Welcome to Gaia! ::

YOUNG GIRL

♥ Name: Meilei Lihua Jun-Coleman
♥ Color: #FF7F00 "Mandarin Orange"
♥ Age: Sixteen
♥ Nationality: Taiwanese
♥ Home/Financial Status: Company housing in Gale District, middle class
♥ School: Teufel Town High School

♥ Personality: If Meilei could be described in just a few words, they might contain such descriptions as 'interesting', 'unique' and 'jaw dropping' but would be tied with others including but not limited to 'abrasive', 'obnoxious' and down right 'annoying'. Meilei has been called many labels over the years, most of which she resents, but now she tries to embrace the names she might get called under someone's breath when they get fed up with her. All of that said, Meilei's the sort of teenager that thinks she's her own person; she knows what she wants out of life and she doesn't need people telling her otherwise, as far as she's concerned. If you try to help her without asking, expect a few harsh words in broken English. However, she isn't afraid of asking for help once she realizes she needs it and though it might seem she is too thick headed to know when she needs it, she'll come right out and say it in a pinch. She wants to be independent, more so she doesn't drag anyone down rather than feeling like everyone else is dragging her down.

As far as interaction goes, Meilei doesn't know when to shut up or what volume to use. She barely whispers even when it's necessary and tends to easily breach into shouting volume without actually being agitated by anything. She is rather excitable, both in the positive and negative sense; if she sees something she likes or wants, you'll be the first to know, but the opposite if also true for if something has made her mad. She seems to only have two public emotions: friendly and agitated, which go through a multitude of spectrums depending on the time of day, series of events, or even the person she's talking to. She is very social by nature, fueled by her desire to form acquaintances so that, just perhaps, someone won't be turned off by her enough to stick around and maybe even hang out at her house. She is very frustrated by the fact that she's never been invited to or participated in a sleep over, so you better be prepared to do that if you get close to her!

She's the sort that tries to save face as much as possible. If you say something that hurts her feelings, she isn't going to start crying in front of you. Meilei will either begin hurling insults, make a snide and catty quip, or resort right into shoving. She'll act and play off that it didn't actually hurt her, but once she gets home she might have a good cry about it before moving on. All through her life she has bottled her negative emotions but now she has only done so with her sadness (publicly, anyway) but she is getting better about directing her negative emotions into positive outlets -- namely, fashion. Being exposed to fashion for most of her life due to her mother's attachment to the AURORA Fashion company, it's been easy for her to get ideas and inspiration for all sorts of things while she tries to put her own spin on it. Meilei is convinced that, if someone doesn't like what she's wearing, they just aren't "ready" for it and will come to accept it in time.

As outgoing as Meilei is, she also doesn't know what boundaries or personal space are. She is a very physically touchy and clingy individual, insisting on hugs for greetings and looking for most any excuse to connect physically with someone, if only for a moment. With other people, even strangers, she'll go right up to you and tug on your sleeve, play with your hair, or take something from your hands if she's curious or interested enough. If someone gets testy with her about it she'll apologize, though she won't really understand why they are so uppity about it. She is a bit of a hypocrite this way, as if someone does the same to her without warning then she'll snatch it back or hastily retreat, calling them rude. Most of her mannerisms or actions that come off as abrasive, annoying or intrusive are mostly just ploys (subconscious or otherwise) for her to initiate interaction. She is an extremely social creature, prone to loneliness, and if she can even get a short exchange out of the often forced interaction then she's going to try.

♥ Appearance: There are few things that stay the same for Meilei, even just from day to day. She is of average height for her age and heritage, landing somewhere around 5'4" and has the average, healthy weight of about 118lbs to reflect this. Everything else average about her appearance was intentionally stamped out just a couple years ago when Meilei had recently turned fourteen. Her pale skin is now a warm bronze while her stringy, shoulder length dark brown hair is a pale bleached blonde which brings out her vibrant orange eyes. Her fingernails are kept about half an inch in length, painted white normally, but there are many fake nails she has taken to custom painting and wearing.

Her wardrobe is ever changing in style and colors, but one of the most consistent things are the bright colors involved in her choices of clothing. Most things she chooses to wear are downright girly while others might seem punky, scene or any other fashion subgroup that isn't just dingy and boring blacks. She has many a hair extension, dyed various colors to match and clash with her unnatural blonde, and any amount of accessories to go with it. Hair clips, scrunchies, pins, lacquered chop sticks, you name it and Meilei probably owns or has worn it in the past. Even the make up and facial accessories she wears is ever changing, though normally she can be seen with simple white eye shadow and lipstick, a cheek or two accented with star or heart stickers in random colors. If it doesn't technically break what little dress code Teufel Town High School has, you can bet she'll be wearing it, even if it means just barely being acceptable or appropriate.

Reference Gallery
Polyvore (thanks, Halie!)

