Professor Celestia Peach

Professor Celestia Peach
Profile
Age	33
Title	Professor of Dust Studies
Nickname	Shishou Tao
Status	Alive
Color	Peach
Gender	Female
Traits
Race	Vacuian
Species	Human
Handedness	Right
Complexion	Olive
Hair	Peach/Tea Rose
Eyes	Tinged-Rose
Semblance	Trace/INSTALL
Height	5'6"
Weight	70 kg (154 lbs.)
Professional Status
Affiliation	Vacuo, Atlas, Beacon Academy
Occupation	Huntsmen Academy Professor
Job Types	Educator, Researcher
Additional Info
Emblem

Appearance

Celestia has voluminous peach-coloured hair that descends into gradients of tea rose which she wears in a shaggy, waist-length ponytail using a midnight, sakura flower shaped head-ornament. Lengthy strands of hair flows from her temples which flank her tinged-rose eyes, of which her left eye is usually covered with thick bangs. Finally a beauty mark dots her lower left lip.

Professor Peach in her lab-coat (drawn by Nachooz)

As a professor of an esteemed Huntsmen Academy, Celestia dresses conservatively. Her outfit is aristocrat in style, consisting of a clean and fluffed, white dress-shirt with rose coloured bands, a midnight blue lace with a pink sakura-shaped brooch, and a midnight vest. Completing her outfit are a pair of dark-brown dress pants and black thigh-high boots accented with hot pink arrows and zippers. During class, she can be seen wearing a white laboratory coat as well.

When carrying her weapons, she wears a pink metal harness around her waist with two white belts hooked on each side. The harness allows her to carry a spell tome behind her, and her swords on her left side.

Child Form

"True" Peach (Drawn by Nachooz)

An appearance that comes into existence when her true personality emerges. This form is essentially a scaled down version of her adult form.

Celestia Peach (Prototype)

A younger version of Peach, back when she was an active Huntress. She wore a  long-sleeve and chic, off-shoulder blouse; it was dyed midnight around the sleeves but remained white band in the center. In addition, Celestia wore a frilly rosé skirt with white laces, accompanied by thigh-high socks that left about a foot of absolute territory, and midnight boots with rosé bands. Her hair was not as long but she still wore a ponytail which was tied up with a midnight lace.

Personality

Celestia is a model teacher, laid-back and carefree, but not air-headed; this makes her a fan favourite of Beacon. In addition to being wise, kind, and nurturing, she often provides sound advice for young Huntsmen and Huntresses in training.

However, her true personality (as well as her form) immerges when she is alone or immersed in her research. Peach becomes, obnoxious, chatty, and foul-mouthed, with most of what she spouts being ego-stroking or sarcastic insults. Furthermore, her addiction to junk food and other unproductive hobbies surface in this form. These include model kit building and binge watching TV shows.

It is important to understand that Celestia does not literally transform into a child, rather, it is an self-inflicted illusion that other individuals construct to protect their own sanity after realizing the truth.

Despite the polarizing traits, her desire to educate and protect students, and teachers alike, stretches both of her personalities.

Celestia Peach (Prototype)

Huntress Celestia Peach (Drawn by Nachooz)

During her training days, Celestia was mostly viewed as a typical privileged and pampered rich girl who was used to getting only the best in her life. Even at a young age, she was a prodigy in Dust Casting. This enabled her to deem almost everything and everyone as plebeians if they were not up to her standards. She was a prominent figure in the Huntsmen world, with fighting skills on par with most professional Huntsmen, if not better than most.

Her reputation was well known in Atlas at the time  her name alone is able to scare off amateur opponents in seconds. At the same time though, Peach’s influence made her into the very few Huntress celebrities at the time due to her beauty, prestige, and unrivaled skill.

However, what she possessed in raw skill, she lacked severely in guts, and courage; her sheltered childhood also left her emotions an easy outlet to manipulate. In addition, an unfortunate incident with the Creatures of Grimm instilled a paralyzing phobia within her. Celestia’s acknowledgement of her own shortcomings is what pushed her to attend Beacon Academy.

Weaponry

Prismatic Dust-Blade System

Onikiri and Hachikami (drawn by DustpeltX)

The Prismatic Dust-Blade System (PD-System for short) consists of two identical thrusting-swords, and their sheaths. Celestia named the first Onikiri and the second, which was built during her time as a student, Hachikami.

Two features sets them apart from conventional swords. Firstly, the weapons do not have a persistent blades in their inactive form, instead, physical Dust-blades manifest when the weapons are activated. Custom Dust cartridges, of Peach’s own design, that are housed in the sheaths fuel the fabrication of these blades.

Secondly, despite the PD-System being modeled after a traditional estoc, the blade designs it can manifest are not limited to thrusting-types alone; light, single-handed swords, or knives can also be fabricated. Each time the sword is unsheathed, it unlocks a cartridge from the sheath, allowing the Dust to flow out; Celestia then wills the blade into form. However, heavier weapons like claymores or blunt weapons are impossible due to the material being used.

The Dust-blades are rather brittle and cannot take much abuse. However, the blades’ cutting capabilities are far superior than that of steel.

