Who are you?

PERSONALITY TRAITS
Self-Righteous, Prideful, Uptight, Obedient, Loyal, Conscientious, Reliable, Compassionate, Meticulous, Direct

PERSONALITY

The first thing Yeying was taught to be at a young age is to be obedient. She was taught by her father that as the head of the family, he has authority over the other family members and that his words should be treated as the law within the household. She grew up believing that rules are necessary for a harmonious and orderly environment. As Yeying grew older, she was taught that family should be considered as a model for the state. As such, the rules of the state are unbreakable to Yeying. She believes that those who go against authority are deserving of punishment because they are intentionally causing chaos in what is supposed to be a peaceful city.

As a result of her wealthy and privileged upbringing, Yeying grew up being prideful. She thinks highly of herself and especially shows a lot of pride in her beliefs and family. Thus, she can get quite defensive when she comes across someone badmouthing them. This trait goes hand-in-hand with her being self-righteous. Her beliefs and values are correct because she is the source, and the source from which she was taught these beliefs and values are from her father, who is considered as one of the most knowledgeable men in Ba Sing Se and is the person she looks up to the most. She has yet to install a program in her mind that mayhaps others' opinions may be right.

Because Yeying feels strongly about her beliefs and values, she is direct when it comes to voicing out her opinions and pointing out the mistakes of others. This trait of hers is a double-edged sword. For those who do not appreciate hearing the truth and only wish to hear what they want to hear, this trait of hers is the primary reason why she is constantly antagonized. However, for those who are open to criticism and wish to hear the truth as it is, her honesty makes her trustworthy. However, Yeying could stand to learn how to express her opinions and criticisms in such a way that will not be perceived as downright offensive by the person on the receiving end.

Another trait that was indoctrinated into Yeying's mind at a young age is loyalty, particularly towards her family and the throne. Yeying's idea of loyalty is quite simple: that she should accept the person for who they are and that she shouldn't betray the person to whom she has sworn her loyalty. Although her loyalty has its merits, does loyalty mean covering for someone when they are clearly in the wrong? Does accepting someone for who they are extend to those whose actions are meant to hurt someone else?

When it comes to her work and duties, Yeying is very uptight. It can be quite rare to see Yeying loosen up since she's always buried in her tasks. She can be quite controlling in collaborative projects if she sees other people who don't proceed as  planned. However, being uptight also has its perks since it shows that Yeying is conscientious and meticulous. She simply wants to do her work and duties right and well. In accomplishing a task, she will gather all available information and ensure that these are all correct. Because of her extensive data gathering, she can see patterns and come to conclusions that other people may not be able to come up with. This also makes her reliable since one can be sure that she'll accomplish any task assigned to her with due diligence.

Despite her rather harsh exterior, Yeying is quite compassionate deep down. It's just that her way of expressing it is skewed due to the things she was taught growing up. She cares about her family, she cares about the people around her in the Upper Ring, and she cares about the citizens of Ba Sing Se, including the people living  in the Lower Ring. However, it was indoctrinated into her mind that abiding by the rules of the city is what will help the people live better lives. In addition, she was taught that each social class—represented by the Upper Ring, Middle Ring, and Lower Ring—has their own "role" to play in the prosperity of Ba Sing Se, and that they shouldn't deviate from these roles. It's a twisted ideology, but the reason she clings to this idea is that she herself hasn't seen first-hand the experiences of those in the Lower Ring.

BACKGROUND

BOOK I - FEHAN

Fehan, the father of Yeying, once resided in the Middle Ring. He was known by many in the Middle Ring due to his brilliant mind and unique inventions, but he wasn't accorded opportunities due to his lower social status. Fehan had always believed that he was meant to achieve something greater. He wanted to be acknowledged by the Earth King, live within the walls of the Upper Ring, and he wanted to earn enough power to change the system of Ba Sing Se for the better. Long Feng knew about Fehan thanks to the information the Dai Li gathered, and he saw in Fehan the same ambition that he had when he used to live in the Middle Ring. It was his desire to rise above his station that made him susceptible to Long Feng's manipulation.

