v.5.0: 臥茶葉 藏咖啡豆 (Café Wuxia)

[Kooriryu]

臥茶葉 藏咖啡豆​

Café Wuxia​

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It's an alternate universe 17th century China. Revered martial codes of battle, philosophy and honor co-exist with manuals on do-it-yourself delivery scooter repair. It is a prosperous time all over the country, fishermen fish and the wet markets are bustling with the freshest produce and finicky customers. Trade between neighboring and somewhat distant countries is known however the average citizen has never met someone outside their prefecture. New inventions and improvements on old technology are experiencing a surge amongst the population especially in urban areas, many speculate on how this technology wave started and sustained itself.
What few seem to take into account is the introduction of a special drink brought to the land that has taken over the national drink of choice and transformed tea houses in cities across the country.

In Wumen province, the hustle of nearby cities pass by quietly in the rural town, Hudong. Some urbanites favor this place for their vacations from their hectic lives in the city for its tranquil atmosphere, quaint tourist spots, and friendly citizens. As much as city folk like to take their breaks in Hudong, the town itself is relatively untouched and unimpressed by the developments of the city-- many natives are happy to bicycle to work and for the more elderly it's not uncommon to see them use scooters, loaded down with equipment, products or even other co-workers. Many of the shops are as old as Hudong itself having been passed down in ownership from mothers and fathers to sons and daughters. Though Hudong is rather large for a town, its citizens are so tight-knit that some families are related by friendship or debts or are otherwise intertwined for mutual benefit that span across generations.

Tea houses are very popular, not only throughout Hudong but also surrounding provinces and beyond. In the cities, tea houses are disappearing at an alarming rate, something that the people of Hudong and similar provinces tsk and shake their heads at. The most popular tea house in Hudong, the Eight Lucky Sparrows is celebrating its 208th birthday in the coming weeks. The establishment's birthday also marks the beginning of the tourist season.

However, something unusual has been coming up as the tourists from the cities begin to flood in. In tea houses across Hudong, the tourists are asking for a strange drink no one is familiar with. They say the drink came from Indonesia and that all the well-cultured people are drinking it. As word about Hudong's lack of this drink spreads amongst the tourists, the tea houses tourists visit aren't faring as well without it.

In the year following this tourist season, the drink that had confused Hudong has begun to find its way into the smaller tea houses, turning them into something many of the old residents don't approve of, taking it as an affront to Hudong's reputation as a historical and national tea house landmark. The youth are split down the middle about it, traditionally-minded youth and youth enamored of modernizing Hudong to make it into the next hottest city to visit in all of China.

As time goes on, these transformed tea houses are disappearing entirely. A franchise from the neighboring city has been sending scouts into Hudong and buying out the local tea houses. Only a few of the oldest standing tea houses remain and unknown to the people of Hudong, the Eight Lucky Sparrows is next in the franchise's sights...

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In this game, you'll be playing as a part of the faction that wants to preserve Hudong's traditional and historical value or the faction that wants desperately to save the town by modernizing it and make it appealing to tourists again. The introduction of this franchise's stores has shoved Hudong into a buzzing hive of in-fighting and street arguments. It is almost literally tearing the town apart as epic kung fu battles ensue over this changing of the town's age-old identity.

Friendships spanning generations are crumbling.

Lines are being drawn, separating lovers.

Espionage, betrayals, coups and rallies are firing up the blood of the town's youth!




All over a cup of coffee.


For Hudong's survival: Pick your side.




Artwork done by imperial boy http://tksn.sakura.ne.jp/

 

[Kooriryu]

Welcome to the whirling, whooshing and wacky world of wuxia. This is your OOC thread and all questions about this game are to be posted in here.