♥ History: Meilei Lihua Jun was born to an unmarried mother in Taiwan. Some time before her birth, her father and mother had broken things off and Lanfen Jun was left to raise her daughter alone. The two lived a quiet and simple life in the countryside, sticking close to one another. For Meilei, her mother was all she had. She was very quiet at school, socially unreceptive for the most part, and had trouble making friends. Teachers and students alike would attempt conversation but she would either stay quiet or mumble one word answers. When she was ten, her mother got a job offer that she couldn't refuse; a pay raise was included but the two had to uproot themselves from the only home they had shared together and settle into a city -- a setting very unfamiliar to the young Meilei. Her mother encouraged her that with this move she could get a fresh start and tried to get her to be more social at school. She had been trying to help her be more out going with people that weren't her, and the kids at school seemed nice enough.

She began noticing trends; what sort of fads the other students were into, their interests. Meilei would listen in and observe, then try to interject into a conversation. Typically this fell flat as she could only keep a handle on the subject matter for so long before it became apparent she barely knew anything about it and the kids laughed and moved on. Meilei was determined, however, and kept at it, trying to learn everything she could. It didn't take long for this to backfire. Soon, it became obvious to the other students that she was just faking her interest; she had become quite knowledgeable on a number of things they were all interested in, but only the barest minimum and, of course, with how long it took her to learn and understand the pop culture, games and whatever else held their interests, they had moved on to the next bigger and better thing. They began ignoring her, calling her fake. Occasionally there would be some especially mean spirited kids that would follow her path home from school as long as they could to taunt her. The teachers weren't aware of it, nor was her mother; Meilei kept it to herself, bottling it up.

While Meilei was dealing with bullies and the normal school stressors of tests and studying, her mother seemed to be doing quite well financially and had begun taking more personal calls. Her daughter was beginning to get suspicious and wary of such things and so she finally asked. Apparently she had met an American businessman through her work and she was very fond of him. Without having met the man, Meilei didn't like the idea. If he liked her mom too then that meant she would have less time for her and that idea didn't sit well at all in the young child's mind. Not long after, her fears seemed to have been proven a reality as her mother and this American, Shawn Coleman, began dating one another. Her mother had promised her that she would let Meilei meet the man so she could get a solid opinion. When he arrived, most of her fears melted away; he was kind, handsome, and treated her mother like she ought to be. Even though she was young, he treated her with respect as well and he was forming into a solid image of an ideal father for her. The more he came around, the more they all talked -- not just he and her mother, but the three of them. Unlike the father she had never met, this man was taking an active interest in her life and wasn't calling her fake or ignoring her. He was a smart man, too, and it didn't take him long to pick up on Meilei's feelings of the other kids at school. She never seemed to have any friends over, never went over anyone else's house, and certainly never talked about the other kids. He wasted no time in speaking to the school about the situation and Meilei soon found that most of the kids had stopped with their name calling. However, they still ignored her and a few told her that she was a 'snitch'. It hadn't remedied the situation but at least they weren't following her home to make fun of her anymore and she could safely say that she was grateful for Shawn's intervention.

Meilei's emotions were torn for the next year or so. On the one hand, her home life was better than ever; her mom's boyfriend had moved in with them and the three were spending more time together than ever. On the other, she was still being actively avoided by students at school, their little minds blowing her behavior out of proportion and spreading the word to new students. Bottling it up for so long, it was finally beginning to boil over and Meilei was sent home from school after a tearful breakdown in the middle of class. Her mother and Shawn took off from work the rest of that day to stay with her and give comfort. They told her it didn't matter what those kids thought because they loved her and as long as she loved herself then that was what was important. It took some time, but the idea finally settled into her mind. Shawn's presence, it seemed, was positive for both her mother as well as her and in her heart she resolved that this man was who was meant to father her. After their discussion, Meilei decided to embrace herself as a person and not pay attention to what the other kids thought. What actually occurred was a near one hundred and eighty degree flip of her personality while at school, giving sarcastic replies to conversations she would overhear, leaving insulting notes in her bully's lockers. More than once she got into a shouting match with boys and girls alike, though the worst encounter resulted in a lot of shoving before they were broken up.

Of course, if this was the proper way to go about things then they would want to be her friend, right? Instead, they were getting more antagonistic and hateful. She didn't understand at first, but it came to her in time. Surely her parents hadn't been wrong, but she had misinterpreted what they meant. Being a bully to other bullies wouldn't erase what they did or suddenly make things right, she had to actively change their opinions through positive action. By all accounts, Meilei was rather plain looking; average peach skin, stringy brown hair, average in almost every way. Maybe, if they didn't like the way she acted she could make up for it by having an eye catching appearance? Fashion sites were browsed through as soon as she finished her homework and studies every day, trying to find the perfect look. Mostly sticking with Asian fashions and subcultures, it didn't take her long to find the most eye popping variety she had ever seen: ganguro. As it was Japanese, it was never really seen around China much, and even less so in Taiwan, so Meilei was confident she would shine brightly and get their attention the way she wanted.

