Puu...am I tardy? >3<
Yes, yes I am... Anyway, I've cleared it with Kan-chan so for those who were wondering why I suddenly posted in the RP, deal with it! x3
Now I guess I'm back in a sense, since I did promise Kansas I'd post soon, but yeah, w/e. :D Anyway, here's my character's sign-up...
Name: Li "Plum" Meiling
Age: 19
Gender: Female
Morph: Scyther
Appearance: Plum can be described as a tall and pretty young woman, who dresses respectively but also in a manner that flatters her figure. This assumption however, is only partially true. Plum is indeed tall and quite attractive, but her method of dressing herself is another matter. It's true that her usual attire is quite flattering for her figure, but her motives for dressing in such a way only stem from two influences. The first being her respect for her village and its name, and the second reason being her simple desire to look as 'hot' as possible. She also realises that these two reasons that have so much influence over her presentation tend to conflict with one another, but with so little conscience holding her back, she tends to dress however she wants regardless.
Following that, Plum's usual attire consists of a long ceremonial dress resembling a kimono, decorated with detailed patterns across the front, sides and back of the garment. The dress opens up from the neckline and extends across both arms before descending over her chest and across her torso, while leaving her stomach uncovered. The overall presentation of the robe reveals an open 'V' shape across her torso, beginning at her neck and ending at her waist, revealing more skin than her village's dress code would allow. A supporting maroon cummerbund is tied at this point, before allowing the robe to fold down over her legs. From here, the dress reaches just above the middle of her thighs, where the robe is torn all around, leaving her visibly bare from just above her knees and below.
Each sleeve of the robe is extended across both arms and reach just short of her fingertips. The hemline of each arm is layered against the sleeves of her inner dress and comes just short of each hand's palm. The inner dress itself provides a thin undercoat for cushioning against the over dress and for general support on top of her bare skin.
Thin floral patterns decorate the ends of the dress's hemlines and sleeves and are stitched directly into the material. The main body of the dress is of a blood-red colour, while its floral patterns are stitched using thin white thread.
Furthermore, Plum often adorns a pair of wooden Getas to cover her bare feet. She also sports an iron ring on each arm and has made the point of never removing them. Each ring spans 8.5 centimetres wide and are gold in colour.
Plum's physical appearance, below all of her clothing, is much more refined in comparison to her tattered two-year old robe. Her skin is of an olive complexion, but also tanned across her lower legs, forearms and face, due to excessive exposure to sunlight during her training outdoors. This only adds to her so-called 'hot' appearance, but she is more than willing to obtain a full body tone if the opportunity arises. Sporting a well toned and physically healthy body for a woman her age, Plum is very athletic and quite flexible, and does little to hide it.
In addition to this, several irregularities have also become apparent in her appearance after her joining the PokeMorph Liberation Force. Out of the numerous subjects selected for the project, she proved to be one or the more unique specimens, her results displaying minimal physical side effects, from which only three were deemed significant enough to classify her as a 'PokeMorph'. Such results were most likely caused by her premature release from the experiment when severe signs of physical and mental stress became apparent. That wasn't to say the experiment wasn't a success however, as in the end, she had definitely fused with her partnered Pokemon, but there were some...unexpected differences in her predicted outcome.
Specifically, the number of physical side effects may have been small in number, but their actual effects were far from it, extending to the point of unpredictable proportions. The first proved to be the most noticable in terms of appearance. Two extensions on each arm protruded from the ends of her elbows in the form of an arc that curled around her forearms and ended at a point almost a metre in front of her hands. Resembling the blade of a scythe, each protrusion despite being thin in size, was surprisingly heavy. They were both made from bone, explaining their texture and mass and not to mention the fact that they were growing out of her elbows. These extra additions did little to support her use of a sword but they did prove to be useful subsitutes nonetheless.
The second ill-effect caused by the experiment directly affected her skeletal structure and although it was noticable in its own right, it remained hidden beneath her robe unless otherwise exposed. Two protrusions that connected to the top of her spine rose from above each of her shoulder blades in the shape of an arc, providing the frame for her pair of two-fanned bug-like wings. The actual wings themselves resembled a similar texture to that of a bee and along with being annoyingly fragile, her nervous system had also been integrated into its patented design, making them uncomfortably sensitive. As a result and because of her instinctive recklessness, she would often damage her them, causing much physical and mental stress to herself and her partner. Thus, the solution to tape the wings onto her back was decided, to prevent any further self harm until she was able to utilise them properly. Typically, her newly acquired wings were now proving to be more of hindrance than an asset.
