Welcome to Gaia! ::

PLEASE NOTE: Information of gypsies are not incredibly wide-spread. I have been contemplating one as becoming an Islander since about Nov. 05, but at that time it was American gypsies. Now, however, I have turned my sights on a Greek gypsy...so, please bear with me. Some of the information may make you stop and think "Hmm... is that qualities of a German gypsy?" because, quite frankly, in my search, I found that articles specifically on Greek gypsies are rare... when talking about lifestyle, kinship, behaviors, etc. Mostly, Greek gypsies are discussed with their relationship to traditional Greek music, so, that will play a huge role in this character!

Name: Thina Arlia-Pavlidis (Saint/Ya-ya's-name = Thina //Gypsy caste = Arlia // Family name = Pavlidis)
Name-Day/Birthday: May 21 (Thina does not celebrate her birthday, instead, her name-day)
Age: 46
Marital Status: Divorced (Orthodox allows a max of 3 marriages, why divorced will be explained later)
Religion: Greek Orthodox

Appearance: General
--Height: 4'10”
--Weight: 130 pounds
--Skin Tone: darkish olivey - tan
--Hair: Her hair is dark brown, to her hips, and starting to streak with gray. The long 'bangs' -she doesn't really have bangs, but that hair that would be- rest so they cover, at least as much as possible, her right eye. Usually, she leaves her hair down and loose, but when doing performances or in costumes, it is put together according to the protocol.
--Eyes: Her eyes are brown, although her right eye is usually covered due to it being destroyed in an accident when she was a child (will explain later) and she tries to hide it as it is a stigma to her existence.
--Build: Due to the delicious food of Greek, Thina is not that slim. She isn't fat either, but she is of a pleasant build. It is a good thing that Greek dancing doesn't require extreme amounts of nimble-ness!
--Face: Thina has the face of, well, a Greek! It is a little rounder, in more of a heart shape. The cheekbones are more pronounced, but other than the her face is very smooth. She has the straight nose common in Ancient sculpture, and her lips are not very full, but they do have a kind of pouty expression to them.
--General Impression: She isn't very beautiful, and in fact has more of an earthy feel. In a crowd, she would be looked over if it wasn't for the way her hair covers her eye, which almost gives a mysterious appeal.

Clothes: (This is in a category of its own, because of the situations involved require different clothes.) Please note, all colors are DARK -dark blue/green, brown, burgundy... preferably black
--Everyday, "around-the-house": Given her own choice, Krys wears clothes that she feels are comfortable. This is at times when Krys is around mostly other gypsies, and the occasional villager. This entails tank tops and shin-length skirts in the summer; ankle-length skirts and long-sleeve shirts in the fall and spring; and bundling up in long skirts, shirts, and sweatshirts in the winter. Let's not forget falling leggings that bunch at the ankles!

--Everyday, "outside-the-house": When Krys is outside of her house, she tends to where more conservative clothes. These times are when the group goes to big cities, have the potential to be in the presence of tourists and larger groups of people. She usually wears a full-length skirt and a shirt. In the summer, she'd wear a tank-top, but it would not show any of her cleavage (not even the slit! you know what I mean ><). At other times, the shirt would be more 'stylish' short and long sleeve, also with layering, especially if color-coordinating is involved.
--Religious Day: These times are 'dress-up times'. Krys would always wear a full-length dress (or dress-up skirt) of dark colors. The only skin that would show would be hands, lower arm, neck, collar-area, and face. Also, her hair would be in a kind of wrap or bun; however, she is able to style her hair so her right eye is still covered.
--Performance: Ooo, these are the FUN outfits! Every region in Greek has their own traditional costumes. Because they travel and play at performances, Krys has many different kinds. The only times she would wear the full ensemble would be for performing a specific region while being somewhere else. For example, she would not perform a Thracian dance while in the Thrace (because the villagers would do their dance, they do not need the gypsies), but she might do a Thracian dance while in Epiros.
PICTURES: [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] While a man with pom-pom shoes would have been fun, the men generally play the music, not necessarily dance