The Game

The game is primarily about the rivalry between the hip, new franchise and the old, established tea houses, namely the Eight Lucky Sparrows. It is an action, romance and comedy roleplay for those who love wuxia and for those who enjoy a good laugh, a tearjerking romance, and an epic fight scene all in one game. You are not required to have an in-depth knowledge of the wuxia genre but if you are familiar with the following movies:

- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- Kung-fu Hustle
- House of Flying Daggers
- GALLANTS
- Shaolin Soccer
- Curse of the Golden Flower

If you've seen or heard of or watched the trailers for this movie, you will already have a grasp about the wuxia aspect of this game. The two factions previously mentioned will be restricted to two, not counting the neutral party at the beginning, should another faction develop organically through player-and-player interaction it will be allowed through my approval. Any relationships you want to established between other player-characters must be discussed with them in here. This is going to be a player-driven game, the GM will set up events in the game and future events will be dictated by how players react.

Wuxia Element
Wuxia is a genre of Chinese literature and film. It heavily emphasizes codes of honor both on and off the battlefield, philosophy and chivalry. If for no other better example, think of it as something similar to Bushido but much more expansive and detailed. While an emphasis on the finer points of fighting is a main part, the philosophical and even romantic aspects of the wuxia genre are not to be dismissed because those too play an important part in the themes represented in wuxia. For the purposes of this game, the wuxia element will be light on drama and geared more towards lighthearted, even slapstick humor.

For those curious or needing a firmer grasp, here is a Wikipedia article on wuxia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuxia Please look forward to the post on resources for further information.


The Factions

Team Teahouse (a.k.a. "Eight Lucky Sparrows"; employees)
Zen
DrPepper

Team Coffeeshop (a.k.a. "Star Lucks"; scouts and buyers)
Kitti
CoffeeCake

Team Baked Goods (a.k.a. "Baobao Bakery"; the neutral party)
Kooriryu

Undecided



People who are interested will be listed as Undecided until they submit their bio to which their names will be switched into one of the corresponding lists above.



The Biography Template

Name:
Wuxia Name:
Employed by:
Age:


Fighting Style & Philosophy:
Here you may reference an actual style of kung-fu like Shaolin Five Animal Style or make up a style of your own like Steaming Marmoset. The fighting philosophy of your character may be serious or it may be comedic, the choice is up to you but it must be related to whichever faction you choose.
An example of a serious philosophy can be, "As one waits for the tea leaves to impart their flavor into the scalding water, so too must one think rationally in the chaos of battle." while similarly a silly philosophy can be read as, "Beginning a fight is just like beginning your day! A hot cup of coffee will energize your senses just as the element of surprise will scare the senses out of your opponent!"

History:
Your history does not need to be intricate unless you want to take the opportunity to do so. The most I ask is that you give me and other players a sense of where your character has come from, what they have done and how they have grown as both a person and kung fu practitioner from it.


Present:
What has your character been up to? Have they been pining for someone? Have they attended any rallies calling for the modernization of Hudong or the resistance of this newfangled drink called coffee? Do they think they need a raise where they're working at? This section is also where you may want to tipoff any other players to developing a particular relation with, do you want to establish a rivalry? An unrequited love? A coup? A protest?

Appearance:
Words describing yourself or an image will do fine for this section.

Character Relation:
Here you would list any relations you would like fellow players to know, if there are relations between yourself and another player(s) you do not want others to know about... don't list them.Example relation note would go like this:

[Character's name] - [Your relation to them; servant/best friend/admirer/etc.]

 

[Kooriryu]

RESOURCES PAGE

Wuxia
Though that wikipedia article may not be enough, here are two more websites to educate oneself on the finer points of the genre.


http://www.heroic-cinema.com/eric/xia.html

http://wuxiapedia.com/About/The-Wuxia-genre/What-is-Wuxia

If you are familiar with kung-fu then writing fight scenes won't be too difficult. For those who are excited more about the fight scenes than getting cheap laughs and turning your character into a lovestruck buffoon then there are details which you should take heed of to fully get the gist of how a typical battle from a wuxia film or book go. For simplicity's sake, there is some hyperbolic dialogue usually about their philosophy on battle or how their style is awesome. The best example I could fathom would be this scene from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon:

If it helps think of it as "wuxia-style trash talk". Now while some of you might be only familiar with films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon that will only help so far as the drama is involved. For an example of what the campy humor we're aiming for in this game is akin to this:

When you get stuck, don't be afraid to be exaggerated. Things like "This kick is the kick that brings the sun to set every day and soon, this kick will set the sun to your life!" That is perfectly acceptable and highly encouraged for this game. To keep the rivalry relevant, in the game you may challenge each other to fights or tests of skill-- while it would be more conventional to challenge someone from the opposite faction, if you have worked out a friendly rivalry with someone on the same side, it is permitted. If you don't know or want to figure out a fun challenge, let me direct you to this clip from Wing Chun:

Now if you feel like writing a funny fight scene might be too troublesome considering the inherently dramatic nature of fighting, then please use this clip from Hero to get a feel for the level of drama you can use. Notice the little things such as when Moon's sword just manages to cut off a lock of Flying Snow's hair.

Wuxia Naming Conventions
Those of you returning to the rerereredux of this game, you already have your wuxia names figured out. Players who are new to this game may have a little trouble getting a handle on how to construct a moderately badass sounding name.

Creating a wuxia name can be formulaic in the sense that it follows certain conventions, namely the common components to such a pseudonym as referenced in the Crouching Tiger, Hidden dragon clip.

These conventions are:
A verb; the most popular verbs used for a wuxia name are "Flying", "Kicking" and "Soaring" etc.

A type of metal or weapon(for men) or a flower or gemstone(for women); most common (and least cumbersome) are iron, gold/golden, sword, peach (blossom/flower), jade and pearl.

A cardinal direction: North, South, East and West

A color; favored colors are white, green/jade, red and black.

An animal or insect; the most popular being tiger, monkey, eagle, leopard, sparrow, dog, rabbit, crane, mantis, beetle, dragonfly... or panda if you want to be silly about it.

A body part (usually of animals but also humans); popular choices include, fist, arm, leg, fang, eye, paw and claw.

A surname; common surnames being Li/Lee, Chan/Chun, Min, Ma or Wu. Here is a link if you want to see more, click on the hanzi (or for some of you the boxes) on the left side of the surnames to see what they mean: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_Chinese_surnames

Now at most you would combine three of these naming conventions but commonly it is just two.

Examples of a three-convention name would be "Iron Arm Mi", or "Heavy Paw Jiang". Two-convention names are ones we're more familiar with and can be quite catch, examples of this would be: "Southern Crane"*, "Shining Pearl", and "Stone Monkey". Don't let my list restrain you because while there is drama in the game there is also comedy. It is perfectly acceptable to be called "Sleeping Panda" or "Steaming Leaf" or "Roasted Beanbun". You're allowed to make a serious wuxia name or a silly one or a masculine or feminine one-- it all depends on the character you want to create for this game.

If nothing you create sounds good to you, there's this failsafe: http://wotg.raventower.com/

Chinese name

Speaking of naming conventions, now we move onto regular Chinese naming conventions. Considering some are unfamiliar with how a Chinese name is put together and are afraid of accidentally creating a name that actually translates as "Bean Curd Shit" it is allowed to name yourself after a famous celebrity. Examples of this would be Ziyi (like Zhang Ziyi), Yao Ming, Yun-fat (like Chow Yun-fat) etc.
If you want to be adventurous and take a stab at making your own name here are some websites to help you begin constructing one. Please note that for the purposes of this name we'll be using Mandarin but if you happen to have a more Cantonese-style name don't worry about it.

http://www.chinesenames.org/chinese-name/girls.htm

http://www.chinesenames.org/chinese-name/boys.htm

http://www.chinese-tools.com/tools/dictionary.html

http://mandarin.about.com/od/chinesenames/a/chinese_names_for_baby_girls.htm

http://mandarin.about.com/od/chinesenames/a/baby_names_for_boys.htm

 

[Kooriryu]

Allegiances
These are the established groups you can choose to align your character with. As previously mentioned, if a new faction develops organically between players, after players bring the prospect to me and it doesn't fuss too much with the game, it will be allowed. An example of this would be, say, one from the tea house and one from the coffee shop try to act as a voice of reason between the two feuding restaurants, chiding and cajoling their fellow employees to join them in unity instead of division.

