the basics.

name » Xing Bao

nickname(s) » N/A

birthplace & birthday » Halbeck (A rural village in Alterie) & July 27 (20)

hometown » The Emphan Woods

ethnicity » Chinese

language » Korean
 

face claim » Uniq Wenhan

backup face claim » Cross Gene Casper

 

appearance » As a human, which is his prefered form, Bao looks pretty normal, save his pointed ears. He's an average 178cm in height, but weighs in at an initially surprising 100kg, until you remember he's an earth spirit and that they naturally weigh more than humans. If anything, Bao is a bit light for his species. He looks quite elven in his human form, with sharp features, defined eyebrows, and slightly pointed ears, but he could easily pass for a normal human if he remained in this form.

His faerie form is, for lack of a better word, dissapointing. Where many Earth Faeries are large and imposing, Bao's form is petite, barely taller than a pre-teen, and looks like, to use Dok Mai's description, "an awkward half-dragon child". He has scales coloring his arms, legs, back, and along his cheeks, forehead and nose. He has short black and red striped horns poking out from his forehead and shoulders, and has long pointed ears. His skin tone is a greenish tan and his hair goes from dark brown to dark green. His eyes are most notable - they become yellow with vertical slits, not unlike a lizards. He hates his faerie form and usually avoids entering it.

style »
Home: 1 2

Travel: 1 2
Sleeping: 1

" Sorry! "

" Quite frankly, I have no idea what I'm doing. "

 

Who are you?

plotline » Earth Spirit (Faerie)

personality »
(+) Caring, Protective, Determined, Calm
(/) Shy, Curious
(-) Overthinks, Insecure, Reckless, Withdrawn

 

To the untrained onlooker, Bao could very easily be confused for someone who is in compete control of himself and his surroundings. He's a perpetually calm person - very little can startle him or keep him off balance for very long. He's level-headed and calm in pretty much any situation, able to take a step back and analyze without freaking out. However, his level-headedness comes more from an overaalytical nature than a steady one. Bao is the type of person to overthink situations until they become worse in his mind than they actually are. This tendency also lends itself to his avoidance of social interaction in general. He overanalyzes everthing that could go wrong talking to someone and ends up never approaching them - all his friends have spoken to him first.

 

Bao's general shyness doesn't help him in the friends department either. He's a natural invtorvert and generally keeps to himself unless someone is forcing him to socialize. It's not that he doesn't want to be more outgoing, but he doesn't think he has much to contribute to conversation. His sense of self-confidence is quite low, something he's aware of and also wants to work on, but doesn't know how to. He sees himself as a major coward (which is definitely not true, and in fact he can be a little too reckless at times) as well as selfish, and he has a hard time taking pride in anything he's accomplished, always comparing himself to everyone around him.

 

For all his self doubt, though, Bao isn't a bad person to have on your side. He's almost stubborn in his defense of those closest to him, thoughtlessly putting himself into danger to protect his friends. When people are in immediate danger is the one time he doesn't stop to analyze everything, instead diving headfirst. His initial reaction to danger is always to throw himself in front of it, even if he doesn't neccessarily need too. His reckless protetiveness does get him injured more often than not, but he doesn't mind. As long as his friends are safe he's content.

 

One thing that does stand out from an otherwise rather average faerie is Bao's constant curiosity. He's always looking to learn new things, whether it's swordfighting or herbal remedies (usually learned from spirits). It's this curiosity that caused him to become discontent with his life in Emphan and made him want to set out and see more of the world. He wants to know what his place is in life, and he's happy to try any number of paths to find his answer.

trivias »

Likes
Quiet (aka when Junghwa isn't bugging him)

Reading - It's something he learned how to do while still living in Halbeck, and he sometimes steals books from the nearby town to entertain himself with

When he manages to do well in his lessons with Jun Jin

Hanging out with Daewon and Namjoo

Going outside the forest - even if it's just to Stephanie's meadow

Dislikes
Wolves - they just scare him a lot (oddly his most used animal transformation is a wolf)

His spirit sight - he sees it as a curse

Arguments - both being in them and other people having them. It makes him uncomfortable.

