RWBYFanon v5

RPG Creations => Approved Characters => Topic started by: The Mythic Scribe on February 08, 2017, 09:13:07 AM

Title: Lien Li
Post by: The Mythic Scribe on February 08, 2017, 09:13:07 AM

CHARACTER

Name: Lien Ngọc Đỗ Li (Li Đỗ Ngọc Lien)

Age: Born Saaral 18th

Species and Gender: Female Reindeer Faunus

Symbol: A stylized black outline of a lotus flower with long spiraling ‘stems’ emerging out of it.

Occupation: Second Year Beacon Student

Appearance: Lien is tall and willowy at 5’11” and 135 lbs with a very slight athletic build and no real curves. Her whole build is very diminutive, with very slim limbs, and a head that’s almost always bowed in habit from her servant days. Even her fingers are thin and her shoulders are narrow. Her face is sweet and bright, though the latter might simply because Lien tends to smile a lot, even if it’s just a small one. Her face is soft, with full cheeks and low cheekbones. Overall she’s just cute, but not enough too be pretty. And her nose is in the way a bit as well, it’s just a little too flat and a little too wide for most people’s liking. Lien’s eyes are fairly nice, downturned and deep set, the color nothing but a simple brown though. Her mouth is rosy and on the full side, though not too too much. Lien's hair is very long and thick, even reaching lower than her back. It's black and wavy. But only very slightly so. Compared to her identical twin Linh, Lien has more of a fuller face. Her symbol is tattooed on her back. As a sign of her being a Faunus, Lien has a set of reindeer horns on top of her head.

For non-combat scenarios, Lien prefers simple clothing, clothing that is light and loose, to better let her breathe. She also vehemently hates high heels and will rarely, if ever, wear them. Though she usually wears simple clothing, she will also value high-quality clothing and treasure it, especially if it includes embroidery. You can also frequently see her wearing clothing that she herself has modified or added embroidery to, or even made from scratch in a few scenarios. She’s simply so-so at making clothing from scratch though, so ‘few’ is the key word here. Cosmetics are frequently used, but not on the lips, as she tends to bite her lips and ruin whatever she’s put on there. 

Lien’s combat outfit consists of a backless light pink silk halter top tied around the neck and on the lower back by strings. Accompanying this are tight jeggings and her boots. (See Weapon2)Over this outfit is a jade green floor-length loose jacket/dress with long, slim sleeves and a high collar. Mid-sternum is a clasp holding the top part together while the bottom gradually parts to the sides slightly. This is slightly modeled off of the traditional áo mệnh phụ.

An accessory Lien always wears is a silver slave bracelet with a spreading and intricate design, looped around her middle finger.

History:

tl;dr version: ShowHide

 Lien was born in Mistral to her father, Hoàng Khánh Văn Lê (Lê Văn Khánh Hoàng), an archaeologist, and her mother, Anh Kiều Thị Nguyễn (Nguyễn Thị Kiều Anh), who was a stay at home mom. She had a little sister named Linh Diệu Lê (Lê Diệu Linh) who she shared a close bond with. Her parents were caring and they had a nice home, a nice life. On one trip Hoàng took to take a look at some old relics in Vacuo, he brought his family along for Anh’s birthday celebration. Grimm attacked the family and the bodyguards left Linh behind because she was hidden by sand. Lien’s parents died of bloodloss at the hospital. She then was moved back to Mistral for the funeral and placement at an orphanage. She spent her time miserably there until her new parents adopted her, Akio and Nanami Shirogane.

