art by: me | took for. ever. but i'm really proud of how it turned out! <3
Liang scowling like usual [his resting face], and waiting to go onstage in one of his performance costumes: a red cape with gold embroidery.
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Username: legendari
Name: 章亮 | pīnyīn: zhāng liàng | Liang Zhang [to anglicize a chinese name, the last character is the english first name]
亮 literally means 'bright' [fun fact - i have a cousin whose nickname is 亮亮, or Liang Liang c:]
Gender: male
Gender for breeding purposes: male
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NEW YEAR'S STORY
written by me | 3833 words
Liang walked along a dim-lit alleyway, shoulders slumped. The night was illuminated by only a few flickering, out-of-date streetlamps that bathed the alleyway in an eerie yellow light. In the rich Koi district of China, where aristocrats and the upper class enjoyed baubles and luxuries, dark and unkempt alleyways like this were uncommon, but not altogether rare. They were clustered around the edges of the border, the places that nobody cared enough to look after. His feet dragged along the dirty pavement, and he kicked a piece of rubbish, muttering as he did so.
Earlier that month, he had lost his job as a dancer in the traveling 'Cet Globetrotter circus. The once well-known and vibrant traveling circus, based right in the Koi district of China, famous for being "the best circus in the world!" had closed, due to complaints about mistreatment of animals and monetary corruption scandals. The circus had been the only thing holding his life together - not to mention it was his only source of income, too. Having reached the end of the alleyway, he looked up, startled to find that his feet had carried him to the Cet Globetrotter's main arena.
Scowling darkly, he kicked at a pebble. It rolled, and stopped under a banner that Liang hadn't noticed before. It read:
恭禧发财! [a way to say happy Chinese New Year] and underneath, said: Chinese New Year celebration - carnival and performances, at the Koi Arena! January 27th to February 2nd! 12:00 PM - 2:00 AM every day!
Tickets: 137¥ for 1 viscet admission [137 Chinese yuan = about 20 US dollars]
His scowl deepened. He was sure his face looked like something out of a horror movie, but he didn't care. Thoughts of Chinese New Year brought him back to his past.
Liang's pastLiang was born in China on July 28th, in the middle of a blazing hot summer. He was born into a relatively wealthy, well-to-do family with connections to the Koi Royals. Not aristocrats, but high enough up the social ladder that they could have been if they tried hard enough. Like all the other visclings in China, he was encouraged to work hard, and his family stressed the importance of a good education. Although his parents tried to persuade him into working harder academically, it was never in him. At age 5, he was sent off to boarding school without so much as a goodbye - just a chaste kiss on the cheek, and a pat on the head before he was shipped off. He found school boring and tedious, and he could never quite sit still. He was always itching to just
do something. To run, to jump, to just move in whatever way possible - anything but sit still and learn about mathematics, biology, and history...
His best friend,
Cadence, was the same way. One day during a particularly boring Chinese history class, he was just itching to get out of his seat. Last night, he and Cadence had planned to ditch school, and wander around town. He glanced at the clock: 1:21 PM. School went until 6 PM, so he would slip back in his seat just in time for his last class.
He raised his hand. "我可以去卫生间吗?" [may i go to the bathroom?]
The professor looked up from his desk, as did the 48 other students in his class. "快点," he snapped. [hurry up.]
Yes! It had worked. He nodded, bowed his head for half a second, and was out of the class before the professor had time to utter another word.
In mathematics class 209, the same thing happened. At precisely 1:21 PM, Cadence raised her hand and asked to be excused from class. The two met up outside in front of the school, heaving and breathless from their escape from the school.
"Yes!" Liang cheered. "We did it! Professor's so dumb...he should have known we were escaping."
Cadence snickered, clearly pleased with herself. "Where should we go?"
"Uh...no idea," Liang responded. Now that they had done it, their mission seemed a lot less grand. They hadn't though this through enough.
They ended up running around town, knocking over vendors' stands and causing general pandemonium. When at last they stopped, winded, they looked up to find a small but well-kept building. It read: "Ming's Dance Studio - enrollment open."
"Yuck! Only losers do dance!" Cadence jeered, laughing loudly. "Whoever does that would be a real sucker, right Liang? Liang?"
But Liang wasn't listening.Cadence's voice had long faded into the distance, as he stared up at the building. He felt as if he had come home.