Eight Lucky Sparrows
This is a very, very, very old tea house in Hudong. As such, it has become part of the circle of treasured landmarks in Hudong. The workers here have deep ties to the presence and value of the house and the town itself. They also share a traditional mindset, taking pride in Hudong's as-of-yet unchanged landscape in the face of the surrounding urban areas. The elderly somewhat outnumber the youth working at the restaurant but the younger people enjoy and bask in its familiarity. The tea house is large enough to have its own small bakery section to create tasty treats to go along with their teas. They still employ some of Baobao Bakery's goods as part of a trade agreement.

Star Lucks
Star Lucks is the intruding business in Hudong. While all of the other tea houses have incorporated the new drink, coffee, into their menus, Star Lucks boasts to have nothing but coffee and coffee-flavored drinks. With the coffee, the business also brings with it the modernized conveniences that have thus far been unused in Hudong. The workers here are open and inviting of the hustle and bustle from the cities, wishing for Hudong to be the next town to be modernized. Their care for upholding Hudong's traditions is low, believing that Hudong is stuck in the past while the future is happening all around them. The city-enamored youth and like-minded adults work here mostly. The scouts have bought out a tea house near Eight Lucky Sparrows and have since cloaked it in scaffolding and tarp covers to start reconstruction. Overseeing managers have come to check on the progress and recruit employees. Their unveiling is scheduled in the coming week.

Baobao Bakery
The bakery is not as old as Eight Lucky Sparrows, but the town's regard for it speaks as kindly of the shop as the tea house. The bakery provides Eight Lucky Sparrows with additional baked goods while the tea house provides the bakery with bags of its tea blends to sell for home brewing as a mutually beneficial business arrangement. As part of the expeditionary team for Star Lucks, the bakery has been approached to request the same arrangement. The bakery's neutral stance of the new coffee shops against the established tea houses is in precarious straits. The workers here are laidback, appreciating Hudong's history and curious of the new drink that has been infiltrating a number of Hudong's tea houses.

 

[Kitti]

Name: Hou Xiulan (侯秀兰)
Wuxia Name: Silver Lotus
Employed by: Star Lucks
Age: 20


Fighting Style & Philosophy:
The power of coffee and the sheer impact of its own strong flavor speaks to Xiulan, whose own presence is sharp and unforgiving, blunt and forceful without malice. She is as rough and unrefined as a pitch black cup of freshly brewed black coffee, with the same honesty and dependability. As the beans cleanse the palate, so does she offer a striking figure that wipes away residual impressions of anyone else.

History:
The third daughter born to a noble man by the name of Hou Qianshi (侯骞仕), her mother was a concubine at the foot of the lord. Both Qianshi's wife and another concubine have born him daughters and both Xiulan's mother and the other concubine were dismissed for their failures. In a difficult time, with little money for food or shelter, Xiulan was determined that no good would come from the route her mother took - attempting to use her female beauty to advance in the world. Instead, Xiulan cut her hair short at a young age and took on odd jobs from the people in the town where she and her mother took up living. None there knew whether she was a boy or a girl, but she was a hard worker with fierce determination.

As she grew older, she routinely got in fights with the other village boys, leaving her with scraped knees and dirty clothing, which shamed her mother. There were many attempts to make her act more ladylike, but all of these failed. The girl had no desire to follow in the failed footsteps of her mother. Though there is a mutual affection between the two, it has been a harsh thing for her mother to accept that her daughter bears her little respect, though Xiulan would never say such a thing outright.

When Xiulan came of age, she chose to reveal herself as a girl, embracing an idea that she could still be a woman and maintain the same blunt ferocity. She let her hair grow longer and left the village of her childhood to strike out on her own. As a celebration when she entered town, she paid a tattoo artist most of the money she had saved to ink a dragon across her back, a symbol of the fire she intended to ignite upon whatever she touched. The same day, she entered the Star Lucks and discovered coffee for the first time. She fell in love and took both the tattoo artist and the coffee house as a sign that she had discovered her place.


Present:

Having all but begged for employment in Star Lucks, she's now a proud brewer of the drink and she takes it very seriously. If anyone is caught making a weak cup of coffee on her watch, they'd better be prepared for a serious lecture. The customers who can't appreciate her drink and ask for too much sugar or criticize the harsh flavor of the coffee are not exempt and she's been known to turn away particularly ungrateful customers.