The Shiroganes worked as (high-ranking) servants for Ning and Wei Yao, a powerful and wealthy Mistrali family to ‘repent’ for a crime they’d committed in the past. At first it was okay, the Yaos and Shiroganes being on good terms, but as the White Fang became more violent, the Yaos became scared because they took advantage of Faunus labor. Ning and Wei started to become crueler and more racist to Faunus in private, Lien included, who was now forced to work with her parents when not at school. They also grew paranoid that others would betray them, so they held Nanami and Akio’s crime over their heads to keep them loyal. When Lien was 10, Ning and Wei’s daughter, Yu, died, and the Weis become even more paranoid and embittered,hiring more security of the robotic kind to guard the manor and other establishments. Akio was made to do Wei’s dirty work, increasing the blackmail he had on the Shiroganes. Lien was treated even worse, and her parents even pulled her out of school, simply hiring tutors and combat trainers to keep her safe. She’d always wanted to be a huntress, so she relished the opportunity, even with her surroundings. When Lien was 15, the Yaos were setting up a plan to draw the White Fang out, sending some of their armed personnel onto a cruise ship they said they’d be going on while really staying at the manor. The White Fang caught wind of this and they sent a smaller group to sink the ship and a larger one to raid the manor, disguising it as a trip to steal to divert blame on the death of Wei and Ning. The White Fang succeeded, killing the Yaos. The Shiroganes escaped unscathed and ran to Vale, where they started anew and enrolled Lien in Beacon when it was time.

Lien was born in Mistral to her father, Hoàng Khánh Văn Li (Li Văn Khánh Hoàng), an archaeologist, and her mother, Anh Kiều Thị Nguyễn (Nguyễn Thị Kiều Anh), who stayed at home to take care of the pair’s children. Yes, plural, as Lien also had a sister by the name of Linh Diệu Li (Li Diệu Linh). The two sisters were very close as they grew up, though they still went through all of the childish notions that toddlers and young children may go through. Hoàng and Anh were very good parents, the former being a tough love kind of guy, always solid as a rock and often stern as well, but still harboring endless amounts of love for his children, which was shown every once in a way. The latter was a sweet and kind mother, very dedicated to her family, and knowing when to be strict too. Lien’s family was fairly secure money-wise, and had a comfortable home as well. They all were very close and happy. It seemed perfect. It was perfect.

Until one day when the twins were about four and a half years old. Their father had to take a look at some old relics in Vacuo, and seeing as the family hadn’t been to Vacuo yet, coupled with the fact that Anh’s birthday would pass during the time that it would take for the job to be completed, Hoàng took the whole family along to Vacuo with him. The place they were staying at seemed great, however hot and sandy. It was a fitting getaway and all, but all was not well. On the day of Anh’s birthday, the family was traveling along what had seemed to be and was reported as an ‘adequately safe’ passageway when a few Grimm came and flipped the vehicle. Hoàng did have a small convoy with him, but they were no match for the Totocoatl and Shenzi that attacked. Lien’s parents were severely injured and bleeding out, while Linh was thrown out into the sand and knocked unconscious. Panicking and fearing for their lives, the bodyguards grabbed Lien and her parents and ran, leaving Linh because she’d been hidden by the sand, leading them to believe that she’d been eaten or killed, or something of the sort. Plus, they were in a hurry. However hurried or fast they were though, it wasn’t enough. Hoàng and Anh had lost too much blood by the time they reached the hospital, and they died there. Lien, though injured, was luckily mostly spared from the Grimm’s terror. Physically at least, because the horrid event had orphaned her and taken away her sister.

Shortly after, Lien was sent back to Mistral for her parents’ funeral and for her to be sent to an orphanage there as well. She didn’t take to it too well, being very attached to her parents, so Lien cried often and never seemed to be happy, always asking where her parents were, where her sister was… After half a year of misery at the orphanage, Lien was adopted by a couple by the name of Akio and Nanami Shirogane to live with them, who allowed Lien to keep her original surname.

This might’ve not been the most well-off couple, however kind and good they were at parenting. They lived with the Yaos, a powerful and rich family in Mistral, as their personal servants. High-ranked, yes, but still servants. Curiously enough, it wasn’t because of a lack of other available jobs or because they had some large debt owed, but because it was like compensation for a crime the couple had committed towards the current heads of the family, Ning and Wei, that resulted in the death of Wei’s original promised bride and Ning’s sister, Jia. Lien was never told what exactly this crime was and was only told that it even existed by a slip of the tongue. The Yaos had long forgiven the pair, but the Shiroganes still insisted on serving them to make up for their mistakes.

