Post by nekochi on Feb 19, 2008 20:48:11 GMT -5
I’m making Padma, Taartoq’s wife and have his permission to do so. :3
Name: Padma
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Group: Water Tribe Citizen
Nation: Northern Water Tribe
Bender?: Yes, but as she is a woman of the Northern Water Tribe, she only uses her bending for healing and doesn’t know how to use it to fight. (Nor does she wish to as she feels it would be improper of one of her station.)
Physical Appearance: All of Padma’s features are soft and feminine. Her skin is a deep bronze hue, which is a warmer tone than most of the members of her tribe, but is by no means unusual, and is both clear and smooth. One would be hard pressed to find a wrinkle or blemish as she takes very good care of her skin, using a seaweed ointment on it, which she makes herself, daily. This ointment also keep her skin soft and silky without adding too much moisture (a hard thing to do in the frigid North where winds constantly dry skin and chap lips) and making it look greasy.
She is 5’6” and is slender, but has enough meat on her bones to give her curves, especially at her hips, which, much to her delight, have been called “childbearing hips” by her mother. Her chest however, is not overly large. Nonetheless, it is not flat either and unless she is wearing very thick or loose clothes the subtle, womanly curve of her breasts is always visible. Her build is rather lengthy, with long arms, legs, and fingers and a long slender neck. Her torso is slightly longer than average length and while it is flat it lacks much of the muscle tone that might be seen in someone more athletic than herself. Her hands are of average size and thin with clearly defined wrists. Padma’s feet are small and dainty.
Her face is also long and slim, rounding to end in a curved chin. A long, delicate nose is placed in the center of her face, the start of it’s bridge perfectly positioned between her thin, arched eyebrows. Though it is long, her nose is of average width and the end is rounded, leaving her face with a soft look instead of the sharper look pointed features would lend her. Her eyes are a bit slanted in the slightly exotic manner common among those of the Water Tribe and are a pale sky blue that is as clear as glass. These eyes really stand out against her dark skin, framed as they are by coal black lashes. Her lips are of an average size and are naturally tinted with a subtle crimson hue. She also possesses high cheekbones and a high forehead.
While these features are all lovely, Padma will be quick to tell you that her best feature (and in her humble opinion, her one saving grace) is her long silken hair. It is a VanBAD! brown, a shade similar to chocolate, but with more of a red tint to it. It falls to her waist and lacks any sort of waves or curls, though it does have a good deal of body. The cut of the hair has very little layering to it and no bangs, but this is made up for in the way it’s styled. Towards the middle of the forehead, two thin sections of hair are braided and pulled back, making the slightest curve in the process. About halfway between her hairline and her eye, two similar braids are woven and are the tiniest bit thicker than the previous two braids. All four are clipped in place with a hair ornament which is usually barrette like in design though combs are not altogether uncommon. The particular ornament varies from day to day, but it is usually made of a gem similar to earth’s lapis lazuli or some other precious blue stone and often features intricate carvings. Some of her fanciest pieces, worn only on special occasions, are decorated with pearls or feature gold or other precious minerals inlaid in the carvings.
Most of her hair is kept behind her ears (that are only slightly larger than average), except for tightly looped hair in front of each. These are made up of full length sections of hair which have been doubled over on themselves so that they fall just past Padma’s shoulders. These are then secured by two bead claps in each, creating three even sections of hair. The beads are made of semi-transparent glass in the same color as Padma’s eyes. The beads do such a good job of securing the hair that it looks just one lock of hair and it is only apparent that they are really loops at the bottom where a curve can be seen as well as a slight separating of the sections of hair.
