Post by jilintsen on Aug 17, 2009 20:36:59 GMT -5
Name: Ji-Lin (Lin) Tsen
Age: 16
Gender: Female
Group: Citizen
Nation: Earth Kingdom
Bender?: No
Physical Appearance:
Lin carries what you would call an athletic build. While her muscle tone is not overly visible, she is streamlined and slim, and can easily contort into flexible shapes. She is naturally petite, looking almost fragile, but has a hard wit and determination that can counter her lack of height. However, she is quite sensitive to that subject, so it’s be best not to point out that she’s only four four. Although one would expect a short-than-average girl to be stumpy, her legs are long, great for high jumps and quick reactions. This Earthbender has more stamina than speed, and prefers to use it in head-on fights rather then run away.
Her head is heart-shaped, framed by her soft chocolate brown hair, which falls to below her shoulder line. A small fringe is brushed to the side of her visage, and her tresses, which are wavy, seem to look very windswept. Her cheekbones are prominent, and her long eyelashes sweep across them when she blinks. Lin’s eyes are almond shaped, carrying a slightly murky hazel hue and, looking closer, one would see that her orbs are flecked with small emerald markings. Her complexion, as with the majority of Earth Kingdom Citizens, is slightly tanned, though not overly so. It has no blemishes or scars, and it carries a slightly translucent trait.
A horrible incident in her past has her wearing tight bandages around her throat. A long, ugly scar spans from one side of the cape to the other, and takes up most of her neck. This leaves her unable to talk as much as she would like, and forced to write out her sentences. She thanks the gods that she was well-schooled, or even alive, for that matter. Her voice, once being generally bright and sing-song, is now usually hoarse, raspy, even. Because of the damage done to her windpipe, she usually does not get sufficient oxygen to her lung and is often left very winded when she runs.
Clothing/Armor:
Now, onto her clothing. One would, from behind, expect to be met with the face of a young man, for, surprisingly, Lin feels comfortable in wearing boy’s clothes. The garb she wears is loose and suitable for fighting, and, along with the hood that she usually wears over her head, is good for some well-needed coverage.
Thick and concealed, her attire is very suitable for cold days, having a soft, wool cloak that can easily be joined onto her hood by the small Earth Kingdom insignia. The colors are mainly dark emeralds and tans, designed and hemmed with a more subtle grey hues. Her over-clothing reaches to her mid-waist, wrapped with a leather belt that has a small strap adjoining and wraps around her shoulder. It is designed simple, with a broad yellow-green line contrasting beautifully to the emerald underneath. Said embroidery crawls up along the over-clothing until it reached her hood, where it disappears and promptly reappears along her shoulders. The same hues also hems the cloak in a broad line along the bottom. Long sleeves are attached to her outer-garment, specifically for the colder months, carrying the same hue as the attire with designs that match.
Her pants are wide and flowing, stopping neatly below her knees in a billow, while her shins are wrapped with white binds. The leg-garments are a darker brown color with no designs. She wears simple leather sandals, although sometimes she prefers to wear strong boots with thin, metal soles..
Weapons:
Lin has a sharp eye and is a very good archer, having learned from her father. Her bow is made of simple ash, yet it is durable and bendy, and is decorated with a beautiful filigree of knots and interlaces. The girl had received it as a present from her father when she had been training for quite some time, and the mere appearance of the beautiful weapon made her determined to become a great archer. She makes sure to fletch all of her arrows with feathers, and carves a simple design into them that won’t alter their course. Of course, doing this will also help her to discern her own arrows from someone else’s, and she can collect them much easier; a trick gleaned from her father’s experiences.
She has been learning the way of the bow for quite some time, having begun her training when she was seven. Of course, because she was so young, she only had a simple arrow made of oak that had a long drawstring. She carries a small dagger on her waist with a decorative sheath, seeming to look more for appearence sake then defense.
Personality:
Ji-Lin carries a very secretive and mysterious aura, which conveys her personality perfectly. She generally tries to go out of her way to avoid interaction of any sort, even going as far as to go through back allies in order to avoid throngs of people. She almost always wears her cloak over her head, mainly for preference, even if it is a sunny day. While a lot of the time she can come off as cynical, if you manage to prove to her that you can be trusted, she can be dependable in her own way. She always seems to give help to others reluctantly. The girl can sometimes tell when one is lying and, being rarely deceitful herself, usually refrains from helping. She is very besetting and usually judges people on both appearance and action. Take, for example, a small urchin child on the street. She will help simple because she would feel pity for the child. However, if a well-off person would request her assistance in, say, getting their stolen goods back, she would refuse, believing they would have the expenses needed to pay for an expert. Lin is very hard on herself and those around her, and always strives for perfection. A strange disorder, causing the girl to have to jump highest, run fastest and swim farthest. Even a simple ‘off-the-mark’ shot could have her screaming in frustration, wreaking havoc when she returns home and, often, taking her trouble out on everyone else. She doesn't even know why she had this strange disorder, but whenever something doesn't meet her very high standards, she find it annoying and itches to fix it. This has just been with her since she was a child, but even then it wasn't as serious. Simply adjusting her doll's hair until it was perfect, brushing her own tresses until there wasn't a strand out of place. Her mother and father's sudden expectations from her seemed to make the trait worse. However, straying away from the compulsive side of her, she is quiet, almost shy, preferring examination over interaction. Her personal bubble is rather big and she rarely allows anyone too close into it. Rare times she initiates that change herself but, other then that, she seems to dislike contact.