Personality: Outside of the family, Thina is veeeery reserved. She is more open in a group of all women, but is still not very talkative -on 'important' issues, at least. This isn't so much what she feels, but more so what she has been taught. Even though their group has come in contact with many tourists (including those crazy: "loud, rude Americans"), Thina always has a more traditional sense in gender roles. She isn't incredibly religious, but she still goes to Church, venerates icons, and so forth. Like many other Greeks, Thina is very superstitious. Not so much black cats and broken mirrors, she is aware of bad things happening for a reason, curses, and so forth. She loves to dance. She actual likes playing music as well, but that is a man's role and usually cannot be done in public. Recently, given her age and years of secretive practice, she's been allowed to play her lyre at certain events. If Thina is given any reason, she will dance. There doesn't even have to be any music. Her style of dancing also varies, depending on her mood and the music. Some of them may be considered seductive -but not slutty, think a kind of belly-dancing- while other blatantly boring -think the Greek-circle dance, wooo. Many of her opinions on things are also very traditional (like her dancing). Matters of religious and moral decisions should be "as the Church says". While abortion is accepted in the Orthodox faith, Thina is against it due to her not being able to have children. Sex is a means to placate your man, usually your husband, but if he's a boyfriend, okay. A meal is not complete until you have had bread. Smoking is a way of life -although Thina doesn't smoke herself. Drinking alcoholic beverages should be in moderation, what is really the point in getting drunk. Everything is on "Greek time"... okay, more HERE.

Background-History:

--Torn Greece: The military junta dictatorship was still in power when she came into the world as a screaming, crying baby. The country had just had three successive wars (WWI, WWII, and their Civil War then the junta...not to mention their War of Independence that ended just years before and a 500 year rule by the Turks), and it seemed that nothing else could possibly hurt the little country any worse. The gypsy clan had only recently settled in the area of Epirus, where they were to make neighbor and friend of the once-hostile-towards-them villagers. They weren't very happy about the arrangements, either. For, the government was now demanding them to have one living place -traveling around was no longer an option-, demanding their children go to school, their sons to enter a military they wanted no part of, and become good citizens of Greece. Instead of fighting it too much, the Arlia gypsies succumbed to their fate and held one thing for prestige: music. From all their traveling, they had kept alive the different musics of Greece. And now, they had their living place settled they hired themselves out to play and perform at events around Greece, keeping their tradition alive.

Where and when, exactly, Thina was born is a mystery. Even her parents don't remember because didn't matter. Probably in a small village in Epirus around May-ish? They were too busy with their other children and the world to really take note. She was named Thina after her father's mother, a common practice. The surname of her group is Arlia, a traveling gypsy clan who are the professional musicians and performers of Greece (there are other clans). She still celebrates her "birthday" on her nameday of May 21... for that is the only day she recognizes anyways.

When she was about six years old, Thina got into an accident. She was chasing one of her cousins around all the cars in the parking lot. She had jumped down from the bumper of one car, in an attempt to pounce on her cousin, but he heard her coming and moved out of the way in time. Thina landed on her feet, but the ground was covered with broken glass from an alcohol bottle. She slipped and fell face-first in the next car. The left side of her face essentially rubbed on it, and she would have just come out with a black eye if a rusted piece of metal wasn't poking out. Thina was lucky, though, for the accident could have killed her. Instead, she learned to live with only having one good eye and also how to essentially hide it to the best of her ability. Sometimes it is wrapped in a scarf, or under an eye-patch, etc, with her hair flopped over it.

Growing up, Thina was exposed to about everything in Greece, despite her one-eye-ness. She definitely was just a regurgitated little girl. Of course, some things she did that were not "publicly acceptable". For example, women don't play instruments...generally they sing and dance. But, in the privacy of the 'home', it is fine. So, Thina pestered her father and brothers in private for them to teach her how to play instruments, and they eventually relented. She learned to play the lyre, flute, drum, and the clarinet... in all the glory of regional variation.

Thina was taught everything she needed to know by the group. All her schooling, history, and so forth, were all "handed-down". Not everyone learned much English, though. Some knew other languages, but they tried to have at least one person know one of the common languages of the tourists. Thina knows basic English and French, with a little bit of German on the side.

