Handsome and gregarious: the archetypal country boy-turned-national darling with a cheery grin and kind word for everyone. Befriends all of his enemies. The moral compass of the universe, probably. Oblivious to others’ designs on him.

Height: a towering 6’4”
Build: strong shoulders, powerful back and legs, neat waist. Callused palms and long, blunt fingers. A swimmer’s build.
Hair: dark. If long, tied neatly in a bun. If short, it’s a little shaggy, often slicked back.
Eyes: dark brown, full of laughter. There is something unbearably kind in them, as if sharing in a private joke.
Style: practical fabrics and easy-to-wash, hard-to-stain colors, like browns, dark oranges, dark blues, though occasionally (and guiltily) he indulges in white. Hoodies and joggers for comfortwear; a leather jacket, cargos, and boots for a night out on town. Maintains a collection of weimao and/or sunglasses, of which he always carries a back-up.

• A sunny, earnest, hard-working, and unflappable force of nature; no one can rain on his parade
• Always the center of a crowd
• Couches his honest observations in social niceties
• Aware enough of his reputation that he will occasionally leverage it to exit a difficult situation
• As da shixiong, looks after his many shidimei without (much) complaint, and with much affectionate teasing
• Tactile, often roughhousing with his close friends and shidimei
• Difficult to tell when he’s being sassy due to his apparent sincerity, though Biao Yuelin swiftly learns to read him

• A powerhouse among powerhouses
• Expert swordsman, spearman, and pugilist
• Top-tier footwork
• Highly proficient in archery
• Highly proficient beast-tamer
• Very keen sense of hearing and spatial awareness
• A green thumb
• Masterful haggling skills at the marketplace
• Greatest weakness is his terrible memory for names and faces. Many a villain monologue has been met with: “Ah, not that this glimpse into your origins wasn’t fascinating, but who are you again?”

• Youngest son of the humble Lin household, with one older brother and two older sisters
• Split from the family trade (rice farming) to reduce strain on limited resources and forge a path for himself

Biao Yuelin: shidi, close friend, and husband. Occasionally the source of much bewilderment, but generally on the same wavelength.

• An enthusiatic and playful lover
• Extremely orally inclined
• Not at all self-conscious, but also happily baffled by compliments: it’s just a body, after all!