Post by ayla on Feb 1, 2011 19:02:23 GMT -5
Erika Wilder
Play by: Ginta Lapina
Name: Erika Wilder
Student or staff: Student
If student: Advanced
Age: 17
Gender: female
Nationality: German
Sexuality: asexual
Physical Appearance: The first thing you notice about Erika is her height. She's tall, standing about 5'10", and even if she was otherwise plain, she would be unmistakable in a crowd. It's both a blessing and a curse; when she argues with the men, she's that much closer to their height and therefore that much more intimidating. But she is also easy to find, and therefore easy to complain to. If Erika had one wish to change her appearance, it would be to shrink a few inches - she's self-conscious about it. Her frame, while long, is not as slim as some. She has a more average build with the constant exercise she does; were she to be a lazy person, she'd likely be overweight. As it is, she has dense muscle with a layer of fat on top.
Erika also sports mid-back length blond hair. If she were to pull the slight wave out of it, it would be a good inch and a half longer, but as it happens she's quite fond of her hair the way it is. Her light hair matches her light eyes; they're blue, but not the shade of stunning blue some women seem so proud of. It's more of a gray-blue that sparkles only in exactly the right light. Her nose, while somewhat broader than average, is nothing to really gawk at, nor is her mouth.
Personality:
adventurous - Erika has never been one to hesitate in endeavors. She's either in it or she's not, and usually she is. She doesn't do things, especially exciting ones, halfway, and it's gotten her in trouble more than once. She'll try anything once, maybe twice, including crazy risks.
calm - While bungee-jumping and skydiving are top on Erika's list of things to do, she doesn't lose her mind over them. While not the proverbial rock, Erika is a stable influence in the sense that she's predictable and steady, especially when she needs to be.
out of touch with herself - Erika has never been good about recognizing when she's nervous or angry. She doesn't express herself well because of this, and is quiet around people she doesn't know. It's not abnormal for her to find herself with her fists clenched and teeth bared with no idea how she got there.
self-serving - She has a different philosophy on life than most people; her goal in life is to make herself happy, and if that means lying to others, she's fine with that. She doesn't go out of her way to help people, and she hates to compromise. In Erika's mind, it's her way or find someone else to help you. She wants excellence, all the time, and if you're not helping, Erika won't hesitate to get you away from her by whatever means necessary.
enjoys company - Although Erika has the personality type that drives people away, she does like company. She works best when she can order people around. She hates empty rooms because of the quiet, and much prefers to listen to a conversation than to nothing, even if she's not partaking. A strange preference, sure, but Erika deals.
logical - Maybe the reason Erika still has friends is because her plans usually work, as long as no one steps out of line. She thinks things through, and though she'll still do something even if it's dangerous, she knows the risks and the consequences. She loves a good riddle, but finds art unappealing because of its lack of logic.
History: birth to seven years of age
A little background is necessary before we jump into Erika's history. Her parents met at a restaurant on the French/German border. Mom was a waitress, Dad was the picky customer. By some miracle, they found out that they both liked ketchup on slightly undercooked pancakes and hit it off. Mom moved to Karlsruhe to be with Dad. Conception of Erika.
Erika was always the quiet one in the play group. She was the polite one all the time, which Dad appreciated. Her father was the one who brought her places and was the real family man. She didn't see much of Mom, who didn't adjust very well to married life and preferred to travel. Dad turned a blind eye to the flighty behavior because he loved the woman and she loved him in a kind of strange way.
Mom decided she wanted a part in her child's life when Erika was five. One day, she was happily gluing macaroni to cardboard under the careful supervision of her father and the next... Well, her mother decided that nothing was too good for her baby and soon she was taking dance, gymnastics, and riding lessons from the best instructors money could buy.
Well, she crashed and burned.
Erika tried for a year to please her mother. She couldn't handle seven days a week of intense instruction. It just didn't work. Mom pushed and pushed until finally Erika snapped and came running back to Dad. He managed to convince Mom to drop everything but riding, which was only once a week.
