Shaini

Name:Shaini
Age/18+?:18+
Contact:SidonieAncelin
Other Characters Played:N/A
Most Recent AC Link:

Name: Yuuko Ichihara
Canon: xxxHolic, Manga/Anime
Canon Point: After Death
Age: Apparent 20's, actual age unknown
Type of Character: Canon
Reference:http://xxxholic.wikia.com/wiki/Yuuko_Ichihara

Personality: Yuuko owns and lives in a small shop which exists in several dimensions at once; only someone who has a need of the shop can see it or enter the grounds. The currency of the shop is trade or barter, in exchange for wishes granted. I see the shop is both her refuge and her prison, as she does not leave it, other than for short outings related to fulfilling a wish. She is a powerful witch or sorceress, and has only recently trained an apprentice to take on the responsibility of the store and the granting of wishes. Shortly after her apprentice becomes skilled enough to be on his own, Yuuko disappears. It is heavily implied she dies, as she no longer has to remain to oversee the shop and the many magical artifacts stored within.

Yuuko is a study in contrasts. She is passive in many ways, but will intervene intensely when she feels there is a direct threat to herself, the people she cares about, or the balance of the world. Her form of intervention is usually not via violence, but rather through cunning, finding ways to reroute a confrontation or grudge, or calling on alliances with powerful spirits or people. Yuuko isn't as invested in saving "innocent" lives, as she sees good and evil as human concepts rather than a concept for the spirits. In fact, she often seems more comfortable with spirits than with humans.

Her reasons for intervening are different depending on the situation, but she will respond to direct requests for aid, to act in protection of the lives of her close companions, and to preserve the balance between the spiritual world and the human world. She strongly ascribes to balance, that each action be in proportion to resolution.

She will extend herself to great lengths to protect those she cares for, and often does so in a somewhat understated way. She is non-violent and avoids taking life, as she believes it is too heavy a burden to carry. Her solutions are usually fair, and provide an opportunity for growth and change for the people involved. That said, those solutions are sometimes harsh enough to be on a par with death.

She is very philosophical, but also extremely playful, and enjoys flustering her close friends. She has a definite streak of mischief in her personal life, although it is whimsical rather than malicious. She loves to have sake drinking parties with her friends at any excuse, and often drinks enough to need hangover remedies the next morning, during which she is quite woeful. I suspect the reason for her frivolousness and drinking during her leisure time is a direct reflection of the overall heavy burden of her abilities, and the deep responsibility she feels in using those abilities.

Yuuko often presents only her surface image to those who are not close to her. This surface image tends to be emotionless and/or dispassionate, due to her role as one who grants wishes, which is how she is most often interacts with strangers. She is much more sharing of her inner thoughts and motivations with her close friends. When spending time with those friends, she can seem quite immature, or eccentric, if not genuinely loony, but when a situation becomes serious, she shows her true age and wisdom, giving guidance, and advice.

One key aspect of her character, and I think a defining characteristic because it's a powerful philosophy; nothing frightens her, because she believes in hitsuzen, destiny. She may choose to stand aside when she sees a person recklessly endangering themselves willfully, as she believes this is a fate they have chosen.

Yuuko is quite tenacious, and believes deeply in what she does, because belief can create fate, and once the first step on that path is taken, the task must be followed through until the end. She has a great deal of patience which manifests as waiting for things to unfold, because everything is hitsuzen.

Appearance:

Abilities: Yuuko can do powerful protective and sealing magics, usually in conjunction with a magic circle. These forms of sealing often use rituals, some of them simple traditional folktale ceremonies. Yuuko also practices a form of fortune telling, not so much seeing the future as seeing the inner workings of a person, and the unseen influences around them. She can see spirits and communicate with them in the same way she does regular people, and often seems more at ease with spirits than humans. She is able to handle dangerous artifacts and seal them safely away.

Her magical symbol, or perhaps familiar, is the butterfly. In many philosophies, the butterfly symbolizes the soul, and deep spiritual change. Her magic, when visual, often shows a connection to the buttefly symbology. For example, if she summons a spiritual guide to assist her, it will usually take on the form of a butterfly.

Her most common/powerful ability is to grant wishes, but I think this is contingent on her location and home in a dimensional space which only opens to those who need her services. Freed of that space, she would no longer be obliged to, nor able to, grant wishes.

She in Canon has the ability to shift dimensions/time, which is the reason for her title of the Dimensional Witch, or the Space/Time Witch. (this seems too powerful for the setting to me, and I think nulling it would be better)

Suitability: I think Yuuko will enjoy being in Aifaran, as she is used to being in dimensions other than her home, and she is rather unflappable because of her prior experiences with dimensional travel. I want to explore what it is like for her to have personal freedom, and I am looking for both slice of life and exploration. I have an interest in big, overarching stories, although I'm not familiar enough with DW yet to commit to something large until I'm more comfortable.

Inventory: No special items; she arrives with the clothes and jewelry she is wearing, and her kiseru pipe.

Talent Preferences:Alteration, Conjuration, Illusion