Loud noises - for some reason he has really sensitive hearing, so loud noises hurt his ears more than normal

Water - not drinking it or anything, but being around water completely dampens his powers. He hates rain with a passion because his powers are basically null and void.

Habits
Can't make eye contact when he's lying

Sleeping in the fetal position

Muttering when he's talking to Junghwa, even if no one is around to hear him

 

Hobbies

Reading

Following Daewon around and making sure he actually gets his duties done

 

Trivia

His favorite animal to turn into is a wolf, despite actually being scared of the real thing

He insists he could look however he wants when he's in his female form, but he always looks the same

He's talked about leaving Emphan since he was 12 years old but he never did

He's always wanted to learn to fight properly, but no one in Emphan had any formal battle training

His greatest fear is people hating him

His favorite kind of stories are fairy tales and adventure books. He likes to pretend he's the hero going off on quests

Bao is primarily a vegetarian. It's not that he doesn't like meat, and he will eat it if he has to, he just prefers fruits and vegetables

He still considers his parents to be his real parents. As much as he loves Sooyoung, she's not his real mom and he knows that

Bao isn't very affected by death, since he knows that they aren't really gone

As such, he himself isn't afraid of dying, which contributes to his recklessness

Bao gets really annoyed when people mix up nymphs and Faeries. Nymphs have longer lives and a closer connection to nature, where Fae have the same lifespans as humans and more generalized powers (nymph powers generally depend on the type of nymph they are)

Junghwa has never told Bao how she died, and she'll often use it to . (An actual conversation that happened when Bao was 8: "I just don't like water that much." "Oh yeah, I get that. I drowned you know." "Wait what? You never told me that!" "Ha! You should see your face!" "... You didn't drown." "Nah dude, when are you going to learn?")

 

 

home is where your heart is.

  

background » Bao was born in a small town called Halbeck, near the southern border of Alterie. It was a forest town, and there was a mix of human and faerie inhabitants, though for the most part each species kept to itself. There was some crossover between them, though it was minimal, and Bao was caught in that cross. His father was a human man who had grown up in the village, and his mother was a Faerie from the surrounding woods who had entered town out of curiosity and then stayed after meeting Jianyu. The couple was mostly unbothered by the townspeople, though there were definitely those who disagreed with the union. When Bao was born it caused a bit of a stir, but again most people were content to pretend it wasn't happening. Bao lived a quite childhood. He didn't have any friends, but that was as much caused by his shyness as it was by racism.

 

When he was 5, Bao's powers started to awaken - and with them, his spirit sight. He was suddenly seeing significantly more people and faeries than he had before, and, scared, he asked his mother about it. Feifei was estatic, and she explained to her son that he was seeing people who had already passed on. This did not calm Bao down, and in fact freaked him out more. He spent even more time away from the village, unable to control his sight and finding the forest spirits to be both quieter and often times more beautiful than the ghosts wandering around Halbeck. He began isolating himself more and more, spending so much time in the forest it became surprising when he was in the village. Eventually he came to the decision that he didn't want to spend any time in the town anymore. So one night he packed a bag and slipped out of his window. With the help of a few forest spirits, he managed to travel safely through the forest in about a week's time.

 

Now on the main road, Bao began walking west. He wasn't quite sure where he was going, but he figured he could find another forest to live in and maybe even some people to live with, though he wasn't holding his breath about that. After several days he was hungry and tired. Luckily, he happened upon a young woman lounging by the side of the road. Relieved he politely asked her for directions to the nearest town, much to her surprise and amusement. She offered to simply show him the way, and though he tried to insist he was fine she ended up dragging him along anyway. Lucky for Bao, she wasn't a child kidnapper - she was simply dead and quite excited to have someone to talk to. The ghost, she introduced herself as Park Junghwa, turned out to not be much help, as she'd been dead for a while and the layout of the land had changed in that time. After another week of walking, Bao stumbled across a meadow and collapsed, tired and hungry (he was at the end of the rations he'd packed for himself).

