SchreckNet Data File
- Real/Birth Name: Tiffany Jung Sing
- Known Identity/Mortal Alias: Tifa Sing
- Place of Origin: Ashford, California, USA
- Height: 5'8"
- Occupation: Restaurant Owner/Musician
- Apparent Age: Early-20s
- Embraced: 2011
- Kindred Status: Neonate
- Sire: LongWu (Lilah Fox)
- Clan: Brujah
- Clan Status: Individualist
- Sect: Camarilla
- Sect Status: None
- Player/Type: NPC
Appearance
Tiffany (aka Tifa to her friends) is a beautiful and graceful looking girl of obvious Asian heritage. She is tall for a girl, more so for an Asian, and her slender appearance adds to this making her appear even taller than she actually is. Her hair is naturally dark brown, long and straight, and her eyes are dark and large, as are her lips, giving her an exotic allure (at least, to non-Asians). When she sings, her voice sounds angelic and captivating, oddly harmonious both when singing traditional Chinese folk songs at the Dragon House, and when performing symphonic folk metal with her band, the Chop Styx.
In casual look, Tifa favours knee- or ankle-length skirts and t-shirts or blouses from a wide arrange of styles - often favouring fashionable blouses or pop-culture t-shirts, and typically adorned with her favourite leather jacket.
When being sociable and elegant she favours one-piece dresses that are attractive but elegant, but this can vary from traditional qipao and cheongsam dresses to modern fashions, depending on mood and situation. In most occasions, she favours earthy and natural-coloured make-up, pushing towards bright red lipstick when attempting to look more glamorous.
When performing with the Chop Styx her classic look is a leather jacket or coat over leather skirt and t-shirt or leather dress, typically with dark stockings and stiletto heels and a leather hat as an accessory, and more striking make-up to add to her overall image.
Background
Tiffany Jung Sing (known as "Tifa" to her friends) was born to an Old Chinatown family which ran the Dragon House Canonese-cuisine restaurant and lounge and harboured a family secret of loyalty to the kindred Lilah Fox, who they knew only as a mostly-benevolent supernatural protector known as the LongWu (the Dragon Fox).
Tifa grew up helping out in the family business, spending time helping in the kitchen or entertaining guests - she loved singing and performing even when she was young. As her father ran the Dragon House and she was not expected to inherit it (that was the expectation for her elder brother Robert) nor serve the LongWu (that honour fell to her uncle Remy), Tifa had the freedom to pursue her interests. She loved music and wanted to be a music teacher, performing for audiences for the love of it, rather than fame and fortune, and help the Dragon House when she could like a good family member, rather than as part of the staff, like her younger brother Jason. Like her brothers and parents, she began learning Long Ying Kuen (Dragon style kung fu) and Tai Chi Chuan (Yang style Tai Chi) at an early age.
Tifa always valued her education and had many achievements in her studies. Both a scholar and an athlete, Tifa began training in various types of sports at the age of eight, excelling in track and field events, having won various high school awards. When she was 18, Tifa was one of 8 female Chinese students awarded a $500 scholarship by the Ashford Chinese Women's Club in recognition of her hard work and academic performance. She went on to do a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music at California State University Ashford. Despite developing frequent headaches, chest pains and occasional shortness of breath, which she attributed to stress and lack of sleep, Tifa graduated with honours, even achieved awards for her participation in the "Roadrunners" Track & Field Varsity team. But shortly after ending university her symptoms quickly became more severe, and doctors soon gave a diagnosis of Lung cancer, which had already spread to other organs, giving only a 5% survival prognosis and less than a year life expectancy.