Although Fehan was intelligent in the field of sciences and engineering, he wasn't very clever. Long Feng approached him one day and offered him an opportunity to rise above his class, Fehan easily fell for his manipulation. Thus, an alliance between Long Feng and Fehan was formed. But Fehan became too blinded by the rewards of the alliance that he realized a little too late what it was exactly he was being rewarded for. Fehan had thought that his work would be for the benefit of Ba Sing Se's citizens and that the Earth King was aware of his contributions. Unbeknownst Fehan, Long Feng had tricked him into developing a technology used to brainwash and incapacitate those who rebelled against Long Feng's ideals.¹ 

When Fehan finally found out about the truth, he expressed his desire to quit working for Long Feng. Unfortunately, Long Feng had threatened to take back everything he gave Fehan, and even beyond that, which effectively silenced him.

Shortly after being given a noble title and moving to the Upper Ring, Fehan met Lusi and the two gradually fell in love with one another. Fehan's desire for power subsided since he already accomplished most, if not all, of his ambitions. At this point, the only thing he wanted was to have a family of his own and live a prosperous life with them. Lusi's father initially didn't want his daughter to marry Fehan since he originated from a lower class. However, since Fehan was close to Grand Secretariat Long Feng who, in turn, was the person closest person to the Earth King, Lusi's father thought that the marriage would benefit the family. The two were then finally wedded. By the time Fehan learned the truth, Lusi was already carrying their daughter in her womb. Fehan feared that Long Feng's threat also meant that he was willing to take their daughter away from them. In the end, Fehan chose to keep his wife and daughter safe and continued working for Long Feng.

¹ I know Long Feng developed his own brainwashing techniques but... I changed it to fit the vision I had for Yeying's background. I can change it if you prefer ^^"

BOOK II - YEYING

By the time Yeying was born, Fehan had already done many things he could only regret on his own. As one of the City Officials, he had a lot of information on the citizens of Ba Sing Se and was able to identify political dissidents. Through his information, he aided in the capture, imprisonment, and brainwashing of these individuals. The guilt was slowly eating him on the inside but he reassured himself by saying that he had no other choice.

The traits Long Feng indoctrinated in Fehan's mind—obedience to his words, his words are the law, and loyalty to the throne—, Fehan also unwittingly indoctrinated in the mind of Yeying out of fear. Because Yeying was only a child back then who harbored a lot of respect for her father, she easily complied with his words. 

Yeying also spent her formative years reading and studying in an effort to be one step closer to becoming like her father. Since both her parents are known for their intellect, it wasn't a surprise that Yeying grew up intelligent as well and with the potential to surpass both her parents. She received a lot of praise from her mother, private tutors, and other aristocrats. Although she has yet to receive praise from the person she respects the most. Regardless, Yeying grew up with a lot of pride in her family name and her father's ideals. Many of Yeying's peers avoided her, though, because of her haughty attitude and how she forcefully projects her ideals onto every other person who has the same age as her.

The first time Yeying visited the Middle Ring was as a teenager and this is when she first found out that her father didn't have the perfect reputation she believed he had in the Upper Ring. She heard hushed complaints from the Middle Ring citizens regarding corruption among the City Officials, including her father.  She thought that the rumors were simply absurd. Maybe if they worked hard enough instead of complaining, just like her father did when he started out in the Middle Ring, then they could have a taste of the luxury they always long for. She didn't realize that her own words would come back to bite her in the future.

BOOK III - LONG FENG

Long Feng was beginning to get impatient.

Although Fehan had been incredibly useful to Long Feng at first since the former helped turn the latter's idea of brainwashing technology into reality, the technology Fehan invented had one major problem. The brainwashing effects weren't permanent nor long-lasting, evidenced by how the roomfuls of Joo Dees in Lake Laogai had to be constantly rehypnotized. This meant that the brainwashed citizens and refugees could potentially regain their memories after a certain period of time or because of other unknown variables that affect the frequencies in their brains. To Long Feng this is a major problem because he wanted total permanent control of the citizens. Thus, he ordered Fehan to create a technology that will enhance the effects of his brainwashing technique and strengthen Long Feng's totalitarian rule over the city.

Unfortunately, Fehan had not been delivering Long Feng's desired results. Long Feng didn't know if Fehan was simply losing his will to work for him or if he was deliberately delaying his work for whatever reason. Regardless, Fehan was now useless. Long Feng wanted to get rid of Fehan since he knew too much about his plans, but at the same time, no one in the city surpassed his intelligence and inventiveness. 

No. Hold on, it turned out there is someone. Despite being young, Yeying has already proved her potential. Not only was she gifted in intellect and skill, she evidently idolized her father. He could certainly use this information to his advantage.

