots have thick soles and reach up to about two inches below her knees.

Wings
Salgiel's wings are like those of a fuzzy, chubby little winter birdie, except of course that they're in proportion to her human-sized body. To accomodate their size (which is average when compared to other Angels), their structure is a little different than regular l'il birdies, but they look fairly similar to those of a cardinal (except not red). Instead of rows upon rows of average sized feathers (average in comparison to the wingspan and body), Salgiel has a three-tiered feather pattern, with small feathers around the bone of the wing, a medium second layer, which helps support the third layer of very large feathers. This build makes her wingstrokes quicker than normal, and if she is flying, she's likely to flap her wings semi-constantly like finches or sparrows, as opposed to riding on thermals like the birds of prey or flapping constantly like a hummingbird.

Weapon
Salgiel has the potential for strong power, but only in combination with others. On her own, she has little to no fighting strength, and her base magic is strictly defense, and not very good defense at that. Because of this property, and in accordance with it, she has not a weapon but a shield to protect her from the weapons and abilities of other, more powerful beings.

Salgiel's shield is a small, silver, circular arm-shield, about a foot and a half in diameter. Her symbol is etched as an emblem on the front, and the silver looks old and tarnished. When not in use, the shield can be strapped to her back for convenience. It manifests itself from her key during transformation.

In battle, after transforming, Salgiel is able to push some of her aura into the shield to increase its size and fortitude. The shield, called Alexius (to defend), grows about a foot larger in diameter with what looks like a sheet of solid ice around it. The ice part of the shield glows the faint blue-gray of her aura's colour, while the rest of the shield remains how it was before. It takes only a moment's thought to do this; the effect looks like small ice crystals bursting out of the metal at a very fast pace, and it only takes a moment before Alexius reaches its full size.

The innitial strengthening of the shield drains her a little, and keeping Alexius in this condition continues to wear on her as long as she is using it, so she only uses it as a last resort. The shield in this state is nearly indestructible, unless by a very powerful direct blast from an equally strong opposing element like fire.

Climbing The Sephiroth
Irena holds her key in front of her in her left hand's upturned palm. She closes her eyes and whispers "Crown", which ignites the symbol on her forehead with the light gray-blue colour of her aura. Her clothing is blown gently as a light, cool wind picks up around her, ruffling her hair and pulling it out of the ponytail it's in (if it's in a ponytail). She whispers the word "Wisdom" and her eyes open while her halo forms. The next word, "Understanding", is spoken in a regular voice. Her key melts, the liquid travelling down her left arm. When the liquid reaches her upper forearm, just below her elbow, it forms a band, and trails down to her palm to do the same thing. These bands turn into straps, and the rest of the liquid of her former key manifests Alexius, her shield. The wind picks up and snowflakes form, swirling around her in an ever-thickening cloud. She brings her right hand up to touch her fingers lightly to her chest above her heart as she says "Mercy", and the snowflakes around her are drawn to her body to form her bodice. She drops her right arm, sweeping it outward so that it is parallel with the ground, her left arm bent with the shield in front of her. At the utterance of "Strength", a light, sparkling mist of what looks like tiny snowflakes spreads out from her bodice at the arms and legs, forming the loose, sheer material of her sleeves and skirt. "Beauty", said louder still, manifests the fur around her collar, sleeves and above her skirt as she drops her arm back to her side. She leans down into a kneeling position, her head slightly bowed, shield still held defensively, one leg bent in front of her, the fingers of her right hand lightly touching the ground beside her foot. "Victory", exclaimed in a rather loud voice, causes her boots to form, starting at the soles and travelling up her legs to just under her knees. She rises again, her posture defensive. "Splendor!" is practically yelled as her wings burst forth, flapping a few times and then folding down against her back. "Foundation!" is also shouted and she spins around, stopping with her shield held out in front of her. Finally, with a shout of "Kingdom!" the transformation is complete.

Gifts
Reasoning: Salgiel can guess an enemy's next move. This goes along with her tactics skills. She is useful in a battle because she is able to estimate what the enemy will do. Again, she's not psychic, she's just able to think of the most likely scenarios and be ready for any of them. Her innate gift of reasoning allows her to take this one step further, and generally, she can accurately decide which of the scenarios is most likely to occur, depending on the circumstances. Now, everyone can do this to some extent, she's just very good at it. Limitation(s): none.
Domination: Only over a confused mind. Salgiel is able to keep some semblance of order (not trying to tread on the Angel of Order, here) when things are going crazy. She has a powerful presence (I'm sure I've said this before >_>) and can calm others down with just a few words. This innate gift makes her good for damage control, when freaked out mortals are running amok. Limitation(s): Domination works with the pretense that the person Salgiel is attempting to dominate is somehow weaker than her. Another Angel or a Lord of Darkness would probably not be swayed by this gift, unless that individual was terribly confused or disoriented. Dominate takes advantage of a moment of weakness, where the individual may be subconsciously or even consciously seeking guidance.
Protection: This gift is a product of having Alexius equipped and powered-up. (What good is a shield if it doesn't defend?) She gains a heightened awareness for the physical condition of those around her, and if someone is in dire trouble near her, provided her legs or wings can get her there, she will be able to use Alexius to defend that individual. Limitation(s): physical obstacles. If something is physically in her way, Salgiel may not be able to make it in time to use Alexius.
Crystallize: A completely useless innate gift. Salgiel's below-average body temperature, combined with her subtle magic, allows her to create snowflakes from moisture on her fingers. For example, if she dips her hand into a bowl of water and then lets the water droplets trickle off her fingertips, the droplets will come off as snow. Don't ask how this works - it just does. Limitation(s): none.