Appearance:

Character Relation:
Here you would list any relations you would like fellow players to know, if there are relations between yourself and another player(s) you do not want others to know about... don't list them.Example relation note would go like this:

[Character's name] - [Your relation to them; servant/best friend/admirer/etc.]

 

[Zen]

Work in Progress


Name: Ip, Phat Mun
Wuxia Name: The Jade Leaf
Employed by: Eight Lucky Sparrows
Age: 45


Fighting Style & Philosophy:
Dancing Leaves

"A leaf twists and turns depending on the force of the wind, and yet it lands on the ground unharmed. This is how you must be in a fight, resilient and strong."

Like brewing his tea, Phat Mun practices his fighting with a sense of elegance and respect. Despite his moves not being hard hitting or fast, he has a tremendous amount of endurance.

History:
A farmer when he was born, Phat Mun found the art of brewing tea when he found tea leaves growing in a solitary patch of dirt. He brewed the tea and shared it among his family and neighbors. All agreed that the tea was heavenly and thus named the brew Amongst the Clouds.

One day, when his home was attacked by bandits - fortunately his wife and children weren't home - Phat Mun took it upon himself to learn martial arts. He learned different forms from the masters who passed through, but found that none of the teachings spoke to him. Then he observed how the leaves danced and floated to the ground and inspiration struck. He hasn't had to defend himself however so heaven knows if he's actually capable of inflicting harm....

Phat Mun now works at Eight Lucky Sparrows, where he has contributed his tea to the list of drinks offered. His family now lives in the quaint town instead of the fields, however some are growing concerned that the coffee shop will drive Phat Mun and his family back to field work.

Phat Mun absolutely hates coffee, literally getting sick when he drinks it.

Present:
Phat Mun has loudly protested the modernization of Hudong and will tell anyone how he feels about it. Sometimes the things he proclaims come off as crazy and insane, but it seems like the people believe him. Although some mutter if he has gone slightly senile... He's begun to work harder at the tea shop, serving customers left and right, and offering them more samples.


Appearance:

Character Relation:
Here you would list any relations you would like fellow players to know, if there are relations between yourself and another player(s) you do not want others to know about... don't list them.Example relation note would go like this:

 

[Kooriryu]

Name: Lin Sasa (林飒飒)
Wuxia Name: (LOL SHIT THE GM CAN'T EVEN SETTLE ON A PSEUDONYM)
Employed by: Baobao Bakery, Proprietor & Pâtissier
Age: 38


Fighting Style & Philosophy:
24 Layers Style is not unlike an 24 layer cake. One must build upon the foundations and cement each mastered level with the ganache of perseverance. When one reaches the zenith, they must coat oneself in the frosted layer of tranquility that will bind all previous layers in unity. Sasa believes that opponents, like preparing the dough for steamed buns, must be made malleable, worked over and subdued.

History:
Sasa started training at the age of 5 in 24 Layers Style. Her beloved uncle took her in while her parents labored in the city. As a baker, he taught her the basics which ultimately led her down the path of a patissier. What Sasa didn't know was her uncle's past as a fist for hire. One day her uncle had caught her experimenting with a ball of dough, seven fillings and the deep fryer simultaneously. Knowing that her schooling would take her far away from his watchful eye, he decided then to teach her his 24 Layers Style. The style consists of the basic movements of kung fu with increasingly intricate gestures that connect the simple movements together into an unstoppable assault on opponents.

While Sasa proved to be an adequate student in her uncle's teachings, her passion for pastries out grew her diligence in her uncle's art. She went off to further schooling with her uncle's blessing. Eventually during a particularly hard semester with an important exam, Sasa had the sudden idea to try using 24 Layers Style in her wedding cake final. She passed and spent the rest of her career at culinary school incorporating 24 Layers Style in her baking.
She came back to her uncle's bakery and completed her training with 24 Layers Style to carry on the Lin family tradition in the hopes of founding her own bakery and birthing children to carry on the practice started by her beloved uncle. She chose Hudong, far enough to give her uncle's business its berth but close enough to visit for holidays and whimsy.

