Post by salylimon on Aug 10, 2010 3:12:44 GMT -5
Character Name: Emiliana Guadalupe de León
Gender: Female
Country: Estados Unidos Mexicanos/México
Age: 16 (D.O.B: September 16th)
Student or Teacher?: Student
Grade: Sophomore
Status: The only title she'll give herself is that of
Character Information:
Sexual Orientation: Bi-curious, though she claims 'straight.'
Hobbies: Dancing (folklórico, bachata, cumbia, hip hop - it's all good, though she's been trained in folklórico since she was a wee thing), acoustic guitar, singing, cooking, weaving (if she has the time/interest), horseback riding (the concept of a cowboy originated in Mexico, dontcha know).
Likes: French pastries, rock en español, Lila Downs, Selena, telenovelas, horses, roses, calaveras, Dolores del Río, corridos/rancheras/Mexican music in general, spicy foods, the idea of romance/true love, Korean Dramas (note: they're actually quite popular in Mexico), Native American culture, fútbol, the beach, dusk, tequila (she's, ah, tried it a few times but that's more hush hush than anything), being a mother hen/helping people.
Dislikes: Idiots, cocky bastards, Tex-Mex food/Americanized (Bastardized) Mexican food (i.e. Taco Bell), bland food in general, the cold, having nothing to do, horror movies (which she still watches), el cucuy (d-don't laugh!), people assuming that May 5th is Mexico's Day of Independence, assholes, getting anything lower than an 'A', having people play the hero when she's perfectly capable of taking care of herself.
Physical Appearance/Sense of Style: The poor girl is a bit on the short side, really. While she's developed all the espicy curves she'll ever need, she still hasn't grown past 5'1-5'2 (it changes every time she visits the doctor, so now Emi claims that her body is just trying to mess with her). However, aside from her short stature, one of the main things people tend to notice is her hair because, oh honey, it's damn long. It was actually a bit longer before she moved to the states back in middle school, but she got tired having long hair - though not tired enough to chop it off past her hips. Okay, so she chickened out before the stylist could do much, but you can't blame her!
As for her sense of style, well, when she's dancing folklórico, it's all about the traditional styles of Mexico (though she's particularly fond of the dresses from Veracruz). That aside, when she's not at school, she tends to have a cute/nice and simple sense of style that ranges from the clothing found at Forever 21 or Aida Coronado's collection (which she adores). Oh, flats, boots, and Chucks are her shoes of choice. Especially the boots. When she's at school and sporting the uniform, however, she usually accessories with a rose pinned neatly to her hair, a mess of bracelets (most of which are woven) and a rosary. It's, ahaha, her thing so to speak.
Personality: She's normally a kind and sweet girl - as sweet as the sugar on a churro, really! But if someone happens to have the unfortunate luck of crossing her, Emiliana can get a bit, ah, mean. She'll get quite sarcastic and standoffish if rubbed the wrong way. And if things get really bad or if she's physically harmed, she will retaliate viciously (the girl has a mean left hook). Especially if she's attempting to protect someone she cares about. She has a strong sense of justice and is often rebelling against the status quo/authority for the better good - hence why she's often butted heads with more than just her fellow students. Even so, she's generally always kind to people when they first meet (again, unless they prove themselves to be jerks). Just ignore the fact that she sometimes swears like a sailor - in Spanish and English. Sometimes at the same time. Using code switching to insult someone is, er, kind of her thing.
That aside! Emi's a smart girl and a hard worker. Such a hard worker that she's often overexerted herself to the point of fatigue/quick trips to the hospital. She takes up odd jobs for people when asked, so when she's tired, she tends to nap as much as possible ("It's not a siesta/cultural thing! I'm just tired, idiota!"). So when it comes to school, Emi often busies herself with volunteer work, dance, and staying on top in her studies. But that doesn't mean she doesn't know how to have have a good time. Oh, no no no. Invite her to a party? She'll be there and the first one on the dance floor. Guy or girl, she'll dance with anyone that can keep up.
...and with that, Emi's been known to be a bit of a flirt at times. It's usually never on purpose but she's a bit too touchy-feely that it often appears as though she's hitting on you. Maybe she is, maybe she isn't, it's usually difficult to tell when she's being friendly. And as an end note, Emi can be a bit emotional and easily flustered. Though she often tries to hide that as best as possible (she's failed more than once, of course).
Past of the character:
Emiliana was born in Mexico City to a father of pure-Spanish ancestry from Nuevo León and a mestizo mother from Veracruz. From both sides, she has a large expanse of family spread about Mexico, Guatemala, and Spain. Her family is so extensive that she's often confused cousins for aunts/uncles and friends of the family for cousins. However, in the end, her parent's marriage resulted in a messy divorce which in turn resulted in Emiliana (and her chihuahua, Nene) moving in with her beloved abuelito, a heart surgeon and widower living in Mexico City.
He was well-off enough to support the girl through her studies at a young age, offering her the chance to learn some French. She traveled often with her grandfather (both within Mexico and the United States). This thus prompted Emi into coming across various indigenous communities along with, for instance, German and Asian communities spread about the country. In a sense, this probably played a large role in forming her interest in cultural studies.
However, right as she finishing middle school, her grandfather decided it best to send her to the States to continue her studies. She tried to change his mind, claiming that her English wasn't up to par to study in the U.S., though they both knew that was a horrible lie as, aside from the soft accent, she speaks English well enough. In the end, she wound up adapting. Though, because she's quite family oriented, she often finds herself homesick. Thoughts of horseback riding on her uncle Jesus' ranch, of dancing merengue with her younger cousins, of cooking alongside her great-aunt, or of hearing her grandfather recite indigenous myths are sure ways of making the poor girl emotional.
But even so, she doesn't hate being alone in the states all that much. Not if she's able to busy herself with school, extracurricular activities, and friends.
Roleplay Sample:
Did she want to be here? No, of course not. But she could do this. Emiliana could get through her second year with less trouble than the first - of course she could.
Her English was better, she had established herself as one of the best dancers in the school, and she had been able to avoid getting into any altercations with some of the school's cocky idiots. That in itself was quite a feat. If, that is, she bothered to think about it.
Glancing to the side, Emi shifted uneasily as she absently adjusted the strap of her messenger bag. Another glance and she focused her attention back to the small piece of paper in her hand. Oh, fantastic. She was able to get into the advanced Spanish Language and Literature class. Oh, and advanced history and advanced - oh, she was going to have a stressful year.
Biting her lip and sliding the piece of paper back inside her bag, Emi plopped down on top of a nearby bench. She still had fifteen minutes before homeroom. That was more than enough time to mentally go over her schedule for the year. Let's see, if she stopped volunteering - or at least volunteered once every other week - she'd be able to stay on top of her classes while still being able to continue with dance and drama.
Y-Yeah, she could handle this.
She totally could.
She....just wanted to go home.
OOC Information
Name/Nickname: Stephanie {Steph}
Timezone: GMT -8 hours
MSN/IM: dispensable_angel || piyopii {AIM} - AIM is actually my instant messenger of choice, but I do have Yahoo and MSN, so feel free to prod me about that so I remember to log on. :'D