Clothing/Armor: Being both wealthy and a woman Padma does not often have to worry about the practicality of her clothes and, therefore, is free to dress in an outfit she would like. She most often chooses to wear an áo dài, a two piece floor length dress that is similar to a qipao, but more elegant. The bottom layer of the dress is a simple ankle length skirt which is not particularly tight, nor could it be called flowing. The second layer of the dress is the same length as the skirt, but also sports a fitted top with a mandarin collar and long sleeves. The skirt of the dress has a slit up each side which show off the bottom layer of the outfit and can go quite high up on the legs, sometimes even showing the slightest bit of bare skin at her midriff. Sometimes she will add a third layer to the dress in the form of a tunic slipped over the outer layer of the dress. This tunic usually has an extreme v-neck which makes the collar of the second layer quite visible. The same trick is often used on the sleeves by making them three quarter’s length and the tunic ends midway between her knees and her buttocks, often in a slant or other unusual manner to add interest to the design. She has many different layers to mix and match into outfits, but she always tries to keep the look fairly simple by choosing the same type of fabric throughout (usually satin or silk though she does have a few pieces made out of something like cotton for messier jobs around the house or to wear during her monthly bleeding) and only using one patterned piece at a time. This is usually the second layer, which she tries to set apart from the other two by making it a dark color when the other piece(s) are light or making it light when the other piece(s) are dark. No matter what she is wearing, the fabric is one of many shades of blue. She sometimes accents this with purple, silver, or a sea green, but she would never wear an outfit completely made up of any of these colors.
When she is not wearing some sort of áo dài, Padma wears a type of hanfu called a ruqun. This consists of a top which is folded closed like a robe. The collar is high, similar to a mandarin collar, but has a v-neck not found on a true mandarin collar. The “volume” of the sleeves and whether or not they have cuffs varies depending on the top, but all of them have long sleeves. Over this, a skirt is worn which is then either secured with a sash or layered under a waist skirt before the sash is added. Complicated braided string, with a decorative ornament attached (usually made from silver and/or precious/semiprecious stones), is often hung from the waist.
She sometimes likes to wear a dress called a hanbok. The top is a jeogori which is a fold around jacket which closes in the front. It has long, full sleeves and only goes slightly past the breasts. The neck has a stiff, white, stand-up collar called a dongjeong. Just below the jeogori is a long, full, two-layered skirt called a chima. The skirt is all one long piece of cloth that wraps around her body and the chima often has some sort of pattern around the hemline. The outfit is completed with an thorium or thick cloth strings attached to the front on the jeogori which hang down vertically along the length of the skirt.
When outside, Padma will don a sky blue parka to protect her from the cold. Her parka is ankle length and lined with soft, white animal fur. The parka is thick and loose and swooshes slightly as she moves. It has a large hood that she can draw up to add extra protection from the elements. The edge of this hood, as well as the end of the long sleeves and the parka’s hemline, are all trimmed with the same fur as that which lines the coat and the parka also features several pockets, two on the outside and two more on the inside, in which to store items. The coat is decorated with delicate silver lotus embroidery. She will also wear “three-fingered” dark blue wool gloves when she goes out.
Padma wears calf-length boots. They are made of animal skins sewn up in the front much like moccasins. The front then features a long tongue and the boot is closed up by lacing the string on either side of this together. To make traction on the slippery ice of her home easier the boots lack a noticeable heel and the top is folded over and fringed to add visual appeal. The inside of the moccasins have been lined with animal fur to add warmth and Padma owns two pairs of these shoes, one that has been dyed a dark blue while the other pair remains a more neutral tan that will go with anything she wears. She usually pairs these boots with warm woolen socks.
No matter what she is wearing, one thing remains constant. Padma never takes off her betrothal necklace. The band of the necklace is made of dark blue silk secured in the back with a silver clasp and is worn tight around the neck like a choker. In the very center is a pale blue jade pendant that has been carved with a lotus, the flower after which Padma was named. This pendant was carved for her by her husband Taartoq when they were engaged and is one of her most prized possessions.
Weapons: None. (Unless, of course, you count embarrassment, a weapon which she has no qualms against using on Taartoq. >D)
Personality: Padma has all the desired traits of a Northern Water Tribe woman. She’s pretty, kind, soft spoken, gentle, and generous and a demure smile is often seen upon her face. The gender roles of her tribe are important to her, she believes that a woman’s place is in the home and the gradual reform being brought about by outspoken women like Katara appalls her. In her opinion, the gender roles were set up for a reason. Men are stronger and have a better head for killing and therefore make the best warriors and providers. Women, on the other hand, are nurturing and gentle making them natural healers and the best qualified to raise children. If these roles are not observed then the world will become unbalanced. Padma is grateful that the men around her are trained to protect her so she does not have to fend for herself and that they are the ones to do the hunting. Honestly, she can’t imagine ever using her hands to harm anyone and while she is a healer and therefore doesn’t mind blood she is quite sure that the sight of blood would make her very sick if she was the one who had caused the blood flow in the first place.