Present:
After completing her culinary training at Lan Se De Fu, Sasa moved to Hudong to open her shop at the age of 26. At first, the residents quite pointedly went past her bakery until one of the Eight Lucky Sparrows' old patrons stepped in and tried a meat bun. Since then business had been steady and Sasa became a well-regarded member of the community. Though her life as far as baking has been fulfilling, at her age she has started looking into passing on 24 Layers Style into the next generation.

Appearance:

via http://photo.mmosite.com/bladeandsoul/picfile/2010-12-09/40xrbw68v4fy47d.shtml

Character Relation: n/a

 

[CoffeeCake]

Weird. I was thinking really hard about how we might restart this all week.
*grumbles*
Tweaked copypasta incoming.

 

[CoffeeCake]

Name:Ma Yan Mei
Wuxia Name:Straw Like(For Her Mobility and Versatility in Combat; "She's all over the place.")
Fallen Straw(Derogatory Nickname from Enemies)
Employed by: Star Lucks
Age: 23
Gender: Female.

Fighting Style & Philosophy:

"Be as a kettle with knowledge, skill and power as your contents. Build them up. And when pushed to tipping, spill perilous excellence!"


Styles



"Wakefulness Boxing" or "Caffeine and Opium Boxing" Syncretic martial disciplines created by monks, soldiers, vagabonds and other narcoleptics to protect themselves even when traveling alone and needing rest. With an internally-focused basis (as in Tai Chi and Ba Gua), it also shows elements of physicality from Ditang Quan, Zui Quan, and a variety of Northern styles.This is especially evident in the "Caffeine and Opium" substyle with its theatrical emphasis on deception, tumbling, and feigning ever-shifting states of awareness.

Ma Family Branch "Dancing Horse Style"-The fruit of a union between an aging Northern Stylist and his accommodating Southern bride, passed down to their sickly son who managed to become one of the most feared fighters in Hebei despite his weak constitution. Yan Mei's family descends from these fighters. The style is noted for its emphasis on shifting in and out of solid, traditionally static stances instantaneously, choosing evasion or resistance as the fighter sees fit.




For weapons fighting she prefers a large "Star Lucks" branded spear, and receives extra commission for every public victory she wins while wielding it. The blade is made of an iron stencil in the shape of a stylized pair of letters "S" and "L" with the company's name in hanzi engraved along the haft. She uses the curves of the letters to trap opponent's weapons and disarm them.

Her style is marked by swift improvisation and powerful nei gong.

History:
She comes from a family of merchants. They were attacked by bandits, but she got her revenge. Unfortunately the last bandit to fall to her skills managed to hit her with a special pressure point-based curse before she died. Straw's heart has moved on, but her body is a bit slower.

Her life fell apart until she met with the Blind Master, Old Peppermint Eyes—famed for his 107 Legendary Disciples. Recognizing her talent, he tried to cure her but could only manage to teach her Caffeine and Opium Style as consolation.*

Since being cursed with a chi-irregularity that would cause her to become narcoleptic, she's sought a cure—seeking out natural and supernatural treatments of every kind and even cultivating lots of nei gong in hopes of simply overpowering or controlling the irregularity. She arguably became a much more skillfull fighter as she could no long rely on her old gimmicks, but the curse would keep her disadvantaged by frequent untimely collapse. Her need to overcome frequent fainting spells and her dwindling old merchant connections led her to Star Lucks. It may not be the perfect cure, but it will do for now.

What she lacks in wakefulness and temperance, she makes up for with determination and quick thinking.

Present:
Down on her luck and more than a little ambitious, to improve her fortunes, she cast's her lot with Star Lucks. Even her condition hasn't completely held her back. But her overleaping ambition might unwittingly paint Star Lucks as the villains some think them to be if not for her frequent fainting.

She is almost always accompanied by a co-worker or ally tasked with dragging her body to safety when she collapses.

Character Relation:
She's sort of a plucky protagonist type who wants to lead Star Lucks to victory while facing outrageous obstacles. If anyone has ideas, let me know.