She seems to scorn dreams or wishes of any sort, and is firmly grounded with a fierce determination that could rival that of a rebellion leader. She can be sarcastic and snide, and often does not have much trouble in making other conjure up an excuse to leave her if she doesn't wish for company. Although she is calm and easy going a lot of the time, she’s far from a pushover and can have quite a temper if one unfortunate person strikes her match. That said, she would be willing to help with small tasks, but she wouldn't go as far as to give out her money on a whim, and she wouldn't give her food away. She’s very untrusting a lot of the time and it would take quite an effort to have her confide in you.
However, she is extremely loyal, both to her companions and kin, and to the Earth Kingdom. She strives to make a name for herself through her archery, and often has dreams, much to her disliking, of meeting someone of particular importance. While she does harbor very sour feelings towards the Fire Nation, she believes hate is a very strong word. Lin is a slight pacifist, and although being a great fighter, she does not use her skills unless absolutely necessary, that, to her, being life-threatening. She is competitive and can get very defensive, especially if one questions her loyalty to anything. Lin has a strange trait for taking control of things, and despises being given orders. She likes to be in control of her own life, and refuses to have a path lain out before her.
She has a lot of fears, one of them being Claustrophobia. Ji-Lin can't stand tight spaces, and can get panicked very easily. The feeling of the walls closing in on you is terrifying, and she get distraught over dying from lack of oxygen.
Background:
Lin was born into a soldier’s family, right in the heart of Omashu. Well-off, yes, but not in the least without their troubles. Her father was a simple soldier, not too high, yet not too low. He would be given simple tasks; perhaps to guard jail-cells or the help ship criminals. Omashu was peaceful, back then. The war hadn't escalated to the point where it would be taken over, so Agwe had a lot of time to spent and home and settle down. Although when he was called out, it was very abrupt and he usually had to leave immediately. Yet we must delve deeper, to before she was born, in order to grasp her history. It was very ironic, in fact, that her father, Agwe, and mother, Xhi, would meet under the circumstance of force. Now, both were from well-off families that had a reputation of having arranged marriages, and it came as a surprise to Lin’s grandfather, Hana, that the two fell instantly in love. Agwe was a young Casanova in the Earth Kingdom army, who was quite known for his flighty antics, and Xhi was a modest Earthbender that performed for a living. Months in preparation passed for the young couple, and they were soon married and under a cozy roof. Agwe, when he was not working, would sometimes be paid to guard over houses and such during night-shifts and often received injury benefit for he never quite returned home in one piece. It always kept the small family going until he was sent out to the army again.
They were well prepared to have a baby. And as soon as Ji-Lin was born, the first-time parents were ecstatic. She was brought up with love and care, and was nurtured by both her parents and grandparents. Xhi had dreams that the young girl would be able to perform earthbending, like her, while her father wanted to train her to be an excellent archer, like himself. Turns out that the young babe had her life laid out before her, with no decisions what-so-ever of how she would live it. She was a sweet young girl, very outgoing and cheerful. She was 1 and a half when she learned to talk, and was two years old by the time she was able to support herself on two legs. She loved to read books and hear her mother bedtime stories, even more so her grandfather's war stories while she sat in his lap and listened with awe.
She wasn't an overly popular girl, but she did have friends. They would often be invited to her home to play with her dolls. Now, Lin was totally toddled on because she was an only child, and her room was large and spacious, thought not the largest in the house. It was full of dolls and books of all sort. Because her father brought in good income, their home was large, though not the biggest. It had a big back lawn that the girl could play in. She often had massive birthday parties that had the two families over.
She was homeschooled by her mothers, and sometimes her father. She learned basic arithmancy and math and learned to write. Her grandfather, who was living in the house with them, taught her history. Her mother sometimes told her about the four bending styles, still hopeful that she would somehow become a bender, but by then it was quite impossible. Yet her grandfather informed her to keep teaching, as it would give her a good means of defense if she ever went against a bender.