Through Long Feng himself, Yeying finds out about her father's alliance with the Dai Li, how her father had been helping with the capture and imprisonment of political dissidents and other rebellious citizens, and how, in exchange for his cooperation, Long Feng provided their family with the wealth and status she proudly boasted. The acts of her father and the Dai Li oppose what she was taught growing up, which was that Dai Li agents are supposed to help ensure the safety of Ba Sing Se citizens. Worst of all, Yeying's belief that her father is one of the heroes of Ba Sing Se turned out to be false, and that in reality, he was actually one of the enemies of the city. It was a lot to take in for Yeying.

Yeying wasn't stupid, she knew that Long Feng was asking her to make a choice. Hiding the truth or revealing it. She was conflicted because she knew her father's actions violated everything she believed in while growing up. However, revealing the truth meant jeopardizing the reputation and safety of her family. And Yeying knew that Long Feng had enough power and authority to make it seem as if his father is the only one to blame. But choosing to hide the truth also meant turning her back on the citizens, the ones she proudly claimed her father had been helping all along. 

One can't simply turn against someone they've looked up to for years in one night. In the end, Yeying still cared a lot for his father and decided to hide the truth. And the cost of hiding the truth is to complete what Fehan has failed to accomplish in secret. Thus, history repeats itself as Yeying is left regretting her own decision.

TRIVIA

☯ Her hobbies include archery, reading, and painting. 
☯ She yearns to travel across different nations because of the books she's read. If she has the opportunity to leave Ba Sing Se one day, she'll be sure to paint different sceneries that catch her attention. One of the places she's most eager to visit is the Air Temple.
☯ Because she is incredibly attentive to the smallest details, it's easy for her to remember faces and voices, even if it is from years ago. She also remembers random details about other people that no one else does.
☯ Deep down, she yearns to go to University (with a degree in Mechanical or Chemical Engineering), but she can't say anything regarding the matter because of Ba Sing Se's rules.
☯ She has been to the Upper Ring and the Middle Ring, but she has never been to the Lower Ring and is unaware of their situation.

RELATIONSHIPS

☯ Father - FEHAN (46) / City Official / Intelligent, Ambitious, Impressionable, Protective / 5/10

Yeying didn't spend as much time with her father growing up because he was busy fulfilling his duties as one of the City Officials (and his role as the subordinate of Long Feng). But she heard a lot of stories about Fehan from her mother as well as the citizens of Ba Sing Se, and all she heard about her father were good things. Hence, she grew up admiring her father for his talents in the sciences and engineering, and how he was able to rise above his class using these talents. However, her father constantly being absent did leave a negative impact on Yeying. In addition to her mother, she also yearned for her father's affection and approval (especially since he's the person she looked up to). And she thought that the way to gain her father's affection and approval is to follow the same path as him and prove her worth.

☯ Enemy - LONG FENG (46) / Grand Secretariat and Head of the Dai Li / Ruthless, Manipulative, Clever / 0/10

Yeying initially held a lot of respect for Long Feng because of the latter's association with her father. That is until Long Feng revealed his true colors and ever since, the only emotions Yeying feels towards Long Feng are absolute fear and hatred. On the other hand, Long Feng initially viewed Yeying as insurance to prevent her father from turning his back against him, but then found an opportunity to manipulate her as one of his pawns on the chess board. Although both would probably want nothing more than for the other to completely vanish from the world, they are civil and (begrudgingly) show each other respect in front of the public to keep up appearances. 

RETURN TO the STORY

tbhddaeng ✩ mari

LAST COMMENT Remember how I said I lost inspiration for her? The Clownery^TM. I just ended up integrating my ideas for unnamed character into Yeying's app. I vvv rushed the app so there are bound to be missing info and inconsistencies ;n; Please lmk and I'll fix it! Chances that there may be typos and grammatical errors are also astronomical, I'm sorry. Lastlyyy, I'm so hyped for this story!!! I seriously can't wait for it to begin and I wish you all the best! The response for this story has been amazing so far and it's well-deserved. c:

P.S. I'm still going to reach out to one of the applicants for a collab hehe, so this app is still incomplete kinda. I'll let you know once I've added the collab (if it pushes through).

PASSWORD To answer your questions: 1.) She's heteroual; 2.) Do your worst xD; 3.) I'm open to having her go down the evil path ngl ;u; I also debated with myself regarding this while working on her app.