Dust Cartridges

Celestia’s custom Dust cartridges are canisters of compressed Dust that contain the same amount of Dust as conventional containers but at half the volume; this allows her to carry upwards of 50 cartridges per sheath.

The cartridges run on a rotating belt inside the sheath and Dust types can be easily cycled with a dial on the sheath. Additional cartridge belts can be carried carried, but Peach’s standard loadout consists of only what is contained in her sheaths.

Spell Tome

A tome containing Celestia’s more complicated spells and incantations. Its contents are too vast and incomprehensible to decipher to the average layman.

She rarely uses it in combat as her memory is impeccable. Nonetheless, she keeps it around for insurance.

Fighting Style and Abilities

Professor Peach suited up (drawn by Nachooz)

Celestia is an exemplary fencer as well as renowned magus; while her extensive knowledge of Dust Casting allows her to operate as a long-ranged caster if necessary, her speciality is in spells that deal with weapon manipulation.

Celestia’s fighting style focuses on finesse. Although she can create and utilize a multitude of sword-types, her weapon of choice are thrusting swords - specifically the blade of an estoc. She also prefers to use a single sword rather than both at once, but has no preference over either Onikiri or Hachikami.

As a skilled fencer, Peach is a strong soloist. Her strengths lie in her ability to focus down and control the movement of single opponents through efficient footwork and bladework. However, pure-fencing, and even other forms of accessible swordplay, proves difficult in dealing with large numbers of opponents, even for her.

Confronting multiple opponents requires Celestia to rely on Dust Casting to weave area-of-effect spells in order to facilitate more favourable conditions for her fencing style. The Dust that makes up the blade of her weapon fuels each spell. However, each time a spell is cast, a single blade is consumed, and her weapon must be sheathed to fabricate a new blade.

The Dust Casting process becomes more complicated as the second blade is added into the equation. With a second blade, she can craft secondary and tertiary Dust on the fly as well as enhance pre-existing spells with complimentary elemental spells.

While an exceptional fighter, Celestia’s skill-set proves disadvantageous against well armoured enemies. Furthermore, blocking and parrying with a Dust-blade can only be done against similarly weighted weapons. A heavy weapon or blow can crush the blades rather easily.

Semblance - (Trace/INSTALL)

Trace/INSTALL Glyph

Trace/INSTALL allows Peach to produce Glyphs that copies, contains, and reproduces the force and energy of attacks and spells. Glyphs can be anchored in space freely and attached to objects or to creatures, but can only be done via physical contact.

When placed on creatures, the glyph is harmless until acted on again. Peach can reactivate these Glyphs by making physical contact with the creature; this detonates the mark and releases a copy of the action that initially generated it.

In battle, Peach uses her Semblance to, quite literally, double her own actions. One simple technique has Peach engage her opponent in melee combat and place marks onto them as she registers hits. Depending on the situation, she can choose to activate previous marks and place entirely new ones at the same time, or she can stack multiple marks on an individual and activate all of them at once. In addition, the marks can be elementally enhanced by consuming the Dust-blade of her weapon.

Another technique is the copying of spells. When a spell is cast, she generates a mark where the spell launches from. She can also create marks that only contain a physical swing of her sword; naturally, these can be enhanced with Dust as well. Peach then forces her opponents to operate around these marks which activate with ANY physical contact, effectively creating mines fixed in space.

The number of glyphs she can place is virtually limitless as they remain until they are triggered, or willed to fade. Individuals fighting against Peach should aim to trigger placed glyphs as they appear and take care to not allow Peach to apply a continuous string of glyphs on themselves.

Bladescape:Exodus

Exodus drawn by narukkod

Bladescape Exodus is the physical manifestation of Celestia’s maximum combat prowess. Not entirely a magical spell nor swordplay, it is considered to be the very representation of what a spellblade stands for.

By expending all 100 of the Dust cartridges she carries at the same time, she shapes the Dust into swords which she uses to form a cylindrical cage the size of a small soccer field (50 metre diameter) around herself. The swords can then be used one at a time, concentrated on one target, or rained down on an area the size of two soccer fields (7000 metres squared). The swords explode with elemental energy as they make contact with anything. In addition, Bladescape Exodus can interact with Trace/INSTALL, bringing the number of swords to 200.

The ability is very costly to maintain for long periods of time as Celestia has to keep all 100 blades suspended. The swords also have a limited range of about 200 metres.

History

Celestia Peach was born Vacuian; her family were farmers who maintained fruit orchards in a rural community situated around the Epoligi River that flowed from Mt. Unity. However, it was during a particularly dangerous Grimm attack that her parents, in the hopes of ensuring the newborn Celestia’s safety, placed her, and several peaches, into a fruit basket before allowing it to be swept away by the Epilogi. The basket floated for 3 days until it reached the Oasis of Vacuo where it was discovered by an Altesian couple, the Celestias, who took the infant as their own before returning to Atlas. They named her Peach, after the contents found alongside her.

While not as wealthy as the Schnees, Peach was able to grow up comfortably in her adoptive household. Her parents hired several tutors, and gave her a thorough education which spanned from basic academics to martial and weapon disciplines. Naturally, she took up fencing and Dust Casting as her prefered activities. However, her studies into basic genetics led her to deduce her illegitimacy as the child of the Celestias.