Anyway, they worked as a servant for the Yaos and their daughter Yu. Soon enough, Lien would join them. Of course not at first, she only a little over five when she entered the household and she was treated as any child would be by their parents. Ning and Wei actually really did like Lien, thinking her to be very cute and joyful. Lien soon grew to love and adore Akio and Nanami, treating them as if they were her real parents. She still missed Hoàng and Anh of course, but she was okay. Normal. She went to school as well, in a little public one in the city.

Unfortunately, as fate had it, this peace was not to last for long. The White Fang were getting more and more violent, and with that, the Yaos were getting worse. Their businesses admittedly took advantage of Faunus labor at times, and at the time was a ripe target for the White Fang. The attack didn’t happen yet, but they knew it would happen soon. Their view of Faunus became twisted, they became fearful for their safety and wealth, fearful of the White Fang. This made problems worse, as the more they spoke out against the White Fang and didn't acknowledge the accusations about using Faunus laborers, the more the White Fang targeted them. In private, they also were quite racist, a far cry from the selves they showed in public. As a result of this, they started to mistreat Lien. She was a Faunus after all. She was pushed around and mocked cruelly. By the time she was 9, they even made her help her parents with serving them. Speaking of her adopted parents, since the circle of trust was getting smaller every day, the Yaos wanted a way to make sure that people would never betray them. Knowing the Shiroganes to be good people, Ning and Wei often reminded them of the crime they had committed against the Yaos, holding it over them if they ever showed even the slightest sign of resigning from their position, which was much higher by now, because of said narrowing of the circle of trust.

The situation got progressively worse, reaching a peak when the daughter, Yu, was killed in an attempt on the whole family’s lives. Ning and Wei were devastated, driving them to become even more paranoid than they used to be, driven by fear and grief, making them embittered and cruel. For the manor, they hired more guards for the place, robotic ones to ensure there would be no chance of the new enforcement team rebelling. The Shiroganes, fearing for their own safety, trained themselves in the basics of combat, their daughter included. Lien took the opportunity eagerly, as she had always wanted to be a huntress, thanks to the stories her birth mother told her about her huntress days, before she quit. To further ensure the loyalty of the Shiroganes, the Yaos forced Akio to do their dirty work. More blackmail and now they had someone to do their dirty work for them. Win-Win situation. For the Yaos. For Akio and Nanami, it was like hell on earth. Lien too, as she didn't spend very much time with other people her age, thanks to the fact that her adoptive parents withdrew her from public school and instead hired tutors for a private education instead, hoping to keep her safe.

During the next five, six years of her life, Lien lived this way, mistreated by the Yaos and their staff because she was a Faunus, made to serve them at all times. On the up side, she was still training in combat, and she did have tutors that would come and catch her up on things other children were learning in school. When she was 14, she even had her own weapons, Zhì and Zhōng made. Lien tried her very best to keep a good heart and exhibit the virtues imbued in her from happier times, but that didn’t stop her sadness and anger. She wanted to escape, and become a huntress. It’d been her lifelong dream. But Lien knew that the constraints of her adopted parents could never allow that. Until that one fateful day…

She was 15, still living her terrible life. The Yaos had just come up with a plan to try luring the White Fang out, announcing that they were going to go on a cruise, but actually staying in the manor and sending their most skilled guards on the cruise instead, armed to the teeth with weaponry. It took months to plan out and ensure that there were no failures. Those months were in vain. Somehow, the White Fang had learned of this plan, staging one of their own. One group would go and secretly sink the ship to make it look like an accident, and the other would raid the mansion, knowing that the Yaos would still be there, and stage it as an attack to pillage and steal. That way there wasn’t too much bad press directed at them for murder, and the smart ones would get the message. Both plans were carried out, but the Yaos made the fatal mistake of not increasing security at their manor in case, which led to the White Fang overpowering the defenses, then killing Ning and Wei. Meanwhile, Lien, Akio, and Nanami hid the whole time, escaping harm and running away from the mansion unscathed.