She rode in Germany for a year, not really making progress because the trainer usually worked with Olympic showjumping hopefuls, not six year old children. Her lessons were get on a pre-tacked pony and walk and trot around for half an hour, then get off.
eight to fourteen years of age
Dad made the decision to move to America when Erika was eight. She spoke English well enough, since Dad was a businessman and taught her the language as soon as she was old enough to start leaning. Mom was more hesitant, having only rudimentary language skills.
They found a house in Virginia, just outside Upperville. It wasn't long before they moved and started anew in the US of A. Erika started school, and after a few months of "haha, you talk funny!" she got used to it.
It's hard to go long in Upperville without hearing about the horses. Whether by chance or by fate, the Wilders moved in mid May, two weeks before the oldest horse show in the country started: the Upperville Colt and Horse Show. The family attended the show in its entirety, mostly due to the nagging by their daughter.
The pony divisions intrigued Erika. She wanted to be just like the perfect girls in the ring. Mom agreed to more lessons with a more child-friendly instructor, and soon Erika was progressing at a rate faster than anything before.
Erika spent two years training before she entered her first horse show. Her trainer was very anal about being totally prepared before progressing. The show was only a tiny little local show, but Erika won the Short Stirrup Flat class. She was ecstatic and threw herself into riding.
Her grades slipped over the years, due to the constant riding and going to every show she could. She was sat down in the living room one night when she was fourteen and talked to very severely about grades. The summary of the argument was basically that she could only ride twice a week if her grades weren't all A's and B's. Commence screaming.
Erika spent almost her entire fifteenth year riding twice a week. She was miserable, and instead of rising, her grades slipped further. Her parents took a long time to connect the two things. It was just a month before her fifteenth birthday that they finally figured it out and let her ride as much as she wanted again. The change was immediate. Desperate not to suffer that fate again, she worked harder than ever in school and rode with passion.
sixteen years of age to present
On Erika's sixteenth birthday, she was taken to the barn and introduced to Beat To Quarters, a Holsteiner gelding who would soon be hers. Jax, as he was called at the barn, was a huge hit, despite his greenness.
Play by: Ginta Lapina
Name: Erika Wilder
Student or staff: Student
If student: Advanced
Age: 17
Gender: female
Nationality: German
Sexuality: asexual
Physical Appearance: The first thing you notice about Erika is her height. She's tall, standing about 5'10", and even if she was otherwise plain, she would be unmistakable in a crowd. It's both a blessing and a curse; when she argues with the men, she's that much closer to their height and therefore that much more intimidating. But she is also easy to find, and therefore easy to complain to. If Erika had one wish to change her appearance, it would be to shrink a few inches - she's self-conscious about it. Her frame, while long, is not as slim as some. She has a more average build with the constant exercise she does; were she to be a lazy person, she'd likely be overweight. As it is, she has dense muscle with a layer of fat on top.
Erika also sports mid-back length blond hair. If she were to pull the slight wave out of it, it would be a good inch and a half longer, but as it happens she's quite fond of her hair the way it is. Her light hair matches her light eyes; they're blue, but not the shade of stunning blue some women seem so proud of. It's more of a gray-blue that sparkles only in exactly the right light. Her nose, while somewhat broader than average, is nothing to really gawk at, nor is her mouth.
Personality:
adventurous - Erika has never been one to hesitate in endeavors. She's either in it or she's not, and usually she is. She doesn't do things, especially exciting ones, halfway, and it's gotten her in trouble more than once. She'll try anything once, maybe twice, including crazy risks.
calm - While bungee-jumping and skydiving are top on Erika's list of things to do, she doesn't lose her mind over them. While not the proverbial rock, Erika is a stable influence in the sense that she's predictable and steady, especially when she needs to be.
out of touch with herself - Erika has never been good about recognizing when she's nervous or angry. She doesn't express herself well because of this, and is quiet around people she doesn't know. It's not abnormal for her to find herself with her fists clenched and teeth bared with no idea how she got there.
