AMITYVILLE ACADEMY ENROLLMENT FORMName: Xiu-Ying
Nicknames: Xiu
Gender: Female
Age: 15
Faction/Race: Demon--Baku
Humans have typically always seen Bakus as benevolent and positive creatures who rid them of their nightmares. That being said, there have also been stories of more negative ones that devour all dreams, regardless of whether they are good or bad, therefore leaving the person bare of any dreams at all. However, there have never been--or only very, very rarely--stories that tell of Bakus who do the complete opposite of what they are supposed to. Even so, Xiu-Ying falls into this category: she is a Baku who will only devour good dreams, leaving behind nightmares for the dreamer to suffer through.
In short? She's a failure of a Baku. Or at least, a failure of a traditional Baku. Perhaps she is the start of a more fearsome race of dream eaters.
Personality:
Despite coming off as malevolent as far as Bakus go, Xiu-Yang is, in reality, a rather soft-spoken and considerate demon. She doesn't eat good dreams because of a cruel desire rather than the fact that she is cowardly. Just as a dreamer doesn’t want their nightmares because they're frightening or disturbing, Xiu doesn’t want to witness the eerie creatures or dark thoughts that lurk in the shadows of an individual’s mind.
Unfortunately, because of how easily frightened she is, it is inevitable that she will be scared of some of the students that walk the Academy's halls. Those whose appearances are very similar to those of ordinary humans are fine by her--she was grown up taught that humans were generally weak and posed little threat--but if the student has unusual features that she finds threatening or intimidating, Xiu tends to respond by either freezing up or fleeing. In some cases, if she really feels the need to defend herself, Xiu will attempt to incapacitate the other person (usually by a weak, albeit well-aimed, punch or kick) before fleeing.
Because of her weakness, Xiu will act differently according to who she is interacting with. If she is in the company of someone who looks relatively "normal" or someone she has grown comfortable with, her teasing and motherly personae tend to shine through. However, with her motherly persona comes her tendency to be a bit of a nag and a busybody. In a way, it's only her way to show others that she cares about them and is concerned for their well-being, but it also--understandably--ultimately grates on some people's nerves.
On the other hand, when she's dealing with someone who intimidates her, Xiu is far more likely to come off as timid and excessively polite. She is well aware of this problem, but she isn't sure how to go about fixing it. Overcoming a fear isn't something that can simply be done overnight, but it will take a great deal of patience and dedication.
Xiu has an interest in plants, particularly herbs and their various usages. Her favourite hobby--if you can call it that--is daydreaming. As someone who is typically meek when meeting those she deems scary, Xiu likes to imagine scenarios where she works up the guts to stand up for herself or for someone else. It gives her a little more courage about herself.
...Courage that quickly evaporates when she tries to apply this bravery outside of her daydreams. Unfortunately, this is not something that she can overcome so easily.
Why are they enrolled in Amityville Academy?
To be honest, her parents--who are the typical nightmare-devouring Baku--hoped that (by surrounding her with other demons, monsters, and so on) Xiu would eventually grow a backbone and become less of a wimp. Perhaps then she would finally act like a proper Baku should...
...Though considering the setting that they are thrusting their daughter into, they should have considered the possibility that Xiu would be influenced into becoming a feared Baku as opposed to a benevolent one.
The classes that Xiu is particularly interested in taking are Botany Basics, Creature Feature 101, and Emergency Aid Level 1.
FEAR:
Xiu-Ying’s FEAR is illusion-based, and it is used primarily as a distraction so that she can escape. Assuming that everyone has had a nightmare or, at least, has a fear of some kind, Xiu-Ying’s FEAR causes the target to experience a waking nightmare where the illusion warps the surrounding area to reflect either the target’s most recent nightmare or a random fear. The illusion can last up to 10 seconds, but only if Xiu strains herself to keep it up. She usually tosses it up for 5 seconds—enough time for her to get a head start to get away, but short enough that it doesn’t take too much of a toll on her.
Natural Ability:
Bakus have the ability to enter and devour the dream of a sleeping target. However, they can not interact with anything in their target's dream, including the dreamer themselves.
Physical Description:
Eye Colour: Reddish-pink
Hair Colour/Style: White hair. Long and flowy.
Skin Colour: Light peach. She's quite pale!
Clothing Style/Colours: Her clothes are definitely inspired by Chinese/Japanese clothing! Pretty much the ref art to the side! One end of her obi/waist ribbon is dark to represent nightmares, while the other, light end represents good dreams.
Extra: Since I wanted her to have some physical Baku-like characteristics, she has tapir ears and a lion tail.
As for accessories, two Schisandra flowers tucked in her hair by each ear. She also has simple, dangling red earrings, and wears a pair of...glove-things?
