just a little something inspired by @RomanAria's idea of like doing boards based on different stages of life haha
"My skin has turned to porcelain,"
Mai grew up at in a tiny village deep inside the peaks of an imposing mountain range on the southeastern border of Liang. She was raised by her uncle and developed a love for traditional Liangii brush calligraphy and the blue mountain poppies that could be found everywhere. She very much enjoyed painting Liangii fans and parasols by hand as well. Mai grew up with tea and plain wooden bowls filled with rice and simple cotton dresses. Sometimes, she misses her old life so much that it aches, but inside, Mai knows that she can never go back to the simple existence she once led amidst blue poppies and crisp mountain air.
"to ivory,"
Mai had just turned nine when the whirlwind began. Her uncle came out of hiding and went off to gather support for his cause, leaving Mai in the capable hands of a close friend. When the socialist leaders caught wind of this, they tracked down Ming's home in the mountains and burned it down. Mai watched in horror as the only livelihood she had ever known went up in flames, not daring to call attention to herself by crying out. Her uncle eventually heard about this and decided that Mai would be the safest at his side. So from then on Mai was not Mai, but rather Xing Xing, the poor daughter of a farmer, or Yueyin, the wealthy niece of an educated businessman, or a score of other identities that Mai donned like her favorite sweater. And when Ming finally took the throne, Mai continued to play her part, becoming a demure, pliant young girl. During this time of transition, all Mai saw was red, red, red-red blood, red flags, red fires-and the red became as much of a part of her as the black of her hair or the brown of her eyes. Mai slipped into a pair of spiky heels, painted her lips red, and realized that even the most beautiful of roses could have wickedly sharp thorns.
"to steel."
Now, Mai participates in the cutthroat politics and backroom deals that run rampant in Liang as the former members of the various factions that officially dissolved when her uncle took the throne continue to vie for power. Mai has sweetened her tongue and sharpened her bladed fans, masking her rather cynical judgments with innocent smiles and coy glances. On the outside, Mai is still the compliant girl she played during the onset of her uncle's reign, her head supposedly filled with nothing more than thoughts of suitors and dresses and make-up, but on the inside lies a perceptive, analytical strategist, wary and patient. One thing's for sure, though; Mai and her uncle have quite literally clawed their way up to the top, and Mai will not let anyone or anything stand in the way of making Liang as prosperous as it was in the ancient times.
Well anyone that is on polyvore that uses it to create outfits and boards for their characters is welcome to join my group - polyvore.com/cgi/group.show?id=207360 - Figured I would give us a place to hoard all our lovelies
@alexfangtalon I find picking 1 image and building off that works great. Utilizing the color, or theme of the image to search for more stuff to go with it.