Of course, just because she is a traditionalist is not to say that she is always submissive to other’s wishes. She has a quiet sort of stubbornness to her and believes it is better, and indeed more effective, to use kind words rather than force to change someone’s mind. She has always been quite good at this quiet, gentle prodding and is so good at it that she can often make it seem as if changing their mind was their own idea in the first place. This, she believes, is the true power of a woman and is a power that would be lost were gender roles to disappear from society. By the same token, she is not afraid to express her ideas, but tends to do this as subtly as she would anything else, except around those she is closest to whom she feels free to be more outspoken around. The only time she will really forcefully and aggressively oppose something is if it will put those she cares about most in danger.
She tends to be lighthearted and will not seriously dwell on most troubles for too long, preferring to work her hardest to improve the world in all the ways she can rather than bemoaning the ways she can’t. She is a little bit mischievous and will often tease Taartoq good naturedly. However, her comments usually aren’t harsh and are just intended as jokes. Family, as well as the traditional family unit, is very important to Padma and even now that she is married she frequently visits her mother and father and her two younger brothers who are still living with them, her two older brothers and their families, and her in-laws. She has always loved children and longs to have a family of her own and is both heartbroken and annoyed that her husband Taartoq does not share the same wish. Still, she cares about Taartoq deeply as she has known him since she was a little girl and thinks of him as her best friend though she is not yet in love with him. Of course, she has always fancied his looks, especially his long hair, and quite enjoys their “marital duties” despite this.
Most of her female friends are fellow healers, some of whom she has known since she first started her own training. Through the years, her exposure to women, which came only in the form of her healing classes in her early years as she had four rough-and-tumble brothers and no sisters, has increased in various ways, whether it be through meeting her husband’s friend’s wives or simply crossing paths with someone when she goes on various errands such as buying food. However, the woman she is closest to, and the only one whom she calls sister, is her sister-in-law Nisha. She sees Nisha as the sister she never had and looks up to her, often asking her advice in matters, especially those pertaining to marriage and the duties surrounding it.
While Padma is rather calm most of the time, she is only human and is likely to cry when she is especially scared or upset. At these times she will cling to the support group of family and friends around her, hating to be alone. In these moments of weakness she will try her hardest to compose herself and usually manages to relatively quickly, even if only on the outside. She absolutely hates being a burden to people and will feel extremely guilty if she neglects or lets someone down because of her own personal feelings and because of this often doesn’t allow herself much time for self pity.
Background: Padma was born to a noble family in the Northern Water Tribe’s capital city of Shai twenty-one years ago. The best healers in the city had attended her birth, many of them being personal friends of the family as Padma’s mother, Matrika, was a powerful healer herself. Together with her husband Fahim, Matrika already had two children, Wahkan age eight and Yusheng who was three. However, Wahkan and Yusheng were both boys and the couple was overjoyed to finally have the girl they had been wanting for so long. So Padma grew up loved and doted upon, especially in her early years. Wahkan was her protector and would beat up anyone who hurt or teased her and Yusheng was her greatest playmate. Together the two would often play innocent tricks on their older brother and their friends. Even with her mischievous spirit, she was girlish, encouraged to be so by her parents who wanted a daughter and not a girl who acted like one of their wild sons. She had no trouble conforming to their wishes in this area and from a young age she loved to dress up in pretty clothes and host pretend tea ceremonies. As she got older, she stopped playing tricks and thusly became even more feminine. However, she never completely lost the mischievous side of her personality, just transferred it inward so that it was not visible.
Despite her feminine nature, Padma still spent much of her time around boys. She simply had nowhere to meet female friends as she was taught by a tutor instead of going to normal school and her older brothers only knew boys. That soon changed when Padma turned five. Around this time Yusheng came down with a fever. Neither of their parents were home as it was midday and Matrika was teaching a lesson at one of the healing huts and Fahim was still at work. The tutor at the time didn’t know any healing and asked Wahkan to watch his younger siblings while he went to get someone. Padma, wishing to be helpful, soaked a cloth in water and placed it on her brother’s forehead to cool him down. As she lay her hands on the wet rag, eyes closed, and offered a prayer to the moon and ocean goddesses to help heal Yusheng quickly she felt a funny tingling creep up her spine. The sensation traveled through her arms and into her fingertips and when she opened her eyes she saw a slight glow around her fingers.
