Zhilan Wu

Subject: Zhilan Wu Sun Apr 29, 2012 11:10 pm

|BASICS|

Name: Zhilan Wu
Age: 23
Birthplace: Fire Nation Capital
Current Residence: Fire Nation Capital
Rank: Bender
Element: Fire

Pets: Cat Owl- a falconoid that has the head and tail of a cat, along with the wings and body of an owl. Its head, torso, and paw-like talons are covered in fur. It is dark slate gray on its dorsal parts and creamy white on its ventral parts. The feathers of its wings and the tail, which is wavering and feathery, are also dark slate-gray. Its eyes are green.
Zhilan Wu Untitled-2

Weapons: Zhilan is trained in a plethora of weapons ranging from dual swords to the metal war fan. Her favorite weapons to use are small daggers that she keeps dtrapped in the the folds of her hanfu.

|APPEARANCE|

Hair: Very long, reaching down to her waist, so dark brown it almost looks black. It is very straight and fine, so she wears it in intricate hairstyles to keep it out of her way.

Eyes: Zhilan has light amber colored eyes like many others from her Nation. They change colors with her feelings. When she is felling depressed or angry they are a dark amber, almost black, but when she is happy or at peace they are a bright, almost golden, amber.

Height: Zhilan is average height for a woman, standing at a willowly 5'6"

Clothes: As a female, she had to incorporate ways to look elegant, but still maintain everything she would need to protect herself. She is most often seen wearing flowing hanfu in the colors of the fire nation; reds, golds, and the occasional orange or pink. Her hair is always adorned with some porm of ornament, usually disguising a hidden weapon, or used to hold up her intricate hairstyles. She doesn't often wear hand orr neck jewelry.
When Zhilan is performing she is often seen wearing clothing that is less likely to catch fire, like sleeveless tops and tight leggings.

Skin: Zhilan is both blessed and cured with a milky pale complexion; it is soft and shines like a beacon in the dark. She has no blemishes or scars, but she burns easily when in sunlight too long. It also makes it very hard to hide it if she blushes.

Body Type: Staning at 5'6" and weighing about 118lbs, Zhilan is a willowy woman; thin but not sickly looking. She appears rather dainty despite her height.
Zhilan Wu Untitled-3

|CHARACTERISTICS|

Personality: Zhilan has a very independant nature and tries not to be concerned about what other people think of her. Although she is sometimes thought to be shallow and concieted, she is very passionate about the things she holds dear. She is often described as being selfish and mercurial, as quick to take offense as to dish it out. That being said, Zhilan cared a great deal for her family and would do absolutely anything to keep them happy and safe; even if it means burning some bridges in the process.

Personal Strengths:
~ very good liar/actress; if she wants someone to believe or do something she will go to all means to convince them.
~ loving and caring; when it comes to her family, Zhilan has a "no holds barred" approach. Her family is her sun, the epicenter of her life.
~ sense of humor; for a person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It's jostled by every pebble on the road.

Personal Weaknesses:
~ manipulative; Zhilan has a habit of burning her bridges...
~ too independant; she carries the weight of her world on her shoulders and is too afraid and stubborn to ask for help to bear the weight, even at her own detriment.
~ too protective; Zhilan has no moral or ethical boundaries when it comes to those she loves.

Personal Hero: TBA

Dreams and Ambitions: Zhilan's greatest dream is for her family to be happy and safe. She is not politically ambitious, but she is not afraid to use politics to get what she needs. Neneath all of the denial and emotionals walls, Zhilan wants balance in her life more than anything else. She is just completely lost about where to get it.

Likes:
~ Her little brother and her grandfather.
~ Dancing/Firebending => Firedancing
~ Mao, her cat-owl.
~ Verbal and physical sparring
~ Pratical jokes

Dislikes:
~ admitting she is wrong
~ other females (sometimes)
~ dogs of any form
~ perverts
~ people who are too serious

Brief History: Zhilan was born as the first child of a small noble family in the Fire Nation Capital. Her father was an admiral in the old Fire Lord's army and her mother an advisor and personal companion of the old Fire Lady.

As the eldest child Zhilan was pressure with not only benig a firebender, but also a noblewoman who must aspire to pass on the family name. Her mother was always the proper lord's wife; a highborn bird in fancy clothes and no idea how to use her brain for anything besides chittering to her twittering friends. Zhilan's father would be considered absentee at best, but was pretty much nonexistant while Zhilan was growing up.

The guiding light to Zhilan and her little brother during these years was their maternal grandfather, ex-General Zhulon. He and Zhilan were so much alike that they couldn't help but become fast companions.

Zhilan was given an education about all things that would pertain to her life as a noblewoman; flower arranging, painting, dance, music...and the best ways to kill quickly and efficiently...all without staining the floors.

At first, Zhilan resented the more feminine aspects of her training, but after observing some of the elder noblewomen, she realized that being a woman was a powerful thing. Women were constantly underestimated, even to this day and age. So, if people messed with Zhilan or her family, she knew how to act just like a "weak" woman and all the while be plotting their swift and painful fall from grace.

When Zhilan was 18 she was scouted by the Royal court performers to firedance at the Solstice celebration. While there she met and fell in love with a young soldier. They became fast companions, and the young man even wracked up the courage to ask Zhilan's grandfather permission to court her. Zhulong gave his blessing happily, ecstatic that his beloved granddaughter was finally experiencing true love for the first time. But, Zhilan's happiness was short lived. Only a year after meeting Zhilan, the young soldier was killed in battle.

Zhilan did not deal well with the death of her beloved.

When she finally woke from her long daze it was to find her life literally in shambles. Her home was wrecked, her little brother afraid to go near her, and her grandfather wishing that he could have seen this cruel twist in Zhilan's fate, berating himself for not being able to protect her better.
Seeing her family in such pain, she vowed to herself and her family that, although she was still hurting, she would stop at nothing to make better lives for al of them. She would restore her honor, make her little brother happy and make her grandfather proud.

Now 23 years old, Zhilan is working hard to rebuilding some of the bridges she has burned in the past, hoping that she could find someone, besides her brother and grandfather, who would be willing to look past her shallow pool of an existence and see the bright and warm woman hiding in it's depths.

Subject: Re: Zhilan Wu Sun Apr 29, 2012 11:14 pm

Approved