Profile
Xiaofan of Cangxi
A tomboy-ish asian fantasy character who expresses her excess energy through dance.
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Nicknames
Xiao. From Dai: Väntsu, Nublu (estonian roleplay, untranslateable)
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Gender
Female
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Species
Human
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Occupation
Pilgrim/Travelling dancer
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Sexuality
Straight until proven otherwise
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Playlist
Land of the Rising Sun roleplay
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Family
Mother: Mei-Xing
Father: Ryaden
Older brothers: Sien-Dan (will inherit the guesthouse), Sunan (married with two kids), Li (engaged), Daeyun (scribes' apprentice) -
Personality
Xiaofan could be described as a teenage boy eager to impress, stuck in the body of a young woman and not bothered by it. She’s loud, immature, often appearing rude to those who don’t know her and employs a variety of platonic gestures of affection, such as nudging, ruffling or teasing, which people have found off-putting.
Even though Xiaofan dislikes chores and responsibility she can easily be manipulated into both by boredom - the girl needs constant activity to feel good. To some extent it even shows through her apparent unwillingness to stay still – Xiaofan fidgets constantly, with her necklace or held items. Lacking those she cracks her knuckles, fingers and any other joints that „get stiff“, stretches, flexes and changes position every couple of minutes.
Xiaofan seems to prefer the company of men ever so slightly to that of women, acting in a more at-ease manner around them. If questioned about such choices Xiaofan would shrug and say that experience shows men to be less likely to find her annoying. In truth she thinks that males are less refined, thus more fun to be around, and tell interesting stories.
She’s hard to insult, laughing off most offences and being willing to make fun of herself if the situation calls for it. As with every person Xiaofan has some buttons best left untouched, such as insults upon her sanity, family or skilfulness, which will earn a swift retribution. Other than that the girl possesses a confidence that could only come from being aware of one’s flaws and embracing them – she knows that she’s immature, but gives the excuse of being „too young for somberness“; she accepts not being the smartest, but is willing to self-educate through stories or books and even comments on her rather boy-ishly flat figure would only earn a giggle and a sarcastic remark under most circumstances. Any teasing will be met with more of the same.
Dancing, however, is a business that she regards with a sense of respect. It’s a mean of cheering up, expressing stories through motion, tiring herself out and getting genuine admiration. Once on the stage she acts and moves different, becoming quick and graceful, occasionally even seductive, if the audience contains members she's taken a fancy on. It’ll be the only informal occurence during which you might find her in makeup and dresses, claiming that whilst performing she’s not supposed to project „herself“ but rather a persona for the audience. Thus dancing becomes either a form of roleplay or a way of expressing the femininity and urges she wouldn’t want or dare to show under normal circumstances. -
Appearance
Xiaofan’s soot-black hair has a dry, frail texture and reaches slightly below her shoulders. She doesn’t bother to style it and simply keeps the strands from getting in her eyes with a small red headscarf.
A pair of wide-set dark eyes rest under some slightly inward-angling brows. Her nose is flat, with the bridge being thin, but getting wider as it nears the nostrils. The tip has a downward droop to it, as if someone had gently pushed it in with their thumb. Xiaofan’s wide cheeks and small jaw give an impression of roundness to her face, which is a rare find, as the rest of the girl’s body is all joints and angles, lacking in any real curves.
Her height, which isn’t particularily noteworthy, seems mostly made up of the girl’s long legs. Xiaofan’s general physique could cautiously be described as „lean“ – although much spindlier than that of a professional dancer (especially around the limbs), there’s still a hint of muscle under the skin. Said skin is of a medium beige color, with visible tan lines running along the wrists and neck. Various birthmarks adorn Xiaofan’s back and legs, though none have yet to pop up in any place commonly visible. Seeing as birthmarks run in her family it’ll only be a matter of time though. -
Likes
Oranges, dancing, warm days, lewd jokes, socializing, swimming, male company, seeing magic/bending.