From then on, Liang always snuck out of school for a few hours to attend dance classes, and a few hours again after classes ended for the day. Cadence had since distanced herself from Liang, calling him a "barbie girly girl," but Liang didn't care. Dancing was his calling; his natural proclivity towards it made him all the better. He started with ballet, and gradually branched out to traditional Chinese dancing, modern pop, acrobatics, and more. Over the years, he climbed the ranks and rose to the top amongst the dancers. One day, he was freestyling alone in the back practice room; headphones in and dead to the rest of the world. He turned to do a pirouette, when the door burst open.
"Liang! Liang! Guess what?!" Liang's dance partner,
Everance squealed, while hopping up and down. She clutched a thick packet in her hands.
Liang groaned, yanking off his headphones irritably. "What? What's so important that you had to interrupt me while I was in the middle of a dance - a
perfect dance, might I add? You just killed my muse," he growled.
"Chill, tiger, geez...you were offered a gig!" she squealed again.
A gig?
Liang had never been offered a gig before. He never thought he was qualified enough - a notable flaw of his. He was always trying to find things wrong with himself. But a gig? Why? How? What? His thoughts were a whirling maelstrom as he replied: "What is it? Actually, no. Start with how first. Wait, scratch that - just - tell me everything!" he bit out excitedly.
"Okay, okay, okay. Here goes," Everance said, rubbing her hands together as if she was about to reveal a master plan. "So, I was out front at the desk, managing the studio and such, you know, like I do sometimes. I was teaching a group class, but it was really small, like only a few 'cets. Then this super macho dude with the coolest hair and tats comes up, and he goes, 'I have a gig to offer to your best dancer. Ming's Dance Studio has the best dancers in the Koi District, and I am here with a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity--'"
"A one-in-a-lifetime opportunity? This better be good," Liang interjected, laughing a little, the excitement still bubbling inside of him. "Go on," he gestured.
Everance huffed at him before continuing. "So, naturally, I was curious. Duh. That's a given. So I'm like, trying to match his sophistication, 'What is your offer?' He goes, 'I am offering an opportunity to join the 'Cet Globetrotter Circus.' So," she said, getting excited again, "I literally start feeling dizzy and I think I blacked out for like a second or two. So once I'm all good, I'm like, 'Are you SERIOUS? Like for real? Like the best circus of all time real?' and he says yes, and hands me this thick packet--" she holds up the packet - "and reminds me that it's for the best dancer only, and well, I went straight to you, obvi. You're the best one here," she gushed. "I haven't read the packet, but it seems really legit. Here," she shoved the packet at Liang, who was standing completely still. "Are you alright?"
The 'Cet Globetrotter circus? The heck? There was no way. He took the packet anyway, still speechless, and rifled through the pages quickly. It was the usual; contracts, release forms, salary, propaganda, pictures...When he finished, he had decided. It had always been his dream to be a professional dancer, and now, it seemed that a reality was piecing together quickly before his eyes. "I'm taking it," he told Everance firmly.
The next day, he was out front at the desk, when a viscet - presumably the same one that had confronted Everance yesterday - barged in. He asked Liang, "Where's the girl?"
"Oh, hi! I mean, yes! She's in the back, I can get her if you like? Or..." Liang said, tripping over his words. He fidgeted nervously.
He held up a paw, effectively cutting his rambling off with a grin. "No need," he said. "Are you the best dancer here?"
Liang blanched. What was he supposed to say? What was the appropriate thing to do? "Er, yes? I mean, I got the form and everything..." he trailed off. He had spent the time from 6:00 PM, when he got home, to 2:00 AM scouring every single word in the packet, and signing every blank. He pulled out the form and held it out questioningly.
"Ah," the viscet muttered, taking the packet. "Congratulations, you're employed by the circus. Practices are on Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 6 in the morning to 6 in the evening, at the Koi Arena. You meet the crew at the next practice on Wednesday, so prepare. You'll mainly be doing Chinese traditional dancing, and the occasional acrobatics and ropework," he said, all in one breath, so Liang barely caught it all. "Don't be late." He nodded his head at Liang, and before he had a chance to reply, dashed out the door.
Liang stood at the front desk, completely still.
I'm going to be in the best circus in all of China!Wednesday came quickly. A piercing ring broke the silence of Liang's apartment bedroom. He groaned, and slapped around blindly for his alarm clock. "dang mornings," he grumbled. Then the thought hit him: the circus!
