AGE — 22 years old

NATION — Earth Kingdom

BIRTHPLACE — Ba Sing Se

 

FACE CLAIM (+BACKUP) — Shimazaki Haruka + Miyazaki Aoi

    

  APPEARANCE AND STYLE — Although her brown hair only slightly goes past her shoulders, she uses a piece of cloth to tie it back and sometimes, tie it up completely. Her style consist of a light green hanfu-styled dress that she's always proudly proclaiming she sewed by herself. She cycles through that and other similar light green hanfus-styled dresses paired with simple brown flats which are comfortable enough for everyday work. 

 

 

 

PERSONALITY — 

Mei takes after her adoptive father, which is to say that she's just as hard-headed and loud-mouthed as him. They would often give his son a headache when they run around yelling competitions at each other and end up getting all kinds of bruises. Although they were both hard headed, she wasn't as durable as her bulky foster dad. She is known in their community as the girl who's always greeting everyone cheerfully in the morning and playfully throwing insults with the bigger men who go around doing their work.

One double sided sword of Mei is her carefree-ness. She rarely thinks things through before she does them. At most she would think about if it would kill her, if not then that was enough planning for her.

Her curiousity drives her -- she's always looking for new things to create and new ways to create them, especially if it would be helpful to other people. However paired with her carefree-ness she would usually be willing to go to dangerous lengths just to help the old lady next door with her back ache. People would always scold her for this but would always be met with  a chuckle and smile. "I'm still okay aren't I?" She always understood that it was dangerous, but never really accepted just how serious a matter it was. 

Like her parents, she was extremely hardworking and one-track minded. When she'd set her sights on something, she did not want to give up no matter the cost. Giving up always leaves a bad taste in , almost as if she could've done something, anything at all. However when seriously confronted, she tries her hardest to dodge everything.

She is one of those people who, in the midst of the war or anything chaotic going around, would make a safe bubble around themselves for them and their small circle. In her mind, she's fine with staying the bubble she's created. The happy now. If now is not happy, then she should do something about it. If her happy now is destroyed by someone else well, it doesn't matter if she can't fight, she would destroy them. She has to do something for the sake of her now. Who cares about the future? If ignorance would help her now be a bit happier, then she'd blisfully embrace her ignorance.

 

BACKGROUND —  

The war had taken many -- a lot of them were parents with children to leave behind. Not many were mothers, but that doesn't mean there were none. In Mei's community there were a lot of fighters, her parents were one of those. They had charged into war wanting their sons and daughters to have the best future possible; a future where they could run around the fields without the fear of getting shot down by the fire nation. A future where they could roam the world freely and discover the different nations. Or maybe just a world where stepping out of Ba Sing Se would not be the cause of your demise. Their community had a lot of fighters but only a few came back alive. Mei was about four years old then. Her parents never came back after kissing her goodbye and promising to get her a panda-dog when they get back.

A close family friend had taken her in. In line with his bulky exterior he sold meat from hunting and other relics he'd gathered throughout the years. He used to travel with his parents before the fire nation had taken over eveything, he would somethimes reminisce. Back then he would trade with all kinds of merchants and travelers. He would tell Mei of the time he crossed Serpent's Pass. But after his wife died during an attack by the fire nation, he settled with his son in Ba Sing Se.

His son ran an apothecary shop where Mei had been apprenticing since she was five years old. She'd spent her early life curious about everything; but she was curious about medicine the most. After all the running around with her adoptive father, she'd always get scrapes and bruises which his son would be able to take care of like magic. And with the war, she wanted to be able to help out people somehow.

SKILLS — 

Herbalist; Although an apprentice herbalist, Mei has been around plants her whole life and can easily distinguish poisonous and venomous plants from safe and edible ones.

Apothecary; She can makes all kinds of medicine and poisons

Amateur punching; Mei learned a thing or two about punching from her adoptive father. Not that she knows how to punch well, she just learned a thing or two.

Housework; besides cooking and cleaning, Mei takes pride in her sewing skills and how much of a girl scout she is. She can adapt to certain situations and improvise equipment and other items needed.

 

"Where papa is from? Hmm, I don't really know." Despite being told numerous stories about his adventures, Mei's adoptive father never really told her where he's actually from. He would recall how, when he was a kid, he would often play around with earthbenders as a kid. Other times he would say how fascinating the sights around Kyoshi island in a year where Itsu could've only been just a child. Then there were the times where he would say how the waterbenders took care of him as a little boy, and the times where he recalled they hid in the fire nation, "Right under the enemies' nose!", he would chuckle and attribute it all to how little a little boy can be.

 

"Hate the fire nation? Well..." Unlike most people, Mei doesn't harbor hatred for the whole fire nation. She doesn't really harbor any bad feelings for anyone except the ones that have actually done anything to her or the people around her. Besides that, she doesn't exactly jump to the conclusion that a person is evil just because they're fire nation.

 

RELATIONSHIPS — Only mention those relationship that are important and relevant to the character and the story.

• Adoptive Father | Itsu, 48, merchant/butcher, loud, stubborn, caring
  
  Mei is a female copy of Itsu. They're both loud and stubborn. However, Itsu has the advatage of being older. Hence, he's able to give Mei guidance and lessons even though she claims to not need them. Outside of his loud-dad demeanor, Itsu is a wise merchant. He's travelled to all the nations once, including the fire nation although it was only at the edge of it. He's met all kinds of people and know exactly how to deal with trouble makers like his adoptive daughter. It doesn't mean that he's willing to confront her about the difficulties of the real world though. He's completely aware of Mei's tendency to simply shut everything bad out so she could think her small circle is happy, he mostly just doesn't have the heart to be the one to make her cheerful side disappear.
   
• Stepbrother| Kirin, 28, herbalist/apothecary, motherly, patient, gentle
  
  Kirin takes after his mother, who was a very gently and loving woman. He takes after her so much that most people question if Itsu really even is his father. Mei is usually being scolded by him as to how reckless she is and how she's much more fragile compared to their dad. Kirin taught everything Mei knows, he's lent her all his books and has taken her on short journies across the land.
   
• Best Friend| Mimi, 21, helps with their family's tea house, girly, quiet, reserved
  
  Besides Kirin, Mimi is Mei's only friend that isn't double her age. Mimi is the reason Mei isn't a complete carbon copy of her dad and has actual girly traits. Mimi moved in near Mei's house when they were about 13 years old. They quickly became friends, even though Kirin had once told her to be careful around Mimi. One day, Mimi revelead that they were from the fire nation; her father had been a solider and they were able to flee only recently. Her family was looking for a new start in Ba Sing Se, but she was worried that her father may be judged once people know of their connections to the Fire Nation. Once, Mimi showed Mei how she could bend fire, although just slightly.

Tell me in 1-3 sentences how you see your character developing throughout the story.

Although she's gaining all sorts of skills to help people, she wouldn't dare leave Ba Sing Se if it meant her dubbed auntie wouldn't get her headache medicine or make a move if it meant changing how happy her family are. However, when it comes to a point where the war invades her safe space, she knows she should move. After all, this is what she's declared is valuable to her, right?