Wahkan happened to witness this and when the tutor came back with a healer to find the fever noticeably cooled, he told the adults what he had seen. After consulting with her parents it was decided that she was to be trained in the art of healing as soon as possible. The little girl was overjoyed. Finally she’d get to meet girls her own age! Padma quickly progressed in her healing classes, finding that she not only enjoyed the friendships that were formed, but being able to use her hands to visibly make someone’s day better. She also did well keeping up with her other studies, though she enjoyed none of them so much as healing, she did enjoy reading a great deal even if she would pick a person and interesting conversation over a book any day.
Padma’s life followed a pretty normal pattern for the rest of her childhood with only small occurrences distinguishing themselves from the normal day-to-day routine. When she turned six, Padma’s mother gave birth to another son, Shiye and yet another two years later who she named Yahto. Padma grew to love both her younger brothers greatly would often help her mother take care of them. It was during this time that she started to realize how much she wanted to get married and have children of her own someday. These feelings only grew as her older brothers began to grow up, get married, and have children of their own. Wahkan married at age nineteen to a sweet woman named Ahnah whom he currently has two children, Nauja (a girl of six) and Kesuk (a boy, age two), with. Yusheng married a girl named Nalla at twenty and the couple just recently had their first child, a baby girl named Buniq. Padma has been very active in all her nieces and nephew’s lives and shares a deep love for all of them. However, even spending time around children does nothing for the ache in her heart to have children of her own.
When she turned sixteen, Padma became engaged to a man named Taartoq. She had met him a few times as a child, as their parents were friends, but he had been quiet and reserved and their conversations had been few. She was a little nervous marrying someone she knew so little about, but he had never been unkind to her and she resolved to conquer her nervousness with action as she faced most problems. The two started courting, mostly through chaperoned talks or gondola rides, but from time to time they were able to sneak off on their own to talk alone. As it turned out, the two had much in common as they were both intelligent and quiet observers and over their three year engagement (while Taartoq worked on his career so that he’d be able to support his bride) they became the best of friends.
When she was nineteen, and Taartoq was twenty-one, the two were married. Though they were not in love, there was no match that they would have preferred. The wedding “day” was probably the happiest in their lives. Padma’s only complaint in the marriage was that Taartoq was dead set against children, no matter how she tried to convince him. The two have been married for almost two years now. Just recently Padma found out that she was pregnant. Despite the joyous news, she cannot be completely happy about it as she has not yet told her husband and has no idea how to go about it. She can only pray and hope that he will take the new better than she thinks he will. Either way, she’ll have to tell him soon as she is now almost three months along.
Sample RP: “I’ve caught you, little tornuaq!” Kesuk screamed delightedly as his favorite aunt, Padma, scooped him up from his hiding place and smothered him in kisses. She had used his what had been his parents favorite nickname for him recently, the one meaning little devil spirit. And a rascal he was, that was certain. Today while she babysat for her brother and sister-in-law he had run away and hid while she had put his less problematic sister Nauja down for her afternoon nap. It was true what they said about the terrible twos. She had spent more than an hour chasing the little boy around the house as she found him and he in turn fled to a new hiding place. Of course, she didn’t mind. She would have chased him around the world if need be and the game was just as much for her own enjoyment as it was to tire him out. “It’s no use trying to escape, my little prisoner.” She tickled Kesuk, further pinning him to the ground. “Now surrender! If you’re good I’ll read you a story before your nap, how does that sound?”
He’d been defeated and he knew it. Besides, he loved his auntie’s stories and so he readily agreed to the terms of the surrender. Holding hands, the two walked up to the bedroom, Padma smiling as Kesuk tried to hide a yawn. Once there the little boy had only to climb into bed and struggle to keep his eyes open for the first few pages of the book before he had drifted into slumber. Padma sat on the edge of the bed and arranged the covers around him, pausing now to brush a few stray hairs off his forehead. How she wanted a little boy or a little girl of her own. It had been her dream for so many years and she would give anything to make it a reality. Unfortunately, Taartoq did not share this desire with her. If only he would listen to her! Then maybe she could convince him to relent. To show him just how great a father she knew he’d be. Well, he won’t have much choice in the matter, she thought as she ran her hand over her belly, which only just recently begun to grow visibly rounder. A father he will soon be, whether he wishes to be one or not.