As if he had been zapped by lightning, he threw the covers back and scrambled out of bed with a fresh urgency. There was no way in heck that he would dare be late on his first day of the circus. Cursing under his breath, he grabbed the outfit he had carefully set out the night before, nearly crumpling it in his haste. He ran to his bathroom and frantically brushed his teeth, while running a fine-toothed comb through his hair and tail drapes, and styling his hair into his signature perfect quiff - not a hair could be out of place. He yanked his clothes on - still careful not to wrinkle them, though, and fluffed his tail out.
After he finished gelling and spraying everything into place, he paused and examined himself in the cracked mirror, as he had done countless times before. A million thoughts ran through his head.
Do I look like I belong in a world-famous circus? Heck, forget what I look like, do I belong in one? Am I good enough? Am I ever good enough for anything at all? The viscet who gave Everance the packet hadn't questioned his talent. What if I mess up in front of everyone? What if I forget how to dance? Oh god, that would be terrible! What if...?Oh, just stop it, Liang! he berated himself. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. In...out...He sent a quick prayer up to the yellow dragon king [黄龙, or pinying: Huánglóng, which literally translates to yellow dragon]: please give me strength and balance. And with that, he grabbed a backpack and rushed out the door.
Traffic was nonexistent, so he reached the Koi Arena in no time. It was 5:30 AM when he arrived, so the city was just waking up. Timid birdsongs and a sunrise filled the sky, and for a moment, he forgot about his current situation. Shaking his head and wringing his hands nervously, he scuttled to the building.
Inside, he glanced around. The place was
huge. A red and gold carpeted floor wound around what he assumed to be the arena, with doors along the hallways left and right. He nervously pulled the door open, and walked into the main arena. The ceiling was high, and ribbons of silk, hoops, and other mechanisms hung from the ceiling. Equipment was meticulously organized on one gigantic wall, and different backdrops and decorations were piled on the floor off to the side. Cages with - were those tigers? - lined the walls. Two large but well-hidden doors were marked "dressing rooms" and "costume storage," respectively. He felt he had come home.
Fidgeting nervously, he raked a hand through his hair, belatedly remembering that he had styled it in the morning.
Oh, crap! He was trying to push it back into place, when a deep voice startled him. He turned around quickly, snapping his hands to his sides.
"Hey, Liang! Welcome to the arena," a viscet said; it was the same viscet who visited him at the dance studio. "My names' Marcel, and the others should be arriving in a moment."
"Oh, hi! Nice to see you again," Liang said, smiling brightly.
Don't panic, don't panic, be cool, he reminded himself. "The arena's beautiful, I'm so excited!"
Marcel nodded. He opened his mouth to say something, when what looked like to be the rest of the circus walked in, chattering amongst themselves. Marcel clapped his hands.
"Everyone! We have a newcomer! Meet Liang - he's the best dancer from Ming's." he bellowed.
Everyone turned their heads towards him.
CRAP. This was his worst nightmare. Subtly wiping his hands on his shirt, he waved a hello and said, "Hi!" brightly. He looked at Marcel pleadingly.
HELP.All the viscets went around and introduced themselves. They all seemed to be talented and professional, and Liang felt like he paled in comparison. A few of them stepped forward and gave him a hug, so at least he felt welcomed.
"Alright, everyone go to your own stations and practice, I'll be showing Liang the ropes," Marcel smiled at them, clapping Liang on the back. Liang coughed and almost choked. How strong was this guy really?
They dispersed, and Marcel showed him around. He explained all of the stations and equipment to Liang, and showed him inside the dressing and costume rooms. He led Liang over to his station. It was vibrant red, orange, and gold silk banners and ribbons, as well as dragon banners, a few costumes, and a long sheet-ribbon hanging from the ceiling. After explaining their next performance and handing him the choreography, he left Liang to practice on his own.
Liang plopped down on one of the silk sheets, and skimmed through it. He had a solo with the banner, and the rest was group. This was manageable, he sighed, relieved.
At the end of the day, he fell back into his bed in his apartment, groaning. Everything ached, but it had been the best day of his life. Practicing a fresh program and working with a talented group on dancing was right up his alley. Not to mention the pay was pretty good...
He followed a routine for the next few months. Practices and performances were right on schedule. His traditional dances on ground and up on the ribbon were phenomenal. Marcel had become one of his best friends, always providing him with help and advice. The Globetrotters were a traveling circus, so Liang was able to experience new cultures and new sights - he was living his best life.
