- "Well, I tend bar at the Ruby-Red Lipstick bar, and we do cosplay party on Friday nights. You dress up as any superhero you want. Supergirl. Looker, if vampires are more your thing."
- —Grace to Anissa Pierce[src]
Grace Choi (born May 16, 1991 as Shay Li Wylde[1]) is a woman with a mysterious past who work as a bartender at the Ruby Red Lipstick Bar and hides some sort of meta-human condition. She developed a troubled relationship with Anissa Pierce, eventually becoming her girlfriend.
Biography
Early Life
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Kid Grace and her foster parents.
Shay Li was born on May 16, 1991 in a dysfunctional family and had bounced around various foster homes after being abandoned by her biological parents.[1] Due to her troubled life, she learned from a very young age to take care of herself and not to let people get too intimate,[2] as well as getting accustomed on "waiting in hospitals rooms".[3]
At the age of 16, she was abducted and sold into a prostitution ring until it was broken up by I.C.E., then Shay Li vanished for some time until she resurfaced in Freeland under the alias of "Grace Choi".[1]
Meeting Anissa
Grace meets Anissa.
One day Grace met Anissa Pierce at a library, insisting she check out a favorite of hers, The Outsiders. She then promptly invited her to a cosplay party at the bar she worked at. At the party, the two danced together, before being interrupted by Anissa's then-girlfriend Chenoa. Trying to avoid a fight at her bar, Grace asked Chenoa to take their problems outside.[4]
Anissa caress Grace's head after they were assaulted.
Leaving the Ruby Red Lipstick Bar with Anissa, they were confronted by former patrons, angered at Grace and the bar. One of the guys knocked out Grace, but the whole group was quickly knocked out by Anissa. She soon woke up, with Anissa tending to a graze on her head.[5]
Some weeks later, looking for some comfort after David Poe's death, Anissa called Grace and asked her out for a date.[6]
A troubled relationship
Grace sees Anissa kiss Zoe B.
Grace was hired to work as a waitress at a party thrown by musician Zoe B. at her apartment. While working there, she saw Anissa kissing Zoe so she walked away. Anissa tracked her down at the party and apologized for not calling her because things were busy. Grace commented that she could tell and said she had to get back to work, leaving Anissa.[7]
Anissa tells Grace she want to try a serious relationship with her.
Grace was working at her bar when Anissa came in looking to talk. She apologized for how they met at Zoe's party and for the fact that she dropped out of their potential relationship without saying anything. Telling Grace that she took her work seriously, Anissa told her that she also wanted to try taking a relationship with Grace seriously.[8]
Anissa and Grace after they had sex for the first time.
After Peter Gambi's apparent death, Anissa went to Grace's apartment telling her what happened and that the event made her realize that Grace would have been the only person, outside of her family, she would spend her last night with. The two women had sex and slept together. However, the following morning, Grace told Anissa it was an error as she can't come to her looking for consolation when she feels vulnerable only to disappear after everything went back to normal. As Anissa replied that was not the case, Grace asked her if she could honestly tell her she would not hurt her again; Anissa hesitated and Grace left the room in frustration. As she got back to her living room, Grace started to develop some mysterious scale-like spot on her arms, neck and face, so she drank two bottles of water and took some pills, making them disappear.[2]
Grace and Anissa spend an evening together on the couch.
Grace and Anissa spent time at Grace's apartment watching television. After a little flirting, during which Grace accused Anissa of being corny, she excused herself to go to the bathroom. She watched at the mirror as the discoloration on her skin reappeared and, breathing heavily, again took some pills in order to counter the effect.[9]
Anissa and Grace at the hospital.
After Khalil Payne was hospitalized again due to Tobias having ripping off his spine, and the whole Pierce family attended his bedside, Grace went to the hospital in order to take some food to Anissa, kissing her fronthead and telling that she wanted to be there for her. Anissa rested on Grace's shoulder and the two waited quietly to receive news of Khalil's recovery or death.[3]
Exposed and disappearance
On her day off, Grace was sleeping on the couch after having read come comics, when Anissa woke her up with a series of kisses. Grace said she was glad she gave her a copy of her apartment keys and, after showing her that both Black Lightning and Thunder have their own comic book series (causing her girlfriend to smile joyfully), she went to get ready to go out for their date.
Grace and Anissa at the park.