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Dislikes
Meditation, sitting idle, fish and prawns unless they're seasoned to the point of losing their taste. List shall be continued.
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Backstory
Xiaofan was born in the roadside village of Cangxi, to parents who owned a rather well-off guesthouse. Her mother and father were glad to finally have a daughter, as all of the girls’ four older siblings had been boys. Due to the parents being busy with upkeeping the family business she grew up mainly in the company of her rather untamed brothers, joining in their games and taking over their mannerisms.
Her parents, feeling that they should guide their only daughter towards hobbies more suitable for a young lady, eventually intervened and hired a dance instructor from the town. They figured that dancing would be a successful way for Xiaofan to express that excess energy intrinsic to children and that it would keep her out of trouble. In that regard they were correct –Xiaofan grew to love dancing as an activity and the increased agility the following years of regular tutoring gave her. What this ruse didn’t make her abandon were the girl’s tomboy-ish ways – she still considered her brothers as ultimate role models and acted as such.
As she grew older the girl started to help out with the chores around the guesthouse, thus coming in more contact with the patrons. She detested responsibility, but liked amusing the visitors by performing her dances – if there were people gifted in music among the audience. From those staying at the guesthouse Xiaofan heard tales of faraway places – of the larger cities and the points of magic, waterfalls enveloped in eternal fog and mountains that spat fire. Pilgrims would stop by the place regularily, adding a layer of mystery by discussing their theories on the essence of magic. Occasional visitors carried the gift themselves, demonstrating their chosen element to amazed viewers. From there Xiaofan caught wanderlust, deciding that even though she loved her family it would be a waste of youth to stay rooted in one place without getting a chance to see all those wonders with her own eye. From demonstrations and stories Xiaofan also kindled a hope, that she might turn out to be an air-elementalist.
For ages Xiaofan spoke of her plans, but didn’t do much to prepare for them. Ideas of leaving might’ve stayed nothing but a youthful fancy if it weren’t for a group of travelers that arrived at the guesthouse one summer evening. They were led by Roulan, a young woman who was on her way to visit all the sites of magic for the second time, after having done so with her father as a child. After a couple of drinks Xiaofan learned, that the group gathered money for their continued pilgrimage by playing music in taverns. They needed a dancer to bring in more coins.
That same night Xiaofan said good-bye to her family, packed, took her pet owlcat and was gone with the group the following morning, figuring she wouldn’t be getting a better chance than this. -
Ongoing story
One-on-one Skype roleplay with me as Xiaofan and the GM as everyone else and the environment:
Copied fully from Charahub for conservation purposes. Click for full text. TL:DR: Xiaofan headed out on a pilgrimage with her newfound friends. On the way she glimpsed unsettling occurrences, such as a very recently abandoned temple and increased security at the magic point. The girl learnt that she had no affinity to any of the four elements, but that she might've been affiliated with the skill of divination.The party continued their journey after picking up their new dancer. They headed for the closest site of magic – a water element point about a four-day trip from Xiaofan’s home. On their way they were planning to stop at a small water temple, which Rou remembered from her first pilgrimage. However, upon arriving, it turned out to have been abandoned and burned down. Given the options between sleeping in the open or inside the creepy temple, which at least had a working fireplace, they chose the latter. The temple showed signs of being abandoned months ago, and in a great hurry. Some rooms still had valuables and furniture in them, scarcely touched by fire or looters. A bag of textbooks had been hidden up the chimney. Upon examining the pantry they found a corpse sealed inside a barrel. It was not a pleasant night.
Strange occurences continued. Once they got to the water element point it turned out that the rules had been changed since the last time Rou had been there and all had to apply for permission before being allowed to approach. One of the travelers, Yuan, claimed to have spoken to an angel, which seemed to intrigue the water mages and gained entry both to her and the group, on the condition that she’d try to contact the angel again at the magic point and report anything that she saw. Xiaofan remained sceptical of Yuan’s claim, but eventually came to believe that, whether real or not, Yuan herself genuinely believed to have talked to a supernatural entity.