They planned a trip to america in January for the new year. When the trip came, and they touched down in America, Marcel told him that there was better business, so they would be staying for a few weeks - more than usual. Liang had simply agreed excitedly.
Right before their first performance, Liang decided to call Cadence to see if she was around. Liang knew Cadence had come to America, as well as a few other friends.
Cadence picked up on the first ring. "Hello?"
"Hey, Cadence! It's Liang, I haven't seen you in so long! I'm doing a performance here, do you want to come? It's at the Key Arena at 5, invite a few friends!"
There was a pause. "Oh, you're still doing dance?"
"Yeah! I'm actually part of the Globetrotters," he said proudly.
"That's exciting," said Cadence, not sounding excited at all. Liang thought he heard a snicker in the background, but it could have just been his imagination. "I'll be there early."
"Great, see you there!" exclaimed Liang. If there was one thing that performing had done to him, it was make him less shy.
30 minutes before the performance was due to start, Liang saw a group of viscets mulling around. "Hey! Cadence!" he said, calling out to her.
Cadence turned. "Oh Liang, it's you," she said, gesturing at her entourage to follow. She looked Liang up and down. "Still doing dance? Didn't know you were so into Chinese culture," she said, snickering with the rest of his group.
Liang frowned slightly. "Yeah, since we're based in Koi district, I do some Chinese dancing with ribbons," he said.
Cadence erupted into laughter. "Dance is for sissies! You're a joke, look at you, dressed up like that. Chinese New Year stopped being cool a long time ago," she said menacingly. She stalked away haughtily.
Liang felt hurt. Was this really what Cadence thought now? Dance had always been a major part of his life, and Chinese culture had too. He shook his head, determined to rid his thoughts of such negativity. It would only get in the way of his practicing.
During the performance, when it came time for his scene, Marcel signaled to him and mouthed,
good luck. Liang nodded and ran out onto stage like he always did, holding the red ribbons that trailed out behind him. He began his routine, and climbed onto the silk ribbon hanging from the ceiling. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Cadence and her friends jeering at him.
He lost his balance, and slipped for a second, before grabbing out blindly for the ribbon.
Shoot! No! He had never messed up before! The audience booed and some laughed. His cheeks flamed, and he went through the rest of the performance, but slightly out of sync with the music. At the end, he was walking towards the crew, when a few audience members clapped him on the back. "Nice slip there, buddy," they laughed. To make matters worse, Cadence and her gang walked towards Liang.
"I knew Chinese traditional dancing was embarrassing, but that was just..." she laughed. "See you around, Liang."
Liang rushed towards the group, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. Chinese culture and dancing were what he was, simply put. Was he worth nothing now? He had never felt so much sadness in his life. He couldn't stay here. He launched himself at Marcel, who caught him and patted his back. "You did fine, Liang, we all have our moments," he said.
"I can't. I can't perform. I have to go back," he said, his voice muffled.
Marcel's forehead wrinkled, but he agreed, and they planned a flight for him. At the airport, before Liang had to board, Marcel told him, "We'll still be traveling, so after your break, just call us up, and we'll always welcome you back."
That never happened.
His first week back was disorienting. He couldn't look anywhere without feeling embarrassment.
Maybe I am a failure. Dancing and Chinese culture, what was I thinking? What had been a full bank account with more than enough funds quickly evaporated, and Liang found himself without money and without a zest for life.
He barely had enough to pay rent for his apartment, and would steal, lie, and cheat just to get by. One night, he stared at himself in the cracked mirror in his bathroom - the same one he had stared in countless times. The only difference was that he was a shell of who he had once been.
Back to the presentLiang had stolen 137¥ from passerby on his way back to the Koi Arena. It was 6:00 PM, and the festival's first day had started. While walking around aimlessly a few days prior, he had noticed a large donation box in the corner. That donation box was, by all means, going to be
his.He paid for his ticket, and strolled into the fair. The Chinese lanterns, dragons, and banners lifted his heart, before he scowled and shut those feelings down.
Chinese New Year is so dumb. It's embarrassing to even be seen here. He glimpsed a dancing troupe in the corner, and a familiar sense of longing settled in his heart. Stop it, he told himself.