After the tragic event, the family of three moved to Vale to start anew. Lien continued her training and schooling at a nearby, smaller little combat school. They decided to all turn their backs on the past and what tragedies had occurred then, focusing on their new, normal life in Vale. Of course, the events that’d happened left their mark on the three, especially Akio, but the family did their best to forget that and try to be happy. When the time came, Lien applied and got into Beacon academy.

Her first year was eventful, where she formed a close bond with her teammates. Though some parts of her Lien kept close and away from anyone else. She did fairly well in academics, being a quick learner and bright person. The missions were her favorite part though.

Personality: Lien is someone that you could describe as shy or meek. Even to a close friend, she will still be reserved and quiet, very much valuing her privacy. This brings me to the next point, which is that Lien is something of a lone wolf. She’s also very prideful and stubborn (she calls it having a lot of perseverance), making her rarely accept help from others. Still, Lien is a very polite and gracious person, kind and the epitome of a lady to people she likes. Being one of these people is quite easy, as Lien is easily impressed, though gaining her trust is very hard. Especially if you’re human. She doesn’t like humans very much. Or at all really… She will of course treat them with common courtesy, but will occasionally quip rudely and harbor dislike for them

On the other side of the scale, Lien is also easily saddened and easily angered. She cries quite easily, but will usually try her best to hide this fact. She doesn’t blow up very easily though. Lien is what some would call… passive aggressive. She has a lot of pent up anger and sadness too. Even other ‘happier’ emotions, because Lien believes that outer appearance is very very important, and she should be consistently virtuous and, well, consistent. Felicity wouldn’t hurt either, but Lien would be what you call socially awkward, since she really didn’t have many friends growing up. Oh, and she holds grudges. For a surprisingly long time.

Lien was raised to value a select few virtues, some of those being intelligence, placidity, loyalty, happiness, and deference. At all times, she strives to embody these virtues, to varying degrees of success. Sometimes placidity, loyalty, and defereence can make her overly obedient and easy to step on. At first. She will not hesitate to stand up for herself if she feels she has to. Then again, to Lien, these instances are few and far between.

Knowledge-wise, Lien is on both sides of the scale. One one side, she’s very clever and a quick learner, eager to pick up new things and learn as well. Academically talented, definitely, even if her education range might’ve not been as wide as others who attended public schools or combat schools. On the other side, Lien is clueless about a lot of things that one might consider ‘in’ or relevant. Technology isn’t her strong suit either, and she may need help operating a scroll or computer. Though she thinks reading is a fun pastime, her knowledge or popular books is also very limited, the Yao manor library off limits to her most of the time due to the large number of valuable scripts there.

Fun fact: Lien loves food. A lot.

Aura and Semblance: Lien‘s aura is a jade green. She is a skilled aura user, with a strong aura to boot.

Lien’s semblance is Foresight, the ability to see the trajectory of moving objects. For instance, a thrown knife, she would be able to see its continuing path. A melee attack, she’d be able to see where it would land if the item in question continues on that exact course of action. If it does not, then Lien will see the new path, though sometimes this is too late. This power is selective, and Lien is only able to use it at maximum three objects at a time, limbs counting as their own objects. The larger the object, the more the strain. In general though, Lien is usually able to keep her semblance up for long amounts of time, since it is so passive.


Combat Behavior: Lien has a very simple fighting style, using short and quick moves only, minimizing movement while still keeping the effectiveness. If she does utilize any ‘fancy’ moves, they will usually be equally effective. She fights close-range and mostly utilizes punching and striking. Since she was first trained in Savate and Sikaran for a while before switching to more effective styles and not martial arts, her style incorporates a lot of elements from those two. Keeping it simple and uncomplicated, but to the watcher very fluid and almost pretty to watch. The rhythm is noticeable as well. Unfortunately this rhythm and simplicity can make Lien predictable and give her opponent an easier time combating her. On the pro side, Lien hits hard and fast, a skilled and strong fighter, aided by her weapons. When Zhì and Zhōng are in their dormant form, which Lien doesn’t use very often, she’s can be a little too cautious about them. Obviously, she doesn’t punch as much as claw and strike when they’re in their dormant form. In general, Lien focuses a lot on defense, conserving her aura. This can tire her out before she gets to deal too much damage to her opponent. A note is that she prefers to dodge rather than block, and that she frequently uses her semblance in combat.