When she turned fourteen, this resolution took a physical form. Getting her hair bleached, stocking up on hair dye sprays and self tanners, once the transformation was complete she was unrecognizable. Her mother nearly thought she had been a drifter that sneaked into their house before Meilei confirmed her identity. The two spoke with her about her extreme change and expressed concern and discomfort. They didn't want to subdue her or not allow her to express herself, but this seemed pretty crazy. They were hopeful that she would lose interest in the style on her own, and so allowed her to continue with it under that pretense. Still, they were supportive and helped her where they could.

Not long after was the family hit with surprise; a proposal. Shawn proposed to Lanfen and Meilei couldn't contain her enthusiasm, screeching that she had to be the flower girl. The wedding was fairly small, mostly encompassing her mother's family rather than Shawn's as they lived in America, and the excitement and joy she felt easily blocked out the stares and whispered comments about her strange appearance as she spread flowers down the aisle. With the new ability to call this man her father, Meilei felt truly at home with her family and with herself. This was who she was meant to be, this dark skinned, self assured young lady instead of the pale and meek ghost of a girl getting bullied. Everything felt better after the wedding, even if she still couldn't make or hold on to friends, because at least she had herself and her family. A second proposal was given some time after, this time to both ladies in the family. It had been a long time since Shawn had come to Taiwan for the company and he missed his home in California. Since Meilei was having such a rough time and Lanfen wasn't getting anymore promotion opportunities, he suggested they come to California with him. A second fresh start, a wonderful opportunity with a complete family. Meilei insisted on agreeing, urging her mother to despite her uncertainty. To prepare he began tutoring them in the English language, which they both had trouble with but Meilei was able to understand a great deal more than her mother. The next year they were out, settled in Teufel Town's Gale District via company housing.

After getting settled, Meilei was enrolled in Teufel Town Middle School which supplied an English tutor for after school lessons. It didn't take her long to learn the differences in American versus Chinese customs and quickly embraced what she felt was unique and wonderful. Unfortunately, most of what she held this opinion towards were things most Americans felt were gaudy or obnoxious but she didn't get too much guff for it, just weird looks here and there. Once she graduated to High School, Meilei's tutoring of English was nestled comfortably where she could understand most things said to her but her pronunciations and speech was still quite crude. At the very least, she could answer questions when called on and they could usually understand her well enough. Though she has become exceedingly comfortable in Teufel since the move, there is still one very real lingering problem.

She still can't seem to make any lasting friends. Conversations happen somewhat easily but most people seem to be turned off by her appearance, her broken English or her sometimes loud voice. No one has picked a fight with her, but there are definite vibes she can feel coming off of the people she interacts with. As far as she can tell, people find her unattractive, even ugly. Her voice, interests and mannerisms are annoying and if people aren't gaping at her then they're trying to hurry the conversation along and get away from her. Though she hasn't heard any gossip outright, past experience tells her people are probably talking about her behind her back but she is trying her best to let it roll off and not allow it to affect her.

But still... It would be really nice to have friends.

♥ Family:

Mother Lanfen Jun-Coleman – Chinese – 38 – Secretary at the Teufel branch of AURORA Fashion
A single mother for most of Meilei's life, Lanfen is a short and stocky Taiwanese woman with a fast mouth and a quick wit. Her English speaking is terrible so she doesn't use it much, but she is mostly the note taking and meeting planner sort of secretary rather than answering the phones. She's a caring woman, but doesn't take people's idiocy or rudeness and can be rather scathing at times. It's no secret she just wants to see her daughter happy.

Step-Father Shawn Coleman – American – 44 – International Consultant for AURORA Fashion
A tall man with dirty blond hair and green eyes, he tends to dress in business casual most of the time. Met Meilei's mother through a business venture in Taiwan and settled there with them for a few years, where the two married. Though he isn't Meilei's birth father, he loves her like his own and is proud that she calls him "dad" instead of "Shawn". He's a bit of an artsy type and not as high strung or assertive as his wife or step-daughter, but he isn't about to let someone get the shaft when they don't deserve it.

gdkjhfdj thank you Q n Q It means a lot 'cause I'm so not used to/good at female characters and this just means I'm improving and she isn't dumb <3 She's way outside of my normal line of interest, too, so she's a great experiment all around and I'm really attached to her fffff



Insulting her family, for one. At this stage they're all she has and while she's built up a tough-ish skin for insults flung her way, she hasn't received many or any negative comments for her family and that's something that would send her right over the edge. Bullying for other people she might step in for to break up if she's in the right mood, but that would depend entirely on the situation. IF she ever manages to make long term friends, she would get into those wrestling, hair pulling, biting, scratching cat fights for just like for her family. Basically, anything bad happening or being said about anyone close to her, as opposed to it being directly at her. Unless, of course, it was a threat on her life. Meilei don't play dat s**t.