Now, her parents were rather surprised when they found that the girl was indeed claustraphobic. They had been out to the town on a day out, hoping to find some sort of a fancy resteraunt that would seel food that wasn't poisoned. The market was black with people, and they hadn't noticed their chlid beginning to cling tighter onto their hands, looking around nervously and whimpering now and again. It felt too crowded, like the oxygen was running out. She could be trampled. What would happen if she was trampled? Frantic, she hadn't noticed that her parents had stopped to ogle at a nearby stall and she flitted through the crowds, shoving people away as her worries grew larger. She had made her way into a cramped alley, feeling the cold settle in as the day passed. Her parents had finally noticed she was missing and searched for hours, and all the while Lin's fear steadily bloomed. When they finally found her, stiff, cold and hungry, they managed to pry her out. Although her fear was consuming, she had managed to get used to the small alley and was unwilling to leave it. It was a struggle to get her to bed because the blankets could be so confining. Sometimes Lin still has nightmares of that day and she wakes up, a screaming mess.
The years soon passed peacefully and the girl began learning archery and fighting skills from her father when she was 8. At first, she simple hated it. Her fingers were slowly becoming calloused and her muscles were always tired by the time she returned home in the evening. That, plus the schoolwork she had to complete, made it very exhausting. But slowly, it did become simply as she was getting precise in her aiming. Her hand to eye coordination was great, and she was often proud of herself. Her father was not one to hand out praise easily, and she often came home glowing with pride because the man offered a simple 'Great job.'
The days were stressful yes, but not so much that she would get sick. She had a hard determination and was a willing student. She was 14 when her mother returned home with dreadful news. The young girl was practicing her archery, trying to pierce an apply in the center in order to split it in half; with not-so-good results. The girl was horrified when her maternal figure informed her that her grandfather had died. It gave her some relief that it was peaceful, in his sleep. The funeral was held, and admittedly, the whole family was downhearted. The house wasn't the same with her grandfather's old laughter, and her history lessons had soon stopped. She missed the old man's stories and sometimes had nightmares that he hadn't died so peacefully. Her father had recently introduced her to some friends of his, soldiers, of course, and it was arranged that she meet a son of one when she was older. The two were friendly to each other, not overly so, but they could stand each other's company. The parents were hopeful, knowing the had an excellent dowry and once she was married she would be in good hands.
Time passed rather peacefully, but a horrible incident had the scar forming on the woman's throat. She was angry at her parents, her emotions going haywire. They never allowed her out after sunset and constantly poured work onto her. It seemed to her that she never got a day off and was surrounded by fences holding signs that said 'You must practice your archery'. 'If you don't get 100 marks in this next test you will stay in and study until you do.' She snuck out after sunset under the guise of excusing herself for dinner, and made her way up the mountains in quiet rage. It was peaceful up here. It allowed her to think. She knew she would have to have a serious talk with her parents about their expectations. She knew it was only in her bests interests, but she needed to get out, to socialize. She was slowly losing her friends for the amount of time she spent indoors, or cooped up in the back yard practicing archery. By then the girl was walking on a narrow ledge, and, her head in the clouds, slipped. She doesn't really remember much (for her mind has the strange habit of blocking all bad memories, but she had managed to some how grab onto a ledge. She had fallen a good 7 foot and along the way she had managed to jar her throat off a sharp rock. The cut was deep, deep into the tissue, but it hadn't bled too much. She couldn't speak, both from shock and pain of the gash on her throat, but she managed to pull herself up. She cursed herself for coming to far up into the mountains, but, luckily for her, her parents found her leaving suspicious and she met the half way.
She was bed-ridden for months, having gotten a horrible infections from the various cuts and scratches all over her body from the tumble. Even when she had recovered, she was unwilling to begin training again for weeks because of the scar that had formed on her throat. It was painful, sometimes, for is pressed against the tissue on her throat, making it hard to breaths and exercise. Her archery time was severely limited for this.
And, suddenly, it felt like her whole world was falling apart when Kei returned home with a letter from the Earth Kingdom Army, telling both herself and her distraught mother that her father had died in battle. It was a shock that it could have happened so quickly. They had only seen him yesterday as he was leaving. It was lucky, in fact, that they had received death benefit. An army general had come to speak with Lin's mother, and, while she wasn't allowed to listen, she easily eavesdropped. The man told her mother that she was free to stay in the house if she managed to keep up with the taxes, or if they found some sort of shelter. Lin was relieved, and when the man left her mother told her everything. She was going to get a small job to try keep up with the payments, and in the meanwhile would speak with their relatives to see if they could support her. Lin was quiet through the whole speech, knowing that it would be hard for her mother to get and job and knowing that her relatives would be hesitant to take her in.
