徐美琳 : Xúměilín: TĀOTIÈ

內在美 : Beauty lies within

PERSONALITY TRAITS :　

▸ POSITIVE : Practical, Sensitive, Witty, Loyal, Earnest
▸ NEUTRAL : Emotional, Realistic, Low-Maintenance, Feminine, Expressive
▸ NEGATIVE : Timid, Indecisive, Forgetful, Unorganized, Weak-willed
▸ OTHER : ISFP

PERSONALITY :　Meilin’s always prided herself on being a practical person. She doesn’t waste time with flowery language and small talk. Because of her practicality, Meilin tries her best to adapt to different situations and do any work she’s given (it might be hard because of her bound feet, but she tries her best anyway). Meilin always happens to be a sensitive, witty person. She reads the atmosphere well and responds appropriately; she always seems to know the right thing to say, and she can make people who are sad break into laughter. She doesn’t necessarily try to make jokes, but a lot of the things she says make people laugh anyway (her mind can come up with puns in an instant). In addition, Meilin is a loyal person who cares about her loved ones. If she really trusts you, she’ll stick by your side no matter what happens and will treat you better than she treats herself. She tends to try her hardest in everything, even going as far as hurting herself in order to complete the task.

While Meilin can read the atmosphere well, she is an extremely emotional person and will cry at the smallest things. This tends to annoy the people around her and make them think that she wants attention or is faking it (because honestly, who cries over killing a fly?). Her realisticness also brings some eyebrow-raising because sometimes she can be way too honest for her own good, like when she tells her grandparents that they’d better start writing their last wills. She’s also quite independent, which means that her parents don’t have to worry about her, but also that they tend to forget about her (and her needs)... Femininity is something that Meilin doesn’t really worry about, but while it establishes her as a lady, it also restricts her from having fun like she used to as a kid (like running around and shouting). Even if she can’t shout anymore, Meilin still likes to express her opinions and feelings. This is great since she can tell people exactly how she feels about them, but always not-so-great since she can be brutally honest about how much she hates them.

Despite everything, Meilin tends to be timid and shies away from uncomfortable situations. She doesn’t really know how to deal with them and breaks under pressure. A part of this stems from her indecisiveness. Meilin is able to see both the positive side of things and the negative side, so she has trouble deciding between different choices (since they can be both good and bad at the same time, just on different levels or in relation to different consequences). In addition to this, she has trouble remembering important details. It’s not like she wants to, but when she’s under pressure, her mind blanks out, and when she comes back to her senses, she’s missed a bunch of really important stuff that she should definitely have listened to. On the other hand, there are certain things that she does hear and remember hearing but didn’t consider important - until it was important. Meilin doesn’t like unimportant things taking up her time that could be used to do something important, so she doesn’t hold onto things she deems unimportant, and oftentimes a lot of those ‘unimportant’ things actually are important, and Meilin comes off as a forgetful person. Despite how logically her mind works, Meilin isn’t actually that organized in real life. She would like to be, but the truth is, she’s probably more of a mess than anyone she knows. It’s not just physically (although her living quarters are a mess because she often forgets to clean up after herself [I guess her upbringing still lingers, and she expects people to pick up after her]), because when Meilin is stressed out, which she often is because life as a poor weaver in Shaanxi isn’t the best, she sort of falls apart. She’ll be frazzled and won’t know what to do and end up just standing around like a lost child while her brain argues over ‘do something, anything!’ and ‘but what can you do?’. She also has a tendency to follow other people’s commands. Meilin’s never really been a leader, and while she does know what she’s doing, she often doesn’t follow through with plans and ideas (whether from doubt or indecision). Enter someone who leads strongly, and Meilin’s sure to follow them because they’d make her decisions in her place. As long as that person treats Meilin well enough, she’s perfectly content to let them make decisions for her (since she would rather not agonize because of indecisiveness).

Meilin finds her positive traits being drowned out by her negative and resents herself for it. Now that she’s not rich anymore, she’s trying to improve herself and become the better version of herself. Hopefully, she’ll overcome her negative traits throughout the story as well.  

THE PAST :　Měilín's father was a powerful man, more specifically the province magistrate of the Zhejiang Province. Her family was extremely wealthy, living in the province capital, Hangzhou. She grew up in a household where her father didn't speak much to her, her being the younger daughter. Her brother Hàoxī, played with her when they were young, but as they got older, he wasn't able to spend time with her, especially due to his studying. Her mother and servants gave her the necessary love to not grow up depraved though, and she had a friend, Shīqín, daughter of a scholar, that kept her company.