Once at the magic point Xiaofan discovered that she lacked talent in elemental magic – however she could’ve had talent in something a book claimed might’ve been fortune telling and a friend of hers called Dai might’ve possessed talent in fire and air.
Yuan tried to meditate at the site and agreed to teach the skill to Xiaofan as well.
Instead of any angelic contact, though, they both received only nightmares, concluding that the energy from the magic point was interfering with meditation. The experience left Xiaofan disturbed, as the things she’d seen had mainly to do with demons and dark places. The girl received some solace from the belief that the visions had simply been inspired by a book she’d read.
In a near-by city Xiaofan spoke to some magic enthusiasts and a fortune teller, who told her of demonic possession, the mythology of faraway lands and divination. She dismissed them as fancies or myths (apart from the bits about divination which she’d grown greatly interested in), but was left with a lingering suspicion after reading a book on demons, which amongst other things, called for someone who is possessed by the devil to be sealed up alive and buried. A strange echo to the barrel found in the abandoned temple...
Since the water temple incident Xiaofan had started dreaming strange things. A nightmare of a fortune teller dying by the hands of a demon, a recurring dream of a strange man who claimed to have hitched a ride from the water temple...oracles and elemental spirits, reincarnations and deals with the supernatural. In fact, after a couple more days of traveling, Xiaofan’s health had deteriorated to the point of her being barely able to tell dreams from the real world.
Perhaps the time to rethink what is real and not had arrived.
(Follow-up notes from after things got too complicated to write them down in detail:)
Xiaofan continued on her travels, slowly coming to the realization from dreams and old memories that she was The Oracle - a reincarnating spirit of sorts capable of foretelling and outright changing the future,as well as rewinding time under specific circumstances. She also came to the understanding that The Oracle has been hunted by a pair of kamis throughout time - by Yin for reasons of her own and by Yang to keep The Oracle out of Yins grasp. Not content with continuing to be the pawn either hunted down or possessed in what's essentially a ten-thousand-year divine custody battle she initiated contact with Yang on her own, allowing a part of the god to possess her mind. The deal consisted of Yang aiding in healing Dai from a terminal illness, as well as providing protection against Yin. In exchange Yang got the Oracles help in figuring out what Yins' been up to the past few millennia. The roleplay ended before the girl had gotten to work on her part of the bargain, shortly after she'd made the difficult quest to a secluded sect of healers and succeeded in saving Dai.
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Note
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A 1on1 Skype roleplay character, active from 2013 to 2015. I got the name "Cangxi" from a name generator and only later learnt that it's a chinese province with a population of 780 000. Imported wholely from Charahub, near-duplicate trivia questions and all.
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Favorite color, least favorite color?
Royal red, dull violet
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Favorite artist?
Shu Hye - a painter who'd illustrated some travel books and possesses a distinctive style of exaggerated lineart coupled with realistic shading
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Kind of clothing?
Outfits inspired loosely on various asian cultures - unsymmetrical jackets, knee-length sleeves, cloth belts and so forth. She normally dresses in a more masculine manner than her peers, but not enough to break social norms. Prefers pants in everyday-occurences, but doesn't object to dresses in formal situations.
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First memory?
A vague recollection of falling into a pond near the village and the ensuing panic
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What element would they be?
A very good question - in the roleplay she's of no element, but feels fondness over the element of air and magic connected to it
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Theme song?
At the start of the roleplay: Birgit - Olen loodud rändama
In-game: Deine Lakaien - Reincarnation -
Alignment?
Chaotic good
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Which animal would they be?
The ruddy mongoose (Herpestes smithii)
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Socioeconomic level?
Poorish - as a traveller should be
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Socioeconomic level as a child?
Middleclass
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Blood type
O
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Hobbies?