WEAPON

Name: Zhì and Zhōng (Intelligence and loyalty)

Primary Form: In their ‘dormant’ form, Zhì and Zhōng take the form of five long golden nail guards adorned with jade. Different from usual nail guards, these are much more sturdy and resilient, and also are attached much more securely on the finger. The ends and edges are also sharpened so that Zhì and Zhōng may still be used as weapons in this form.

Secondary Form: Zhì and Zhōng transform into glove-like weapons, the long edges of the nail guards that extend past the finger folding back to create the part around the rest of her hand, following the design of her slave bracelet, which is less jewelry than an addition to Lien’s weapon. A sharp point is still left at her fingertips, just a much shorter one. In the center of the back of her hand is a contraption that utilizes dust to power her attacks.

Dust Functions: Zhì and Zhōng use kinetic dust to power their wearer’s attacks via contraption on the back of Lien’s hands at all times. This kinetic dust is also mixed with a bit of fire dust as well, to give them an extra kick to them.

History: When the Yaos required her to learn to defend herself, Lien designed Zhì and Zhōng herself with the help of her parents and some nice people at the place where she had them made.

WEAPON2

Name: None

Primary Form: Her boots. Or rather the half-foot long blades on the back.

Dust Functions: None

History: She had them installed in Mistral.

Title: Re: Lien Li
Post by: Xarias Fury on February 08, 2017, 07:11:21 PM

Quote

as the White Fang became more violent, the Yaos became scared because they took advantage of Faunus labor. Ning and Wei started to become crueler and more racist to Faunus, Lien included, who was now forced to work with her parents when not at school.

THIS doesn't make any sense. They're scared of the white fang so they abuse more faunus? Wouldn't they try to hide the fact that they're abusing them? Also child labor.

Quote

Weis become even more paranoid and embittered, firing most of their staff and replacing them with people who knew how to fight.

WHy? Why not get a bunch of robots or heighten security or hire fighters while they have others specializing in labor? Why fire people just so you'd have more 'security' while letting in completely new employees who are better trained and might be even more dangerous than a bunch of slave faunus? Wouldn't hiring security(most definitely human or robot) to watch over a bunch of non-trained faunus make more sense?

Quote

was forced to stop going to school, instead getting tutors and combat trainers for her.

Another part that doesn't make sense. So instead of a full education they hire private tutors and combat trainers because why not. . That's ridiculous. Why train the people they abused? That's plain stupid. Just sounds like an ill thought of reason to have 'training'

Quote

Somehow, the White Fang had learned of this plan, staging one of their own

This is just lazy writing.

Quote

Knowledge-wise, Lien is on both sides of the scale. One one side, she’s very clever and a quick learner, eager to pick up new things and learn as well. Academically talented, definitely, even if her education range might’ve not been as wide as others who attended public schools or combat schools. On the other side, Lien is clueless about a lot of things that one might consider ‘in’ or relevant. Technology isn’t her strong suit either, and she may need help operating a scroll or computer. Though she thinks reading is a fun pastime, her knowledge or popular books is also very limited, the Yao manor library off limits to her most of the time due to the large number of valuable scripts there.

So much for being 'smart'

Title: Re: Lien Li
Post by: The Mythic Scribe on February 09, 2017, 04:03:32 AM

Alright, thanks for taking a look at it!