Even though it was illegal for women to get married before they are 18, Thina was "unofficially-officially" married by the time she was 14. Of course, the government always has a hard time keeping track of the gypsies, so it really didn't matter. Strangely, life went on. Thina travelled, performed, ate, had a merry time... but could never seem to get pregnant.

Despite their best efforts, Thina and her husband, Kostas, went childless. When Thina was 21, Kostas divorced her and took a new wife who was already pregnant with his child. No one wanted to marry her, because as superstitious people they truly thought she was cursed. So, growing up the girl was able to live and adapt with her ruined eye... but as a woman, it was a sign of her barren womb.

How Thina Got to the Island: Generally, the gypsies do not leave other gypsies. Sometimes, they may leave the clan with a few others, but this is a rare and short-lived occasion. Anyways, the owner of a boat-cruise over the pacific came to one of the clan's performances and wanted to hire them to work on one of his round trips from Europe to the States. The group leaders agreed (for a large sum of money) and decided to send some people. The ended up sending 3 people, 1 man and 2 women. Looking at the group, they all could have been termed "expendable". Thina, of course, was cursed and couldn't produce children to keep the clan's name alive. The last two were an old couple, again. They had actually volunteered. You couldn't have a respectable dance with just one woman, it was unheard of!

Everything was going fine. They had a boat-ful of Europeans, splashed with a color of Americans. The gypsies would perform every night. Because of their affiliation and love of music, they knew more than just Greek music. They were able to play anything the cruise-customers wanted. When it came to their dancing, however, they all tended to stay out of the "Western" dancing which they considered inappropriate for themselves to get involved.

Thina had lost track of how long they had been at sea, probably just a few days. But, the program for that night was traditional Greek music. She had gotten into one of her costumes, one of the more elaborate ones -and one of her favorites. They had done a few of the dances, creating a classical dance circle with some of the guests.

The night was dying down, and Thina was taking a break, sipping her bottled water. A group of men had gotten themselves royally drunk, and much of the crew as well. They started yelling about the "good for nothing gypsies" and saying how they should rid themselves of such scum. It was about that time that one the drunken crew pointed out that their entertainers were in fact gypsies from Greece.

Well, they couldn't let that slide. First, they taunted the three older gypsies who were still performing. Thina was trained to not do anything, so she just stayed in her chair, clutching the lyre that was currently not being played. The men felt that bugging three old gypsies who looked as if they were about to die anyways wouldn't be effecient enough. Their eyes set on Thina, sitting quietly in her chair.

It was too late by the time others figured out what was going on. Thina fought as best she could, but one person against so many was doomed to fail. The other two gypsies were beaten when they tried to intervene, so the remaining guests just screamed for everything to settle down. Everything was in vain.

The men had carried Thina outside and to the back of the boat. They threw her off; lyre, skirt, water bottle, and all. Lucky for her, Thina knew how to swim, although it was difficult with her hands full and she was trying to keep the lyre from being destroyed. One of the guests that were not involved ran and through over one of the yellow, inflatable life rafts.

Thinas was able to get to it, but not the cruiser. She got to the inflated raft and flopped herself on, sodden skirts and everything....

...eventually, she floated for awhile before the "coast guard" of the Island found her. Thina was starving, burned, and pretty much delirious, by the time they found her. If it wasn't for her bottled water, her chances of survival would have been worse. They took her to the Island, where they... well, you know the rest...

Why this Method? I know that "castaway" isn't a preferable method, but the reason why I like this one is that it was an act of hate that caused it, not so much a storm.

Why a Gypsy? As I mentioned before, I've been thinking about it a lot. When I came to Greece, and I found out about their gypsies, I was in love! Also, the costumes are just droolicious. Anyways, I think a Greek gypsy would be great to RP with. Gypsies are an interesting phenomenon all on their own, and even better than many people do not know they still exist and flourish. I want to mix in some of their aspects into the RP, especially the ideas of kin, religious, superstition, music... everything! There is a LOT that I didn't put up, like the actual building of a gypsy character, but I tried to incorporate it as much as I could in the development of Thina.

Also, I am not done with my research and classes that are teaching me more and more about Greek gypsies. I am not thinking any of these thins will change, but if something comes up and my information contradicts it, I will change it. I have some time, though, as it may be a couple years before I can get a second character.

