Lián Mei [Ready]

[Zeig]

Roleplay Type: WoE

Name: Lián Mei, translating into "Beautiful Lotus Flower". She introduces herself and goes by her given name of Mei.

Sex: Female

Age: Young mare

Species: Qilin

Eye colour: Bright pink with a soft gradient from red

Coat: Vivid aqua, though the tufts of fur protruding from her ankle areas mimic the coloring of her mane and tail. The few scattered scales on her haunches and back are dark blue in coloring, though the more uniformed scaling on her snout and underbelly are a light gold. Two antler-like horns curve backwards from the top of her head.

Mane/Tail: Mei's base hair coloring is a deep blue, and grown out to a very long length which she usually keeps up in a ponytail. The majority of her hair contains a gradient of colors from hot pink to soft yellow, along with a strip of the same gradient come forward towards her bangs. Mei's tail is tufted with more hair on its underside, and shares the same dark blue coloring with brighter gradient colorings near the end.

Physique: Compared to the average Equestrian pony, Mei's body is much slimmer and more slender in nearly all aspects, making her more closely resemble a deer than a pony. She is lithe and slender, the wild living of Whitetail woods having trimmed down any remaining baby fat she'd had before her family's move.

Residence: Garden Gait

Occupation: Aromatherapist and plant cultivator, specializing in the production and husbandry of both land and water based flowers. All the oils and flowers used in her aromatherapy are grown by the Qilin herself, barring certain circumstances.

Cutie Mark: A lotus flower with a shimmering light wrapping around it.

Mei has always been a spoiled empress as a young foal, but even she could never ignore her father and mother, who always came home tired and aching after a day out in the fields. The young Qilin wasn't much inclined to go labor out in the rice paddies alongside them, but her days spent frolicking through flowers with her friends were always subdued by her tired and exhausted parents who slept fitful and uneasy nights.

Eventually, Mei decided she needed to help out in some way. Taking the advice from an elder Qilin in her village, she gathered some chamomile and attempted to boil them to make some tea. Her efforts almost resulted in her family's hut being burned to the ground - luckily, her parents came home in time to help the frantic Qilin contain what could have been a detrimental spread of fire.

For obvious reasons, Mei was frightened of her parent's wrath at her near blunder and could only hope her tearful explanations of wanting to help would ease their fury. To her surprise however, her parents were not mad - upset, yes, but not as furious as she believed they would be. Instead, they both exclaimed how at ease they were feeling, considering the circumstances, and the family sat through a comfortable and relaxed dinner before her parents retired to bed.

They awoke the next morning well-rested and energized, just as confused over the wonderful sleep they had gotten until the elder Qilin wandered by and heard the story. She theorized that the released vapors of the chamomile must have been strong enough to relax and ease her parents for the night, confirming that Mei had indeed helped her parents out. Much to the young Qilin's pleasure, her cutie mark appeared right then and there, marking only the beginning to Mei's self-searching journey.

Unique Traits: Thanks to her species being part dragon, Mei is able to utilize 'breath magic', similar to a dragon's fire breath but on a much weaker scale. The trade-off for having weaker breath magic, however, is a diverse range of different types of breaths she can use. Her current favorite is a healing breath that helps soothe tensions in the body, almost akin to a full body massage. She also favors steam and mist breaths, allowing her to regulate temperatures in order to keep her greenhouse functioning at maximum capability.

The bells she wears woven into her hair are nonsensical and a remnant of her foalhood, when she would spend hours pretending to be an empress with bell tones announcing her arrival to all the villages. Mei doesn't bother to consider the fact that the constant ringing as she moves her head around might be annoying to some, even though they are small and not exceedingly loud.

History: Although Mei doesn't remember all that much of her initial homeland, what she does remember is thought of fondly. The small village she was born into worked the rice paddy fields in their area, including her parents. They lived a decent if hard-earned life, the adults working seven days a week while the foals tromped through the forests and fields. It was a simplistic but charmed life, allowing Mei to grow and enjoy a special type of serenity not many ponies can claim.

It soon became apparent to Mei's parents, however, that their young daughter was getting a bit too complacent in her peaceful lifestyle. As her friends all began seeking out education or apprenticing to elder Qilin, Mei continued listing about life, indulging in a carefree lifestyle while her parents continued providing for her. They hoped the appearance of her cutie mark might incite a will to learn and grow in the young Qilin, but unfortunately the mark had the opposite effect, making Mei confident and complacent now that she had learned her special talent.

Rather than forcing her into something however, Mei's parents decided to take a somewhat radical approach. They sent word to a close friend of theirs, a white-tailed deer who had traveled the world and stopped by their village on several occasions, who soon sent an acquiescing word back to them. Deciding that Mei would never grow as a Qilin in this environment she had grown comfortable in, Mei's parents determined that a new experience and new surroundings were what their daughter needed, and packed up their belongings to move to Equestria. Mei wasn't all that put out by the prospect of moving, and even found the idea a little exciting - a feeling that quickly changed upon arrival.

