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minouminou (413940)

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Name:

Annaliese Devereaux

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Light of May

Bio:

Name: Annaliese Devereaux

Age: 25

D.O.B.: May 22

Blood Type: AB-, Fae blooded.

Race: Born were - snow leopard

Powers: Affinity for languages - Annaliese was speaking three languages by the time she was thirteen and kept going from there. She loves learning new languages and has turned her love into a career path, and has never had any problem picking up a new one. She may also have the ability to learn to cast glamours, but she has no knowledge of her fae ancestors and therefore no idea that the ability exists.

Physical Description: Annaliese is tall for a woman, reaching 5'9" and weighing in around 130 lbs. She's not very exceptional-looking, with wavy brown hair that she keeps long and warm brown eyes. Her skin is clear and fair, with an expressive face that doesn't do much to hide what she's thinking. Her dress style is clean-cut and casual; she favors jeans with blazers and girly, flowing skirts. She has the lean, slender build of a dancer or runner, with most of her height due to her long legs. In her snow leopard form, she's covered in thick cream-colored fur with ringed spots of dark, ashy-brown and rosettes of black, standing about 2 feet at the shoulder. She's just over three feet long with a long, thickly-furred tail nearly her own body length, bottoms of her paws covered with fur for protection against show and cold.

Personality: Annaliese is, overall, a fairly steady person - as a young girl and teen she was very hot tempered, quick to take insult, a loner, and overall rather pessimistic. She doesn't know - and it doesn't really matter - how much of that was in reaction to her home life and her unconscious struggle against her animal instincts. What matters now is that over the last ten years, since learning about her true heritage, she's mellowed considerably. Her outlook on life is much more positive and, on the whole, she enjoys being around people much more. She's developed a great sense of humor and has learned to find joy in her life. She loves being the center of attention and is often found neck-deep in group conversations, keeping it flowing and making sure everyone is included. She has a certain duality in her personality - she has her relaxed side, when she's in the mood to be around friends and can joke and fight and be normal, and her loner side, when her not-so-buried quixotic feline nature reasserts itself and the presence of others is only an irritant. She has to fight her natural tendency towards solitude and cohabitation can sometimes be a struggle, but she knows that being able to relate to people - especially children - will be a big part of her future career. She's efficient and organized, and is rarely swayed from an objective once she sets her mind to it. Her solitary nature and a deep-seated fear of abandonment has led her to rather unconsciously avoid very serious romantic or deeply friendly relationships.

Sexuality: Straight.

History: Annaliese's birth and first year are a mystery; she was found abandoned at a church in Brussels, Belgium with no documentation or clues to identity, and adopted very shortly after. Her parents were both well-off in their own right; her mother was a defense lawyer for a prominent firm and her father was an investment banker. They both worked long hours, so Annaliese rarely saw them and was instead left to a string of live-in nannies, all of whom ended up quitting sooner rather than later when faced with Annaliese's rather unique set of... special needs. It was rather miraculous (or sad, depending on how you look at it) that her parents had no knowledge of her shapeshifting abilities until the Light of May; the nannies had all quit without notice or explanation, and they were never around to see Annaliese at night on full moons. It wasn't unusual for Annaliese to go a week without seeing any sign of her parents, but as she grew older she was kept busy with studies, as her parents wanted to make sure she had the best education available. There wasn't much else for her to do; she was a quiet, angry child, hurt by her parents' absence and confused and frightened by her abilities, and turned to books and studying as a way to keep herself entertained.

When she was eleven, Annaliese's parents decided that she would be better off at a boarding school during the year, coming home summers to be watched by whichever new nanny they'd hired. So she was sent off to the Collège du Léman, an elite boarding school in Switzerland. She wasn't happy about it, but she didn't exactly have a choice. Still, it was a program designed to be highly engaging and educational, and it was a new experience to encounter. Finding herself not terribly interested when it came to tennis or soccer, Annaliese instead took up dance and running. She ended up having a talent for it and could usually be found in the studio when she wasn't studying - particularly languages, which she loved. Despite the fact that she was doing well academically, she was hurting socially. Annaliese saw her time at the school as punishment rather than opportunity, afraid and angry that her parents didn't seem to want her, with a secret to keep on top of that. It was hard sneaking out on full moons, but she somehow managed. She was the school principal and counselor's most frequent visitor, known for smart-mouthing teachers and fighting with classmates and roommates alike. She was careful never to do anything that would get her expelled - if she had to be sent away from her parents, she figured she might as well make them pay for it.

