Xiang Ju

Despite being in the Xiu clan, Xiang Ju is terrified of the spirits and ghosts that hover around her clan compound. Not only is she scared of ghosts, she is also afraid of many other things (ranging from snakes to spiders). She is hesitant to try new things that she categorizes as dangerous, her fear often consuming her to the point that she wouldn’t even consider any other decision beyond “no.” Xiang Ju is cowardly in that she rarely confronts her fears; the things she dislikes or fear tend to remain disliked and feared. She is extremely evasive and unwilling to put in the effort to change-- she’d only avoid. She’d rather walk 5 miles instead of 1 just to avoid the (low) possibility of stumbling across a snake. Xiang Ju doesn’t realize it, but her endeavors to avoid potential negative outcomes often require much more effort than if she were to actually just take the risk. Xiang Ju is too cautious to the degree that it often prevents her from trying out new activities since she is too hesitant. She is very careful and is the type to overpack for trips.

Xiang Ju is also incredibly unambitious as she only has simple wishes. She wants to live a simple life where she can just be happy, away from things that would stress her out. She has little desire for material goods, power, and even the acknowledgment of her peers is something she does not wish to actively pursue. Xiang Ju has little motivation which leads to her lack of ambitions; she is often content with what she has and does not desire to change the status quo.

While some of her clan members teased her for fearing ghosts despite being in the Xiu clan, a clan that specializes in exorcising them, they still indulged her and comforted her. Xiang Ju grew up to be very compassionate; she herself knew how it felt to be unable to control her own emotions (even she knew her fears were incredibly silly; she could purify spirits with talismans but they still left her feeling terror struck). Occasionally Xiang Ju can sense how frustrated others are with her inability to adapt; however, Juju is actually more frustrated than anyone else. She dislikes being a burden on others but she just can’t bring herself to face her fears. She just can’t control her feelings of fear. It is due to this self awareness that Xiang Ju never pokes fun at the fears and weaknesses of others. Rather, she tends to empathize with others. Being scared of so many things, she doesn’t want to trivalize the fears and experiences of others-- not when she has so many fears herself. Due to this, she is incredibly observant and sensitive to the feelings of others.