Post by Lijuan Qi on May 25, 2012 14:21:46 GMT -5
QI LIJUAN
name: Lijuan
gender: Male (?)
age: 20
element: Earth
animal companion: None
::looking pretty good[/font]
hair color: Black
eye color: Brown
skin color: Sandy brown
overall appearance:
Standing at a mere 5’3” 1/2 and weighing about 145 lbs, Lijuan is anything but imposing. However, do not let first glance be the criterion of first impression. Although short, he has the figure of a deadly athletic dancer, and he uses that to his advantage. But let’s start from the top, shall we…
Lijuan’s hair is constantly changing style, but primarily that jet black mess of curls is kept confined in a braided bun close to his head. As for his face, besides the rounder contour, what first comes to notice is the small (but still noticeable) presence of makeup always on his face—often in the form of dark purple eyeshadow and/or eyeliner and mascara. His eyebrows are too perfectly shaped for what one expects of rugged Earthbenders, slightly arched above his almond shaped eyes, clearly professionally done…somewhere. Just below, he has a bit of a flatter nose. His lips meet the bill for his “lifestyle,” his lower lip being fuller than his top lip, giving him the opportunity to put on a perfect pout at any moment. Such are the born gifts for a performer.
As for the rest of the boy, it’s clear he is toned and has a lot more strength in his arms than his legs, but he is certainly not built “buff” like the Earthbender archetype. As for typical apparel, it’s common to see him in an ornately decorated black qi pao that goes down just below his knees, with a slit that rises to his upper thigh on the right side. And don’t forget the two deadly iron fans either hooked at his waist or hidden /somewhere/ on his person.
::what I'm thinking[/font]
likes: Dancing, fans, jewelry and ALL SHINY OBJECTS, gardens, Probending, haikus and other forms of poetry, and his favorite food has to be homemade jook.
dislikes: Excessive blood, egg plant, and children (though he can come around…sometimes).
sexuality: Primarily homosexual
overall personality: If you asked just about anyone, Lijuan is first and foremost, a very charming person. After all, he /is/ a performer. He dances not only for show and not just in combat but even in everyday conversation. If he notices a person has low confidence, he pulls at the strings to laugh at their every joke, to preen them, and warm himself up to them; so, some say he can be gentle, thoughtful, and kind. If he notices they have too much confidence, he makes an effort to show that he respects them and values them, but not to the point of making himself too vulnerable; so, some say he is a respectful, humble person. But the point of all this dancing is not to be a brown-noser, no, but rather to make connections. Lijuan lets every person he meets into a warm embrace, entertaining them with the skill of a geisha.
But the truth is that Lijuan is anything but trusting himself. As the saying goes, “One must keep one’s friends close but one’s enemies closer.” Anyone could be an enemy at any moment, so to Li, he keeps /everyone/ very close. After witnessing the death of his twin sister, he has all but given up on trusting anyone. In reality, he is a very secretive person who shares very little of his personal thoughts and opinions, and he probably will not be letting anyone into that mysterious realm anytime. Anything that could be used against him is destroyed, forgotten, or hidden deep behind the smoke and mirrors he presents to the public. What one would find if they dug deep in that mist is a very sensitive soul who still has not completely mourned the death of his sister and who wants most of all to be free.
There is a still a part of him that indulges in freedom, ever searching for that way out. It is why he enjoys being in the front seats of a good Probending match, but even more, seeking out the possibilities of adventure that exist all over the world. He can often be found climbing the wires above the Republic City or exploring air vents in buildings, either to steal something or learn some information that could be useful to someone else. He is very curious and clever, and when dancing can’t pay the bill…Lijuan can be /very/ resourceful. He can be a dancer, a thief, a confidante, a friend, or your worst enemy. It is your choice, for the most part…
[/font]::a past to remember
Qi Lijuan was born to a very traditional non-bending Mother and an Earthbending father. His mother, Chun Hua, was a dancer from a traveling troupe, and his father, Feng, worked as a security guard. The two hit it off quite well, and when news came of Chun Hua bearing twins, it was considered a very auspicious sign for good things to come. And it was true. The “Qi twins,” Lijuan and Mei Hua, were something to remember. They were quite the troublesome clever duo even since their toddler years. Although giving their parents quite a bit of grief, they were very intelligent, and in school, the two managed to always get good marks. Where Li faltered, Mei helped her brother along and vice versa. They were inseparable, and together, they were each other’s rock and anchor.
“No one can stop us!”
When the two grew up to about the age of 11, their parents decided to raise them in different ways. Chen Hua wanted to pass down her dancing skills to her daughter, while Feng wanted to make sure his son knew proper Earthbending. And so, the twins were separated in their lessons, but not for long. For, you see, Lijuan had always admired his mother’s skills, and he wanted to learn dancing. And Mei Hua had always wanted to learn how to Earthbend. Against their parents’ wishes, they trained each other in secret. They would do their best to memorize every lesson and kata and then at late night when everyone slept, they would try to be each other’s teachers. Once again, the twins depended only on each other to teach each other the skills they wanted to learn.
“I’ll always be there for you, Lijuan.”
“And I always got your back, Mei Hua! It’s a promise!”[/i]
And for a very long time, they were able to keep it under covers. Li grew to be quite the skilled Earthbender, even to the point of being able to share his father’s talents of metalbending. And Mei Hua grew to be an elegant dancer, perhaps even surpassing her own mother. One day, they decided to trick their parents, dressing up as each other, in an attempt to once and for all do what they both wanted to do more than anything in the world. And at first, it looked like their plan was going perfectly. However, Lijuan was not as elegant a dancer as his sister, and Mei Hua could not metalbend as well as Lijuan. Their parents quickly saw through the ruse, and indeed, were absolutely ashamed that they would be so disrespected.
“Why…why would you deny your opportunity to Earthbend to /dance/ of all things?!”
“All I wanted was for you to be normal, like me! And then maybe when you’ve settled down, you could bend and do whatever you want with your life…”[/i]
It was soon after that the family decided to teach them a lesson. The family moved to Republic City, where it was their hopes that the children would begin working and supporting the family. They would see the real world for what it was. By this point, the majority of rebelliousness in the twins’ souls had been beaten out of them. And so, it was Lijuan that signed the papers to be a rookie on the Police Force, and it was Mei Hua that agreed to work and dance at an establishment called “The Teahouse.” The inseparable twins, from that point on, never saw each other. Their full time shifts required every bit of their attention, and even when they drifted home to their beds, their paths never crossed.
Then came the fateful day when their paths would cross for the last time. Lijuan was called on an assignment to arrest a thug who had been harassing women dancers at the Teahouse. But said thug they were chasing had also gotten word that the police were on his tail. That night, the squad Lijuan was a part of busted into the Teahouse, where the thug had gathered all the dancers and bartenders and turned them into hostages. However, when Li saw his sister, his emotions got control of him. At one moment, there was a release of metal whips to constrict the criminal, and in the next moment, the man was releasing a bomb ignited by firebending that had been planted right there in the Teahouse.
When Lijuan came to, he learned that only five of the hostages and four squad members had made it out alive from the explosion, including himself. However, he also learned that Mei Hua was one of the victims, and at hearing this news, he absolutely broke down. Unable to face his parents and unable to face his comrades, Lijuan submitted his resignation and disappeared. It would be more accurate to say he even ceased to exist.
... Rumor has it, though, that a dancer who looks like the late Mei Hua has been working in the lower districts of Republic City. They call her “Princess Iron Fan,” for her unique style of metalbending her two iron fans while dancing…
[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]
