Jin Xiaolan
ohdeardeer
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- 3 months, 27 days ago
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- ohdeardeer
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Jin Xiaolan
little golden orchid
history
Jin Xiaolan think about his childhood much.
Or, at least, he doesn't like to think of the parts before Madamn Ying and the ladies of the Crimson Fox Pavilion plucked him off the streets to wipe tables and light incense. If pressed, he may say he was around eight, a small and quick thing. Small, quick, and smart. He used to practice music by listening to the songs the hired bard would play to entertain front-of-house patrons. Madamn Ying liked him for that. It made him happy that it impressed her.
Jin Xiaolan loved playing music. He loved the way it made the pavilion's ladies croon over him, pinching his cheeks and secreting him extra sweets. He loved the way it drifted into the night air, drawing in people and fillling the sitting room with eager ears and stories from far and near. He loved the way it made people feel. How he could make them happy, sad, or lost in thought with a simple song.
He was gifted naturally, but years of practicing his musical talents at the Crimson Fox Pavilion didn't hurt. As he got older, he went from busboy to bard to a proper worker of the brothel. He enjoyed his work, after all, it was just another way of making people happy. Jin Xiaolan never lost his love for song however. And Jin Xiaolan holds a sneaking suspition it was music over company that drew the attention of the local lord Jiahao-jun and caused him to bring him into his household as an official concubine, though probably not by much.
His life there was mostly cushy, but a postion in court (no matter how small) always comes with drama. For Jin Xiaolan, the drama was life changing indeed. A terrifying encounter with a visitor of the lord's spelled disaster for Jin Xiaolan, as the plea for self defense doesn't really hold weight when you aren't legally recognised as your own person!
Now Jin Xiaolan has fled, for he knows that both his lord and the man's family will definitely kill him in retribution for what he's done if they catch him.
"May this humble one play a song?"
design notes
- The dots under his eyes aren't optional!
- He almost always wears his hair in a crown, though it can be simple (it doesn't always need a ribbon)
- He tends to wear at least three layers, a high-necked underlayer, robe (this one most often patterned), and an outer robe. (feel free to put him in more lol)
- He likes wide sleeves and only wears tight ones if necessary.
- He can be drawn with a veil, he often wears one on his travels.
- His favorite color is orange, and he wears a lot of autumnal palettes. (and things with tigers! he likes tigers)
// LAWFUL NEUTRAL // YEAR OF THE TIGER // EARTH
Those who don't know Jin Xiaolan all that well would say that he's mysterious and flirty, and well, he is indeed those things.
But he isn't those things for perhaps the reasons folks think. And he's much more than just the outgoing bard. He's an anxious wreck, for example! Jin Xiaolan has survived this long by appearing much more confident than he truly feels. For some, confidence manifests as a boistrious personality, as taking risks, as being loud and bright and taking up space. For Jin Xiaolan, it manifests as quiet reassurane, as being skilled and relaxed in those abilities. For him, confidence is tranquility and peace. He strives to feel that confidence as fully as he pretends to, to enjoy the quiet to its fullest extent knowing that the stress is gone. And hopefully, one day, it will be.
personality