The third and final alteration affected her face but didn't prove to be as noticable as her other transformations. Specifically, her mouth had undergone another skeletal change, where each of her thirty-two teeth sharpened to a point, giving her an animal-like smile. Each fang had become perfectly proportioned to another, allowing her bottom and upper jaw to close together with little space in between, a perfect fit. Her bite was definitely worse than her bark now, and her bark was something fierce.
Of course, aside from all of these rather distinct side effects, the rest of her was more or less the same.
Finishing off her rebel samurai look, her long, sharp and rugged hair is her most treasured and often praised asset. Despite its roughness, the sheer length, volume and condition of her hair is quite a feat for someone who had spent the majority of her life roughing it outdoors and under the sun everyday. Grooming it proves to be difficult and more often than not, Plum leaves it as it is. Dark brown in colour, the forefront of her hair details her fringe in spiked clumps, while remaining almost circular over her back. The ends of her hair reach just below her waistline, but are often tied into a short explosive ponytail, in order to reduce the amount of flailing it may induce during rigorous activities.
Personality: Plum is more or less an irrational and physically abusive teenager, who acts instinctively and on impulse, while throwing out any form of logical thinking. She's extremely boisterous and will speak her mind regardless of the consequences, which can compromise her own and others' safety. Sarcasm and cursing are also the common mannerisms she adopts in her rather limited vocabulary and oral abilities. The effect she seems to have when using such mannerisms however, have proven quiet effective in intimidating and putting down others, both common pastimes in her short nineteen years of life. Amongst her clan her behaviour is extremely uncommon and is more often than not looked down upon. Despite this, her reputation is regarded quite highly due to certain individual characteristics and this only provokes her boorish attitude.
Following the samurai code of ethics, Plum is able to compose herself temporarily, but has many personal conflicts in relation to the discipline. The reason as to why she has been able to subdue herself for as long as she has, is solely due to her strict upbringing, where her exponential energy was restrained the best it could be at that time. This did little to suppress her unique and individual attitude, but allowed her to become much stronger mentally, as well as physically.
Stemming from this, in rare moments of curiosity and need, Plum is prone to become very suddenly 'familiar' with those around her. She has developed a technique of being able to use herself, often physically, to befriend those she wishes to make contact with. Whether her intentions stem solely from personal motives or genuine friendship is largely unknown.
With that, Plum grew into a very intimidating, domineering and self-absorbed teenage girl. She had also been the one who had given herself the nickname; Plum, after learning the meaning behind her given name. In line with her brash, upfront and arbitrary personality, she still follows the strict rulings and ethics of the samurai. Of course, she also incorporates her own ideals into such a discipline, thus allowing her to continue living without guilt.
PLF's experiment had managed to subdue her a little but her initial boisterous attitude remained ever vigilent, even through her fused partner's persona. Growing up alongside her, he had always been the more disciplined of the two, even though their skill, despite differing in style, were almost equal in level. They were great partners but even better rivals, so it was only natural that their combined personalities would conflict. Even so, she did gain some advantageous traits from her Scyther counterpart, such as enhanced concentration, patience and animal-like instincts. Of course, these were only accessible to her when she was either in a pinch or whenever he felt like aiding her, other than that she was on her own.
Background: Plum, despite being of Hoenn descent, was raised in a traditional samurai village in the midst of Johto. The village was located far north of Ecruteak and adopted many of their neighbouring town's customs. Because of this, her village prospered in a life of simplicity and tradition, promoting a humble yet strict upbringing.
For Plum however, the introduction of the modern world through her learning of Johto's other cities and towns, only provoked her young mind into thinking of living a life much more complex and exciting than what she was accustomed to. With such knowledge, she began going against the way of her village's customs and promoted a more modern way of living, taking examples from Goldenrod and Olivine respectively. From this, her personality began to grow much more undisciplined as her modernised way of thinking was constantly rejected by her family and village. Thus, in an effort to remedy her abrupt mood swings and mental stability, her parents inquired that she undergo strict samurai training, to help mould her 'devil's mind', as they so aptly named it. For to train as a samurai was one of the most gruelling and difficult trials a member of the village could be put through, but with determination and hard work, the result would be more than rewarding.
Plum was of course, defiant against her parents' wishes and immediately revolted, taking every opportunity she had to degrade her village's customs and promote a more modernised way of life. However, her brash attitude had insulted the village for the last time and she was forcibly taken into the village's 'educational' program.
She spent the first two weeks of her time being 'educated' making attempts to escape the confines of her training. Each attempt proved fruitless and only served as another cause for more punishment. Adapting to such a scenario, Plum decided to go along with the program as quickly as she could, in an effort to being allowed to leave as soon as possible. This however, also proved to be ineffective due to her constant examinations where she failed miserably every time, and this was only because she had rushed through her lessons without learning a thing. Thus, after six failed weeks of training and escape attempts, Plum came to the inevitable decision of actually taking it seriously. Physically and mentally exhausted and knowing full well she would never be able to return home without passing, she once again began her long and arduous samurai training.