Name: Padma
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Group: Water Tribe Citizen
Nation: Northern Water Tribe
Bender?: Yes, but as she is a woman of the Northern Water Tribe, she only uses her bending for healing and doesn’t know how to use it to fight. (Nor does she wish to as she feels it would be improper of one of her station.)
Physical Appearance: All of Padma’s features are soft and feminine. Her skin is a deep bronze hue, which is a warmer tone than most of the members of her tribe, but is by no means unusual, and is both clear and smooth. One would be hard pressed to find a wrinkle or blemish as she takes very good care of her skin, using a seaweed ointment on it, which she makes herself, daily. This ointment also keep her skin soft and silky without adding too much moisture (a hard thing to do in the frigid North where winds constantly dry skin and chap lips) and making it look greasy.
She is 5’6” and is slender, but has enough meat on her bones to give her curves, especially at her hips, which, much to her delight, have been called “childbearing hips” by her mother. Her chest however, is not overly large. Nonetheless, it is not flat either and unless she is wearing very thick or loose clothes the subtle, womanly curve of her breasts is always visible. Her build is rather lengthy, with long arms, legs, and fingers and a long slender neck. Her torso is slightly longer than average length and while it is flat it lacks much of the muscle tone that might be seen in someone more athletic than herself. Her hands are of average size and thin with clearly defined wrists. Padma’s feet are small and dainty.
Her face is also long and slim, rounding to end in a curved chin. A long, delicate nose is placed in the center of her face, the start of it’s bridge perfectly positioned between her thin, arched eyebrows. Though it is long, her nose is of average width and the end is rounded, leaving her face with a soft look instead of the sharper look pointed features would lend her. Her eyes are a bit slanted in the slightly exotic manner common among those of the Water Tribe and are a pale sky blue that is as clear as glass. These eyes really stand out against her dark skin, framed as they are by coal black lashes. Her lips are of an average size and are naturally tinted with a subtle crimson hue. She also possesses high cheekbones and a high forehead.
While these features are all lovely, Padma will be quick to tell you that her best feature (and in her humble opinion, her one saving grace) is her long silken hair. It is a VanBAD! brown, a shade similar to chocolate, but with more of a red tint to it. It falls to her waist and lacks any sort of waves or curls, though it does have a good deal of body. The cut of the hair has very little layering to it and no bangs, but this is made up for in the way it’s styled. Towards the middle of the forehead, two thin sections of hair are braided and pulled back, making the slightest curve in the process. About halfway between her hairline and her eye, two similar braids are woven and are the tiniest bit thicker than the previous two braids. All four are clipped in place with a hair ornament which is usually barrette like in design though combs are not altogether uncommon. The particular ornament varies from day to day, but it is usually made of a gem similar to earth’s lapis lazuli or some other precious blue stone and often features intricate carvings. Some of her fanciest pieces, worn only on special occasions, are decorated with pearls or feature gold or other precious minerals inlaid in the carvings.
Most of her hair is kept behind her ears (that are only slightly larger than average), except for tightly looped hair in front of each. These are made up of full length sections of hair which have been doubled over on themselves so that they fall just past Padma’s shoulders. These are then secured by two bead claps in each, creating three even sections of hair. The beads are made of semi-transparent glass in the same color as Padma’s eyes. The beads do such a good job of securing the hair that it looks just one lock of hair and it is only apparent that they are really loops at the bottom where a curve can be seen as well as a slight separating of the sections of hair.
Clothing/Armor: Being both wealthy and a woman Padma does not often have to worry about the practicality of her clothes and, therefore, is free to dress in an outfit she would like. She most often chooses to wear an áo dài, a two piece floor length dress that is similar to a qipao, but more elegant. The bottom layer of the dress is a simple ankle length skirt which is not particularly tight, nor could it be called flowing. The second layer of the dress is the same length as the skirt, but also sports a fitted top with a mandarin collar and long sleeves. The skirt of the dress has a slit up each side which show off the bottom layer of the outfit and can go quite high up on the legs, sometimes even showing the slightest bit of bare skin at her midriff. Sometimes she will add a third layer to the dress in the form of a tunic slipped over the outer layer of the dress. This tunic usually has an extreme v-neck which makes the collar of the second layer quite visible. The same trick is often used on the sleeves by making them three quarter’s length and the tunic ends midway between her knees and her buttocks, often in a slant or other unusual manner to add interest to the design. She has many different layers to mix and match into outfits, but she always tries to keep the look fairly simple by choosing the same type of fabric throughout (usually satin or silk though she does have a few pieces made out of something like cotton for messier jobs around the house or to wear during her monthly bleeding) and only using one patterned piece at a time. This is usually the second layer, which she tries to set apart from the other two by making it a dark color when the other piece(s) are light or making it light when the other piece(s) are dark. No matter what she is wearing, the fabric is one of many shades of blue. She sometimes accents this with purple, silver, or a sea green, but she would never wear an outfit completely made up of any of these colors.
