Liuyin Mei
âUneasy are souls that awaken in smokeâ
General information
Known as
Sima Liuyin: Birth name
Leonie Mei: Alias
Occupation
Shop Keeper
Magician
Spirit medium
Medical apprentice
Favorites
Favorite meal: Lamb skewers
Favorite drink: Chrysanthemum tea
Favorite flower: Tea rose
Personality traits
Birthday: January 23rd
Age: 26
Zodiac sign: Aquarius
MBTI: ISFJ-T
Pronouns: They/them only
Main(s): Asra (primarily), occasionally Julian as well
Patron Arcana:Â Death, Page of Pentacles
Relatives
Note that their family back in Langya would still utilize the traditional naming format of <surname, given name>, unless they have specific titles.
Liya Zheng: Paternal aunt, their fatherâs elder sister who left Langya and settled in Vesuvia. Liuyin inherited her magic shop.
Lieutenant Zheng: Father, subordinate to General Sima. A harsh and temperamental man, from whom Liuyin became estranged.
Sima Yu: Mother, daughter of General Sima. A healer and free spirit who became fettered by the expectations of family.
Sima Xiaoping: Younger brother, five years Liuyinâs junior, born when Liuyin was still living with their grandparents.
Sima Qianren: Younger brother, eight years Liuyinâs junior, born when Liuyin was still living with their grandparents.
General Sima: Maternal grandfather and patriarch of the Sima family.
Madam Sima: Maternal grandmother, wife to General Sima, owned a teashop in her youth.
Zheng Xuan: Paternal grandfather and guardian, a countryside farmer with an affinity for magic, though no abilities of his own.
Sarnai: Paternal grandmother and guardian, wife of Zheng Xuan, a Kokhuri-descended magician who was Liuyinâs first teacher.v
Physical description
Gender: Nonbinary
Height: 5â˛6â˛â
Eye color: Plum-purple
Hair color: Black-brown with orange and red undertones
Appearance
Liuyin is a youth with a compact frame, plum-colored eyes, a long and pointed nose, and dark hair that shines copper in sunlight. Their bearing is collected and serene, with a slight smile to their lips. Their customary outfit consists of an inner blouse that resembles an ao, or Chinese upright-collared blouse popularized in the Ming Dynasty that was usually worn outside the tucking of a skirt, as well as an outer cross-collared robe, and any other clothing they may wear would come in shades of blue, grey, and white. They often wear clothing with butterfly motifs on it, as a silver butterfly was their familiar before their death. Their hair is usually left half-up in buns decorated with butterfly pins, and half-down, with sideswept bangs and locks of hair looped over their ears before being pulled back into a bun.
Personality
Liuyin is a person who is serene and demure on their exterior, almost to the point of seeming withdrawn, aloof, or distant from others. However, they bear a naturally warm aura, with a high-spirited but practical-minded personality with a quick wit, being able to banter easily. They have a sincere and well-meaning heart, as well as loyalty to those they care for, to the point they may act recklessly, going against their usual analytical approaches wherein they slice every action down to its bits and pieces, to save those they love. Thus, they rarely get angry unless someone they love is at risk. They hate boredom and insincerity.
History
Family background
Liuyin Sima was a member of the House of Sima, a noble clan of the nation of Langya, a kingdom to the south of Vesuvia which was located east of the Shining Steppe and west of the Strait of Seals.
Their grandfather was General Sima, a powerful military official overseeing the command of the cavalry of the nation, as well as the current patriarch of the House of Sima.
Their mother was the daughter of General Sima and his wife, and an adept healer.
Their father was a lieutenant under General Sima who was arranged by Madam Sima to marry the generalâs daughter.
Childhood
They were pretty unplanned as far as children goes-- their mother had to put their studies to become a healer on hold to carry Liuyin to term, and once they were born, they were sent to live in the countryside with Liuyinâs paternal grandparents, since thereâs really no place for a baby either in the barracks or in a healerâs academy.