Tifa's great-great-grandfather Ed Jung Sing - who appeared not much older than her own father due to the LongWu's blessing of longevity - had in the past told the tale of how LongWu had saved him from Scarlet fever and granted him long life in return for his service. Desperate, she persuaded him to get her an audience with the LongWu. Whilst Tifa was initially polite and respectful to the LongWu when she pleaded for her mercy in return for servitude, just as she had shown to great-great-grandfather Ed, but the LongWu said she had no interest in a second servitor and, although unfortunate for Tifa, she was no longer a child as Ed had been when he was ill and all mortals must die sometime. Rather than be upset, Tifa was angry. She had worked so hard her entire life to excel and make her family proud. Worked hard in her scholarly, athletic and martial pursuits to make her family proud and be as sound in body and graceful as she was in mind. And yet now a freak twist of fate meant it was all for nothing and the famous family guardian proved to be an utter disappointment, proving to be either as selfish and uncaring as the rest of the world or, perhaps, a fraud not as powerful as the family legend believed. The LongWu was enraged at her words and demanded Tifa leave before she lost what little time she had left, but Tifa defiantly told the LongWu to do her worst because at least a quick death in sacrifice to her would give Tifa's death meaning and bring honour to her family, and better than an agonising death. Although the LongWu sent her away then, she appeared to Tifa a few days later and introduced her to a different type of death as the LongWu, impressed by the girl's spirit, had decided to gift her the Embrace.
Since her Embrace, Tifa's struggled to reconcile the world with the Kindred with her family's skewed beliefs about the LongWu. She now understands the concept of the Masquerade and how severe the penalties to her sire could be for breaking it and therefore understands why her family was kept at arm's length - knowing enough about her sire to not ask questions, but not enough to break the Masquerade (especially with her family's self-perpetuating duty to loyalty and secrecy). Still, it ranks her that she now knows how much of it is misguided or blatantly wrong and yet she now needs to live and perpetuate the lie and myth herself. Knowing that her sire does not even desire the worship, not service, of her family only makes it worse, and she seeks to find a way to perhaps set the family free from its self-imposed traditional loyalty and duty. She also needs to find her place - for most of her life she had dreamed of being a music teacher, whilst performing with a band or in the Dragon House on the side, but her Embrace has completely ruled out the idea of a day job and she doesn't trust her easily-agitated passions around kine children or others likely to inadvertently provoke a frenzy.
To make things worse, the Sabbat Crusade brought her devastating loss. The Sabbat initially attacked the Rusty Forks saloon in an attempt to kill her sire but, when that failed, additionally attacked the Dragon House in an attempt to draw out LongWu. They were successful although, between the LongWu, her ghoul Remy and Tifa (amongst others), the outcome for the Sabbat was not what the Sabbat likely expected it to be. Nonetheless, the attack caused major physical damage to the Dragon House and left both her father and elder brother dead - leaving Tifa suddenly as the eldest child and inheritor of the Dragon House. Although she had grown up helping the family around the restaurant and therefore knew something of its finances and operations, this was something that she never prepared for and has been struggling to find a balance between taking business courses, running the business, and pursuing her musical interests... and trying to figure out what kind of relationship she has, or wants to have, with the LongWu whilst ensuring her kine brother doesn't figure out enough to endanger himself or the Masquerade.
Mortal Society
Tifa is renown as the beautiful, friendly young girl with the enchanting voice who sings and dances to folk music during the Dragon House's traditional Canton Nights on Fridays.
She is also the frontman for the Chop Styx, a Symphonic Power Metal band with traditional Chinese folk influences, which has picked up a small local following, especially at the Club Heresy goth/alternative lifestyle nightclubm where they are regular Saturdays performers. The Chop Styx are comprised of:
- Tiffany "Tifa" Sing - Vocals & Songwriter
- Taio Cheng - Bass
- Christina "Tina" Gosiengfiao - Guitar
- Tommy Lao - Drums
- Carlos "Chino" Moreno - Keyboard & Songwriter
- Andrew Sheng - Flute
Tifa is also known to have recently inherited ownership of the Dragon House after her father died during the 2016 riots. She has relied heavily on the assistance of family and hired staff to keep it running and advise her in her new role, for which she has taken some business and accounting evening classes to help her better understand the financial aspects of running the business. Despite the damage sustained during the riots and having only recently finished paying off her College debt, Tifa has so far juggled her responsibilities and seems to finally be achieving a sense of balance and stability.
Personality
Tifa is a curious blend of sweet but naughty, and traditional but modern values. She is a genuinely nice person who is passionate about music - both traditional folk music, as well as symphonic metal (though she doesn't mind C-Pop either) - and has a strong love for both the Cantonese culture from which her family descends, as well as that of Ashford's Asian community (Chinese and otherwise). She has a strong love and respect for her family, as well as its duty and honour, traditions and obligations; yet the desire and determination to make her own decisions about things without being glued to archaic habits.