Do you have Alternative methods to get to the Island? As a matter of fact, I do! If the being thrown overboard (not just falling or something) was so.... bleh, I do know some other ways to get her on. With the character development, Thina is not someone who is particularly tied to everything. Getting her to (within reason) do anything would not be difficult... and no one would miss her (technically). If Thina were to disappear, there were would no searches, no missing ads... not even a mention to the police.

Anyways, another method that I have considered is very similar. The same group of gypsies were taken to, say America (the only reason I pick that is a- English speaking; b- has many Greek immigrants; and c- has a population interested in Greek music that a gypsy would know) where they performed. But, at one of the performances, Thina was approached by some person. This person would have no direct ties to Feral Labs, except for as a kind of informant. He would convince Thina that there is a place (da-da, the Island) where she could find "work". She would be reluctant at first, not wanting to leave the others, but as it was only to be "a week long", the woman would finally agree. Of course, once she got there, she wouldn't be allowed to leave...

(Sea Slug Forum)
Species: Glaucus atlanticus
Common Name: Blue Glaucus, Blue Sea Slug, Man-o-War (Sea) Slug
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: AEOLIDINA
Family: Glaucidae

Glaucus atlanticus and its close relative, Glaucilla marginata, live in close association with what Sir Alistair Hardy described many years ago as "The Blue Fleet" - the siphonophores such as Physalia, Velella, Porpita and the other associated animals including the "Violet snails" of the genus Janthina. All these animals float on the surface of the ocean being carried by the currents and the winds. Most of us are only aware of their existence when days of onshore winds blow great fleets of them on to the beaches, causing pain and angst for swimmers.

Both species spend their life floating upside down in the water, partially bouyed by a gas bubble in their stomachs.

The two nudibranchs feed almost exclusively on Physalia, and as Tom Thompson and Isobel Bennett reported some years ago, it appears that they are able to select the most venomous of Physalia's stinging nematocysts for their own use. Like most aeolids, they store the nematocysts in special sacs (cnidosacs) at the tip of their cerata .

There are a number of reports in Australia of kids engaged in "Bluebottle" fights - where they throw stranded Physalia at each other - being badly stung by inadvertently playing with Glaucus and Glaucilla, both of which, by concentrating the most venomous of Physalia's nematocysts, are much more deadly.

Another interesting feature of the two species is their colouration. They both exhibit a textbook example of colour countershading. Their foot and undersides of the cerata, (which because they float upside down is effectively their dorsal surface), is blue or blue and white which helps to camouflage them from predation (sea birds) from above. Their true dorsal surface, which faces down in the water, is silvery grey to effectively camouflage them from fish looking up from below.

(Wikipedia)
Glaucus atlanticus, also known as the blue sea slug, is a nudibranch of the suborder Aeolidina. Its distribution is throughout throughout the world's oceans in temperate and tropical waters. G. atlanticus preys on the Portuguese Man o' War (Physalia physalis), Velella velella, the Blue Button (Porpita porpita), and the violet snail (Janthina janthina).

With the aid of a gas-filled sac that is located in its stomach, G. atlanticus is able to stay afloat at the surface. Due to the location of the gas sac the blue sea slug actually floats upside down. The dorsal surface, actually the foot and underside, is either a blue or blue-white coloration. The true dorsal surface is completely silver-grey. This coloration helps protect G. atlanticus from predators from both below and above.

G. atlanticus is able to feed on P. physalis due to its immunity to the venomous nematocysts. The blue sea slug will consume the entire organism. After consumption it will select the most venomous nematocysts and use them as a defense.

(Symptoms) Helpful Field Guide
"A sting from one of these nudibranchs is not unlike that of the coelenterate itself."
(see below)

A large number of cnidarians can produce painful and dangerous stings to humans. The characteristic stinging cells or nematocysts consist of a minute capsule within which is a coiled, barbed tube. When activated, this barbed tube penetrates into the victim and acts as the conduit for the injection of venom. Millions of nematocysts maybe present on the body of a single cnidarian. Some jellyfish can be extremely dangerous and can kill a person in only a few minutes or less. The sea wasp (Chironex fleckeri) is considered to be among the most dangerous of marine animals. Similarly, the stings of Man-O-War (Physalia physalia) can produce extremely painful and debilitating stings. Symptoms associated with stinging are highly variable and can range from mild irritation and rashes to severe pain, systemic shock, and death. Other symptoms are known to include headache, abdominal pain, general discomfort and muscle cramps, chills, fever, nervousness and hysteria, diarrhea, vomiting, and cyanosis. Lesions and welts are common at the location of the sting. Although most lesins dissipate within a few hours, the skin may remain reddened for a day or so.