When she is not wearing some sort of áo dài, Padma wears a type of hanfu called a ruqun. This consists of a top which is folded closed like a robe. The collar is high, similar to a mandarin collar, but has a v-neck not found on a true mandarin collar. The “volume” of the sleeves and whether or not they have cuffs varies depending on the top, but all of them have long sleeves. Over this, a skirt is worn which is then either secured with a sash or layered under a waist skirt before the sash is added. Complicated braided string, with a decorative ornament attached (usually made from silver and/or precious/semiprecious stones), is often hung from the waist.
She sometimes likes to wear a dress called a hanbok. The top is a jeogori which is a fold around jacket which closes in the front. It has long, full sleeves and only goes slightly past the breasts. The neck has a stiff, white, stand-up collar called a dongjeong. Just below the jeogori is a long, full, two-layered skirt called a chima. The skirt is all one long piece of cloth that wraps around her body and the chima often has some sort of pattern around the hemline. The outfit is completed with an thorium or thick cloth strings attached to the front on the jeogori which hang down vertically along the length of the skirt.
When outside, Padma will don a sky blue parka to protect her from the cold. Her parka is ankle length and lined with soft, white animal fur. The parka is thick and loose and swooshes slightly as she moves. It has a large hood that she can draw up to add extra protection from the elements. The edge of this hood, as well as the end of the long sleeves and the parka’s hemline, are all trimmed with the same fur as that which lines the coat and the parka also features several pockets, two on the outside and two more on the inside, in which to store items. The coat is decorated with delicate silver lotus embroidery. She will also wear “three-fingered” dark blue wool gloves when she goes out.
Padma wears calf-length boots. They are made of animal skins sewn up in the front much like moccasins. The front then features a long tongue and the boot is closed up by lacing the string on either side of this together. To make traction on the slippery ice of her home easier the boots lack a noticeable heel and the top is folded over and fringed to add visual appeal. The inside of the moccasins have been lined with animal fur to add warmth and Padma owns two pairs of these shoes, one that has been dyed a dark blue while the other pair remains a more neutral tan that will go with anything she wears. She usually pairs these boots with warm woolen socks.
No matter what she is wearing, one thing remains constant. Padma never takes off her betrothal necklace. The band of the necklace is made of dark blue silk secured in the back with a silver clasp and is worn tight around the neck like a choker. In the very center is a pale blue jade pendant that has been carved with a lotus, the flower after which Padma was named. This pendant was carved for her by her husband Taartoq when they were engaged and is one of her most prized possessions.
Weapons: None. (Unless, of course, you count embarrassment, a weapon which she has no qualms against using on Taartoq. >D)
Personality: Padma has all the desired traits of a Northern Water Tribe woman. She’s pretty, kind, soft spoken, gentle, and generous and a demure smile is often seen upon her face. The gender roles of her tribe are important to her, she believes that a woman’s place is in the home and the gradual reform being brought about by outspoken women like Katara appalls her. In her opinion, the gender roles were set up for a reason. Men are stronger and have a better head for killing and therefore make the best warriors and providers. Women, on the other hand, are nurturing and gentle making them natural healers and the best qualified to raise children. If these roles are not observed then the world will become unbalanced. Padma is grateful that the men around her are trained to protect her so she does not have to fend for herself and that they are the ones to do the hunting. Honestly, she can’t imagine ever using her hands to harm anyone and while she is a healer and therefore doesn’t mind blood she is quite sure that the sight of blood would make her very sick if she was the one who had caused the blood flow in the first place.