When Měilín was 11, her father was arrested on charges of embezzlement. While he was arrested, Měilín and her mother were spared the punishment and were instead banished to the outskirts of the Shaanxi Province. Not much is known about what happened to Hàoxī.

She was forced to give up the lifestyle she had lived through for the first 11 years of her life. Neither she nor her mother knew much about the outside world. Her mother makes a living with her weaving, and Měilín learned the craft from her. 

THE PRESENT :　Her mother and her weaving is just barely enough for them to get by. At the very least, they have a roof over their heads and enough food to live, although the quality is significantly lower than ten years ago. However, with the recent famine in the western province, resources diminished, and they're struggling to make money.

Her mother quickly realizes that they will not be able to go on like this, and reveals to Měilín that when her father was arrested and her family was banished there was an additional punishment that when Měilín turns of age, she must apply to be a dragon bride. Měilín was completely appalled and almost considered running away, until she learned that the punishment for doing so would result in her mother's execution.

She applied to become a dragon bride, and was accepted. She was apprehensive, especially being completely convinced that it meant a certain death. Still, she followed through, and was shocked the "dragon" was a relatively short, non-imposing boy.

Despite living as a laborer for the past seven years, Meilin still had the aura of someone born into a rich family, and her actions conveyed that as well. However, she was significantly more understanding and tolerant of the people around her than her rich peers, and she carried herself with grace and dignity in contrast to the poor. In this way, she had already set herself apart because she somehow belonged to both classes and yet not exactly. Then came the interview. Meilin thought she’d failed the interview with how lackluster and petty her answers were. The judges, however, must have liked her nerve and refreshing honesty amongst the girls who tried desperately to give ‘good’ answers to make themselves seem better. That, plus she was pretty, ended up sealing the deal for Meilin being chosen.

THE OCCUPATION :　Weaver

TRIVIA :

  Likes 
▸ Music : She began to learn to play the guzheng when she was five.
▸ Fruit : She just loves to eat them.
▸ Sweets : She loved sweets, but white sugar is expensive and she hasn't been able to afford it for years.
▸ Cloudy Weather : Cloudy weather means rain, and rain means no more famine.
▸ Art : It reflects the inner thoughts of the artist, which Měilín reveres.
Dislikes 
▸ Stress : Well, who does? She's just especially bad at dealing with it.
▸ Exercise : Her feet are bound, and it's too painful.
▸ Mosquitos : They seem to love her too much.
▸ Darkness : She never really grew out of her childhood fear, but it’s not enough to be considered a fear now.
▸ Mushrooms : Purely just a food preference.
Habits 
▸ Cracking Her Knuckles : It’s seriously unladylike, but a bad habit.
▸ Spacing Out : Despite being a relatively grounded person, she habitually spaces out.
Hobbies 
▸ Singing : She finds that it releases stress.
▸ Painting : Learned when she was a child, it’s a nice way for her to express herself, especially since she cannot write.
▸ Playing Guzheng : She’s played it ever since she was young. She didn't have the guzheng in Shaanxi, but she learned it as a child and remembered enough basics to re-learn after she came to the Dragon Palace.
Fears 
▸ Dragons : Despite dragons being guardian-like figures, she’s convinced that they’re vicious.
▸ Death : It’s more of a fear of the unknown.
▸ Torture : Knowing her father went through it, she fears the same fate.
▸ Blood : It ties in with the previous fears; she can’t stand the sight.
▸ Losing Power : Completely losing power over what she does in her life.
Other 
▸ Měilín’s childhood friend, Shīqín, was actually her illegitimate half-sister, but Měilín has no idea.
▸ Her feet were bound by the age of seven.
▸ Her sense of humor is actually extremely random and strange, but most people don’t notice.
▸ She's a complete foodie, even though she tries to hide it.
▸ She’s often mistaken for being a few years younger than she actually is.
▸ It’s very hard for her commit. Things like making friends and saying “I love you” is difficult for her to do, so when she does, it’s true.
▸ Měilín was never taught how to write because of her gender.
▸ Her hair is constantly falling out of place and just doesn’t work well with pins.
▸ She’s double-jointed and actually quite flexible.

恆常保護 : always protect

RELATIONSHIPS :　
 

FAMILY :

▸ Father — 徐广霖 : Xú Guǎnglín (42) / former-magistrate, now prisoner / ENTJ / 1
Guǎnglín never cared much for his younger daughter. They never actually saw each other much in her formative years, but his actions changed her life. Měilín resents him for this.