She soon decided that she would leave to try join the army and left a small note for her mother explaining. They army refused her right out as son as she proposed, even when she told them that her father was a soldier. They told her that a woman just wouldn't be able to cut it, and they had no need for archers, Angered, she left in a huff, unwilling to return to her mother with her failure. She went back in the middle of the night while her mother was asleep, leaving yet another note and taking meager supplies, along with Keiyou. She would travel, trying to find a job that would support her, and send money back through Keiyou to keep her mother going until she found somewhere to stay.
Sample RP:
Pick, notch and draw. A simple, common mantra repeated by every archer, and Ji-Lin was no exception. The sudden wash of quiescence in her concentration came as a relief to the girl, and she pulled the drawstring back tightly, eyes narrowing slightly as she took precise aim as the apple. Her stance was wide, firm, her hair blowing slightly in the breeze that caressed the forest. Yet while her hands and sense were busy, a small, untouched corner of her mind was not, and she found herself mentally wandering. How long had it been since she left her mother? Two, three weeks? She lowered her bow slightly, easing the string forward so it wouldn’t snap. She felt a sudden rush of anger towards herself and she tensed slightly, her face under the hood she wore turning into a frown. How could she even support her mother like this? While it may have seemed like an exceptional idea when it was occurring, only now she realized she could barely support herself, much less her mother. What if she was in the slums by now? Surely the city wouldn’t be so heartless as to throw out a helpless elderly woman? She relaxed when she realized the general's promise, her face becoming expressionless again. She knew that she wouldn't really have much hope because she was that bit older. The earthbender shook her head, a bitter growl rolling past her teeth as she straightened her bow again, ready to hit the apple and splice it in two. She couldn’t think of such things right now. She was training; she had to free her mind of all worries so she could learn. Her cloak billowed slightly as she pulled the drawstring back, her arm parallel with the ground.
But what if Xhi was ill? From what she knew, the doctor in her village wasn’t exactly cheap, and her mother only had the smallest of gold left to her name. The onslaught of guilt made her tense and her elbow pulled back, snapping the drawstring. She lurched backwards in surprise, slipping over her own two feet and landing with a small squeak of surprise. She blinked slightly, looking at her bow and the string, which was sufficiently unfixable. Scowling, she stood up with a huff and stomped her boot, the metal solces leaving a shallow gouge in the ground, swinging her arm and knocking the small fruit flying with her now useless bow. The thin strands of silver hair were already unraveling and the femme glared at her weapon. Now where on earth was she going to find a replacement? Those things were expensive, and she considered that last string her lucky one. And it was her father’s, too. Sighing deeply, she raised her head slightly, spotting a withered old root and plopping down. She pinched the bridge of her nose in an attempt to calm herself and think about things.
Sure, she could look for a job, but who would want to hire a non-talkative girl? She could easily be classified as an urchin now. Homeless, starving and out of supplies, why, the girl felt that Keiyou was her only friend right now, and he wasn’t exactly charming. She looked up to spot said bird, her hazel eyes scanning the treetops, and she found him looking at her with wise golden eyes. She held out her arm in a silent prompt, and, surprisingly, the bird flew down and perched without complaint. Lin smiled slightly, unable to avoid the tears that gathered at the corner of her eyes.
“What are we going to do Kei?” She managed to whisper, drawing a finger down his smooth feathers to comfort herself. “What are we going to do…?”
Name: Keiyou (Kei)
Age: 2 years
Appearance: Keiyou's plumage is mainly a tan brown, flecked here and there with lighter golden feathers. His wing span, from tip to tip, is approximately 3 foot, and because of the size, he usually glides along on updrafts. He rarely has to flap his wings. Feathers sprout from above his eyes, looking almost like angled eyebrows, and two whiskers fall from his beak. His eyes are a light golden color. Straps wrap around his body, as he is recognized as an official messenger bird, and end at a small tube on his back, where letters are places. The leather is lightweight and rarely affects his flight, though if the package is too heavy he has been trained to refuse to take off.
Personality: Kei is generally very detached. He is silent and usually goes his own way, though he never strays too far away from Lin. He knows that she is something to his original master (Lin's father) and therefore feels strangely protective over the girl. That said, he is still quite young and sometimes likes to try and play with her, such as hopping away whenever she tries to place a latter into the tube on his back. He can be kind and understanding, and although cold, he usually knows when it's best to be silent or serious.
History: He was bred in the military, trained from a young age to carry messages though all types of weather. He has had hard training, to build up his stamina, and his wing muscles were normally were tired when he was put back into the nest. He had met with Lin's Father when the man insisted that he would take him in. It was a very unfortunate accident that he had managed to break the delicate wing bone and he was going to be left to die, for he had no use. Luckily for him, he was taken to the man's home and he, along with his daughter, managed to get Kei back to health. The featherless one bought some strange papers that recognized him as a messenger for the family and he has been with them ever since. Although he was slightly indignant that he was taken from the house, he does like adventure now and then.