 

When he woke up he was in a cave where two creatures were arguing with each other. He had no idea what they were - they were unlike any human or faerie he'd ever seen. He was approached by another person, this one looking human. He was a boy, probably a bit older than Bao was. The boy offered the other some food, which Bao happily accepted. As he ate, the other introduced himself as Daewon and explained that Bao was in the Emphan woods. After learning that one of the two arguing women wanted to send him "back to wherever he crawled out of", he freaked out, emphetically insisting he could never go back. The woman - Dok Mai, if he was remembering Daewon correctly - gave in at his outburst and said he could stay one night but no longer. That night he and Daewon ended up staying up way too late talking and getting to know each other, and by the time they did finally pass out Bao knew he didn't want to leave in the morning.

 

Though it took quite a bit of wheedling from both Sooyoung and Daewon, Dok Mai ended up giving in and letting Bao stay. He fell into the rythms of Emphan quickly, as did Junghwa, who for whatever reason had decided to stick around. He even found an earth faerie willing to teach him to master his powers. Jun Jin was a strict teacher, but under his tutalage Bao actually gained some control over his skills. He still has a long way to go - Jun Jun has suggested his struggles to fully master his powers could have something to do with his human genes - but he continues practicing every day. He especially enjoys his transformations powers, which are his best developed. Junghwa has also been helping him out with his Spirit Sight, something he's only told Daewon about in the 13 years he's lived in the forest (though he hasn't mentioned the ghost stalking him), by teaching him the difference between dead and living people, and some of the forst spirits have tried to help him as well.

 

However, despite enjoying his life in Emphan, Bao feels like he's hit a bit of a dead end. He's mentioned this to both Daewon and Junghwa, and the latter has suggested he strike out on his own like he did when he was younger, see what the world has to offer. Bao had been considering her suggestion for about a month when the soldiers came to request Dok Mai's assitance with Eunkyung, and he took the incident as a sign. So he packed a bag and followed Dok Mai to meet the soldiers. When she asked him what the hell he thought he was doing, he just responded that he thought he might finally be able to find that job she'd been bugging him about if he went with her. She just shrugged and said nothing more on the matter. The soldiers were less comfortable with the sudden addition, but a small quake convinced them to let him tag along.

 

family »

 

Mother // Li Feifei (FC: Wu Xin) // 48 // Earth Faerie // Though they were relatively close when he was young, if Bao were to see his mother again he wouldn't know what to say. After all, he did run away. // 4/10

 

Father // Xing Jianyu (FC: Du Haitao) // 47 // Store Owner // Honestly Bao rarely spent any time with his father even before leaving. Jianyu didn't understand his son's struggles with his powers, thus Bao always sought out his mother with questions. // 1/10

 

friends/rivals »

 

Best Friends // Park Daewon // 23 // Keeper and guardian of the Emphan stream // Daewon might be three years older than Bao, but he acts younger. With their contrasting personalities one might assume that Daewon and Bao could never get along, but quite the contrary they never seem to be apart. Daewon is constantly bouncing around the forest, and 9 times out of 10 Bao will be accompanying him, keeping him grounded and focused on his tasks. The two were raised together growing up, but honestly neither sees the other as a brother, but a best friend and confidant (and for Daewon something a little more than that) // 10/10

 

Close Friends // Kim Namjoo // 20 // Air Faerie/Forest Messenger // Bao has the biggest crush on Namjoo it's almost embarrassing. She moved to the area when she was 19, looking for somewhere to settle down. She met Daewon first, and he introduced her to Dok Mai who gave her a job and a house. Bao met her not long after, and through Daewon the two shy people managed to become friends. Bao is very much in puppy-love with the woman, but Namjoo remains oblivious to his affection, and he's too shy to say anything. It's driving Daewon crazy. // 8/10

 

Adoptive Mother // Choi Sooyoung // 516 (~25) // Anthousai Nymph // Bao met Sooyoung when he was 7 years old, a few months after he left Halbeck. He was cold, hungry, and barely concious and she immediately took him home. Sooyoung became a subsitute mother for Bao, and she was not happy when he decided to leave with Dok Mai. She worries about him constantly, and he always feels bad when he upsets her. // 10/10

 