▸ Mother — 王丽如 : Wáng Lìrú (40) / weaver / ISTJ / 7
Lìrú was the parent figure in Měilín's life. After being banished to Shaanxi, she was the one who made a living for her family. Due to this, Měilín is grateful for her, and decides to become a Dragon Bride.

▸ Brother — 徐浩錫 : Xú Hàoxī (23) / n/a / ESFJ / 4
As children, they were close, but as Hàoxī got older, his lessons became more frequent and his tutors became more strict. Eventually, they found little time to spend with each other. Not much is know about what happened to him these past nine years, and Měilín wanted to be able to find him.
 

FRIENDS :

▸ Childhood Friend — 萧诗琴 : Xiāo Shīqín (18) / n/a / ESFP / 5
Shīqín was the daughter of a province-tier scholar that Měilín's father supervised. They were best friends as children but were separated nine years ago. Years later, Měilín sees another applicant who looks familiar...But why is she glaring?

▸ Maid — 菊花 : Júhuā (17) / maid / ENFP / 8
Júhuā is Meilin's maid in the Dragon Palace, and her happy-go-lucky personality makes it hard for anyone, including Meilin, to dislike her. Although she’s a servant, Meilin finds her endearing and enjoys talking to her. Despite her young age, Juhua is a clever child and seems to be wise beyond her years (perhaps from having worked in the Dragon Palace). Meilin finds herself sympathizing with Juhua since she knows what it’s like to have worked and often helps take some responsibilities off her shoulders.

OTHER :

▸ Dragon Bride — 张黛玉 : Zhang Daiyu (22) / Dragon Bride / ?
Um... I'm not sure what I can put here because the application's gone... but I hope they can be friends?

▸ Dragon Bride — 吴美奇 : Wu Meiqi (20) / Dragon Bride / 7
Meilin likes to hang out with Meiqi, and she thinks that it's pretty cool that their names are so similar. Meilin sort of looks up to Meiqi as a sister, but as a typical one in that Meiqi sometimes takes advantage of her weak-willed nature and snaps at her to manipulates her to do things.

為什麼是你? : why you?

Tell us a little bit about yourself. :

▸ “I…don’t know. I’m 18, from the Shaanxi Province. I was told I had to be here.” More like forced, she thought, but okay .

Do you have any disabilities or sicknesses we should we aware of? : 

▸ “No, as far as I know, I don’t.”

How well do you take care of your physical appearance and your overall wellbeing? : 

▸ “Well, appearances, not so much recently. It’s more of a matter on how I can actually survive… So in that case, yes, I take care of my health to the best of my ability.” Honestly, seeing as they’re taking sacrifices, Měilín finds it funny that this is even a question.

How much do you know about the Dragon King and his Sons? How well educated are you on this matter? : 

▸ “Um…He wants a sacrifice for his sons?” Truth to be told, Měilín really doesn’t know or care. She just doesn’t want to die.

WHY are you volunteering to become a dragon bride? Are you aware of what you'll need to do, especially if you are chosen? : 

▸ Měilín almost wants to hit the interviewer. Since when was she volunteering for this? She inhales and barely spits out, “I’m doing this out of faith to my country. It is my duty and I shall fulfill it.”

What makes you special enough to be chosen as a dragon bride?  : 

▸ “I have the will to do so. I will be able to handle this task and appease the Dragon Sons.”

How Willing are you to please the one you are offered to? : 

▸ “With all my heart, I will try to please him and keep the peace.”

Have you been previously betrothed? Are you still pure? : 

▸ “No, I have not been betrothed, nor have I lost my ity.”

Alright, that should do it. Is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself? : 

▸ “If I go, please, just please, let my father know that he did this. That’s it. Thank you.” As she leaves the room, Měilín takes a deep breath, surprised by her burst of courage.

marshybleep : Annie : Activity ( 8 )

LAST WORDS :　If you haven't realized by now, I have a hard time with writing long applications. If you need me to expand, I can try. I'm super excited!!!

EDIT: deleted the part about her running away from Taotie and added in everything else (in bold)

PASSWORD : here (or, to hear the Obama version: here)

SCENE REQUESTS : 

▸ A feud between Měilín and Shīqín.
▸ Some of the girls going out into the town for the first time after months.
▸ Lots and lots of forehead and cheek kisses because they're super cute.
▸ Angst and slow burn!!

turn in : story : cheatsheet