Attack(s)

Snowscreen: Salgiel can only use this attack if she has her shield equipped (as in, on her arm o_O).
Description: Salgiel will usually be in a defensive position away from the main battle during this sequence. She lifts her shielded arm up so that Alexius faces the sky and closes her eyes for a moment in concentration. When she opens them again, she whispers the words 'snowscreen', and already her breath (and that of others in the area) begins to come out in puffs of vapour as the temperature drops. After a few more moments, a sparkling sort of mist hovers over the area, and thickens until the small, intricate designs of snowflakes become apparent in the air around her. Overall, this sequence is very quiet, serene, and lacking in fancy footwork, because something to the contrary would clash with her personality. The fog she creates starts just in her general area, but depending on how long she keeps filtering her energy into the attack, it will quickly spread to cover a very large area, and the only limit on how far it can go is how much energy she has.

Effect: Salgiel's snowflake-fog lowers visibility drastically. It is purely defensive, and can actually cause as many problems for her friends as for her foes. Because of this fact, she only uses it in this form when her team is outnumbered, weakened, or overwhelmed by the enemy, for purposes of escape. The fog is also very cold, so anybody with a weakness against cold will be duly affected. The real strength of this attack is in its combinations. By itself, it is as described above: severely defensive, and without much 'oomph'. This is where Salgiel's 'team-player' nature comes in. When she combines her snowscreen with another angel's magic, sometimes glorious things can happen. She can add a chilling bite to a wind attack, or the force and weight of snow to an Earth attack for an avalanche-like effect. She will have little effect on some types of magic, though; for example, combining her snowscreen with Midael's Glorious Wail or Anauel's Open Market Exchange will not do much of anything, except add her snow-fog to the other Angel's attack.

Snowscreen can not be dodged or blocked since it is only offensive when combined with another Angel's attack, and then it would be the other attack being blocked, not hers. It can, however, be nullified with any opposing magic (like with her shield, as mentioned above.) A blast of fire magic of equal magnitude could easily dispel it, but by the time such a counterattack took place, her team might already be evacuated, and her attack's purpose fulfilled.

Because Salgiel's combination-attacks can be so devastating, her attack takes up a lot of energy. The base attack drains her far less quickly than her combinations do, but it does take a certain amount of energy to keep Snowscreen going, if it's needed. She can provide a thick fog for a few hours once henshined, and can deliver about 10 combination-attacks per henshin, when she starts at full power and hasn't used the base attack yet. Use of her shield also limits this number.

Effect on Salgiel: As the Angel of Snow, Salgiel does not suffer from the coldness of her attack the way others do. She is rather immune to the cold, but the decreased visibility holds the same weight for her as for everyone else. She may be able to see things a little more clearly just through experience, because she is used to the attack, but she certainly has no physical advantage when she uses Snowscreen.

Combinations: If Salgiel is going to add the force of snow to another Angel's attack, she must be in direct contact with that Angel, as in skin-to-skin. While the other Angel prepares his or her attack, Salgiel stands within arm's reach. She lifts her shield to the sky and closes her eyes as if to summon Snowscreen, but does not do so at first. Since the preparation for her attack doesn't take as long as some other Angels', she will often have to wait a few moments in silent concentration until the other Angel is about to say the name of his or her attack. At that time, Salgiel places the tips of her fingers and thumb against some area of the other Angel's body (usually shoulder, mid-to-lower back, neck, upper thigh, bicep, or hip, depending on the availability of skin-to-skin contact). Salgiel's fingers will be shockingly cold. When that Angel announces his or her attack, Salgiel will whisper "Snow" at the same time, and her energy will be channeled through the other's body to combine their magic together. The comfort of this procedure depends on the Angel that Salgiel is combining with. Only Angels with an adversity to cold will be tremendously uncomfortable during a combination; other Angels will merely feel the chill of Salgiel's fingers against their skin, and the echo of that chill as their powers mingle.

Suggested Combinations:
-Snow/Hail: for an attack that not only hurts but also confuses, since visibilty will be further reduced by snow.
-Snow/Water: to add a cold edge to an already powerful element. Possibly to form an ice-like attack.
-Snow/Earth: as mentioned above, an avalanche-like effect.
-Snow/Wind: since Ruchiel's attack is a tornado-like one, Salgiel's snow can make it a blizzard.
-Hail/Wind/Snow: if they ever figure out how to do it, this one could be devastating.
-Water/Earth/Snow: cold mudslide, anyone?