PLEASE NOTE: NONE of this is 100% set in stone. The actual stuff will be the artist's discretion and I will RP the changes and such myself

This is kind an example of what Krys would look like at 100%. It is seen as if she was hanging from a hook by her collar, to give an idea of the feet.

What you are seeing:
Some things were added on Krys-
As you might be able to tell, Krys does not look human anymore...
(1) She has acquired the strange skin of the Sea Slug, patterning and all.
(2) Her right hand is twisted to show the top of her forearm and the back of her hand, while her left hand is twisted to show the bottom of her forehand and the palm-face of her hand. The cerata are actually coming from her knuckles. I did this for a few reason: (1) it allows for Krys to still have use of her hands -she still has a skeleton not an amoebic sea slug- and (2) that seemed most reasonable to me.
(3) The second set of cerata, 2nd largest as well, are extending from her knees. I honestly don't know why, but when looking at the sea slug, it seemed that is where it would be.
(4) The last set are at her feet, in the same process that happened to her hands.
(5) Krys also has a kute little tail!
(6) Those little antenae, as well, appeared. She has one set at the top of her head and another off her bottom lip.

Krys is also missing a few things-
(1) She no longer has a nose...eeps!
(2) Krys has no ears...which might be kind of nice sometimes?
(3) -I think the worst for poor Krys- She has no boobies! The sea slug has a flat chest, so Krys will too.

...and some things changed-
(1) Krys's lips are pretty wide now, as her mouth has 'grown'.
(2) Poor thing lost one eye, and now she has lost them both. Krys's left eye is now entirely blind.
(3) OMFG! HER HAIR! Yes, her hair lost absolutely all pigmet. Krys also cut it off because it was getting in the way. She left one braid in as a reminder of how long it once was.
(4) Krys's teeth will fuse together and be all slimy-like. This is because, well, Altanticus do not have teeth...but for the function of talking, Krys will, although it will not be prettty Krys Teeth

What you do not see, but also changed:
Sight- Well, obviously Krys cannot use her eyes to see anymore. She uses other things. It is suggested, and I'm going to go with it, that sea slugs use heat sensors and water currents to move around. Krys will be kind of the same. Her little antenae things act as heat sensoring devices. Her now incredibly sensitive skin allows her to feel air currents on land, and water currents when, well, in the water.
Feeding- Just going with the sea slug's appetite, Krys isn't hungry very often, but when she is.... she EATS. Literally coming out bloated, Krys will eat any sea food, along with -after lots of begging?- captured Portuguese Men-o-War to "recharge" her cnidosacs.
Behavior- Working off the limited information I have, Krys will retain her socialness. She will be a little bit calmer than usual, however, and when made mad.... the perp better watch out... for she can "zap" them! Touchy-ness, though will disappear. With her incredibly sensitive skin, even a soft hug will be painful.
Movement- Water is a must! Krys will only be able to be out of the water for 2 hours before she has to turn for soakage!

MmmmFood My art sucks, I know... but I doodled this while in Women in Prehistory. I kinda liked how it came out, though... and yes, that is a Port. Man-o-War in a bowl.... blaugh


Seductive Click for full Pic. Thanks, Subo, I luff it! *grins evilly*

MugShot Ran art!? eek Thanks *cries and clings to*

Yo This was a joint effort from Ran *clings* and myself... I don't think I did it any justice sweatdrop

Island Lurkage Waloon's picture of the lurkers' characters.... I see Krys!!! heart

Look Ma - No Hands A Birvan creation, I love seeing all the things artists come up with when it comes to Krys's concept 3nodding

I.m...too sexy for my hands... Some Rabid art! YAYAY!!!!