Various forms of court and fan dances, theory of magic | In-game: Divination
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Regrets?
In roleplay - leaving Dai to a Fire-Air spirit as collateral. Trying to stop an angry mob and getting stampeded to death (she got better)
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Role models?
All of her brothers - she spent most of her childhood with them
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Favorite foods?
Bàobing (shaved ice), with condensed milk, oranges and mangos; dried jujube with jasmine tea, all mildly spicy soups or stews
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Favorite book?
"Wings of the moon" by Ayaka Tarou
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Mode of transportation?
By foot or by cart if someone's willing to take her on
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Pets?
Owlcat Kirin - a rather bright creature who disappears for long amounts of time only to unexpectedly show up with a mouse in it's mouth expecting pettings
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Weapon
None as of start of the roleplay. | In game: A large hunting-knife bought from a market or a smaller bone-handled knife she got from her brother in an alternative continuity (oracle stuff, don't ask)
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Most appropriate TV trope(s)?
I have brothers, Raised by dudes, The lad-ette, Dancing is serious business ROLEPLAY SPECIFIC: Dance Battler (<- about to become one I reckon), Fainting Seer, Fortune Teller, Recurring Dreams, Or was it a dream, Dreaming of things to come, Dreaming of times gone by
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Smells like?
Nowadays generally an even mix of catowl, dirt and sweat.
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How do they feel about love?
She doesn’t mind love, but seems to prefer platonic relationships, claiming that they’re more honest as you don’t have to impress anyone.
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Quote / catchphrase
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” - St. Augustine | In-roleplay: "Don't ask."
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Makes a living by?
A dancer travelling with a group of pilgrims - she earns money for them with her performances
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Jung Personality Type?
ENTP
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Fears or phobias?
Heights, wasps, wasp-hybrids. | In-roleplay: loss of individuality, cities at night, the prospect of being raped or mugged. Strong distrust towards certain kamis and followers of kamis. List shall be continued.
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Race, ethnicity and nationality?
Human, vaguely asian though strongly inspired by China and mainland East-Asia in general
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Music they listen to?
She seems to like songs that have both a story and a beat to them, and the faster kind of pipa music.
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Bad habits?
Fidgeting, cracking of knuckles and other joints, speaking loud, occasional disregard to personal space
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What turns them on?
Skill, vitality, sophistication, kinetic charisma, flexibility, adventurousness, men who are seductive but not tactless in their approaches, blue or gray eyes (due to their rarity in the area). Finds light skin attractive, but is willing to make exceptions when someone strikes her fancy.
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What turns them off?
General aloofness, curly hair, laziness, lack of interest to the world, pick-up lines and a type of goofiness which she will find amusing but which also nails it's user straight to the friendzone.
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If they transitioned from their world to ours, how would they react?
Immediate freakout over the wildlife
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Does their universe have a god?
In-game: Two opposing gods, most commonly referred to as Yin and Yang in the area, though after running into both Xiaofans' taken to calling them Psycho and Murderer respectively.
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Personal problems?
Inability to perform elemental magic and a wish to gain said power. In the roleplay: telling the difference between real and imaginary, choosing between self preservation and the the greater good. Being chased by two gods for some in-born powers.
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Religious and to what extent? Any spiritual beliefs?
At the start of the roleplay she believed in the existence of spirits and that possession is possible. She also had some vague notions about reincarnation, the afterlife, karma and that kamis or nature spirits exist.
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Random fact!
She got Kirin as a birthday present from Taeyun a couple of years ago
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Do ghosts or supernatural entities exist in their’ world?
Yes, though who they are or how many there are of them remains to be seen.
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What ONE item would they take to an uninhabited island?
A fire-making kit
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Outlook on life?
Youth is not to be wasted on idle sitting or work. There's time to settle down, but first one must see the world.
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Most important person in their life
Kirin, though she feels bad over not being able to take care of him enough.
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Favorite object?
The old coin-necklace her mother gave her.