Age: 16
Gender: Female
Group: Citizen
Nation: Earth Kingdom
Bender?: No
Physical Appearance:
Lin carries what you would call an athletic build. While her muscle tone is not overly visible, she is streamlined and slim, and can easily contort into flexible shapes. She is naturally petite, looking almost fragile, but has a hard wit and determination that can counter her lack of height. However, she is quite sensitive to that subject, so it’s be best not to point out that she’s only four four. Although one would expect a short-than-average girl to be stumpy, her legs are long, great for high jumps and quick reactions. This Earthbender has more stamina than speed, and prefers to use it in head-on fights rather then run away.
Her head is heart-shaped, framed by her soft chocolate brown hair, which falls to below her shoulder line. A small fringe is brushed to the side of her visage, and her tresses, which are wavy, seem to look very windswept. Her cheekbones are prominent, and her long eyelashes sweep across them when she blinks. Lin’s eyes are almond shaped, carrying a slightly murky hazel hue and, looking closer, one would see that her orbs are flecked with small emerald markings. Her complexion, as with the majority of Earth Kingdom Citizens, is slightly tanned, though not overly so. It has no blemishes or scars, and it carries a slightly translucent trait.
A horrible incident in her past has her wearing tight bandages around her throat. A long, ugly scar spans from one side of the cape to the other, and takes up most of her neck. This leaves her unable to talk as much as she would like, and forced to write out her sentences. She thanks the gods that she was well-schooled, or even alive, for that matter. Her voice, once being generally bright and sing-song, is now usually hoarse, raspy, even. Because of the damage done to her windpipe, she usually does not get sufficient oxygen to her lung and is often left very winded when she runs.
Clothing/Armor:
Now, onto her clothing. One would, from behind, expect to be met with the face of a young man, for, surprisingly, Lin feels comfortable in wearing boy’s clothes. The garb she wears is loose and suitable for fighting, and, along with the hood that she usually wears over her head, is good for some well-needed coverage.
Thick and concealed, her attire is very suitable for cold days, having a soft, wool cloak that can easily be joined onto her hood by the small Earth Kingdom insignia. The colors are mainly dark emeralds and tans, designed and hemmed with a more subtle grey hues. Her over-clothing reaches to her mid-waist, wrapped with a leather belt that has a small strap adjoining and wraps around her shoulder. It is designed simple, with a broad yellow-green line contrasting beautifully to the emerald underneath. Said embroidery crawls up along the over-clothing until it reached her hood, where it disappears and promptly reappears along her shoulders. The same hues also hems the cloak in a broad line along the bottom. Long sleeves are attached to her outer-garment, specifically for the colder months, carrying the same hue as the attire with designs that match.
Her pants are wide and flowing, stopping neatly below her knees in a billow, while her shins are wrapped with white binds. The leg-garments are a darker brown color with no designs. She wears simple leather sandals, although sometimes she prefers to wear strong boots with thin, metal soles..
Weapons:
Lin has a sharp eye and is a very good archer, having learned from her father. Her bow is made of simple ash, yet it is durable and bendy, and is decorated with a beautiful filigree of knots and interlaces. The girl had received it as a present from her father when she had been training for quite some time, and the mere appearance of the beautiful weapon made her determined to become a great archer. She makes sure to fletch all of her arrows with feathers, and carves a simple design into them that won’t alter their course. Of course, doing this will also help her to discern her own arrows from someone else’s, and she can collect them much easier; a trick gleaned from her father’s experiences.
She has been learning the way of the bow for quite some time, having begun her training when she was seven. Of course, because she was so young, she only had a simple arrow made of oak that had a long drawstring. She carries a small dagger on her waist with a decorative sheath, seeming to look more for appearence sake then defense.
Personality:
Ji-Lin carries a very secretive and mysterious aura, which conveys her personality perfectly. She generally tries to go out of her way to avoid interaction of any sort, even going as far as to go through back allies in order to avoid throngs of people. She almost always wears her cloak over her head, mainly for preference, even if it is a sunny day. While a lot of the time she can come off as cynical, if you manage to prove to her that you can be trusted, she can be dependable in her own way. She always seems to give help to others reluctantly. The girl can sometimes tell when one is lying and, being rarely deceitful herself, usually refrains from helping. She is very besetting and usually judges people on both appearance and action. Take, for example, a small urchin child on the street. She will help simple because she would feel pity for the child. However, if a well-off person would request her assistance in, say, getting their stolen goods back, she would refuse, believing they would have the expenses needed to pay for an expert. Lin is very hard on herself and those around her, and always strives for perfection. A strange disorder, causing the girl to have to jump highest, run fastest and swim farthest. Even a simple ‘off-the-mark’ shot could have her screaming in frustration, wreaking havoc when she returns home and, often, taking her trouble out on everyone else. She doesn't even know why she had this strange disorder, but whenever something doesn't meet her very high standards, she find it annoying and itches to fix it. This has just been with her since she was a child, but even then it wasn't as serious. Simply adjusting her doll's hair until it was perfect, brushing her own tresses until there wasn't a strand out of place. Her mother and father's sudden expectations from her seemed to make the trait worse. However, straying away from the compulsive side of her, she is quiet, almost shy, preferring examination over interaction. Her personal bubble is rather big and she rarely allows anyone too close into it. Rare times she initiates that change herself but, other then that, she seems to dislike contact.
