Jinafire Long

"You see, force and aggression are not always the answer - but sometimes force helps."

- Jinafire Long in "Tough As Scales"

Jinafire Long is a 2012-introduced and all-around character. She is a dragon and a student at Monster High. Born and raised in Fanghai with her seven older brothers, Jinafire chose to make it about her alone for a change. She set out on her own after befriending fellow fashion designers Clawdeen Wolf and Skelita Calaveras in Scaris and traveled to the Boonighted States of Scaremerica to share classes with the both of them. Because she comes from a household where competition is the norm, even if friendly, Jinafire takes each and every challenge very seriously and is focused on results. She is quick to lose her temper when things don't go her way, which makes for a stark contrast with the cool and calculated way she handles situations when she feels in control.

Portrayers
She is voiced by Stephanie Sheh in English.

Appearance
Jinafire is a traditional eastern dragon with golden scales, green and black hair, and jade green eyes. She appears to be wearing a qipao dress (or Cheongsam dress, or however some people call a cheongsam robe or a Quipao in China) with dragon patterns and high heels, which are Chinese-themed-inspired. She says in her profile that she likes to fire up traditional fashions with sharp cuts and fierce accessories. After the original doll line, "Scaris: City of Frights", she however changes her clothing-wear in the webisodes and main franchise line to her 'New Scaremester' outfit.

Personality
Jinafire is a strong-willed, fiery, brave, and fashion-forward girl. Her profile hints at a hot temper, but she is portrayed in the webisodes and Scaris: City of Frights TV special as clever, patient when she is not directly affected by the situation, and focused on her work. Her specialty is metalworking because of her ability to breathe fire.

She has a competitive spirit which shows up in Scaris and at Monster High. In the webisode "Tough As Scales" she reveals that this is because of her childhood spent competing with seven brothers. In Scaris, she is so focused on the great opportunity to study under Moanatella Ghostier that she is not as friendly to Clawdeen as Skelita when they first meet. Her sketchbook also shows that she can get so absorbed in her work that she sometimes forgets to calm down and see the beauty in life. She puts a lot of pressure on herself to do her best, getting frustrated when her work isn't just right.

Her temper flares up in her sketchbook and in the book Ghoulfriends Just Want to Have Fun. In her sketchbook, she writes about a time that she became so frustrated with one of her pieces of art that she melted it. She was embarrassed to learn that her teacher witnessed the whole episode. In the book, she confronts Cleo de nile and Toralei stripe having a loud fight about the upcoming Hex Factor Talon Show. When wise advice fails to calm them down, she sets fire to their drinks because she views them as immature and rude. Even during this outburst, she maintains a very calm demeanor.

Abilities
It is assumed Jinafire possesses the standart abilities of any other Chinese Dragon, in her linage or not. However she has shown both the inability to breathe water or fly.
 * Firebreathing: Jinafire can breath fire from her mouth, unlike the typical Chinese Dragon, and will do so when either threatened or mad.
 * Metal Work: This ease with fire gives her the skill to do impressive metal work sculptures or even fashion accesories for her own designs.
 * Charcoal Pencil: By flaming a stick of charcoal, Jinafire has various times been able to create a pencil, which she uses to quickly create impressive designs.

Skillset

 * Design: Jinafire is a talented fashion designer, while her techniques include meditation has an ispiration and she won't start a design until her entire design is set perfectly in her head.
 * Swordmanship: It is assumed she has some ability with swords, considering how easily and gracefully she wielded as sword in "Scaris, City of Frights". Additionally she has also shown talent in long-bow proficiency, as seen in "Tough As Scales".
 * Fire-related tricks: Holding an immense comfortability with fire, Jinafire has been shown to almost flawlessly, perform tricks such as fire-breathing and fire-performing, with a pole lit on fire that she agily monouvers.

Family
Jinafire comes from a household confirmed in "Tough As Scales" to consist of her, her father, and seven brothers. Some time before going to Scaris, she already left her home to move in with her fashion design teacher for optimal education, as detailed in Jinafire Long's sketchbook.

Friends
Her bio states that her best friends are Skelita Calaveras and Clawdeen Wolf. These friendships are formed in Scaris, and they all share a love of fashion design. Clawdeen (as well as Heath Burns) has called her "Jin" on occasion. After their adventures in Scaris, both Jinafire and Skelita transfer to Monster High, where it is revealed in Ghoulfriends Just Want to Have Fun, they live together in the dorms in the Chamber of Hairy and Scary.

Pet
Jinafire might own Qing a qilin, but on her website profile she states that "I do not currently have a pet because it is a decision that takes many years for a dragon to make. I have narrowed my list down to 50 so I expect that in another couple hundred years I'll have a top 20."

Timeline

 * June 21, 2012: Amazon puts up a list of upcoming doll lines, revealing the existence of Jinafire Long. Possibly taking this as a 'Go', photos of the dolls are released by Monster High Parents. Mattel responds immediately with an order to Amazon to remove the listings and a grand scale internet order to remove the images on account of copyright infringement. Evidently, the information was not yet to be revealed.
 * June 26, 2012: Mattel requests the trademark for Jinafire Long.
 * July 13, 2012: Jinafire Long is preview-introduced at San Diego Comic-Con International.
 * July 13, 2012: Jinafire Long's profile art is revealed.
 * November 13, 2012: Mattel introduces Jinafire Long fully on Facebook and Tumblr.
 * Mid November, 2012: Jinafire Long's debut doll is released as part of the Scaris: City of Frights series.
 * December 13, 2012: Jinafire Long's profile is published on the Monster High website.
 * March 03, 2013: Jinafire Long makes her 3D cartoon debut in "Scaris: City of Frights".
 * April 02, 2013: Jinafire Long makes her Ghoulfriends book debut in Ghoulfriends Just Want to Have Fun.
 * April 04, 2013: Jinafire Long makes her 2D cartoon debut in "Tough As Scales".