But deep down through it all she's a survivor and wants to ensure she, and those she loves can push through any obstacle or threat. Becoming a Brujah has only made her passions stronger and she is relying more on Tai Chi as a method to try to control her passions (and her temper) whilst still figuring out what her Embrace means both for her own destiny as well as the beliefs and traditions of her family regarding LongWu. She has mixed feelings about the LongWu - a blend of admiration (for her age, power and survival ability) and resentment (for keeping her family so misguided but on a leash for when it suited her). She both wants and respects LongWu's desire to let Tifa make her own mistakes and learn on her own without her [LongWu's] interference; but also wants the LongWu to take more interest in her and mentor her more. But Tifa figures, what's the hurry... she literally has all eternity to make up her mind and their relationship to evolve.
Other Notes
The Dragon House
The Jung Sing family has owned the Dragon House since Tifa's sire gave it to her family in the early 1930s when she set up what is currently the Rusty Forks Saloon. Her previous venture, the Dragon House was once the Snake Pit a saloon and Brothel during the early roaring 20s. After employing many Chinese girls to free them from slavery as mine-whores, and providing employment as a means to shelter those afraid of the Tongs, the LongWu turned the Snake Pit into a Chinese-themed nightclub run officially by the Jung Sing family but controlled by her behind the scenes. The Dragon House was popular with soldiers and youth during the 1930s and 1940s, popular for its exotic (Chinese) dancers and, to those in the know, it's siu ze ("young ladies" - a now-archaic Cantonese term associated with prostitutes). But ever since the opening of her Roadhouse Saloon in 1933, LongWu moved away from direct control, leaving the Dragon House in the Jung Sing family's hands. In the 1950s adult entertainment clubs and strip bars began to pop up everywhere, generally being more outright erotic and cheaper (though less classy) than the Dragon House and causing financial uncertainty. Honest traders for most of their time since arriving in America, and with the LongWu no longer directly in charge and directing how the Dragon House would operate, the Jung Sings decided to scale the Dragon House back to a simpler, more honest and legitimate form, turning it into a Cantonese-cuisine restaurant with a cocktail lounge.
Today, the Dragon House is known as being Ashford's oldest Chinese restaurant, with a somewhat colourful past that only adds to its appeal. It has a reputation for good food and hygiene, as well as polite and helpful staff. The Dragon House is open as a restaurant from 11am to 10pm daily and also do take-out and home deliveries within these hours (daytime deliveries are usually done by Jason), and customers can make orders via the telephone or through their website.
In addition to the restaurant, the Dragon House has a respectable cocktail lounge - a throw over from it's feistier days which still has much of its original charms and has historical as well as entertainment value for those with interest in Ashford's Prohibition and post-Prohibiton era of social entertainment. The lounge is open 7pm-10pm nightly (the lounge bar itself is used as a drinks provider for the restaurant during the day, but not a staffed lounge) and has an impressive range of both Chinese as well as popular brands of drinks. Snacks and appetisers can be ordered at the lounge for those wanting a night of drinks, snacks and music with friends instead of a normal sit-down restaurant meal experience.
There is live music on Wednesdays, often a local C-Pop band, Karaoke on Tuesdays and Thursdays and, occasionally, other live entertainment on other days when holding special events. On Fridays and Saturdays the cocktail lounge remains open long after food finishes serving, until 2am, and has more pronounced attractions effectively making it a Chinese-themed bar/lounge. During these nights there is live music and entertainment, with traditional Chinese folk music and dance being popular on their Canton Nights Friday show, which stars their main attraction (and now-boss) Tifa Sing, although they do frequently do C-Pop (or J-Pop/K-Pop) nights or have popular local bands as guests later that night as well as on the Saturday.
Jason Jung Sing
Jason is a young man in good physical shape and a friendly, goofy smile and gregarious nature that makes people warm up to him quickly. Jason knows Tifa has been struggling a lot since their father and brother died in the riots (like the kine polulation of Ashford, he has been fed and believes the Camarilla's cover-up of the Sabbat Crusade as a series of riots instigated by rival underworld gangs and racist tensions), leaving her running a business she was never prepared for - helping in the kitchen and stock room is one thing, sorting out all the accounts and making all the legal and business decisions is quite another.