Past Lives
Holding off on this one for the most part, as per the request on the application. :D I do have one idea, however, that I would like to try, but it is not vitally important that it happen. I would like for Irena to have been a general or some sort of strategist in a war, or possibly more than one war in a past life. She has a tactical mind, and any of her past lives would have something to do with planning and strategy.

† Writing Sample

"What's wrong, 'Rena? You're cleaning my room again." Andy had just come home; she'd heard the door open and close downstairs a few minutes back.

"Yes, I know I'm cleaning your room," Irena shot back at her brother over her shoulder before returning her attention to her appointed task. She was folding his clothes. All of them. Even the ones that had already been in his dresser, neatly folded.

"You never organize my clothes unless you're really pissed. What's up?"

Irena stopped folding. The shirt she had picked up was still in her hands and she was tugging on it absentmindedly. She hadn't expected Andy to come home so soon, but she always inevitably vented at him anyway, so why not do it sooner as opposed to later? "You know that girl I told you about, the one who doesn't do anything? Well, she rang earlier to inform me that she didn't finish her part of the project. You know what she told me? She didn't have time. That's a crock. Didn't have time... she had an entire week!" She dropped the shirt with a sigh and crossed her arms over her chest, sulking.

"Aww, well I hope you're not going to let her get away with it." Andy could be therapy. He walked fully into the room from the doorway, where he'd been leaning, and took a seat next to her, grabbing one of his own previously folded shirts and refolding it. "You always end up doing all the work anyways, but she shouldn't be able to take credit for any of it."

Irena picked up the shirt she had discarded and folded it quickly, almost spitefully, nearly throwing it into the pile of white printed t-shirts beside her. "Yeah, well, the thing's due on Wednesday and I was hoping to have a friend over this weekend, but it looks like I'll be working on the project until Sunday night, at least." She frowned, adding more and more shirts to her pile. Andy contributed another one. He was a lot slower at this laundry thing than she was.

"Well, I don't know what to tell you, ‘Renes. Just make sure to tell the professor. You don't want that girl getting the mark for something you worked your ass off for." He reached for a pair of pants and Irena quickly slapped his hand away.

"Don't fold those yet... I want to finish the shirts first." She tried to ignore the phony whimper of protest her brother gave at the slap to his hand, but when he leaned his head on her shoulder and continued to whine pitifully in her ear, she couldn't hold back a grudging smile. She leaned back into him, nudging him playfully. "Oh, stop complaining. It didn't hurt and you know it. Big ninny." He grinned, a big goofy toothy grin that she didn't see, but she knew him well enough that she could imagine it.

"Alright, well... I'm leaving. I've got a party to go to." He rose to his feet, a hand on her shoulder for support as he stood. "Have fun with my closet, and if you need me to beat anyone up..." He smacked his closed fist into his open hand with a loud smacking sound, and left it at that. After a moment's hesitation, he turned and walked toward the door, several long strides carrying him there. Irena didn't mind his lack of input. He left her alone in his room and trusted her with his things and never complained about the constantly changing layout of his furniture. She didn't need much more than that.

"Thanks, Andy," she said as he turned the corner, and he answered with a nonchalant wave before disappearing from her sight.

† Resume

Name
Brianne Nurse in real life, but I go by Aislin Cade on all things internet, so that's probably what I'll be going with in the forums and things too.

Contact information
Email: aislin_cade@hotmail.com
AIM SN: Aislin Cade XIV (I use Trillian, so I also have ICQ, Y!M and MSN messenger, but I figure most people these days use AIM BECAUSE IT IS SUPERIOR AH HA HA.)

Experience
Final Fantasy Highschool - I have been playing Cloud for about a month now.
Fruits Basket Fun - A 'shits-'n-giggles' RP that's got no real structure and is mainly for pointless fun and wangst. I play Yuki and Mine.

† Your Thoughts

I have known about this game for years vicariously through Addy (aka your Anauel). She has geeked to me about this game on many occassions. She recently told me about the availability of some characters that were previously taken, and when I heard that the Angel of Snow was being made available, I thought she'd be perfect. I'm really excited about this character, and about your game, which I've read up on fully. I really love the backstory and the amount of detail you have provided... this is a fully established universe and the whole thing leaves little to be wondered about. I didn't find anything to be vague or ambiguous, which is wonderful! It sets the scene of an amazing game.

I hope you guys like Irena. I tried really hard to stay away from tooby cliches with her... it would have been so easy to give her pale skin and light hair and icicles and frost and make her a frigid bitch (pardon my French) but I really wanted to stay away from things like that. There's nothing fun about cliche, in my opinion - it's far more entertaining to think of something completely different.

I wanted to make a note that my writing style (as detailed in the Writing Sample) is not the way I RP. I'm somewhat of a copycat, and will do my best to match what the person I'm RPing with is doing. I find it gives the whole thing a more unified look. So if there's something you don't like about my writing style, don't worry! Generally speaking, you'll never have to deal with it.

I think that's just about it. I don't want to overload you with praises in an attempt to flatter my way in (though I really do love the concept of this game and the characters already in it). So I'll wish myself luck and move on! Thank you for considering my application.