Their paternal grandmother, Sarnai, when she was young, was a Kokhuri shaman and magician, before marrying her husband and settling down as a farmer in the countryside. Liuyin had gained some degree of healing magic ability from their mother, and Sarnai helped hone Liuyinâs paternal magical capabilities, in communicating the restless dead as well as creating an entrance and space within the spiritual plane akin to magiciansâ gates and Asraâs oasis, respectively.
Adolescence
When Liuyin was ten years old, they moved back to the Generalâs manor to live with their father and mother, and their two younger brothers, one of whom was already 5, and one who was 2 at the time. Due to the strict disciplinarian method of parenting their parents and maternal grandparents enforced, Liuyin, who was raised in a more casual and relaxed environments found themselves miserable and often butted heads with their parents, which was then duly punished.
They, at this point, practically lived only for summer visits to their grandparents, where their magical growth increased by leaps and bounds. When they were 16, their father forbade them from seeing their grandparents, and Liuyin had run away from home in retaliation, first stopping by their grandparentsâ house, who then sent them on their way to Vesuvia, where their fatherâs elder sister, Liya, had opened a magic shop.
Arriving in Vesuvia
Liuyin arrived in Vesuvia on the eve of the Masquerade, where they were received by their aunt. They found Asra reading fortunes behind the shop, and they befriended him under the pseudonym of Leonie Mei-- over the course of the next half year or so, Liya had taught Liuyin all she knew about magic, after which Liya had received an offer of professorship at a prestigious academy in Zadith, leaving the shop to be tended to by Liuyin and Asra.
The Red Plague
By the time the Red Plague struck, Liuyin had shed the name of Leonie Mei and went by Liuyin Mei instead, eschewing their family name completely. When the plague broke, Liuyin and Asra had argued over whether to leave the city or stay and help-- Liuyin stayed, Asra left. Liuyin initially tried to ease the pain of the deceasedâs families through her divination abilities, trying to allow the spirits to move on.
Somewhere along the line, realized that wasnât enough and apprenticed themselves to Julian as a medic. It was there in the palace, researching for a cure, that Liuyin succumbed to the disease, dying alone, and being sent to the Lazaret, where they were eventually cremated.
The Masquerade
Broken by their death, Asra resolved to resurrect them. Meanwhile, Count Lucio, failing rapidly from their battle with the Red Plague, hosted a feast on the night of the masquerade designed to gift him a new body, a ritual that Asra sabotaged, stealing the body to resurrect Liuyin. And the rest, from that point, is history...
Powers
Smoke divination: Liuyin has the ability to use a special blend of incense smoke to induce within themselves a hallucination or dreamscape, in which they would be presented with a series of seemingly-disjointed visions, from which they had to determine a storyline or solution to their question. They can also inhale this in the presence of a corpse or scene of crime, and it would show them things that, if interpreted correctly, would show them the cause of death or how a crime was committed. They can also contact more recently-deceased spirits when inhaling this smoke, and thus can use this in a manner similar to an exorcism, laying a spirit to rest.
Potion making: Liuyin is talented at potion-making as well as cooking, as well as a hobby in
Personal gate: Liuyinâs gate to the Arcana realm, taught to them by their grandmother. Later, with Asraâs help, they rediscover and unlock their gate.
Trivia
Liuyinâs inspiration draws from both Chinese folklore as well as popular culture.
Liuyinâs initial inspiration was from Lan Caihe, a nonbinary Taoist immortal said to be patron to florists and gardeners. They traveled the kingdoms wearing a single shoe and ragged blue robes, singing improvised songs about the impermanence of youth.
Other inspirations for Liuyin come from Mei Changsu, Guo Deyou, Kuang Lu, Xiaolongnu, and Lan Wangji
Their name, Liuyin, means âshadow of the willowâ. Their birth surname, Sima, means âmaster of the horseâ, and their given surname, Mei, means âplumâ.
Their favorite season is winter
Their voice is mid-tone, and a bit husky.
They speak three languages-- the common tongue of Vesuvia, the common tongue of Langya, and the common tongue of the Steppes.
Template credit: apprentice-liuyin
