-VELSI- | EIS | 8/10

PERSONALITY :　(+) upbeat, sincere, open-minded, reliable when you really need him
ASDFGHJKLAS :　 (–) naïve, bumbling, (inadvertently) scummy, unreliable/frustrating in general
ASDFGHJKLAS :　 (?) dandy, flirtatious, sentimental

Bold colors, bright flourishes, a hair flip for the poets to memorialize. Imagine a handsome boy with striking fashion sense, atop an elegant mare; he spends almost every waking moment on horseback, which renders his silhouette all the dandier. Sumeng is very much a bard, very much living the amber of the moment. He has an idiom for every situation, a cheesy line for every pretty thing that crosses his path—whether that pretty thing is a lovely girl or a particularly stately tree.

Our colorful princely hero must fanboy over everything, never mind the mission. Oh, look! A perfectly spherical river stone! The ages of erosion have created something truly symbolic of order and stability; all things find balance in time. Insert poetry here, a flourish there. Ah, behold! The dutiful countenace of these random city guards! Thank you, honorable gentlemen, for your service and attention as part of the great city's infrastructure! (Cue the guards wondering why this flowery lad is basically flirting with them.) "There he goes again" is the best way to describe it, and if no one grabs his horse's reigns to tug him away... well, it's no mystery how Sumeng ends up fashionably late wherever he goes.

Looking at him superficially, he seems... superficial. He's always finding something to praise, to the point where you'd think he doesn't mean what he's saying. He even compliments the enemy's form as he fights for his life. No one can be that positive, right? Well, meet Sumeng. He isn't an idiot exactly; he knows people can be awful and totally undeserving of his trust, but distrust only kindles more distrust. Coldness breeds coldness. But then, kindness inspires kindness. Sumeng takes this philosophy—that if he is kind, others will have more reasons to be kind—and stands by his word. After all, if he doesn't trust others, why should they trust him? Someone has to take the first leap of faith. So, in all the books he read about scheming/strategizing, the main thing he learned is that he'd rather be sincere, even if it gets him hurt. Because everyone needs someone to believe in them.

Unfortunately, Sumeng is not nearly perceptive enough to pull this off. He is eloquent in lavishing compliments upon others, but he is not manipulative at all. In fact, he's downright awkward if he isn't singing praises or reciting some established story. As magnanimous as he is, he turns out to be exactly as superficial as he seems. Not because he doesn't mean what he says, as some would assume, and not because he doesn't care—but because he cares on an abstract level. His feelings are deep, but his actions still end up superficial. It's ironic. This boy, so full of love and enthusiasm, actually at empathy and expresses his care in ways that don't reach actual people; his sincere compliments feel insincere, his trust is burdensome and pointlessly risky. Sumeng only ever has good intentions, but his attempts at kindness are childish at best.

Despite being so friendly and positive, there's a distance between himself and the world. He has a lot to learn about the real world beyond his books and a lot to figure out before he can interact with people effectively; hell, he isn't even totally aware that people don't like him as much as he likes them. When someone tosses him their leftovers, he thinks they are giving him a gift. When someone thanks him sarcastically, he happily goes, "You're welcome! :D :D :D" Sumeng is pure, grateful soul who treasures others' efforts (even if he over-values or completely misinterprets said efforts). Is he vain and materialistic for wearing nice clothes and doing everything to avoid them getting dirty? It may seem that way, but he just doesn't want the tailor's hard work to be damaged; and these clothes were gifts from his parents, so there's sentimental value! Also, look at these designs in the silk.
Each of the flowers symbolizes this and the birds symbolize that and... yup, "there he goes again."

So, will Sumeng's idealistic ways have to change in the face of failure? Or will he make the world a slightly better place just the way he is? In the end, the answer is probably a little of both.

STATS :

▸ Healing: 70/100
▸ Agility: 30/100
▸ Strength: 10/100
▸ Stamina: 90/100

POWER/WEAPON :　horse familiar; magical buffs and shields // various small hand projectiles

▸ His mount seems like yet another fashion accessory, but without her, Sumeng can't walk more than a few steps without his face meeting the mud. See, beneath his robes are paralyzed legs with sensation but no autonomy. He can crawl, sure, but in such nice clothes? Heavens no. He'd much rather wait for a ride to come along. As such, his physical strength is basically nil.

▸ Now, how can he lack strength but have stamina? He may tire out quickly at physical tasks, but when it comes to powers? It's like he has an unlimited reserve. He is really resilient against internal damage, especially those caused by magic... if the magic can even reach him throug his shields. Mental shields, physical force walls, enchantments to keep their nightly camps safe (with alarms to wake the party if something gets across). Sumeng is a budding master in abjuration magic. Honestly, he has to be, or else he'd never have enough time to summon his horse and get away from incoming attacks.

