Name: Mei Yi Xiang
Age: 25
Species: Human
Gender: Female
Face Claim: Puff Kuo
Alias: Vee
Accessories and Weapons: --
Team: --
Ranger Color: --
Powers: --
Personality:
*Mei is the co-owner of a bakery and cafe hybrid in Angel Grove known as Buns N' Roses.
Mei is like a rock, dependable and unchanging, a born leader that survived through hard work. She possesses the courage, and she definitely has the determination. The girl harbors a special talent—the knack to keep up a strong front in the roughest of situations. Rarely does she break down, whether it may be a stress filled day at the bakery* or a terrible night tending to an ill friend. And that’s the key to her—Mei tries her best to never let others feel hopeless. She’s not afraid to lead the way; it’s a part of what makes her so steadfast at times. Her strength is quiet, subtle, because she doesn’t work to receive praise (although she does enjoy it). She genuinely wants to make the lives of those around her easier. Mei doesn’t mind carrying the burden of others. In fact, she welcomes it. It means that she is trusted, and that is all she could ever want from another person.
It's not a large secret that Mei is one of the busiest of bees around. It is rumored that working is one of her favorite pastimes. She is hardworking, responsive, and incredibly meticulous—almost to the point where others would consider her a perfectionist the second she clocks in. Anything less could mean the end of the bakery, and she would hate herself if that happened. The most important thing to remember, however, is that Mei can be frightening while she is working. There is no appreciation for slacking off in her workspace, and she isn’t one to remain polite when someone gets in her way. She might openly critique others, but she only does it to prevent any avoidable mishaps in the near future. Outside of work, she is a much more relaxed person.
With that being said, Mei is also a well-spoken individual and is not afraid to speak to strangers. The girl is a rather bright, mindful soul, and is seasoned in the art of weaving together sentences that pique the interests of those around her. Because she also manages the business side of her bakery, the girl has learned that words are her most valuable set of weapons.
This doesn't mean Mei's world is all sunshine and daffodils, however. Her insistence on being a rock for others has made her extremely prideful. She isn’t keen on letting others into what troubles her and is more comfortable with carrying all her inconveniences on her own. The girl fears being seen as a ‘weak’ individual—or worse, actually being a ‘weak’ individual. This has led to her developing a fiery temper whenever she feels uneasy. It is difficult for her to truly warm up to others, and only a few individuals have ever managed to break the casing she has placed around herself.
But she is undoubtedly a worrywart and can be quite the mother hen towards her family (especially her younger brother!) and close friends. The girl is the type that adores the idea of binge-watching numerous television series on Netflix with close ones. She's the type of person to send 'i heart you' cards to her best friends on Valentine's Day, scold them if she were to ever find out that they worked while sick, and drive them home personally before fixing up some porridge for them. Without a doubt, Mei is a closeted sweetheart and a romantic, but she'd rather die than let others find out about that side of her.
And finally, Mei's unconditional love for food is one of the few things in life that she is certain about (besides her undying love for her family and friends, of course). She likes to visit new restaurants and try out new dishes. She frequently occasionally tries to persuade chefs to hand over recipes, but that's an entirely different monster in and of itself. Out of her co-workers, she’s probably the worst (but still respectable) chef, but that doesn’t stop her from trying—or from making a mean cup of coffee (making drinks is her specialty). Don't tempt her with snickerdoodles. Or do. The choice is yours.
History:
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“Meiyi, do you want to sell food with bàbà?”
For as long as she has known him, he was the monarch of the streets—even when he stood shaking in the frigid air to serve the people passing by drinks…even when he struggled to find a spot that could protect himself from the rain and snow. He ruled Portland, and he would soon rule over the world, too—with his majestic food cart and all. That was how she saw it. He was inferior to no one, and when he rolled his cart to the place that he had always made his business—right across the street from the local library—everyone would start to line up to meet him. They loved him for a multitude of reasons: his delicious food, magical stories, jolly soul, infectious smile...
Mei knew those reasons all too well. And although the people of the streets loved him, Mei loved him the most. To her, he was the first. He had always been there. He was her father.
And seeing him happy made her heart soar—much more than anything else in the world could.
"Yes!"
_______________________
Mei was born in the extravagant city of Portland in the year 2993 to her father, Guang Xiang, and her mother, Ady Xiang. She was their first child—the first apple of their eyes. She was their love and joy, and they promised to themselves that she would grow up assured of this fact.
And she did. The girl grew up not only being loved but knowing that she was loved—and she loved her family wholeheartedly in return.
But being the firstborn—and being a part of the Xiang household in general—meant that her life was always meant to be a little bit more different.
Mei’s father knew that for a fact. He wanted to shelter his daughter from it—prayed that they were well off enough to avoid the troubles of money and bills and illnesses that plagued the family. And when that prayer didn’t work, he wished that she was naïve enough, innocent enough, young enough to overlook the threatening storm of reality and only enjoy the presence of her youth.
But Mei saw the encroaching storm. She knew of it all-too-well. She saw that her family was struggling to survive—saw that they weren’t quite like the other families that her peers at school had. She’d noticed the stacks of bills that were kept at her father’s broken-down desk, the batch of medicines that her mother would take every day, and the articles with jobs circled in red ink on her father’s papers. Those things always saddened her father.
And for the most part, it was her father’s sadness that prompted her to partake in various forms of chores around the household. At first, it started out as wiping the tables and counters. Eventually, it transformed into mopping the floor, the occasional cleaning of dishes, and even cooking the most simplistic of meals. When her younger brother had been born almost a decade later, the girl spent her days looking after him (because if she had been the first apple of her parents’ eyes, then he was hers), focused on studying whenever she could, and secretly, it made her days worthwhile.
After all, she loved overachieving—loved finding ways to benefit the people around her rather than herself.
And maybe it was because Mei was the eldest that she turned out this way—turned out to be a person with an unshakable sense of duty to protect her family and loved ones. Maybe a part of it was because she was conditioned to the fact that she had to accompany her parents to the doctors whenever they needed medical assistance—needed her to translate whatever the doctors had said. Maybe another part of it was because it was a regular occurrence for her to pick up her brother at school due to her mother being too ill to leave home. Or perhaps, it was something else.
But despite it all, it was certain that Mei grew up faster than most children.
She still loved to talk despite being so busy, however. She wasn’t afraid to speak up, and that was why she was adored by peers and teachers alike. Even her father’s customers found her a refreshing presence whenever she tagged along with him to sell jianbing, dumplings, or whatever was on the menu for the day.
So, time passed, and the girl eventually found herself becoming best friends with two individuals at high school who shared another love that she had—a love for cooking. The three had become inseparable, and sooner than later, they all decided to attend the same university to pursue their dream: to open a bakery that they could call their own.
And through many more years, trials, and hardships, they did. The three graduated and moved to Angel Grove to open their own bakery and café hybrid called Buns N’ Roses.
Since then, a lot has happened. Monsters and the Power Rangers alike had reappeared, her brother had moved into her apartment at Angel Grove, the bakery had become a large success, and she was finally able to provide support for her parents back in Portland. Now, Mei works earnestly as one of the store’s co-owners, takes care of her brother and close friends, and can be often seen behind the bakery’s counter during working hours. Although this is needless to say, she is proud of the goals that she has accomplished.
And Mei is certainly looking to accomplish many more.