She seems to scorn dreams or wishes of any sort, and is firmly grounded with a fierce determination that could rival that of a rebellion leader. She can be sarcastic and snide, and often does not have much trouble in making other conjure up an excuse to leave her if she doesn't wish for company. Although she is calm and easy going a lot of the time, she’s far from a pushover and can have quite a temper if one unfortunate person strikes her match. That said, she would be willing to help with small tasks, but she wouldn't go as far as to give out her money on a whim, and she wouldn't give her food away. She’s very untrusting a lot of the time and it would take quite an effort to have her confide in you.
However, she is extremely loyal, both to her companions and kin, and to the Earth Kingdom. She strives to make a name for herself through her archery, and often has dreams, much to her disliking, of meeting someone of particular importance. While she does harbor very sour feelings towards the Fire Nation, she believes hate is a very strong word. Lin is a slight pacifist, and although being a great fighter, she does not use her skills unless absolutely necessary, that, to her, being life-threatening. She is competitive and can get very defensive, especially if one questions her loyalty to anything. Lin has a strange trait for taking control of things, and despises being given orders. She likes to be in control of her own life, and refuses to have a path lain out before her.
She has a lot of fears, one of them being Claustrophobia. Ji-Lin can't stand tight spaces, and can get panicked very easily. The feeling of the walls closing in on you is terrifying, and she get distraught over dying from lack of oxygen.
Background:
Lin was born into a soldier’s family, right in the heart of Omashu. Well-off, yes, but not in the least without their troubles. Her father was a simple soldier, not too high, yet not too low. He would be given simple tasks; perhaps to guard jail-cells or the help ship criminals. Omashu was peaceful, back then. The war hadn't escalated to the point where it would be taken over, so Agwe had a lot of time to spent and home and settle down. Although when he was called out, it was very abrupt and he usually had to leave immediately. Yet we must delve deeper, to before she was born, in order to grasp her history. It was very ironic, in fact, that her father, Agwe, and mother, Xhi, would meet under the circumstance of force. Now, both were from well-off families that had a reputation of having arranged marriages, and it came as a surprise to Lin’s grandfather, Hana, that the two fell instantly in love. Agwe was a young Casanova in the Earth Kingdom army, who was quite known for his flighty antics, and Xhi was a modest Earthbender that performed for a living. Months in preparation passed for the young couple, and they were soon married and under a cozy roof. Agwe, when he was not working, would sometimes be paid to guard over houses and such during night-shifts and often received injury benefit for he never quite returned home in one piece. It always kept the small family going until he was sent out to the army again.
They were well prepared to have a baby. And as soon as Ji-Lin was born, the first-time parents were ecstatic. She was brought up with love and care, and was nurtured by both her parents and grandparents. Xhi had dreams that the young girl would be able to perform earthbending, like her, while her father wanted to train her to be an excellent archer, like himself. Turns out that the young babe had her life laid out before her, with no decisions what-so-ever of how she would live it. She was a sweet young girl, very outgoing and cheerful. She was 1 and a half when she learned to talk, and was two years old by the time she was able to support herself on two legs. She loved to read books and hear her mother bedtime stories, even more so her grandfather's war stories while she sat in his lap and listened with awe.
She wasn't an overly popular girl, but she did have friends. They would often be invited to her home to play with her dolls. Now, Lin was totally toddled on because she was an only child, and her room was large and spacious, thought not the largest in the house. It was full of dolls and books of all sort. Because her father brought in good income, their home was large, though not the biggest. It had a big back lawn that the girl could play in. She often had massive birthday parties that had the two families over.
She was homeschooled by her mothers, and sometimes her father. She learned basic arithmancy and math and learned to write. Her grandfather, who was living in the house with them, taught her history. Her mother sometimes told her about the four bending styles, still hopeful that she would somehow become a bender, but by then it was quite impossible. Yet her grandfather informed her to keep teaching, as it would give her a good means of defense if she ever went against a bender.