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When did you create this character?
November 2013
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If your character has a significant other, what would their song be?
At start of roleplay: Santana ft. Nickleback - Into the night
As-of-roleplay: VNV Nation - Illusion -
What was your character like as a child?
Xiaofan's parents were busy with upkeeping the inn, so the girl spent her childhood mainly in the company of her brothers, taking over their habits and becoming quite a tomboy, even after her parents got her a dance instructor to give the girl an alternative way of expressing her excess energy.
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Do they like the name they were given?
As ''Xiao'' means ''small'' she thought the name to be too ''cutesy'' in her younger years, but has come to embrace it nowadays
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Nervous habits?
Plays with the coin-necklace, cracks her knuckles, twiddles with fingers and adjusts her position every couple of moments
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Languages spoken
Common | In-game: Some fantasy-japanese
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Wears jewelry?
A lucky necklace of three coins with holes in them, intervined with a bright red string
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Have they ever wanted to commit suicide?
She doesn't believe in suicide
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Close friends?
She considers Kirin to be her friend, talking to him as if he were a person. The rest of her travelling group is slowly getting there as well.
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As a child, what did they want to be when they grew up?
A samurai, later on an airbender
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First kiss? (when and with whom)
When she was 14, at a pond near the village, with a young man who'd been regularily staying at the guesthouse. He soon found another young lady to swoon.
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Glass half full or half empty?
Glass has water in it
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Belief in an afterlife?
At the start of the roleplay Xiaofan believes in reincarnation, though doesn't think there's a particular god governing over such an act, just that reincarnation is part of nature's order
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Wants to get married?
Not now, it hinders one's freedom
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Wants to have kids, raise a family?
Generally laughs at such questions, says that she'll have ten kids some day, to order someone about once she's old and frail
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Cat or dog person?
Cat or dog person? Catowl person
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Anyone they really hate?
Yin and Yang
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Most traumatic experience?
In-roleplay: Meeting the Fire-Air spirit. A lot of things went down in that scene very quickly - ultimate proof of possession being possible, almost having her friends killed, her beliefs turned upside down and being forced to choose between her own and a friend's life. Later on: Dying by getting run over by a mob (she got better) and an utterly horrible night alone in the slums. And a month spent tied up in a demon-factory.
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What brings them the most joy?
A succesful performance - being able to dance in front of a crowd, feel beautiful and wanted, something elevated beyond mere humanity
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Do they play any instruments?
She's dabbled a bit in flute, but generally no
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Important people in their life
Her parents, her brothers, her brothers-wife Chiharu and their kids, her dancing mentor Cho, her travelling companions Dai, Yuan, Rou
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Spirit animal
An owlcat - at least according to Kirin himself in a strange dream, where he could talk
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If they could have one thing in the world?
To completely forget the last couple of days
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Would they dare kill someone?
Yes, definitely, but she would probably feel bad afterwards (As of roleplay: killed the vesselmaker at the demon-factory who would have tortured her to insanity otherwise. Felt bad afterwards.)
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Involved with magic or witchcraft?
As of the roleplay: Yes, she's got a gift in divination, being an oracle. Xiaofan also pines after other forms of magic, while trying to avoid the kamis who grant them.
Xiaofan took to using a personalized form of divination - a mix between ink-reading and dririmancy. By letting a drop of the subjects blood fall into a bowl of water and observing the resulting patterns she was capable of foretelling various futures, as well as how her actions would affect them. Her logic being that blood acts as a means of specifying the subject of the divination, as well as being the perfect token to represent the state of the body in the present and most closely tied to what the human IS, on account of being a binding tissue that's flowed through every inch of its owner. Thus blood is the best option for prising out the immediate future.
The girl also devised a way reverse the technique by using a subjects hair instead of blood, to get a glimpse into their recent past. -
Can they speak any accents?
Yes, she can imitate a really bad "posh british accent" despite not knowing a word of english.
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Trivia
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