▸ His shields aren't just for himself, of course. The first thing Sumeng does in a fight is hide; the second is to raise shields over his party members. To the unobservant foe, it seems like the party members each conjured their own shield and also somehow have eyes on the back of their heads. It's actually Sumeng watching their blind spots for them. That said, he can't block everything for everyone, so he tends to focus his shields on the less combat-oriented members (i.e. Xiaoyu) or whoever is most in danger (i.e. if someone gets surrounded). He can block many surprise attacks, but obviously not all. 

▸ When not juggling six shields—seven, if Ziqi needs one too—Sumeng is channeling his magic in support of others' magic. If each member has their own "battery," he's like a portable outlet and his magic is the charger cable. This is something he hasn't had much practice with, so people's powers may get a little out-of-control when they borrow from his reserves, but hey, we only have one accident every other attempt instead of just every... yeah, it's bad. Work in progress. It only seems to work with Xiaoyu, since healing is less combustible by nature. With practice, he is learning enough to be a decent backup healer.

▸ Similar to strength, his agility is very low due to lack of use. In his lower half, at least. Even he runs out of magic eventually, and when that happens, he'll resort to just picking up whatever little thing and throwing it with deadly accuracy. He really doesn't like doing damage, so he prefers to throw stuff as distractions to buy time/distance for escape. For his own good, though, certain clansmen keep him stocked with darts and poisoned needles. Sumeng refuses to acknowledge these items' existence and only keeps them out of obligation (it is a gift, after all), but who knows. Maybe one day he will have to put his good aim to good use.

BACKGROUND :　He was raised on fine literature and sweeping calligraphy, with only a theoretical knowledge of the world. Sumeng, the sickly only child, was the family's baby in every way. He was kept safe, born into his home but not into the world for as long as his parents deemed it too dangerous for him. His parents spoiled him rotten. To the casual observer, it may have looked like they simply loved him too much—or at least, that's how it would have looked if they let him out at all.

Sumeng never questioned their kindness, never even quite realized its extremity. All he learned of the world came through the library their family ran, through stories and ballads that never quite said, "hey, your family is keeping you a bit too restrained, aren't they?" He knew enough to know that his paralyzed legs were a disability and that not everyone had a supportive family like he did, but it took years before he thought to ask questions. Why did his parents tell him to stay in the back room of the library and never let anyone see him? Why did they lock away the summoning scrolls? If he was born like this, as his family assured him, why did he remember climbing trees to say good night to the stars?

It was by accident that he found one summoning scroll. A literal accident; he slipped from his wheeled stool and lost his balance, thus knocking over a vase and discovering it contained more than just bamboo shoots. If he'd recognized what it was, he would have obediently put it away without a second thought, but the scroll unfurled as it fell and out leapt a brilliant white stallion.

And so it happened. Sumeng met Kwang, a mare spirit that his family had locked away, one who'd watched over this library since his ancestors first laid the wood panels. Sumeng, at the no-longer-so-young age of 21, learned for the first time that his blissful ignorance came with a price—that his family banned him from the scrolls for a reason. Now officially curious, it took Sumeng surprisingly little time to learn that Kwang and the spirits in the other scrolls were contracted as protectors of various homes before getting sealed away. He discovered his parents' involvement in a mass sealing process, on behalf of a different martial clan that sought to exploit the areas those spirits protected.

He discovered that those stray memories of walking, running, playing weren't just dreams mistaken for memory; he was a child prodigy once, until one ruthless Zhang clan used him as a hostage to force his parents to perform the sealing. Mother and father acquiesced, in time to save Sumeng's life but not the function of his lower legs. Kwang confirmed soon after that the clan who once held him hostage now dominated the mines nearby; no one in town knew that it was their own local librarians who had betrayed them and sealed away their guardians, and his parents were happy to keep it secret for their own sakes. Not just for safety, of course, but a small share of that clan's money as a bribe: to keep those seals sealed. He used to think they broke their backs trying to fund all of his medical needs; turns out they only needed to break their principles.

A part of him understood that his parents truly loved him and did what they could in an impossible situation, but the larger, louder part screamed at the secrecy. Not just towards him, but towards all the families that they betrayed in sealing away those spirits. It may be hard to believe now, but Sumeng once vowed to trust no one ever again. To never give his heart blindly and assume the best of people. He his parents and—naïve, hypocritical idiot hat he was—rode Kwang to the Zhang clan's doorsteps with the intent of negotiating. He convinced himself that his parents' love was a lie but that somehow the money-loving clansmen would be amenable to talking...? Again: naïve, hypocritical idiot.