 

[DrPepper]

Name: Yue Jin
Wuxia Name: Swaying Leaf
Employed by: Eight Lucky Sparrows
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Fighting Style and Philosophy:

The six harmonies: Three External, Three internal...They are easily explained over the life span of a fine tea plant. From the moment the tea sprouts, it must be physically strong in order to stay healthy and fulfill its purpose. It must have strong roots, to hold it's grasp on the ground, yet it must have flexibility as to not break when the wind blows. The joints connecting stem to leaf must be firm, yet they too must be flexible. Should a passerby brush the tea plant, it will not crumble, rather, it will be bent, but not broken. Once the tea is ready for harvest, a tea leaf is dried under the sun, where it sits and hardens, preparing for the next step. Once the leaf is ready, it is boiled in scalding water, imparting its strength and nutrients into the brew. Finally, upon completion, the brew directly reflects how well the tea was raised, dried, cooked, and steeped. Through six harmonies of the tea's existence, one final, magnificent, outcome is created. This is true, too, with the six harmonies of the body. Three external: wrists-ankles, elbows-knees, shoulders-hips...Three internal: xin-yi, yi-qi, qi-Li ("emotional mind" harmonizes with your intention, intention harmonizes with your breath and physical momentum, breath and physical momentum harmonizes with your physical strength)...these six harmonies contribute to perfect posture.

History

Yue began his life in a small town near the Shaolin Monestery. He began training under the Shaolin Monks at a young age, learning how to harmonize his mind with his body through martial arts. The six harmonies became his life. As a child, Yue wanted to become a famous general. Those ambitions, were what led him to study the martial arts. At the age of eighteen, however, Yue had grown to enjoy martial arts so much, that he decided continue studying with the monks, rather than join to the military. Tewlve years later, Yue had mastered what he could at the monastery, and it was time for him to spread his learning around. Yue set out, hoping to start a school of the martial arts of his own...sadly, this never happened.

For the past four years, Yue has been wandering the country seeking to spread his martial art. He even ventured so far as over seas, to Japan, but he always preferred his homeland. He would take odd jobs to earn money. Sometimes these jobs involved his life's training, sometimes they were but menial tasks. Lodging was easy to find during his travels, whether it be under a tree outside of town or in some kind stranger's home. He didn't pay for lodging when the country was so beautiful. No, his earnings always went towards food and especially tea.

Yue was quite the tea enthusiast. He loved tea, almost more than his martial art. He felt that hot tea was the most soothing and relaxing experience enjoyed while sitting idle. The nutrients from the tea helped keep his body healthy and strong, the warmth soothed his soul, and the perfectly bitter taste delighted his taste buds. What was there not to love?

Yue frequented tea houses in a numerous of towns he visited, but as time went on, it seemed that these tea houses were becoming more and more rare. One of the last known tea houses that Yue had visited was the Eight Lucky Sparrows tea house in Hudong. The horrid, putrid tasting poison that is "coffee" has gotten its hold on almost every single tea house's throat and suffocated them into submission. Coffee was the drink of murderous demons.

Thinking about the future, Yue sought employment from the Eight Luck Sparrows tea house. He vowed to preserve the tea house and, if it came to it, put his life on the line to prevent the coffee drinking demons from taking over. This tea house became his life.

Present

Yue has been in Hudong for months now, working at the tea house. There is a home only a two minute walk from the Eight Luck Sparrows where Yue Jin resides. Tea is his passion now, and he cannot sit idle by and watch each tea shop wither away and die like a poorly tended to tea plant.

Appearance

uploaded pic

Character Relationships

Yue would be getting to know the patrons and staff of the tea house. He would probably know names and just a little about the staff. If anyone wants to be closer friends with Yue, I'm open to that.


****Recycled but changed a couple things****

 

[CoffeeCake]

Wushu Tropes for the uninspired and undecided.

I have a character image now, I just need the time to upload it.

Also, interested in a doomed romance subplot if anyone is interested. I'll rewrite Straw or make a new character from scratch if necessary. My head is overflowing with ideas.

 

[Kitti]

Coffee, did you break Koori?

 

[CoffeeCake]

*while fumbling with a dustpan and broom*

I didn't do it!