Relationship - Good Question // Dok Mai Rattanakosin // 486 (~24) // Guardian of East Emphan, Dryad // Dok Mai and Bao have never really been friends. She bosses him around constantly, and is always telling him to actually do something with his life. He actually does listen to her more often than not, as he does have a sort of respect for the woman who raised him. They're almost like an old married couple, except she's way too old for him and also married. // 9/10

 

Stalker and Stalkee // Park Junghwa // Enthusiastic, Childish, Intelligent, Playful // Looks 20, but who knows for sure? // Ghost // Bao mey Junghwa when he was 7, a little after he ran away from home. He mistook her for a living person and asked directions, and she, having been alone for a while, ended up tagging along on his trek. She's been hanging around Emphan ever since, bothering Bao by constantly asking him to do things for her. For the most part he ignores her requests, but honestly he's used to having her around, and wouldn't know what to do without her, especially since she often uses her ghostly abilities to help him out. // 10/10

In life Junghwa was actually really shy and awkward, something she mentions a lot when telling Bao to stop being so "anti-social". Now that she's been dead a while (no, she's not telling you how long, and it's rude that you asked!), she's definitely loosened up. Junghwa is like an annoying sister for Bao - even when he was younger than her (physically) she seemed like a younger sibling. She's always full of energy, asking questions, announcing her opinions about whatever everyone is talking about (and more often than not trying ot get Bao to voice them for her). She's definitely a force of personality, and Bao alternately describes her as a naggy aunt or an annoying little sister. She's always trying to make Bao talk to more people, constantly bossing him around and trying to tell him how to do things "better". But just as often she's bouncing around, asking random questions about everything and having very loud opinions about the answers. When Bao overheard Dok Mai and Sooyoung talking about the journey, Junghwa was actually the one to decide they were going. And when he agreed that he wanted to she was absolutely elated, even pretending to pack just she could "get the full experience." She actually spends a lot of time watching other people in the group during the day and then gossiping to Bao about it later. She also likes to play lookout at night - she doesn't sleep after all, so why not?

 

Mentor // Jun Jin // 35 // Earth Faerie // Jun Jin is generally a fun loving person, but he's a very strict teacher. While Bao definitely respects him a lot and takes his teachings to heart, he's also a bit scared of the older male. // 6/10

 

 

the one and only.

love interest » ?? Hongze (Or applicant)

backup love interest » Either Daewon or Namjoo, I'd be happy with either~

Crushes» Ashvale Princess, Lemeria's Prince, possibly Eunkyung to a degree as well XD

 

personality » Here~

 

love story » Bao and Hongze meet on the journey. She was curious to learn about Nymphs and Faeries and he seemed to be the most approachable of the magical beings on the trip. He was happy to answer her questions - it made him feel useful, and also meant he had someone else to talk to on the trip (spending the entire journey hanging around Dok Mai wasn't the most appealing of ideas). The two eventually ended up becoming friends as they mostly hung out with each other (Hongze isn't the most approachable person, and Bao is awkward) and discovered they had more in common than you'd think (wariness of water, fear/dislike of their own powers, etc) and their conversation topic became broader. When Hongze found out about Bao's insecurities she was quick to offer help, feeling like she owed him for the continuing facts about Fae and Nymphs that he was more than happy to talk about. She also helped him with his fighting techniques, which he appreciated just as much. They do get into arguments, specifically about killing - Bao is rather indifferent where Hongze hates it and it does cause a lot of friction between them (since Bao doesn't explain about his spirit sight and why he doesn't worry much about death), though they always end up talking again afterwards (despite not really making up. Bao isn't as comfortable with anyone as he is with Hongze, and he'd rather hang around her and feel awkward than hang around Dok Mai).

 

last words.

comments/suggestions » not much trivia, I know, I really really at trivia >.> I'll try to add more if you want but honestly I can't promise anything. Also whether or not Junghwa stalks him along the journey is up to you, I just liked the idea of her following him around and driving him crazy ^^ It definitely didn't help his hate of Spirit Sight~

scene requests »

The Prince of Lemeria giving Bao a few sword fighting tips and Bao getting flustered because of his crush~
If she comes, someone hearing Bao talking to Junghwa and thinking he's crazy XP

password » "What you are going through today, and who you are as a person, are two different things."