Towards the end of the night, the donation box had gathered a considerable number of funds. He waited until there weren't any viscets near it, then walked towards it and dropped the rest of his money in. Then, he grabbed the box and hid it under his jacket. He turned around, only to be confronted by a viscet. His heart sunk.
"Sir...that's the donation box. You put it back in three, two, one..." she said, scolding him.
He growled at her and tried to get around her, but she stopped him. "Mister, I don't want to hear it. Put that back or I'm calling your mother," she said.
He quickly put it back. Why wasn't she mad?
She sighed. "My name's Rosie, and if you were one of my kids, I'd make you stand in a corner for an hour on one foot. But, you're not one of my kids, and you look lost," she noted observantly.
Liang couldn't get a word out. "I--"
She held up a paw. "Save it, I don't need an explanation," she said. "You need something...ah, I know. Honey, you need a second chance," she said, smiling at him. She pushed him towards a booth, which read: "The Chinese 'Cet Circus and Dancing Troupe; signups open." He began to protest and politely excuse himself, but she shushed him.
"They're taking beginners of any skill level. Dance and music look like it would do good to you," she said, smiling kindly. "Hurry up and fill out a form now, and I'll take you to see their head organizer." She paused. "Plus, you look like a dancer, you seem familiar, but I just can't place it."
He simply sighed and nodded. She grabbed his elbow, and dragged him to a makeshift stage in the middle of the celebration. She gestured for him to step up onto the stage. She winked at him and gave him a friendly wave.
The music started, and he felt like he had come home again.
PERSONALITY
Liang tends to learn towards the introverted side, which is surprising, considering that on a regular basis, he has performances in front of millions. The showbiz and industry has helped him come out of his shell, learn to accept change, and make new friends more easily, though. He hates to be interrupted during anything that he's doing. Sometimes, he can get a irritated and snappy, but he hasn't a single evil thought in his heart for anybody. And although he can put on a tough exterior sometimes [it can come up as an automatic self-defense mechanism], his intention is never to hurt. He's a meticulous perfectionist - that will never change! Because of this, he tends to notice the smallest changes about others, whether it be a shift in their mood, the sounds of the birds at 5:00 am, a new viscet in town: he enjoys and finds the greatest pleasure not in the big achievements, but in the learning and the small pleasures of life. He can get stressed too easily for his own good, and he's very slow to trust others - he opens up to very few 'cets.
Liang is always able to find things wrong with himself; he's very self-critical. He unconsciously compares himself to others, and no matter how good others are, he always thinks of himself as needing the most improvement. This is negative and positive: He's able to improve and catch onto new skills extremely faster than most, and can fix flaws easily, but it can cause him to feel down. It's not just himself, he's judgemental about everyone and everything. Perhaps a better word would be analytic. He analyzes and takes apart situations and others piece by piece. This makes him good at reading others, so he can adjust his communication methods to their needs. He can read body language, tone, and eyes, and knows when he should back off or push. He's a generally very independent 'cet, and doesn't need or want the interference of others for his success.
His chinese cultural ties are most important to him, so dance and chinese tradition are deeply engraved in his soul. They are the two sole things that make up who he is, and he wakes up every morning [not very well, mind you, he is NOT an early bird!] because of dance and chinese culture. [393 words]
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CHINESE NEW YEARS PICTURES
The dragon was one of the first decorations Liang glimpsed at his first Chinese New Year festival, and he fell in love with Chinese culture.
As tradition, when he's in China, he'll go out on the streets and wait until midnight, before he and everyone else around him pulls these! [fun fact: when I went back to visit my dad's family in china, we pulled these at dinner and they scared the chickens...
and later, at a hotel, we were sleeping peacefully, until at 2:00 am in the morning, there were bangs and popping noises in rapid succession outside, which we later learned were firecrackers. My brother had bolted out of his bed and hid under it, thinking it was a shooting...]
Every year in china, there's a Chinese New Year show that everyone watches [this is actually true, and it's spectacular!] Liang is no exception, and he commonly performs in them!
Lion dancers - there are dancers under the costume, and they are the legs of the lion. The dances are fantastic! As for liang, it was the first dance he had after joining the Chinese 'Cet Circus.
art by: Vesinir | it's so gorgeous!
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FINISHING NOTE
I had a ton of fun developing Liang's character, and incorporating my own experiences into his story. The art and the story took a ton of time, but were exciting all the same! Good luck to everyone, and the winner may take all art uvu
It's late now, but happy Chinese New Year!
updating on the main part too