The two women went to see a movie that Grace deemed as too violent and then took a walk in the park; while talking about their relationship, Grace's condition started to manifest and her eyes changed color right in front of Anissa; she tried to cover-up the event and walk away but right in that moment Anissa took her hands and asked her to come to diner at her house to meet her family, before Grace can answer, the dark scale-like spots appeared on her right hand, so she stormed away, telling Anissa that she "can't control herself" when she's with her, causing her girlfriend to wonder what she did wrong. After Khalil's funeral, Anissa went to Grace's apartment in order to talk to her, but discovered that Grace has disappeared.[10]
Personality
Grace is a friendly and joyous person, who immediately tried to help Anissa with her quest at the library. Nevertheless, when concerned about a possible argument rising at her bar, she immediately made sure that Anissa and Chenoa leave the premises to sort their problems out. She is a comic book and superhero fan, enjoying such books as "Outsiders," and is also a fan of cosplay, suggesting Anissa to dress up as Supergirl or Looker.[4] She is also an extremely avid reader as her apartment is filled with books and a huge library,[2][9] it could be assumed reading is her favorite hobby as she is often seen doing it.[4]
Due to her family issues, she never let herself get to much into anybody but, to her own admission, that completely changed when she met Anissa and, despite she tried to play it cool, she felt very hurt and frustrated about the girl getting in and out of her life only when she's feeling vulnerable.[2] For the same reason she is visibly hurt when Anissa tried to justified her affair with Zoe B. saying that they weren't at a serious relationship at the time and, when asked if she had seen other people too Grace awkwardly told she has does despite is implied to be a lie.[8]
Despite her "tough girl" facade, Grace is actually a very sensitive person and blushes quite easily when Anissa complimented her.[9]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Grace's meta-human condition.
Meta-human physiology: Grace has some kind of meta-human condition as periodically and uncontrollably, she started to developed dark scale-like spots on her body and glowing golden eyes, which she apparently counters with some pills to treat schizophrenia.[2][9][1] The process seems to be quite stressful and affects her breath almost as if she's choking.
- Enhanced Senses: As Grace's scale-like spots manifested, her sensorial perception seems to get higher.[9]
- Shapeshifting: Grace is capable of changing her entire appearance into someone else entirely to an unknown degree.
Abilities
- Artistry: Grace is a skilled painter and has many easels and painting material in her home.[2]
- Skilled hand-to-hand combatant/Martial artist: Grace has been shown to possess impressive martial arts skills, as she was able to single-handedly go toe to toe with Anissa while disguised as an old man.[11]
Weaknesses
- Schizophrenia (presumed): The pills Grace uses to suppress her meta-human condition are a custom compound containing megadose of a medication used to treat schizophrenia.[1]
Appearances
Trivia
- Grace has Chinese style tattoos on both arms, from the wrists to the shoulders. A reference to her comic book counterpart.[2] Although, in "The Book of Consequences: Chapter Three: Master Lowry", her left arm is shown to have none, likely meaning that she got it tattooed between that episode and "The Book of Blood: Chapter One: Requiem".
- She seem to be fond of living room plants and modern art paintings.[2]
- It's implied that Grace is an atheist, as in "The Book of Secrets: Chapter One: Prodigal Son", she states that she doesn't believed that "everything happens for a reason".
- According to her own statement, Grace dislikes action movies, however in her living room she has posters of "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman" and "Blade Runner".[10]
- Grace is the 3th of 4 LGBTQ+ characters appearing on the show; first Anissa, then Anissa's ex-girlfriend Chenoa, Grace herself and Zoe B.
- Grace is the only one out of the 4 to be bisexual or confirmed bisexual; Anissa is a lesbian and the other two women mentioned have never confirmed theirs.
Behind the scenes
- In DC comics, Grace Choi is descended from the Amazons and, along with Anissa Pierce, is a member of the Outsiders. She and Anissa are also in a romantic relationship.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "The Book of Secrets: Chapter Three: Pillar of Fire"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 "The Book of Blood: Chapter One: Requiem"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "The Book of Secrets: Chapter One: Prodigal Son"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Lawanda: The Book of Burial"
- ↑ "Black Jesus"
- ↑ "Equinox: The Book of Fate"
- ↑ "The Book of Consequences: Chapter Two: Black Jesus Blues"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "The Book of Consequences: Chapter Three: Master Lowry"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 "The Book of Blood: Chapter Three: The Sange"
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "The Book of Secrets: Chapter Two: Just and Unjust"
- ↑ "The Book of Secrets: Chapter Four: Original Sin"