This brash decision had an avalanche of consequences. The Zhang clan greeted him with false warmth and quickly his family, demanding to collect all of the money they had sent in bribery now that a member of the Li family broke the contract. (What contract? was Sumeng's first thought.) His parents had been pressured into silence with two threats over their heads: that if any of the seals got broken, they would first collect back all the "gifts" they had sent over the years then, if the funds were not returned with interest, they would finish what they started with Sumeng.

This sudden debt was enormous. 15 years of continued "gifts" for Sumeng's medical expenses, plus interest for all 15 years. It was more money than a family of librarians could even make in 15 years. The Zhangs tossed him home with the demands and "left him to be scolded to death," as they put it... but his parents did not scold him, even though he very much deserved it. They blamed themselves for not telling him why they established the rules that they did and for not protecting him better from the start. With the initial anger and betrayal out of his system, along came realization. Regret. What had he done? "Nothing wrong," his parents assured him, but he knew now it was another lie for his sake. He knew now, that even liars may have their goodness at heart.

So, can he direct all his hatred to the Zhang clan now? Of course it wasn't so simple. When his parents couldn't produce the impossible amount of money, Sumeng only survived thanks to Zhang Zhehan, the heir who had been sent to collect. With Zhehan's help, they managed to fake Sumeng's death (fooling even his parents) and secure him passage to somewhere far, far away. Zhehan ultimately escorted Sumeng out of town, and as they parted ways—Zhehan with his jar of "Sumeng's" ashes and Sumeng with a scant travel pack—Sumeng saw a smile even sadder than those of his parents. "Thank you for trusting us," Zhehan said. "Even though it backfired, thank you for believing that we aren't just money grubbing monsters who can't be reasoned with."

"But is that wrong?" Sumeng shot back. "Was I wrong?"

Zhehan only smiled that same, brittle smile. "I hope so."

Sumeng had a long journey to think over those words. He encountered plenty of people that he was too afraid to trust, even the kindly folk (especially the kindly folk). He didn't know what to think—but for every petty thief who snatched at his travel pack, there was one who'd share life-saving advice with him. For every guard who shoved and harrassed, there was one who helped him back up to ask if he was okay. And even those who treated him cruelly had their reasons for doing so, and he learned the power of giving them a fresh reason not to. With time, he understood what Zhehan had thanked him for. Expecting the worst of someone only made that "worst" easier to live up to. As stupid as it was, trusting the Zhangs gave Zhehan a reason to break the mould and help Sumeng. Faith kindles faith. Hope brings hope. His naïvete was good for something after all.

In the end, his random kindness didn't save him from a flurry of bandits who left him for dead, but it did save him from actually dying. Because he'd helped these two girls and a fox negotiate access to some magical grotto or another, so when they spotted scraps of his clothing covered in blood, they followed the trail and actually found him in time for Xiaoyu to work her healing magic. [You guys can decide the exact circumstances here as it suits the story, but essentially he sticks around to repay his life debt to the girls. Eventually, he realizes that he can help more people more effectively as part of the clan. He is still very reluctant with violence and too liberal with his trust, but there's a part of him that knows he must at least be able to defend himself.]
 

TRIVIA :

▸ Likes calligraphy.
▸ Relishes the outdoors, whether he's in a city or a forest. So unlike how he lived before.
▸ Fond of birds. Birds may (or may not) return the sentiment.
▸ Enjoys the sheer openness of heights.
▸ Adores women's hair pins and would happily wear them in his own hair. He didn't actually know the difference that well when he first set out into the world—that's how sheltered he was.
▸ Obsessed with streetside performances and needs to get dragged away.
▸ Loves love poems. The cheesier the better.

▸ Dislikes being by himself.
▸ Deeply bothered by messiness. Librarian's son, you know? Everything must be categorized, and the categories must be categorized too...
▸ Let down by those who assume things about others before getting to know them, no matter who is doing it and whether or not they are right.
▸ Has a rare moment of annoyance if he gets shut down before getting a chance. (Odds are he'll take the chance anyways.)
▸ Raised to gasp dramatically when someone misquotes a poem/idiom/etc.
▸ Detests getting his clothes dirty.