Now, her parents were rather surprised when they found that the girl was indeed claustraphobic. They had been out to the town on a day out, hoping to find some sort of a fancy resteraunt that would seel food that wasn't poisoned. The market was black with people, and they hadn't noticed their chlid beginning to cling tighter onto their hands, looking around nervously and whimpering now and again. It felt too crowded, like the oxygen was running out. She could be trampled. What would happen if she was trampled? Frantic, she hadn't noticed that her parents had stopped to ogle at a nearby stall and she flitted through the crowds, shoving people away as her worries grew larger. She had made her way into a cramped alley, feeling the cold settle in as the day passed. Her parents had finally noticed she was missing and searched for hours, and all the while Lin's fear steadily bloomed. When they finally found her, stiff, cold and hungry, they managed to pry her out. Although her fear was consuming, she had managed to get used to the small alley and was unwilling to leave it. It was a struggle to get her to bed because the blankets could be so confining. Sometimes Lin still has nightmares of that day and she wakes up, a screaming mess.
The years soon passed peacefully and the girl began learning archery and fighting skills from her father when she was 8. At first, she simple hated it. Her fingers were slowly becoming calloused and her muscles were always tired by the time she returned home in the evening. That, plus the schoolwork she had to complete, made it very exhausting. But slowly, it did become simply as she was getting precise in her aiming. Her hand to eye coordination was great, and she was often proud of herself. Her father was not one to hand out praise easily, and she often came home glowing with pride because the man offered a simple 'Great job.'
The days were stressful yes, but not so much that she would get sick. She had a hard determination and was a willing student. She was 14 when her mother returned home with dreadful news. The young girl was practicing her archery, trying to pierce an apply in the center in order to split it in half; with not-so-good results. The girl was horrified when her maternal figure informed her that her grandfather had died. It gave her some relief that it was peaceful, in his sleep. The funeral was held, and admittedly, the whole family was downhearted. The house wasn't the same with her grandfather's old laughter, and her history lessons had soon stopped. She missed the old man's stories and sometimes had nightmares that he hadn't died so peacefully. Her father had recently introduced her to some friends of his, soldiers, of course, and it was arranged that she meet a son of one when she was older. The two were friendly to each other, not overly so, but they could stand each other's company. The parents were hopeful, knowing the had an excellent dowry and once she was married she would be in good hands.
Time passed rather peacefully, but a horrible incident had the scar forming on the woman's throat. She was angry at her parents, her emotions going haywire. They never allowed her out after sunset and constantly poured work onto her. It seemed to her that she never got a day off and was surrounded by fences holding signs that said 'You must practice your archery'. 'If you don't get 100 marks in this next test you will stay in and study until you do.' She snuck out after sunset under the guise of excusing herself for dinner, and made her way up the mountains in quiet rage. It was peaceful up here. It allowed her to think. She knew she would have to have a serious talk with her parents about their expectations. She knew it was only in her bests interests, but she needed to get out, to socialize. She was slowly losing her friends for the amount of time she spent indoors, or cooped up in the back yard practicing archery. By then the girl was walking on a narrow ledge, and, her head in the clouds, slipped. She doesn't really remember much (for her mind has the strange habit of blocking all bad memories, but she had managed to some how grab onto a ledge. She had fallen a good 7 foot and along the way she had managed to jar her throat off a sharp rock. The cut was deep, deep into the tissue, but it hadn't bled too much. She couldn't speak, both from shock and pain of the gash on her throat, but she managed to pull herself up. She cursed herself for coming to far up into the mountains, but, luckily for her, her parents found her leaving suspicious and she met the half way.
She was bed-ridden for months, having gotten a horrible infections from the various cuts and scratches all over her body from the tumble. Even when she had recovered, she was unwilling to begin training again for weeks because of the scar that had formed on her throat. It was painful, sometimes, for is pressed against the tissue on her throat, making it hard to breaths and exercise. Her archery time was severely limited for this.
And, suddenly, it felt like her whole world was falling apart when Kei returned home with a letter from the Earth Kingdom Army, telling both herself and her distraught mother that her father had died in battle. It was a shock that it could have happened so quickly. They had only seen him yesterday as he was leaving. It was lucky, in fact, that they had received death benefit. An army general had come to speak with Lin's mother, and, while she wasn't allowed to listen, she easily eavesdropped. The man told her mother that she was free to stay in the house if she managed to keep up with the taxes, or if they found some sort of shelter. Lin was relieved, and when the man left her mother told her everything. She was going to get a small job to try keep up with the payments, and in the meanwhile would speak with their relatives to see if they could support her. Lin was quiet through the whole speech, knowing that it would be hard for her mother to get and job and knowing that her relatives would be hesitant to take her in.