This is a little hard to answer and something that will probably have to be fleshed out through RP but I want to tentatively say that there would be some sort of measurement in mind. Meilei's no stranger to acquaintances, people she says hi to, asks how their day went, that sort of thing, but it's all shallow small talk and eventually they tire of her and she moves on to the next set of people. If someone stuck around long enough and she found they weren't shutting her out, that she was actually connecting with someone, then she might take the challenge of opening up more.

As it stands, Meilei's never had a genuine friend so she doesn't entirely understand what goes into it. She has clear cut wants and needs for friendship, but sometimes she wonders if those are even "right" in standard friendships because... let's face it, it's high school and most people are shitty xD


Somewhat! He's the strongest male influence she's had her whole life, even if he hasn't been there for most of it, and she considers him a pretty good basis for other guys. She isn't gender biased when it comes to friends (though she figures she would have more fun with girls since guys probably wouldn't want her painting their nails or adding extensions to their hair). She would probably be very insulted and affronted if she started getting on good terms with a guy and they turned out to be a pig headed jerk.



GUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

SHE IS SO BEAUTIOUS Q A Q THANK YOU SO MUCH HALIE OH MAN
I'ma try to crit you back soon ; 3 ;; Thanks a lot <33333

I seriously have nothing to crit. WTF snoof, why you so awesome? Hmm? HMMM? This isn't the first time I've looked at one of your quests and been completely stumped as to what could be changed XD

Thanks O u O I'll answer them to the best of my ability!



Her mother was very busy with work, so she didn't have much time to expose Meilei to other kids. There wasn't much time to go to playgrounds or day cares, (let alone not enough money to afford that so if her mom needed to be somewhere and couldn't watch Meilei then a family member was asked to do it). Basically, the only person Meilei remembers spending any lengthy amount of time and bonding with at that point was her mother which accidentally made her socially inept to start with.



She isn't a particular fan of sports (and getting sweaty sucks, ew) but during gym and such her favorite sports are team based activities where she has to interact with other people like volleyball, lacross, things of that nature. She doesn't mind the one on one sports like tennis 'cause even then she still has a partner but they're not as fun as big groups.

As far as other interests go, hair styling, painting (to some degrees, she normally sticks to nails with this), most artsy or expressive things even if she doesn't do many of them herself. She loves looking at artwork and finding out how stuff is made (she also loves watching cooking shows) but as far as hands on hobbies go she's pretty content to stick with fashion for herself.



That's a tough one. Both of her parents are in the field and it would definitely be the easiest way for her to go but she isn't terribly sure what she wants to do with her life yet. She's a bit simpleminded and her current long term goal of friend making overshadows everything else. She does, at least, know she wants to go to college so there's something.



That's something she hasn't really thought about, so it will probably come as a surprise to her if she finds a friend that can do that. She, herself, would be that type of friend but as has been pointed out she's a bit of a hypocrite so she would probably react defensively when this is first done to her. I'd have to see how it would go to tell if she would learn and understand from it or not, but I can see her getting very huffy about the whole situation at first.



Gollum, Kyubey isn't terribly creepy :Ua If we're talking from Meilei's perspective, same answer LOL. At least, unless she witnesses Kyubey doing something creeptastic.



Damn high school kids Q 3 Q -shakes fist- But yeeee I'm glad she's at least relatable, despite her ganguro-ness (I can imagine that being a huge turn off for a lot of people but pfffhthth I don't know I just love ganguro girls). I'm very proud of her and am sure she'll be able to meet at least a few true blue friends ; w ;;

Meilei has such spunk! Talk about this personality--this girl has everything: Taste, flamboyance, vibrancy, courage. She'll make either a great or terrible Puella, and I hope we have the opportunity to watch her take on witches! Below, please find some questions that might lead to different sides of Meilei in different situations:

- It's mentioned that Meilei has a temper and grows angry easily: At what points does she physically lash out? Does she ever feel scared? Does she confront fear or run from it?

- If someone else is skilled with fashion or bests Meilei at being a magical girl, how does she react? Does she ever feel jealous or territorial?

- Will her parents give her work from the fashion industry? Just out of curiosity. She seems interested in fashion and they have connections. Also, does Meilei strain their relationship at all? Might be interesting to note.

Overall, I really enjoyed your concept and thought writing moved freely. I'm excited to see this character develop! Keep it up!

APPROVED!

Surprise! Meilei Jun-Coleman was just too perfect of a character to pass up, and as the runner-up of the giveaway, we've decided to approve and draw her artwork anyhow. Congratulations, and we hope to see more of her in action!