The

Main

Li Family siblings at least, in the (no joke) huge family consisting mainly of their parental line (the Li family) and their maternal line (the Chen family). So, in the family of 40+ members in total, these are the siblings of the head of the family, Fa Li. And... no, the "40+ members" is

not

an exaggeration. I had to organize everyone on a make-shift family tree, and I counted every single member (the exact total--for now--is 43; of course, that doesn't mean they're all active members of the circus _{_{<strike>or even alive</strike>}}). I'm sure I'll make an

official

Family Tree for this big group one of these days... it's definitely going to take some time |D Also, because I know people will bring it up at some point: No, I won't be making that family tree "because everyone else has done that at some point for their OCs". I'll be doing it because I need my own reference for the story. Because, I kid you not, I constantly forget who is the father/mother of which kid(s), who is siblings/cousins with who, who is married to who, etc.

But, anyway. Yes, the family of both the Li and Chen are art of a traveling family circus in Xing, that also act as information gatherers, healers/Alkahestics, and suppliers for Shang Lin and Jing Hu. Originally, the family was independent and had no association with the Lin Clan. However, after a brief association between the family and the Lin Clan (because of their rebellious teenager--at the time--third daughter of the Main Li family; as well as the Hu family being a disbanded family/clan of the Chen family), they were sought after as a target from those who were enemies with the clan. After their "home" was burnt to the ground and all assets lost (including the life of the girls' mother), Fa Li offered his, his family's, and his company's assistance to the head of the Lin Clan--be it with weapons, supplies for war, or even healers. In summation, the Lin Clan told the suffering family to "screw off", because they had just lost the majority of their main family line heirs--Shien Lin, the head of the family, not caring much for his youngest son, Shang, despite him being the last surviving heir. Shang, of course, being more emotionally vulnerable at the time, offers the struggling family his protection. He enjoyed the brief time he spent with Jun and likes the family that she (and his servant, Jing, came from), so he makes a deal with them to offer the family

his

protection in exchange for them not underestimating him. From there, he vows to become stronger and not just keep the family safe, but also prove himself and his worth to his own family, in exchange for the Li-Chan's "servitude" (not really actual "servants"; just being the loving family that he never had). This is where the Li-Chen Family find ways with their healing and information gathering through travel to help Shang. They plan their tour route to areas that Shang is nearby and traveling in, just in case he needs to make a stop for supplies, information (on the area/town and specific individuals that he's searching for), or just "fixing up"/healing after a fight. Through this, of course, Shang sees the Li-Chen circus as his Home-Away-From-Home and the Li-Chen family as the family that he wished he had (because his actually family hates him and, sometimes, even tries to kill him).

I could honestly go on and on about the entire circus family and the details about how it operates and each members' roles and whatnot. But... we'd be here all day, and this Artist Description is long enough as is... |D If your interested, though, feel free to ask about the family, the circus, or even about one (or more) of the girls in the comments below. Or, if you wanna keep things simple, you can send me a Note and I'd be happy to explain in further detail about the family and their role(s) in

The Mustang Conspiracy

 So, for Lillian, I wanted to give her an outfit that helped portray her personality a bit as well. Of course... I am terrible when it comes to outfits |D But! That's where my good friend @lolitalady-chan comes in~ She is AWESOME when it comes to outfits and outfit designs. So, she was the first that came to mind when I asked for help with Lillian's outfit. (So, shoutout to Lady~ ^u^) Anyway, after some searching for references, we finally came across a scholarly, yet preppy sort of outfit. And, of course, Lilli being the scholar-jock she is, rocked that outfit perfectly. Of course... with her being Edward's child... we had to give her a slightly nerdy-ish aspect to the overall attire xD

Ruolan Li   (25)   -

Always having her head in the clouds, Ruolan often has a burning passion for traveling and seeing new sights. Xing is a rather large country after all; and, when more stops are added to their tour, that's just more areas and towns for her to see and visit. She definitely takes after her mother when it comes to creativity; however, sometimes it can be rather over the top. Ruolan tends to get ahead of herself when it comes to ideas, yet she enjoys the grandiose spectacles that the circus has to offer. Aside from the overflowing eagerness, Ruolan isn't afraid to try new things, and can be very creative and innovative. Despite the "ready for adventure" attitude, she's often haunted by self-doubt and somewhat of a lack of confidence. As the eldest sibling, she feels like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders, even if she'll never inherit the family business, because she isn't male. Even so, she feels at home when she's performing and never wanted to leave the entertainment business. And, in a way, she didn't. When she met her significant other during the circus's tour eastward, she found ways that she could still entertain an audience without having to worry about staying with her family until she was an old maid. After her marriage, she left her family and took residence in the Eastern Islands of Xing, where she assisted with founding an art school, and became the main instructor for the performing arts department

Qiang Li   (23)   -

Somewhat of the "Black Sheep" of her sisters, Qiang takes after her father when it comes to personality. She's very no-nonsense and stoic, but she won't hesitate to snap an be assertive when necessary. Like her mother, she's very detail oriented; mainly when it comes to fashion and design. So, she assists her aunt with the wardrobe department of the circus and designs different outfits that are uniquely tailored to each member of the circus. Depending on the performance and it's choreography, she doesn't hesitate to add her own flair that will help the outfit, as well as the performer, stand out during their acts. This affinity with design helped her with settling down in the southern area of Xing with her spouse, a middle-class tailor, who creates formal attire in his place of work. Even after taking up remedial housewife duties, as well as taking care of her two children, Qiang will still visit her family when they are in the south side of Xing--even bringing her family and young ones to the shows.

Jun Li   (20)   -

After her elder sisters left the family to pursue the start of their own family with their spouses, Jun became the female head of the Li family and took over the roles as the head that her mother once held. Like her mother, Jun is detail-oriented, but not as creative or "right-brained". Instead, she's very tidy and prefers structure and scheduling; making sure everything is accounted for--inventory stocked and whatnot--, programs are run on time, and each member is set, dressed, and ready to go out and perform when their act is next. She's very flexible, both figuratively speaking as well as literally, and has a solo act in the circus as a aerial ribbon dancer; while performing, she's able to escape her busy (and somewhat uptight) mind and let her choreographed movements flow naturally and gracefully. With the young ones, especially her younger sister, Jun is very motherly and gentle; however, she can turn into a vicious "Mama Bear" at the drop of a hat, especially, again, when it concerns her younger sister. The two weren't always so close of course. When Jun was in her early teen years (around 14), she was the epitome of "rebellious teenager". So much so that her natural affinity and talent with Alkehestry led her to disband from her family and pursue servitude under the feared Lin Clan. With her skills, she became the main servant to the eldest son of the main Lin family, Kyon, and developed a close relationship with him; one that the two would keep secret (despite the taboo of servant-master relationship) until Kyon's premature demise during the "War Between the Clans". From her time spent with the Lin Clan, and getting close to the youngest son of the main family line, Shang, Jun started to see the value in family more--seeing how the shady uncaring world of the fierce Lin clan was a stark contrast to the tight-knit closeness of her own family that she had pushed aside. With Kyon gone, Jun was relieved of her duties and returned home, only to discover that she was carrying the child of her late master. Not wanting the child to be taken by the Lin, the rightful family, and put to suffer a miserable life within the clan, Jun kept her pregnancy a secret and gave her child her surname as opposed to his father's. Becoming a young mother as well as taking up the duties that her late mother once held, Jun had to grow up rather fast. But, she was able to adapt to the role rather quick, especially when she came to learn that even the closest of family members and loved ones can be taken away in an instant.

Lian Li   (12)   -