TW: reference to self-harm, poor mental health, bullying, and psychosis

Name: Berklie Anna Lowe

Nicknames: Berk, Lie (Lee), Elfy

Age: 23

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Unlabeled; Omnisexual or Queer would be her preferred labels if she had to choose; she will love whomever she loves but only wants to be with her mate, if she is lucky enough to find them

Species: Werewolf

Looks:

(Faceclaim: Unknown)
She's 5'7

Personality: Berklie is a bit on the quirkier side of life. Silly and overall unserious, there is a very certain reputation that she holds, and it is one that many people don't take seriously. Though Berklie is actually quite intelligent, she doesn't come across that way simply because most make a snap judgement on her before getting to truly know her. She certainly is a bit odd, in terms of how she expresses herself, and she doesn't always come across as someone who is all there, so to speak. Airy and floaty, she kind of drifts through life, seemingly without a care. Though Berklie cares about everything - literally everything - so deeply people often overlook that. Incredibly caring and sweet, she does what she can to support others while maintaining her own peace and preserving her own mental health. Berklie doesn't want you in her life if you can't be supportive or understanding, or if you can't love and appreciate her, for her. A very free spirit, and deeply religious, her head can often be lost in the clouds and her dreams. With an incredibly vivid imagination, she once had trouble distinguishing what was real from what she imagined or believed to be true, though is much better now. She struggles with connecting to other people - she just doesn't seem to grasp the subtext of those around her, nor does she pick up on what is done genuinely or out of forced politeness. All that said, Berklie will be alone if she must, and has found solace where she can. Deeply connected to her religion, she talks and prays to the Goddess and the varying deities everyday, talking to them as she would a friend. She is deeply knowledgeable on supernatural religion of all sorts and she loves to discuss it with those who may be interested. Outside her religion, she is a lover of nature and the outdoor. Often found barefoot, or in the garden, or wandering the territory alone, she gets lost in thought and walks aimlessly, guided by instinct and instinct alone. She is a deeply instinctual person, letting that guide her more often than not. Struggling to connect to her peers, Berklie dreams of unconditional love, in any form, which is something she has only experienced with a few. A genuine sweetheart and full of love, Berklie truly is someone worth having in your life.

Likes: nature, spirituality, religion, the Goddess, walks, forests, her family, her pack, reading, studying, learning, open-mindedness, when she does socializing 'correct' and succeeds in the interaction

Dislikes: doing socializing 'wrong' and failing the interaction, loneliness, abandonment, her fear that she is unlovable, her own mind and what it tells her, being unable to fit in

Powers: shifts into a wolf (looks above); heightened senses, speed, strength, reflexes, and durability while in human form

Backstory: Berklie was always a little odd, made clear from very young. Always incredibly sweet and caring, she got along better with the adults than kids her own age. She struggled to be a kid the way that kids were supposed to - 'supposed to' - behave. It wasn't normal, made even more clear when compared to her younger cousin, Huxley Sage Lowe, who was born just about a year after her. The two were often compared, their trajectories marked beside one another, which wasn't much fair to either of them. Told she should be more like her cousin, and Huxley hearing the same things, created a divide between them as they got older. Though family, and though their love is unconditional, they do not hang out the way they once used to - though a recent change has been made to try and get to know one another again. Still, outside her family, she wasn't really liked by her peers, especially as they got older. It was easier to make friends as a kid, but the older she got, the worse it was, until she found herself without friends. It was around 13 years old that it became infinitely clear that Berklie struggled due to diagnosable factors, especially when Berklie was found one day, unable to differentiate between reality and the paranoia of her brain. She disappeared, having fun away after finally giving into her paranoia that the reason she was alone was because Hunters had put a target on her, and everyone knew but her. So she had to run away because the Hunters wouldn't find her. She knew it was irrational, but as far as she was concerned, it was the truth. She didn't even pack any of her things, including her phone. She simply ran off into the night. She was missing for three weeks, before she was found deep into the Sierra territory, nearly out of it and into no-mans-land. Weak, barefoot, in a thin, torn dress, she was found by a patrol and taken back to the main territory. Two days later, they got her ID, and phoned her family. Berklie then did inpatient counseling in the Redwood Infirmary, where she was diagnosed with OCD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Delusional Disorder. This only ostracized Berklie more amongst her peers, simply for the rumors that swelled even though her diagnosis were never made public. She had to leave the pack for a few years, to get better. It took a long time for Berklie to climb out of the damage of the event of her state of psychosis and the following aftermath, but she found solace in her religion. Religion had always been a massive part of her life - as it is for the Lowe family in general, even Huxley - but she fell even deeper into it, studying every facet of the Goddess, her children, and other supernatural deities of other packs. Though Berklie doesn't and will never push her religion on others, she will openly talk about it or make casual comments. Returning to the pack at 20, and after the events of the past year or so, Berklie is slowly pushing back out into Redwood society in a more daring way. Patching things up with Huxley, among her other relatives, and trying to socialize as an adult, Berklie finds herself at a crossroads. She's lost, alone, and deeply wants friends or a mate. Just one person in her life who truly gets and understands her, without judging her mental health or choice of dress, or any other facet of who she is. She's hopeful if not wary.

Other: Berklie dresses in a very faerie-like manner - flowing dresses of pastels, bright colors, and shades of green - accentuated with jewels, accessories, and her makeup. It's very non-traditional
She is often barefoot, and she is often spotted moving through the pack lost in her own thoughts, wandering aimlessly
She has been stopped and caught by patrols more than once - both Sierra and Redwood - for accidentally or nearly crossing the border, too lost in her own thoughts
She knows the dense forest of the pack better than pretty much anyone - she could walk it with her eyes closed and be fine; it also means she knows all the hidden gem spots
Berklie goes missing for a day or two at a time, though anything longer than two days is when concern is raised
She seems immune to any extreme weather - in reality, though not immune, her brain doesn't process the affect of the weather and how genuinely cold or hot or unwell she may be
She is deeply tied to her animalistic nature, though in a less primal way than you may be thinking
She does still suffer delusions and OCD thought spirals, and intrusive thoughts, but she's found ways to cope and goes to weekly counseling sessions; as a result, she sometimes goes into fugue states where she doesn't know what she's doing nor remembers when out of them
She doesn't always like clothes and will strip to the nude when it becomes too much
She does have a bridge piercing on her nose (the one in the photo) and tends to match her jewelry to that
She wears faux-silver jewelry, never, ever gold
She's called Elfy by her family, usually affectionately, because of her style but also her fascination with folklore, mythology, and religion
She is defenseless when it comes to defending herself - she will not immediately react with claws or implements of harm, she is more likely to completely shut down and comply with whatever her opponent wants
She struggled with self-harm as a teen, and sometimes still has the urge, and the scars are on her thighs to prove it
She used to get really, really bad intrusive thoughts but her medication has helped stem the tide, at least a bit
She's very artistic and creative, and has journals filled with written and drawn entries, which help her a lot; she gets a journal on her birthday each year from her parents as a sign of their love, support, and pride in her for still being here and for fighting everyday
All her mental health struggles aside, she genuinely is so sweet to be around; she has a deep feeling of purity and innocence about her, like she hasn't been corrupted by the societal norms and standards around her