Of course, just because she is a traditionalist is not to say that she is always submissive to other’s wishes. She has a quiet sort of stubbornness to her and believes it is better, and indeed more effective, to use kind words rather than force to change someone’s mind. She has always been quite good at this quiet, gentle prodding and is so good at it that she can often make it seem as if changing their mind was their own idea in the first place. This, she believes, is the true power of a woman and is a power that would be lost were gender roles to disappear from society. By the same token, she is not afraid to express her ideas, but tends to do this as subtly as she would anything else, except around those she is closest to whom she feels free to be more outspoken around. The only time she will really forcefully and aggressively oppose something is if it will put those she cares about most in danger.
She tends to be lighthearted and will not seriously dwell on most troubles for too long, preferring to work her hardest to improve the world in all the ways she can rather than bemoaning the ways she can’t. She is a little bit mischievous and will often tease Taartoq good naturedly. However, her comments usually aren’t harsh and are just intended as jokes. Family, as well as the traditional family unit, is very important to Padma and even now that she is married she frequently visits her mother and father and her two younger brothers who are still living with them, her two older brothers and their families, and her in-laws. She has always loved children and longs to have a family of her own and is both heartbroken and annoyed that her husband Taartoq does not share the same wish. Still, she cares about Taartoq deeply as she has known him since she was a little girl and thinks of him as her best friend though she is not yet in love with him. Of course, she has always fancied his looks, especially his long hair, and quite enjoys their “marital duties” despite this.
Most of her female friends are fellow healers, some of whom she has known since she first started her own training. Through the years, her exposure to women, which came only in the form of her healing classes in her early years as she had four rough-and-tumble brothers and no sisters, has increased in various ways, whether it be through meeting her husband’s friend’s wives or simply crossing paths with someone when she goes on various errands such as buying food. However, the woman she is closest to, and the only one whom she calls sister, is her sister-in-law Nisha. She sees Nisha as the sister she never had and looks up to her, often asking her advice in matters, especially those pertaining to marriage and the duties surrounding it.
While Padma is rather calm most of the time, she is only human and is likely to cry when she is especially scared or upset. At these times she will cling to the support group of family and friends around her, hating to be alone. In these moments of weakness she will try her hardest to compose herself and usually manages to relatively quickly, even if only on the outside. She absolutely hates being a burden to people and will feel extremely guilty if she neglects or lets someone down because of her own personal feelings and because of this often doesn’t allow herself much time for self pity.
Background: Padma was born to a noble family in the Northern Water Tribe’s capital city of Shai twenty-one years ago. The best healers in the city had attended her birth, many of them being personal friends of the family as Padma’s mother, Matrika, was a powerful healer herself. Together with her husband Fahim, Matrika already had two children, Wahkan age eight and Yusheng who was three. However, Wahkan and Yusheng were both boys and the couple was overjoyed to finally have the girl they had been wanting for so long. So Padma grew up loved and doted upon, especially in her early years. Wahkan was her protector and would beat up anyone who hurt or teased her and Yusheng was her greatest playmate. Together the two would often play innocent tricks on their older brother and their friends. Even with her mischievous spirit, she was girlish, encouraged to be so by her parents who wanted a daughter and not a girl who acted like one of their wild sons. She had no trouble conforming to their wishes in this area and from a young age she loved to dress up in pretty clothes and host pretend tea ceremonies. As she got older, she stopped playing tricks and thusly became even more feminine. However, she never completely lost the mischievous side of her personality, just transferred it inward so that it was not visible.
Despite her feminine nature, Padma still spent much of her time around boys. She simply had nowhere to meet female friends as she was taught by a tutor instead of going to normal school and her older brothers only knew boys. That soon changed when Padma turned five. Around this time Yusheng came down with a fever. Neither of their parents were home as it was midday and Matrika was teaching a lesson at one of the healing huts and Fahim was still at work. The tutor at the time didn’t know any healing and asked Wahkan to watch his younger siblings while he went to get someone. Padma, wishing to be helpful, soaked a cloth in water and placed it on her brother’s forehead to cool him down. As she lay her hands on the wet rag, eyes closed, and offered a prayer to the moon and ocean goddesses to help heal Yusheng quickly she felt a funny tingling creep up her spine. The sensation traveled through her arms and into her fingertips and when she opened her eyes she saw a slight glow around her fingers.