▸ Sings and whistles very well, perhaps because he practices so much. Arguably too much.
▸ Practices winking a lot too but he's still terrible at it.
▸ Somehow moves slower on horseback than everyone else on foot because both man and horse tend to get distracted.
▸ Feels crippling temptation to help anyone in need, even if there's no actual need. He literally sees the inside of some messy house and actively wonders how he can get himself invited in to clean it.
▸ Inevitably empties his wallet to beggars. Don't let him carry any valuables.
▸ Treasures every gift he receives even if it's a stick from a little kid... or if he bought it himself. "It's still a treasure because someone put effort into it!!!!"
▸ Surprisingly good with directions (mostly to compensate for Kwang)
▸ When the fight isn't too intense, he likes to give everyone customized force barriers. [These can match their plotline colors potentially, haha]

RELATIONSHIPS :　

▸ Familiar — Kwang (ancient) / horse / forgetful, clumsy, protective, mentor figure / 5 (of 5)

For a horse named "wild/crazy," Kwang is actually rather calm and nurturing. Her glory days, when she served Sumeng's ancestors, are long past. Her once-intense energy since settled into a motherly warmth and then at last senility. Kwang is rather absent-minded these days, getting lost on familiar territory and randomly philosophizing. She forgets almost everyone she meets and has sudden "story times" when a flashback hits hre. Imagine a kind but eccentric grandmaster, capable of kicking your but not remembering that she did. She knows a libary's worth of lore and history, but new memories tend not to stick.

She makes an odd pair with Sumeng. Sometimes it's like an old lady piggybacking her grandkid to show him the world. Other times they are knights-in-arms, age and gender be damned, who make a seamless battle unit. Half the time, Kwang is protecting Sumeng from mystical powers of old; the other half, Sumeng is gently guiding the old steed without ever mocking Kwang's clumsiness. In the end, they both need each other. Sumeng lacks Kwang's vast intelligence, but only Sumeng can really translate what is buried under Kwang's cryptic ramblings.

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▸ Family — Han Geying (50), Li Guanhe (52) / librarians & a clan devoted to seals
▸ Family — / generally supportive, self-sacrificing, meticulous / 4, 4

They sacrificed a lot to support him through his disability, and even though things ended on a shaky note, he hopes to return for his family one day. They deserve to know that their son not only lived but even joined a proper clan and is using his abilities for good! Now if only he could avoid ticking off the Zhangs somehow...

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▸ One-sided Frustration — Xiao Shiqin (19) / clan member / loyal, blunt, impulsive / 5 (of 5)

Sumeng is not the brightest tack, and Shiqin quickly realized that saving his life that one time was only the first of many. Shiqin has enough to worry about without having to drag him out of stupid situations too, but the guy seems to get along with Ziqi so he can exist, whatever. Meanwhile, Sumeng has every intention of repaying his now-many life debts, but as he gets better at shielding, he thinks he'd prefer Shiqin never getting in enough danger to have her life threatened. He'll pay off his debt by conveniently leaving her alone with Dimash instead, huehuehue...

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▸ Confused Kiddos — Lu Xiaoyu (18) / clan member / idealist, follower,  / 5 (of 5)

Similar to Shiqin: if Xiaoyu had a coin for every time she saved Sumeng's , she'd have enough to buy a gold leash for the guy. However, since she is squishier in combat, Sumeng actually gets to repay his debt to her more often. He has proclaimed himself her apprentice in healing, with some begging on his part and some "well I don't have much better to do, so sure, I guess" on hers. They are both a bit more on the sheltered and impulsive side, so they have a lot of common ground to confusedly exchange glances and shrug over. Like, why's that Jiuguo guy making faces at Xiaoyu?

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▸ Fellow Scholar — Ziqi (who knows) / fox / sassy, knowledgeable, rude / 5 (of 5)

Ziqi thinks (correctly) that Sumeng lacks common sense, but if anyone is well-read enough to keep up with Ziqi's knowledge, it's this guy. Of course, Shiqin is priority, but Ziqi won't deny himself the pleasure of discussing obscure histories with a kid who actually studied them (for lack of anything better to do). Kwang joins in on the conversation sometimes, and timeless beings get to talk about timeless being business, which only adds more points for Sumeng in the fox's book. Points that are swifly deleted when Sumeng has another "stupid commoner" moment.

LAST WORDS :　Sorry again for the viewing problems and for how long it took before I realized I had been missing the updates!!!! If I could turn back time and just remember uncheck that box, I would. I'm really, really sorry for the wait. Please don't feel obligated to pick Sumeng after all that, but I hope his character was at least an enjoyable read for you!

PASSWORD :　上海灘, 葉麗儀, an oldie but a goodie
 

SCENE REQUESTS : 

▸ besides Sumeng being too dumb for his own good / just dumb enough to someone else good... his constant compliments towards everyone (especially his recurring saviors, Xiaoyu and Shiqin) may help speed things along in terms of Dimash and Jiuguo maybe misunderstanding and starting to develop jealousy...?