self-serving - She has a different philosophy on life than most people; her goal in life is to make herself happy, and if that means lying to others, she's fine with that. She doesn't go out of her way to help people, and she hates to compromise. In Erika's mind, it's her way or find someone else to help you. She wants excellence, all the time, and if you're not helping, Erika won't hesitate to get you away from her by whatever means necessary.
enjoys company - Although Erika has the personality type that drives people away, she does like company. She works best when she can order people around. She hates empty rooms because of the quiet, and much prefers to listen to a conversation than to nothing, even if she's not partaking. A strange preference, sure, but Erika deals.
logical - Maybe the reason Erika still has friends is because her plans usually work, as long as no one steps out of line. She thinks things through, and though she'll still do something even if it's dangerous, she knows the risks and the consequences. She loves a good riddle, but finds art unappealing because of its lack of logic.
History: birth to seven years of age
A little background is necessary before we jump into Erika's history. Her parents met at a restaurant on the French/German border. Mom was a waitress, Dad was the picky customer. By some miracle, they found out that they both liked ketchup on slightly undercooked pancakes and hit it off. Mom moved to Karlsruhe to be with Dad. Conception of Erika.
Erika was always the quiet one in the play group. She was the polite one all the time, which Dad appreciated. Her father was the one who brought her places and was the real family man. She didn't see much of Mom, who didn't adjust very well to married life and preferred to travel. Dad turned a blind eye to the flighty behavior because he loved the woman and she loved him in a kind of strange way.
Mom decided she wanted a part in her child's life when Erika was five. One day, she was happily gluing macaroni to cardboard under the careful supervision of her father and the next... Well, her mother decided that nothing was too good for her baby and soon she was taking dance, gymnastics, and riding lessons from the best instructors money could buy.
Well, she crashed and burned.
Erika tried for a year to please her mother. She couldn't handle seven days a week of intense instruction. It just didn't work. Mom pushed and pushed until finally Erika snapped and came running back to Dad. He managed to convince Mom to drop everything but riding, which was only once a week.
She rode in Germany for a year, not really making progress because the trainer usually worked with Olympic showjumping hopefuls, not six year old children. Her lessons were get on a pre-tacked pony and walk and trot around for half an hour, then get off.
eight to fourteen years of age
Dad made the decision to move to America when Erika was eight. She spoke English well enough, since Dad was a businessman and taught her the language as soon as she was old enough to start leaning. Mom was more hesitant, having only rudimentary language skills.
They found a house in Virginia, just outside Upperville. It wasn't long before they moved and started anew in the US of A. Erika started school, and after a few months of "haha, you talk funny!" she got used to it.
It's hard to go long in Upperville without hearing about the horses. Whether by chance or by fate, the Wilders moved in mid May, two weeks before the oldest horse show in the country started: the Upperville Colt and Horse Show. The family attended the show in its entirety, mostly due to the nagging by their daughter.
The pony divisions intrigued Erika. She wanted to be just like the perfect girls in the ring. Mom agreed to more lessons with a more child-friendly instructor, and soon Erika was progressing at a rate faster than anything before.
Erika spent two years training before she entered her first horse show. Her trainer was very anal about being totally prepared before progressing. The show was only a tiny little local show, but Erika won the Short Stirrup Flat class. She was ecstatic and threw herself into riding.
Her grades slipped over the years, due to the constant riding and going to every show she could. She was sat down in the living room one night when she was fourteen and talked to very severely about grades. The summary of the argument was basically that she could only ride twice a week if her grades weren't all A's and B's. Commence screaming.
Erika spent almost her entire fifteenth year riding twice a week. She was miserable, and instead of rising, her grades slipped further. Her parents took a long time to connect the two things. It was just a month before her fifteenth birthday that they finally figured it out and let her ride as much as she wanted again. The change was immediate. Desperate not to suffer that fate again, she worked harder than ever in school and rode with passion.
sixteen years of age to present
On Erika's sixteenth birthday, she was taken to the barn and introduced to Beat To Quarters, a Holsteiner gelding who would soon be hers. Jax, as he was called at the barn, was a huge hit, despite his greenness.