She soon decided that she would leave to try join the army and left a small note for her mother explaining. They army refused her right out as son as she proposed, even when she told them that her father was a soldier. They told her that a woman just wouldn't be able to cut it, and they had no need for archers, Angered, she left in a huff, unwilling to return to her mother with her failure. She went back in the middle of the night while her mother was asleep, leaving yet another note and taking meager supplies, along with Keiyou. She would travel, trying to find a job that would support her, and send money back through Keiyou to keep her mother going until she found somewhere to stay.
Sample RP:
Pick, notch and draw. A simple, common mantra repeated by every archer, and Ji-Lin was no exception. The sudden wash of quiescence in her concentration came as a relief to the girl, and she pulled the drawstring back tightly, eyes narrowing slightly as she took precise aim as the apple. Her stance was wide, firm, her hair blowing slightly in the breeze that caressed the forest. Yet while her hands and sense were busy, a small, untouched corner of her mind was not, and she found herself mentally wandering. How long had it been since she left her mother? Two, three weeks? She lowered her bow slightly, easing the string forward so it wouldn’t snap. She felt a sudden rush of anger towards herself and she tensed slightly, her face under the hood she wore turning into a frown. How could she even support her mother like this? While it may have seemed like an exceptional idea when it was occurring, only now she realized she could barely support herself, much less her mother. What if she was in the slums by now? Surely the city wouldn’t be so heartless as to throw out a helpless elderly woman? She relaxed when she realized the general's promise, her face becoming expressionless again. She knew that she wouldn't really have much hope because she was that bit older. The earthbender shook her head, a bitter growl rolling past her teeth as she straightened her bow again, ready to hit the apple and splice it in two. She couldn’t think of such things right now. She was training; she had to free her mind of all worries so she could learn. Her cloak billowed slightly as she pulled the drawstring back, her arm parallel with the ground.
But what if Xhi was ill? From what she knew, the doctor in her village wasn’t exactly cheap, and her mother only had the smallest of gold left to her name. The onslaught of guilt made her tense and her elbow pulled back, snapping the drawstring. She lurched backwards in surprise, slipping over her own two feet and landing with a small squeak of surprise. She blinked slightly, looking at her bow and the string, which was sufficiently unfixable. Scowling, she stood up with a huff and stomped her boot, the metal solces leaving a shallow gouge in the ground, swinging her arm and knocking the small fruit flying with her now useless bow. The thin strands of silver hair were already unraveling and the femme glared at her weapon. Now where on earth was she going to find a replacement? Those things were expensive, and she considered that last string her lucky one. And it was her father’s, too. Sighing deeply, she raised her head slightly, spotting a withered old root and plopping down. She pinched the bridge of her nose in an attempt to calm herself and think about things.
Sure, she could look for a job, but who would want to hire a non-talkative girl? She could easily be classified as an urchin now. Homeless, starving and out of supplies, why, the girl felt that Keiyou was her only friend right now, and he wasn’t exactly charming. She looked up to spot said bird, her hazel eyes scanning the treetops, and she found him looking at her with wise golden eyes. She held out her arm in a silent prompt, and, surprisingly, the bird flew down and perched without complaint. Lin smiled slightly, unable to avoid the tears that gathered at the corner of her eyes.
“What are we going to do Kei?” She managed to whisper, drawing a finger down his smooth feathers to comfort herself. “What are we going to do…?”
Keiyou
Name: Keiyou (Kei)
Age: 2 years
Appearance: Keiyou's plumage is mainly a tan brown, flecked here and there with lighter golden feathers. His wing span, from tip to tip, is approximately 3 foot, and because of the size, he usually glides along on updrafts. He rarely has to flap his wings. Feathers sprout from above his eyes, looking almost like angled eyebrows, and two whiskers fall from his beak. His eyes are a light golden color. Straps wrap around his body, as he is recognized as an official messenger bird, and end at a small tube on his back, where letters are places. The leather is lightweight and rarely affects his flight, though if the package is too heavy he has been trained to refuse to take off.
Personality: Kei is generally very detached. He is silent and usually goes his own way, though he never strays too far away from Lin. He knows that she is something to his original master (Lin's father) and therefore feels strangely protective over the girl. That said, he is still quite young and sometimes likes to try and play with her, such as hopping away whenever she tries to place a latter into the tube on his back. He can be kind and understanding, and although cold, he usually knows when it's best to be silent or serious.
History: He was bred in the military, trained from a young age to carry messages though all types of weather. He has had hard training, to build up his stamina, and his wing muscles were normally were tired when he was put back into the nest. He had met with Lin's Father when the man insisted that he would take him in. It was a very unfortunate accident that he had managed to break the delicate wing bone and he was going to be left to die, for he had no use. Luckily for him, he was taken to the man's home and he, along with his daughter, managed to get Kei back to health. The featherless one bought some strange papers that recognized him as a messenger for the family and he has been with them ever since. Although he was slightly indignant that he was taken from the house, he does like adventure now and then.