It was when she was fifteen and home for the summer that everything changed. She had been out all day with the newest nanny, Elsa, shopping, visiting museums, and finally going out in the evening for coffee. Annaliese found her surprisingly likable, but had to get home in order to sneak out for the full moon that night. Unbeknownst to her, however, Elsa was also a born were - a wolf - and tracked Annaliese as she snuck out. Imagine her surprise when Elsa confronted her in the woods where she went to spend the nights of the full moon and changed right along with her. There wasn't anything to be said that night, but for the first time Annaliese had someone to run with - and the next morning, her education began.

Elsa was astounded to know that Annaliese had no knowledge of what she was and, moreover, that her parents had no idea, and immediately set out to rectify the gaps in Annaliese's upbringing. Elsa didn't know any other shifters save wolves in her pack, but she did the best she could. Together, she and Annaliese identified her species (Annaliese had never really thought to check before) and studied them. She learned about the history and culture of the weres, learned how to harness, trust, and use the heightened instincts and senses that came with her animal half. Most importantly, Annaliese learned how to enjoy what she was rather than live in fear and deny her true nature by pretending she was human. It took a years, but Elsa was an unwavering friend, even going so far to track down an ocelot shifter to help mentor Annaliese.

Shortly before graduating secondary school, Annaliese worked up the courage to tell her parents about herself. Suffice to say, the result was less than desirable. Her parents were much too proper and elegant to, well, freak out, but it was made abundantly clear that Annaliese was no longer welcome in their home. A deal was struck (or rather, an offer was made that she had no choice but to accept) - her parents would offer her a generous settlement if she would take herself out of the way. Preferably out of the country. Annaliese was devastated, but not particularly surprised. The pain of the rejection led her to seek education in the United States; she moved to Ann Arbor mostly for its nickname as "Tree Town;" she knew she'd have plenty of space to run, the climate was lovely, and the university had an excellent linguistics department.

She worked hard, earning her bachelor's degree in linguistics (concentration in applied linguistics and second language learning and teaching) and minored in dance, supporting herself by taking a job at the Sylvia Studio, a prominent ballet studio in the city, and dancing twice annually in the productions with the Ann Arbor Civic Ballet. She used her parents' money only for education, really the only thing she couldn't do for herself. After receiving her bachelor's degree, she continued on to receive an M.A. in elementary education, then enrolled in master's program for psychology, focus on counseling. She can't decide if she wants to teach second language to elementary students or become a counselor to unwillingly and/or violently turned supernaturals, so she's getting as much education as she can while her parents' money lasts. Though she's got quite a bit on her plate, she's picked up a few odd translation jobs here and there when her schedule permits.

Since the Light of May: Annaliese was astounded at the revelation of other supernatural species - despite her own status as a werecat, she'd never thought about the existence of vampires, psychics, or other types of magic. It took her a while to reveal herself to her advisors and friends at both school and work - one or two of her friends couldn't handle the knowledge and severed the friendship, but the reception was (surprisingly enough) overwhelmingly positive. Though she kept it a secret from her dance students to avoid losing the studio business, her bosses know and are accepting. Her friends - the ones that remained - were fascinated and demanded a demonstration. Annaliese always sticks to full animal form, not wanting to scare anyone away with her hybrid form. She's very interested in the shape of the world to come and devours any news she can get on new supernatural legislation, and remains cautious of exposing herself to new acquaintances.

Special Skills/Abilities: Speaks seven languages - French, English, Spanish, Italian, and German fluently, Russian and ASL almost fluently, and she's working on learning Japanese and Hindi.