After confronting her adoptive parents of her origin, she left for Vacuo against their wishes. Using the basket she was found in as the sole clue, she eventually tracked her family back to the fruit orchards where her parents welcomed her back with open arms. Despite the warm welcomes, her eldest brother - Longan, who was jealous of Peach’s lavish lifestyle, refused to accept her. The bitterness he felt, which came from years of tirelessly supporting the family, caused him to lash out at Peach and deserted the reunion.

Compelled to right her wrongs, Peach chased after him. Unfortunately, their negative confrontation attracted several Grimm, and, despite her training, it resulted in her being gravely injured in the battle. Fortunately, she bought enough time for the arrival of the community militia. The incident forced Longan to see past Peach’s pampered background, and accept her as part of the family.

Content with finding her birth family, Peach returned to Atlas to reconcile with her adoptive parents. In addition, after experiencing the Grimm’s savagery first-hand and her incompetence in dealing with such a threat, she decided to attend Vale’s Beacon Academy, citing both her desire to become stronger so she may protect those she holds dear and to be equidistant from both of her families.

During her time at Vale, she changed her name from Peach Celestia to Celestia Peach to symbolize her birth family being the Peachs, and her given family as the Celestias.

After graduating from the academy, she spent several years as a professional Huntress before settling down as a professor at Beacon as a Dust instructor and specialist.

Relationships

Kintsugi Celestia and Rosé Celestia

Celestia’s adoptive parents:  Kintsugi is a Mistralian; he owns and operates an extractive metallurgy business that specialises in material processing for Huntsmen weapons. He is a hearty man who knows the pain of honest work.

Rosé is an Altesian; she was trained from birth as a sommelier. Her sharp pallet is not limited to wine and alcohol, in fact she is considered one of several influential food critics in Atlas, but her specialty is in foreign delicacies. It was her desire to experience Vacuian cuisine that led to her and her husband’s discovery of Celestia. Rosé was a sheltered individual, but her personality and view of the world improved as she traveled.

Papaya Peach and Pitaya Peach

Celestia’s birth parents. All together they have 5 children: 4 girls; Pear, Pomegranate, Paprika, and Celestia; and 1 boy; Longan. Of the 5 children, Longan is the eldest, followed by, Pear, Pomegranate, Paprika, and Celestia.

Papaya is a stern man, little in the ways of emotion, but caring. He would rather express himself through his actions than with words. Nothing but a slight grin would come from his face.

Pitaya is a religious woman, motherly in tone, but possesses a loud voice for scolding as well. Her whole life has been taking care for her children and making sure each and every one was well fed, and well mannered.

Longan Peach

The eldest of the Peach siblings. His initial impression of Celestia’s privileged life left him bitter of his own circumstances. His meeting with Peach soon turned into a life-threatening situation, and his story would have ended there were it not for Celestia’s compassion. The experience forced him to acknowledge Celestia as family, and the two have been close ever since.

Ever since he turned 14, he was given the responsibility of tending the fields, as well as running the stands at the city marketplace. He is a hard worker, but at times, the stress causes him to lash out. Now at the age of 45, he has taken over for his father, and has a family of his own as well.

Pear, Pomegranate, and Paprika Peach

The Fire Sisters as they were called, each named after a fruit that grew on the farm. They have been married off to separate families but nothing could keep them apart. In fact, they still live in the same village working as seamstresses, a job that enables the sisters to gossip about their husbands all day.

Trivia

• This is the Ex;R version of the canonical Professor Peach character
• The Prof. Peach was developed from 3 stories:
  • The story of Momotarō, lit. Peach Boy, a popular hero of Japanese folklore. The story contributed in part to her backstory as a baby in a basket (Momotaro was a boy born from a peach, hence the name Peach-boy) as well as the names of her swords, Onkiri and Hachikami
    • Onikiri lit. demon-cutter, references Momotarō's quest to defeat an island of demons in his story
    • Hachikami lit. Bee-God, references Momotarō's allies, one being a bee (hachi), and the other a crab (kani, which is sometimes bastardized as kami, God)
  • The biblical story of Exodus, the one concerning Moses also contributed to the "baby in a basket, floating down a river" concept, as well as the naming of the ability Absolute Bladescape: Exodus
  • The Longevity Peaches of Chinese culture gives her the name Celestial/Celestia. These peaches exist both as a literary device in Chinese stories, and as actual pastries that fulfill the role of a birthday cake for the Chinese people
    • Longevity Peaches are said to be eaten by the gods, granting immortality. They also appear in a story involving Sun Wukong, where he was appointed as a guard in an orchard full of Longevity Peaches, but instead of guarding the fruits, he consumed them all
    • The Chinese pronunciation of Longevity Peach is Shoutao
      • Prof.Peach's nickname is Shishou Tao: Shishou - Teacher ; Tao - Peach
• Bladescape Exodus was inspired by both:
  • Byakuya Kuchiki's Senbonzakura Kageyoshi of Bleach
  • EMIYA's Unlimited Blade Works of Fate/stay night