[b]Character Sheet[/b][sup][VICTUS STYLE][/sup]
[b][u]Name:[/u][/b] Shelley (Shi Ling) Cao
[b][u]Nick Name:[/u][/b] Shelley
[b][u]Age:[/u][/b] 14
[b][u]Gender:[/u][/b] Female
[b][u]Appearance/Physical:[/u][/b] Shelley is rather petite and doesn't have much of a figure.  She has black eyes like shining onyx gemstones and long black hair that she sometimes braids into a ponytail or into pigtails.  She tends to play with the ends of her hair with her hands when she's nervous or absent-minded which looks an awful lot like fidgeting.  Her skin is porcelain pale.
[b][u]Appearance/Attire:[/u][/b] Shelley prefers comfort and modesty, so wears loose-fitting or baggy clothes with dark, dull or subdued colors, which can make her look a bit trashy.  She's been pressured into wearing contact lenses in public even though she doesn't like putting things in her eyes, so when she is at home, she prefers her big, round, thick glasses that make her look the part of her inner personality, that of a soft-core nerd.  Shelley never got into make-up.  Shelley tends not to attract attention and prefers it that way.
[hider=Shelley Cao][img]http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/millionlive/images/8/80/Anna_N.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130425015124[/img][/hider][b][u]Bio:[/u][/b] Shelley is quiet and non-confrontational.  Shelley has difficulty connecting with other people but wants to help them.  She has compassion but not empathy, which means that she can see that people need help, and she wants to help them, but she usually doesn't know how to help them and doesn't know how to comfort them.  This makes her feel pretty powerless at times.  On the one hand, she is motivated by approval and will do anything to please those around her, on the other hand, she has an instinctual fear of this desire to please being exploited, so she avoids social interactions so that she only gives her all to the people that are truly close to her.  She cannot stand arguments and disagreements and deeply resents those who disturb the fragile peace of her life, which she will do all in her power to preserve.  Shelley tends to take everything personally and does not respond well to criticism, often internalizing her emotions and pretending she's 'just fine'.  Shelley is an '[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locus_of_control]external locus of control[/url]' person.  Though Shelley has never been diagnosed (her mother believes psychiatric care is costly and pointless and that her daughter is 'just fine'), it is possible that she falls somewhere on the Autism Spectrum.
[b][u]History:[/u][/b] Shelley comes from an upper-middle class family.  When she was young, her father had an affair, resulting in her parents' divorce.  Her mother who was a pharmacist, raised her alone and couldn't spend much time with her.  Shelley's grandmother (from her mother's side) also lived with them.  Shelley's mother and grandmother often argued.  Shelley developed an isolated independence and learned how to take care of herself in a very basic way (simple cooking, laundry, etc.) and contributed to house chores as much as she could.  Shelley's mother was something of a typical Asian 'tiger mom' so Shelley was pushed to excel at academics.  She did remarkably well in elementary and middle school, but has started struggling in high school.  Shelley never picked up a musical instrument despite the stereotype.  She has instead immersed herself in popular media as her hobby, enjoying comics, manga, cartoons, anime, etc.  Being socially awkward, Shelley finds history and English classes as fairly pointless, and only sees utility in science and math classes, in which she does better than her other classes.
[b][u]Weaknesses:[/u][/b] Shelley is easily manipulated, and even though she may look stoic, is actually quite emotional.
[b][u]Strengths:[/u][/b] Shelley is dedicated and loyal, sometimes to her own detriment.