Wahkan happened to witness this and when the tutor came back with a healer to find the fever noticeably cooled, he told the adults what he had seen. After consulting with her parents it was decided that she was to be trained in the art of healing as soon as possible. The little girl was overjoyed. Finally she’d get to meet girls her own age! Padma quickly progressed in her healing classes, finding that she not only enjoyed the friendships that were formed, but being able to use her hands to visibly make someone’s day better. She also did well keeping up with her other studies, though she enjoyed none of them so much as healing, she did enjoy reading a great deal even if she would pick a person and interesting conversation over a book any day.
Padma’s life followed a pretty normal pattern for the rest of her childhood with only small occurrences distinguishing themselves from the normal day-to-day routine. When she turned six, Padma’s mother gave birth to another son, Shiye and yet another two years later who she named Yahto. Padma grew to love both her younger brothers greatly would often help her mother take care of them. It was during this time that she started to realize how much she wanted to get married and have children of her own someday. These feelings only grew as her older brothers began to grow up, get married, and have children of their own. Wahkan married at age nineteen to a sweet woman named Ahnah whom he currently has two children, Nauja (a girl of six) and Kesuk (a boy, age two), with. Yusheng married a girl named Nalla at twenty and the couple just recently had their first child, a baby girl named Buniq. Padma has been very active in all her nieces and nephew’s lives and shares a deep love for all of them. However, even spending time around children does nothing for the ache in her heart to have children of her own.
When she turned sixteen, Padma became engaged to a man named Taartoq. She had met him a few times as a child, as their parents were friends, but he had been quiet and reserved and their conversations had been few. She was a little nervous marrying someone she knew so little about, but he had never been unkind to her and she resolved to conquer her nervousness with action as she faced most problems. The two started courting, mostly through chaperoned talks or gondola rides, but from time to time they were able to sneak off on their own to talk alone. As it turned out, the two had much in common as they were both intelligent and quiet observers and over their three year engagement (while Taartoq worked on his career so that he’d be able to support his bride) they became the best of friends.
When she was nineteen, and Taartoq was twenty-one, the two were married. Though they were not in love, there was no match that they would have preferred. The wedding “day” was probably the happiest in their lives. Padma’s only complaint in the marriage was that Taartoq was dead set against children, no matter how she tried to convince him. The two have been married for almost two years now. Just recently Padma found out that she was pregnant. Despite the joyous news, she cannot be completely happy about it as she has not yet told her husband and has no idea how to go about it. She can only pray and hope that he will take the new better than she thinks he will. Either way, she’ll have to tell him soon as she is now almost three months along.
Sample RP: “I’ve caught you, little tornuaq!” Kesuk screamed delightedly as his favorite aunt, Padma, scooped him up from his hiding place and smothered him in kisses. She had used his what had been his parents favorite nickname for him recently, the one meaning little devil spirit. And a rascal he was, that was certain. Today while she babysat for her brother and sister-in-law he had run away and hid while she had put his less problematic sister Nauja down for her afternoon nap. It was true what they said about the terrible twos. She had spent more than an hour chasing the little boy around the house as she found him and he in turn fled to a new hiding place. Of course, she didn’t mind. She would have chased him around the world if need be and the game was just as much for her own enjoyment as it was to tire him out. “It’s no use trying to escape, my little prisoner.” She tickled Kesuk, further pinning him to the ground. “Now surrender! If you’re good I’ll read you a story before your nap, how does that sound?”
He’d been defeated and he knew it. Besides, he loved his auntie’s stories and so he readily agreed to the terms of the surrender. Holding hands, the two walked up to the bedroom, Padma smiling as Kesuk tried to hide a yawn. Once there the little boy had only to climb into bed and struggle to keep his eyes open for the first few pages of the book before he had drifted into slumber. Padma sat on the edge of the bed and arranged the covers around him, pausing now to brush a few stray hairs off his forehead. How she wanted a little boy or a little girl of her own. It had been her dream for so many years and she would give anything to make it a reality. Unfortunately, Taartoq did not share this desire with her. If only he would listen to her! Then maybe she could convince him to relent. To show him just how great a father she knew he’d be. Well, he won’t have much choice in the matter, she thought as she ran her hand over her belly, which only just recently begun to grow visibly rounder. A father he will soon be, whether he wishes to be one or not.