Jason tries to help Tifa as he respects that she sacrifices her nights to run the business, which allows him to be free to pursue his desire to be a pro DJ, as well as do his other things... ventures often not entirely... legal, which he tries to prevent Tifa knowing about both to protect her but mostly so he doesn't get nagged about it again. He helps run the Dragon House during the day and wants to prove himself capable to Tifa so she would actually give him more responsibility. He finds numbers (and big words for that matter) difficult but his heart's in the right place so he hopes she'll see his worth and let him officially manage the place during the day instead of coordinating with her day-manager.
But mostly, Jason misses his sister. They used to be so close growing up - always playing together and looking out for each other, with a mutual passion for music (albeit very different styles and aims). But he thinks it would be nice if she would just let him in and explain what's up with her. He is glad that her cancer is in remission thanks to the LongWu and longevity due to the LongWu is a known fact in the family. But Tifa's not just long-lived and more powerful like great-great-grandfather Ed was, or Uncle Remy now is since the LongWu allowed Ed to return and live out his mortal life and accepted Remy's oath of service in his place... there's something altogether different about her. Something that, when he allows himself to really think about it, and the burning rage always seemingly hiding just behind her eyes waiting to explode, he has to admit kinda scares him.
Not a Cathayan
Tifa's family moved to America in the 19th century and, as mortals, had no knowledge of the Cathayans (aka the Kindred of the East) that now present a threat to both the Anarch Free States as well as the few Camarilla territories in California and the surrounding area. At best she may be aware of some ancient legends of the Cathayans in much the same way the kine have legends about the Kindred - which means she knows most of it will be superstition and falsehoods, just as she now understands that even though she thought her family knew a lot about the LongWu, that in fact they knew nothing and were told just enough to keep them satisfied but misguided away to protect the Masquerade. As a kindred, she has had no contact at all with the Cathayans and, truthfully, what she has heard about them in kindred society terrifies her as much as it does any other Camarilla or Anarch kindred. In fact, she has heard that they consider kindred some form of abomination and fears that, as both a Chinese-American and a kindred, that they might see her as some form of unholy blasphemous monster totally anathema to their beliefs, fit only for destruction. Or perhaps they might see her as a lost member of their society. She really doesn't know, and doesn't want to find out. The loss of Oxnard to the Cathayans has resulted in many of the Camarilla survivors settling in Ashford and spreading these cautionary tales about the Cathayans and their strange powers and monstrous ways (which is how Tifa heard what little she knows about them) - but as a result many kindred are now looking at her with a watchful eye wondering if she is a Cathayan spy or potential defector/traitor. Few will voice this, however, at least within Tifa's earshot (and especially nowhere near the ear of her sire).
Metalheads
Full Article: Coterie: Metalheads Tifa has been performing at Club Heresy since a little after her embrace, having become friends with the owner Lilith via Tifa's sire. Although Lilith is a goth and into BDSM, and Tifa is not, they both love Metal music (though Lilith prefers goth, death and black metal, whilst Tifa prefers symphonic or black) and Lilith invited Tifa to her club, and for the Chop Styx to perform there. That began a beautiful friendship between the two metalhead Brujah neonates. Recently, a young goth named Abi was Embraced and abandoned by a Sabbat defector during the Crusade, her family being killed for entertainment. Abi had frequented Club Heresy for a while and was known to Lilith, who had even considered her for potential Embrace and Lilith quickly became a mentor of sorts to her (as much as a young Neonate could be to a Fledgeling. anyhow) and helped her get the basics of her new existence. With a common-ground interest in metal music, the three neonates quickly became friends (Abi a little more distant still), forming the Metalheads coterie for mutual support.
Combat Style
The Jung Sing family oral legends tells of the time back in 1913 when the LongWu saved great-great-grandfather Ed's life from Scarlet fever, a fever that took the lives of his 6 elder siblings, when he was 7 years old by giving him her blessing. Later, she again saved the family from vengeful Tongs and gave them shelter in her saloon, which became known as the Dragon House after LongWu began employing many Chinese people who wanted to escape the violence of the Tongs. During this time, Ed's father swore service to the LongWu in return for her saving his family and he was the first to receive the LongWu's blessing - granting him longevity of life, power and speed as long as he was her servitor. As her servitor, the father realised the LongWu, true to her name, was all rage and power, but little control, and introduced her to Long Ying Kuen (Southern Dragon style kung fu) and Tai Chi Chuan (Yang style Tai Chi) to help her focus her rage and power. Although the father was only an apprentice, it began a tradition of Ed and the line of his first son (ie his first child, and the subsequent children of that child) becoming more serious practitioners of Long Ying Kuen, as a form of devotion to LongWu, as well as to be ready in case she ever called on them for assistance.