Hobo-wheelie A little cartoon by Rabid... maybe not the best to have Krys wheeling anyone around lol

Head Shot A great piece from Sunny! I luff it!

Why two concepts of the same character?
Well, the Pilot came first, and while it has had many face-lifts since, ahh... Sept. 05, it was my original concept. The Gypsy was started around late-Nove. 05, early Dec., but was not really made until about Mar. 06.

If you could pick one, which would it be? Why?
Gypsy! All the way. While I love the pilot idea (I AM a pilot in real life), the gypsy would be more challenging to do. Plus, the lifestyle she had and her personality is so different than my own; I think it would be a blast.

You already have a serum, why another?
Well, Krys is my original concept, that I've been trying to get since I started hanging around IoDM in Aug. 05. I still really want her, and the sea slug. But right now, I am fully dedicated to Bobby... especially since I will never get the gold for an auction, so my only hope (realistically) would be if the rules changed about second characters in the future.


Honestly, Greek 101 was the name of my Greek Language class while studying abroad in Greece. This only pertains to the Greek-Gypsy concept. Krys's native language is Greek, but she is fluent in English. But in the RP's, I don't want all of her greek to disappear... what's the fun in that? So, here are some words. Keep in mind, I will not be using the Greek alphabet here. They will be greek words, but spelled with the Latin-equivalent letters.

My Spelling (Direct Greek Spelling if needed) :: Pronunciation :: Meaning
Ohe :: oxi :: o-he :: No
Nai :: neh :: Yes

Kuria :: keer-ya :: Miss
Kurie :: keer-ee :: Mister
Malaka :: ma-la-ka :: Buddy/a*****e/Jerk (literally, masturbator, but has many meaning... good, bad, affectionate)

Kalimera (sas) :: ka-li-may-ra (sas) :: Good Morning (polite)
Kalispera (sas) :: ka-li-spay-ra (sas) :: Good Afternoon (polite)
Kalinigta (sas) :: ka-li-neeh-ta (sas) :: Good Night (polite)

Ya sas :: geia sas :: ya sas :: Hello (polite)
Ya sou :: geia sou :: ya soo :: Hello (informal)

Signomi :: sugnomi :: seeg-no-mee :: Sorry/Excuse me
Efharisto :: euxaristo :: ef-h-are-ee-stow :: Thank you
Parakalo :: par-a-ka-low :: Please
Oriste :: o-ree-stay :: Here you are/What do you want?/What (did you say)?
Entaxi :: en-tak-si :: Okay

The everlasting sluuug questy heart domokun

Alright... so I am keeping this quest but de-activating it... does that make sense? I am just not going to focus on it right now. I am going to focus on Bobby and my other pets/characters.

DOESN'T MEAN THIS QUEST MEANS NOTHING TO ME! It is still my dream and I hope to one day complete it heart

Thanks to Sabin's last two auctions... I now have ANOTHER quest... however, I am only going for ONE of these.

My first choice would be the WTF Combo, and second the Sea Slug (as always)... this is also, depending on HOW I might be able to get this second serum... so, we'll see if I can ever get it *sniff* While my chances of getting the Sea Slug is .1% my chances of the WTF Combo is .000001% sweatdrop

Now, you may be wondering why Sabin is to blame (MUAH! I still love you, though!)... well, here we go.

Auction 1: Mythical Creature
Somewhere in the not-so-distant past, I thought how interesting it would be to have a sea slug-bunny. Well, I went to Hige, and asked him (though there was NO way I could win the auction). Well, jokingly, he called this 'mythical creature' a "Slunny"... so, I went to Sabin and asked if that was valid for the auction.... OF COURSE, my answer was a "NO!"

Auction 2: 3-Animal Combo
Well, when this opened, I went to Sabin and said how I could finally 'get' my slunny. Of course, it was just for fun because 30K will NOT win an IoDM auction. The response back was, "What? You won't go for a third animal?" and after a few seconds of thought... I FOUND my third animal! This was one that I saw on the airplane 'movie' on my way to London for spring break. It was a mantis shrimp! These guys are very interesting, with 6-8optics in their eye rather than the normal 2 for a human. Plus, COLORFUL, BABY!!!

Yes... ELF likes color, so sue her! domokun