Changes made:

Quote

Unfortunately, as fate would have it, this peace was not to last for long. The White Fang were getting more and more violent, and with that, the Yaos were getting worse. Their businesses admittedly took advantage of Faunus labor at times, and at the time was a ripe target for the White Fang. The attack didn’t happen yet, but they knew it would happen soon. Their view of Faunus became twisted, they became fearful for their safety and wealth, fearful of the White Fang. This made problems worse, as the more they spoke out against the White Fang and didn't acknowledge the accusations about using Faunus laborers, the more the White Fang targeted them. In private, they also were quite racist, a far cry from the selves they showed in public. As a result of this, they started to mistreat Lien. She was a Faunus after all. She was pushed around and mocked cruelly. By the time she was 9, they even made her help her parents with serving them. Speaking of her adopted parents, since the circle of trust was getting smaller every day, the Yaos wanted a way to make sure that people would never betray them. Knowing the Shiroganes to be good people, Ning and Wei often reminded them of the crime they had committed against the Yaos, holding it over them if they ever showed even the slightest sign of resigning from their position, which was much higher by now, because of said narrowing of the circle of trust.

Quote

The situation got progressively worse, reaching a peak when the daughter, Yu, was killed in an attempt on the whole family’s lives. Ning and Wei were devastated, driving them to become even more paranoid than they used to be, driven by fear and grief, making them embittered and cruel. For the manor, they hired more guards for the place, robotic ones to ensure there would be no chance of the new enforcement team rebelling. The Shiroganes, fearing for their own safety, trained themselves in the basics of combat, their daughter included. Lien took the opportunity eagerly, as she had always wanted to be a huntress, thanks to the stories her birth mother told her about her huntress days, before she quit. To further ensure the loyalty of the Shiroganes, the Yaos forced Akio to do their dirty work. More blackmail and now they had someone to do their dirty work for them. Win-Win situation. For the Yaos. For Akio and Nanami, it was like hell on earth. Lien too, as she didn't spend very much time with other people her age, thanks to the fact that her adoptive parents withdrew her from public school and instead hired tutors for a private education instead, hoping to keep her safe.

Quote

She was 15, still living her terrible life. The Yaos had just come up with a plan to try luring the White Fang out, announcing that they were going to go on a cruise, but actually staying in the manor and sending their most skilled guards on the cruise instead, armed to the teeth with weaponry. It took months to plan out and ensure that there were no failures. Those months were in vain. Somehow, the White Fang had learned of this plan, staging one of their own. One group would go and secretly sink the ship to make it look like an accident, and the other would raid the mansion, knowing that the Yaos would still be there, and stage it as an attack to pillage and steal. That way there wasn’t too much bad press directed at them for murder, and the smart ones would get the message. Both plans were carried out, but the Yaos made the fatal mistake of not increasing security at their manor in case, which led to the White Fang overpowering the defenses, then killing Ning and Wei. Meanwhile, Lien, Akio, and Nanami hid the whole time, escaping harm and running away from the mansion unscathed.

Notes:
-Yeah, child labor.
-I still fixed it as it still doesn't make much sense, but with the staff, I just meant staff at the manor. That weren't mistreated. Or needed to be watched over.
-The Shiroganes paid for the tutors and stuff, not the Yaos. This was her adoptive parents trying to keep her safe, not their semi-evil employers. Clarified in profile too.
-Could you elaborate on the reservations you have on her personality intelligence-wise? I'm not sure exactly what I should change  or fix here.

Again, thanks for taking a look at it and pointing out the holes that needed to be fixed/filled in the History section!

Title: Re: Lien Li
Post by: Xarias Fury on February 11, 2017, 04:34:51 AM

Should be fine as is, I guess.

+1

Title: Re: Lien Li
Post by: The Mythic Scribe on February 14, 2017, 04:02:31 AM

Edited the second paragraph of the tl;dr version of Lien's history to fit the changes made thanks to Xarius.

Edit: And hair. Added a hair description.

Title: Re: Lien Li
Post by: jjb2158 on February 18, 2017, 06:09:36 PM

Overall, well-written and enjoyable to read. Nothing too questionable that sticks out to me so I think she's alright.

Approved 2 of 2.