Even though Tifa was not expecting to ever become LongWu's servant (which she now understands to mean her blood-dependant ghoul) or run the family business, she (like her uncle Remy, younger brother Jason and now-deceased older brother Robert) learnt the traditional family martial art, as well as participating in sports in high school to be in decent physical shape. Although she always avoided fighting when possible, she has been training in this form of kung fu and tai chi since she was a child, and as such is very well trained, though lacking in practical experience beyond sparring. Still, as a mortal she would be able to defeat most attackers, even a small group depending on weapons and circumstances. Becoming a kindred of Clan Brujah only made her more deadly by granting her the Clan's supernatural speed of the Celerity Discipline and the power of the Potence Discipline. Whilst the LongWu may be an absent sire/mentor most of the time, Tifa admits that the LongWu's guidance did focus heavily on making her develop her Potence and Celerity and how to combine them with the Qi in her blood to ensure that, despite being a young neonate, she would be able to hold her own against others likely to attempt to pray on her. At the cost of social and intellectual development since her Embrace, the LongWu has ensured that she is a true Xiǎolóng (as the LongWu calls her - "Little Dragon" in Cantonese) and more physically dangerous than would be expected from a neonate of her age (as well as a girl of her physical build).
As a practitioner, Tifa favours unarmed combat. Although she is trained in the main weapons popular in the Shaolin kung fu styles - the staff, broadsword, double-edged straight sword, butterfly knives, and spear, she does not have the familiarity and confidence of her unarmed skill - and the LongWu has favoured her not relying on archaic weapons that will rarely be on hand when needed unless attacked in her haven. With unarmed combat, she knows all the main Southern Dragon forms and therefore relies on fast, hard-hitting unarmed strikes, typically enhanced by her Celerity and Potence. This makes her a surprisingly effective Blitzer, capable of fast, hard strikes that can quickly take down any mortal and low-level supernatural threat (such as other comparable-aged neonates) - although her staying power is equal to most normal neonate as she has not yet learnt the discipline of Fortitude. This means that against deadly threats, such as Gangrel or Lupine claws, she needs to rely on avoiding the attacks, which can force her on the defensive more than the offensive against such a foe.
If she knows she is going into a lethal fight she will take one of her kung fu weapons with her - typically the straight sword which is her favoured weapon, but she is smart enough to choose whichever weapon best suits the situation. For emergencies, the LongWu has shown her how to harness the Qi in her blood and channel it through both her Celerity and Potence into Qi strikes capable of granting her unarmed strikes the ability to decimate enemies that do not have armour or supernatural protection to prevent it. Indeed, during the Sabbat Crusade, Tifa had plenty of cause to practice both the use of her weapons as well as this ability.
Social Style
Tifa is easy to get along with as long as you are polite and respectful. She is used to being an entertainer, restaurant owner (as of 2016) and hostess and, as such, experienced at being polite and courteous. Skills that now make her surprisingly well-received at Elysium. She has natural patience and good-natured spirit, so those who are polite and friendly to her, especially if they show respect for either her culture or various interests (primarily music, but also including video games, movies and other pop-culture things) will quickly gain her friendship.
But her easy-going manner and patience make it easy to forget a simple fact - she is a Brujah. Fortunately, years of Tai Chi and meditation have inadvertently prepared her for undeath by giving her methods she can use to keep the beast, and frenzy, at bay; but as a Brujah she still has a greater propensity for flying into frenzy when pushed - and this is something others would do well to remember less they want to be rude and arrogant and end up dealing with a frenzied and unexpectedly strong Brujah.
Signature Equipment
- Leather Jacket (casual) or Leather Dress (Chop Styx performance)
- Array of Shaolin Kung Fu weapons in haven
Signature Quotes
- "Mock me and I'll squash you."
Gallery
Tifa common appearance
Tifa common appearance
Tifa glamorous look
Tifa when performing with Chop Styx
Tifa in traditional dress during Canton Nights
Jason Jung Sing