Personal Weaknesses: Low self-esteem: Annaliese has terribly low self-esteem when it comes to forming personal relationships. It takes a ton of work to get through to her and even then, the chances of her backing out and keeping things casual is greater than the chance of her letting someone in. She's never articulated the thought and it's right now an unconscious feeling that colors her attitudes towards others, but Annaliese deep-down believes that there's something fundamentally wrong with her, that it's either her, or being a shifter, or any combination of things that makes people abandon her, reinforced by her lack of contact with her parents and the disappearance of the few friends she had after the attack.

Allergies: Annaliese is allergic to bees, olives, and several types of common antibiotics, so she has to be careful - she carries an EpiPen in case of sudden anaphylaxis. Run-ins with any of those allergies can send her to the hospital.

Migraines: Annaliese also suffers from debilitating migraines that seem to be linked to the new moon; no one knows quite why and hasn't found a cause (or a cure) for it (physical or magical), but every time within a day or so of the new moon, Annaliese is down for the count until it clears up - a particular pain when her neighbors aren't cautious of the noise they're making. We're talking the works here - scintillating scotoma, photo- and phonophobia, nausea, and of course, agonizing pain.

Isolation: While she has a number of acquaintances and casual friends, she doesn't really have someone that she can confide in, someone that she really trusts. Despite her desire to connect with people and help them, she still can't help but keep a part of herself isolated. She tends to internalize anything negative, preferring to work things through herself than to open herself to potential ridicule or abandonment. If it weren't for work and school, it's entirely possible that Annaliese would be able to go days without seeing or talking to another person.

Crepuscular: Like the snow leopard, Annaliese is crepuscular - that is, more active at dawn and dusk than the more traditional diurnal schedule kept by humans. It's great for her early morning exercise routine or working late, but terrible for getting through the day. If she has a choice, Annaliese will be found taking a nap in the middle of the day, often lasting several hours when she can, then sleeping a few more hours at night. She tries to never schedule anything important for the middle of the day, because she's absolutely useless in the afternoons.

Tolerance: Annaliese also has an increased susceptibility to silver and a lower than usual tolerance to chemicals - the tiniest trace amounts of silver will burn her, and contact with it for even a few minutes is enough to make her violently ill. She's obsessive about making sure that she doesn't keep in contact with it, especially because her tolerance for chemicals is unusually low, and the risk for overdose is always a factor. This means she usually avoids any kind of medication and suffers through, rather than risk overdoing it. This also means no recreational drugs and a single mixed drink is enough to get her mad buzzed.

Personal Strengths: Annaliese's greatest strengths are in her willingness to work hard for what she wants and her desire to help others. It's sometimes a struggle against her loner instincts and deeply-held belief that she'll be abandoned down the line, but she does whatever she can to overcome it for the sake of others.

Family: Adoptive parents Jacques and Marie Devereaux, friend/former nanny Elsa.

Living Conditions: A small one-bedroom apartment, lives alone.

Career/Job: Ballet teacher at the Sylvia School, occasional freelance translator.

PB: Mary-Elizabeth Winstead

Handwriting can be found here.

Memories:

11 entries

Friends:

	190:	_backfire, _faithful, _possessed, _silence, _soloist, _spitfyre, adeadmanwalking, affectedtouch, afterlifefan, agent_goodblood, agresseur, always_love, amina_feels, ammosfire, ampedto11, aquamelodia, artistic_heart, artisticwitch, astralginger, barihunk, beautiful_chaos, blind_angel, blindsided, bloodybrenna, boundinblood, boycott_love, breeisbananas, cecilia_, charlieangel, child_of_gaia, childofapollo, clear_as_water, closedbook, cobra_commander, darcyanne, daughterofgaia, deadthings, demonic_water, doctorbart, dr_congeniality, dulcepericulum, earthninja, earthsheartbeat, echoesinflames, emoryisbored, fatherandson, faux_fox, fieldwitch, fiercetide, findingthewords, fire_bug, fixes_things, flighty_munk, forapureworld, force_of_mind, foxybelle, fullmoonpill, garecares, ghostlysibling, giddyinthesky, girltimon, glassmamba, goddamnpom, goestodreamland, gray_kaye, greekkitty, h2odrops, handson, handstomyself, headtraumakim, hearingthings, heir_reluctant, hippievamp, histrionic_life, holdthepickles, i_can_has, i_can_know, i_hate_you_now, in_the_genes, inked_daddy, insaneink, intheair, iseeyourmind, janeysgotagun, jimbishop, jordvaninna, justafleshwound, kerry_cannot, kileyanne, kitty_got_claws, lafilledecirque, leave_no_orphan, liafae, lightofmaymods, lightofmaynpcs, lil_bit_of_red, lindy_hop, lionesscoby, lionsbrian, little_man, littlestangel, liza_darling, logansbrain, lolling_tongue, lop_cop, loveless_heart, loveuranus, maddelena, makedeadwalk, manipulatrice, mathnerd, matriarchkitty, militarymind, minouminou, monpetitchou, native_earth, nestlenightmare, not_a_wolf, nurseboi, nurture, obsessedone, oceansdaughter, offtherunway, old_soul, one_and_only, oooh_shiny, oscardarton, outforlexi, overclocked, pandaboy, panthera_onca, paramedic_chick, prettyflowers, princessravyn, privilegedhate, pure_vanilla, rapidhush, refracted_rain, reidowenfall, remywolfe, revolution_love, rhapsodyinred, rightsthewrongs, rocksrule, roseblood, scarlet_starlet, scotsmanmoo, searchfortrees, searchingminds, seersha, seewhatyoudont, sexydeathpowers, she_devil, shy_heart, silentwaves, sinful_song, siren_son, sirensongbird, sirensparrow, smooth_criminal, snarkycorpse, socal_cat, sonofmaia, stillinbusiness, stone_cold_dead, stop_this_story, stormywaters, stregonenero, struckonce, thatsixthsense, thefirestarter, thegeekster, them_carrots, thetimebetween, tiny_ninja, tippingfate, troubador, undeadadonis, unruly_heart, unseeingair, unsteady_kitty, untamed_heart, wallywatches, watch_the_sky, waterway, weary_soldier, whisperingwind, wirygypsyboy, witchyguardian, withoutachoice
	2:	light_of_may, lightofmay_ooc

Friend of:

88: _silence, _soloist, adeadmanwalking, ag_morris, arcanelibrarian, beautiful_chaos, bitemebitch, blakeyblake, blind_angel, boundinblood, breeisbananas, bringoutthedead, brokenbows, brujamala, californiafilly, calltothemoon, cecilia_, cobra_commander, cougar_cian, daughterofgaia, deadthings, demonic_water, doctorbart, dr_congeniality, emoryisbored, fallenxking, faux_fox, fire_bug, fixes_things, garecares, geeksong, ghostlysibling, girltimon, gray_kaye, halthegrey, healingpen, heir_reluctant, holdthepickles, iamwind, in_the_genes, inked_daddy, insaneink, iseeyourmind, iwanttokillyou, jimbishop, kerry_cannot, kitty_got_claws, kris_dahlgren, lionesscoby, lionsbrian, liveafairytale, liza_darling, logansbrain, lop_cop, loveuranus, minouminou, nestlenightmare, notouchnosee, notyourdoctor, nurseboi, obsessedone, only_hawk, out_for_revenge, outforlexi, pandaboy, pastorperegrine, phantombrickjr, privilegedhate, reidowenfall, relickeeper, rockin_waitress, rocksrule, scotsmanmoo, silentwaves, sinfulsong, sleeplessbear, stone_cold_dead, stormywaters, surf_fish, thegeekster, them_carrots, thetimebetween, tillynilly, unsteady_kitty, were_wendy, wild_life_girl, wilrich, wirygypsyboy

Account type:

Free Patient

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