Instead of an exciting new city or awe-inspiring new culture, Mei's family arrived in Whitetail Woods to live with their family friend. The doe was part of a nomadic herd living in those woods, and the entire clan welcomed the Qilins with open hooves, a fact that Mei did not appreciate in the slightest. Nor did she appreciate the lack of possessions the deer had, relying on living off the land and sleeping in crudely made tents - and sometimes just a blanket, rolled out under the stars. Mei's life had never been extravagant by any means, but the utterly polar change was still a shock to her system, one the young Qilin expressed with tears, tantrums, and one attempt to run away that ended with her skulking back to the clan the following morning.

It soon became clear to the young filly that neither her pleas nor her accusations were going to move her parents into rescinding their decision, and with that realization came a sullen attempt to make the best of her new lifestyle. Once she stopped setting herself up to dislike the woods, the young Qilin started to thrive, much to Mei's own surprise. The other fawns in the herd started showing her the ropes, taking her out on long adventures through the quiet woods and sharing their knowledge about the various plants and flowers with her. Soon enough, Mei had gone from sullenly sitting at the edge of the campfire to excitedly showing off whatever flowers she had collected for the day to her parents. The feelings of helpfulness and pride that had spawned her cutie mark returned to the Qilin, and she began restudying aromatherapy practices, using what little tools the clan had available.

Mei's parents were, in turn, were utterly pleased with this turnaround, and as Mei started to grow into a young adult, they proposed moving back to their homeland. To their surprise however, Mei declined, stating a want to stay in Equestria and discover more techniques and flowers to develop her aromatherapy practices. Seeing their daughter grown up and matured, her parents agreed to her wishes, although they made sure she knew she was always welcome back home. Before long, they were on a boat headed back to their homeland, leaving Mei behind with the deer herd.

A forest was, however, no place to grow specific and select flowers. Mei soon realized she needed a fertile place with both a diverse environment and room to cultivate and grown her needed plants. The deer friend of her family eventually suggested a place over the mountains to the east of Whitetail Woods where one of her cousins lived, and offered to lead the Qilin there herself. Mei agreed, and the two soon found themselves in Garden Gait, a quiet and near secluded village nestled in Solstice Heights. Mei was floored by the scenic and peaceful community, and it didn't take much convincing for her to settle down with the other inhabitants. Mei has since remained in Garden Gait, though the occasional excursions to the nearby cities and lands give her more than enough excitement to suit her otherwise uneventful life.

Character Personality: A somewhat contradictory mass of cheerful geniality and spoiled empress would only start to scratch the surface of the young aromatherapist. With an inherently friendly and outgoing disposition, most ponies find no reason to not like Mei upon first meetings. The Qilin is forthcoming and lively in nearly all aspects of her personality, ranging from gregarious greetings for complete strangers to unreserved, boisterous laughter. Her outgoing nature is limited to social interactions however - thanks to her peaceful and quaint upbringing, Mei is something of a coward, balking at anything that seems like it could bring physical harm to her. Luckily for the Qilin, Equestria is a relatively safe place to reside in, allowing her to thrive as she meets and greets new ponies.

Moving deeper underneath the surface reveals some non-malicious characteristics to the Qilin that are nonetheless detrimental for her personality. Mei is a rather prideful Qilin, in almost all areas of her life - her trade, her lifestyle, even her modest farm in Garden Gait. This pride stems mostly from some vanity on the Qilin's part, having grown used to sticking out from Equestrian ponies and appreciating the curious and inquisitive glances she accumulates. Mei can often be caught grooming himself without even consciously realizing it, fluffing out her tail or combing through the tufts near her hooves.

Her foalhood of carefree playdates and daydreams about being an empress have also resulted in a somewhat spoiled and selfish Qilin. The opposite of a pony pleaser, Mei is not the type of Qilin to respond with a "whatever you want" when asked what she would like to do. Rather she will give an opinion and except others to abide by it - otherwise, why would she be asked in the first place? Mei places herself before others without really thinking about it, taking the last cookie or buying up all the freshest ingredients she needs for the day.

Despite her flaws however, Mei is a naturally compassionate Qilin. She dislikes seeing others suffer - especially when they are suffering on account of herself - and her compassion is the main reason she began applying herself towards aromatherapy, wishing for a way to indirectly help others. She is also averse to violence, preferring disputes to be settled through words or peaceful actions. If a fight broke out in front of her, Mei would be the pony shouting for the fight to stop - although from a safe distance away from the actual fighting, give her distaste and fear of injuries.

She also holds a deep and intense love for plant life, especially flowers. Having grown up in first a rural village, than in the wilds of Whitetail Woods, Mei gets a special joy from cultivating plants and crops, raising delicate and intricate flowers, and simply running through flowered meadows at high speed, feeling the sun on her face. The Qilin can easily get lost and absorbed in an extravagant flower garden, and even more so in a natural garden that has been untouched by pony hooves.

Character Summary: Although somewhat selfish and prone to thinking of herself, Mei houses a good heard, one that is naturally disposed to caring for and helping others. Despite still has much to learn, Equestria has helped Mei blossom into a mature Qilin, a process that will hopefully continue as she grows on her chosen path of lovely scents and scenic meadows.

[Bellosh]

Recommending this app for 2nd review.

[Blueblood]