For the next nine years, Plum continued to practice as an intermediate samurai who quickly became quite skilled in her physical abilities, but was less than impressive academically. Unable to concentrate long enough in order to process scenarios logically and strategically, she taught herself to rely solely on her instincts and became accustomed to the secret art of improvisation. She was further motivated by her growing partnership and rivalry with one of the village's farming Pokemon; a Scyther that had strayed away from simply harvesting crops to training itself in combat by watching and learning. During this time, she still held her initial beliefs in modernising the village's customs, but now held much more respect for its traditions. In spite of this however, her attitude remained almost exactly the same from when she had started nine years prior, but was able to subdue it to an extent in accordance to the application of the samurai code of ethics.
Soon after, through proving her worth as a semi-capable samurai she was finally given permission to return home. Upon her arrival and much to her bemusement, she discovered that her parents had enlisted her into Azalea Town's recruitment force, an agency that was scouting out young, capable and loyal trainers to support the Gym Leaders' cause. In her case; Bugsy.
Being castaway for nine years, Plum found herself very out of touch with what Johto and the other regions had become. For reasons still unknown, these apparent leaders had begun using force to rule over their respective townships, all under the guidance of the Elite Four. Of course, there were those who stood up and opposed their once noble and respected oppressors, but there also those who supported them out of fear, loyalty and false hope. These rebels had come to be known as the Pokemon Liberation Force, an organisation bent on bringing the leaders to justice.
In spite of the PLF's efforts however, Plum's village soon fell under Ecruteak City's control and it was then that she realised her parents' previous course of action to transfer her to Azalea Town, had all been to save her. Taking the chance, she fought against the bug enthusiast's stranglehold and managed to escape relatively unharmed. In a further twist of fate, her previous sparring partner from her time spent training as a samurai, the farming Scyther, had also turned against the once peaceful country and decided to aid her quest in fighting against the leaders.
Fleeing the country, there was only one place they could go without drawing attention to themselves; Kanto. Conveniently, the two regions shared the same continent, meaning that traversing from one nation to the other would be relatively easy in terms of keeping a low profile. Taking the Magnet Train however, was out of the question, as was boarding the S.S. Aqua to Vermillion City. Each would draw too much attention to their whereabouts, seeing as how she had made quite the commotion in defying Bugsy and was sure that they were now being actively pursued. With only one option left, the two proceeded to Kanto on foot.
During this time was when Plum encountered the PLF directly and inevitably became a member, although reluctantly and after much negotiation. Her motive for joining forces was simple; to save her family and village and to stop those responsible for endangering them. The PLF had promised to provide her with the necessary measures to do so as long as she agreed to cooperate with them in eradicating the Gym Leaders' forces. If there was ever a time for her to show off the fruits of her nine years of labour, it was now.
Attacks:
- Quick Attack
- X-scissor
- Swords Dance
- Fury Cutter
Ability: As a result of her morph, Plum picked up an unusual ability from her partner; Swarm. It was a simple instinctive reflex that occured when she began to lose stamina. The lower it fell, the stronger she would become, but only up to a certain point and under a certain condition. Specifically speaking, her strength would increase to 1.5 of her original capacity but only while utilising her natural alignment, in other words; Bug-type moves.
Additional Information:
- Plum is dominantly right-handed but has little to no use for her left arm during battle, aside from supporting her right or acting as a shield, an obvious weakness that can be exploited by any intelligent enemy.
- After returning home, she was presented with a sword carved from bamboo as a congratulatory present for all her hard work. Such a gift was given in place of a tradional samurai katana after her method of fighting was deemed too reckless and endangering to be given a real weapon.
- One of the unmentioned yet fairly obvious side effects of Plum's experiment was the failure to develop a fully synchronised mental link between her and her partner, mostly due to her less than adequate intellect. This didn't prove to be a very serious problem for her, but it did often put her on the spot when her two minds would conflict over an issue and thus cause her to start arguments with herself, in which others may mistake for her in being mentally handicapped.
- Her partnered Pokemon was the once farming Scyther who had taught itself how to fight through watching and learning. She soon found out that this Scyther, who had ventured from its home every week to witness her samurai training, belonged to Azalea Town's Gym Leader; Bugsy. During their abrupt reunion under the new leader's reign, the two fled together and joined the PLF. Several pursuits have been organised to apprehend the two under Bugsy's command, deeming her as a traitor and the one responsible for kidnapping his Pokemon.
Oh, and for those who couldn't be bothered reading that whole intro post in the RP, d/w about it. Plum hasn't joined the group yet, it was just some background info that I thought would be a nice read for those who were really, really, really bored. C:
