Bianca Moreno

"*Mandy, I've told you this and I'll tell you again. I don't care how "powerful" I am. I just want to graduate, get a job, and keep bad things from happening to me. I love you, but keep the heroics to yourself.*"

"*November is dark and doom-dangled, / fitful bone light.*"
—Charles Wright
**Bianca Moreno** (ビアンカ•モレノ, *Bianka Moreno*) is a civilian and resident of New York City. She is a graduate student at Columbia University studying anthrology. Although she possesses a potentially powerful combat quirk called Nightmare, she is uninterested in the idea of heroics, and seeks the same things most people want from life: Financial security, someone to share a bed with, and to feel fufilled. Despite this, she has often found herself in dangerous situations because of her friendship with the happy-go-lucky, rising Manhattan hero Amanda Reinard.

## Appearance

Bianca is a slim young woman in her mid-twenties. Her style of dress is quite demure, and combined with her soft sloping facial features, marks a certain type of quiet innocence, making it quite easy for her to be an assumed target in the dark corners of New York.

## Abilities

### Quirk

Bianca possesses an emitter quirk known as **Nightmare** (悪夢, *Akumu*). By preying on her fear, and using it as a catalyst, she is capable of summoning a shadow-knit feline creature called **Acechador** (潜む(アセカドルア), *Asekadorua lit. Lurker*). Her level of fear directly correlates to the strength and size of her companion, as well as her capacity to control him. Thus, depending on her emotional status, Acechador can be anywhere from the size of a house-cat, to a tiger, to a small SUV, and in moments of sheer terror, even the size of a two-story home.

Acechador is a sentient creature, with a distinct antagonistic and snarky persona. Despite his character flaws and hostility, he seems to grapple with his feelings about Bianca. He has been shown to both seek to forcefully defend her from muggers and even petty threats such as high school bullies, when contrastingly, grows unable to control and bloodthirsty the larger he gets.

Much like a normal cat, Acechador has rather acute senses and when manifested, can be useful for a variety of purposes. When in lower stress situations, at the meager build of a house cat, he can be quite resourceful and mobile, and can adequately *lurk* to follow and observe people. He is capable of communicating telepathically with Bianca, however, she cannot respond, unless she is speaking out loud.

When he increases in size, his power grows as well. At about the size of a tiger, he is easily capable of batting grown men to the ground and can run at speeds up to 40 mph for short bursts. He has a remarkable bite force and sharp claws to tear into anyone he deems a threat. At his largest, Acheador is a fearsome creature of destruction, towering above men. He has enough strength and speed great enough to wreak havoc on city blocks, destroying both buildings and innocent lives.

Due to the shadowy composition of his body, Acechador, while tangible and solid, is also quite durable, and appears to be able to take the brunt of attacks thrown at him. He has no organs or ability to feel pain, and his body, when broken apart, begins to reknit itself together. His body is sensitive to high heat and flames, as well as likely susceptible to high impacts such as grenades or missiles.

Acechador's power as a quirk is directly correlated to Bianca's fear. When she is unafraid, she is barely able to manifest him, and his form as a small house cat is relatively useless. In situations of stress, however, a seemingly mundane and useless quirk transforms into a powerful defense mechanism, with a mind of his own. Due to Bianca's own morality, and her fear of her quirk in itself, she has had to carefully work to learn to control Acechador, keeping herself removed from dangerous situations and activities, practicing mindfulness, and researching psychology and the mechanisms behind fear itself. Years of work and two decades of practice have given Bianca great control over her fears and the way she reacts to them, making it easy to keep her nightmares at bay, and preventing her Nightmare, from hurting other people.

### Overall Abilities

**Bilingualism:** Growing up in a Mexican household, Bianca is fluent in both Spanish and English.

**Moderate Level of Physical Fitness:** Bianca is no athlete, nor does she possess any sort of enhanced human conditioning. She is at a relatively average level of physical fitness and can perform and maneuver adequately in situations of stress as well as participate in recreational sports without great levels of fatigue. Despite Acechador's prowess, she in no way shares the same enhanced physical abilities possessed by her quirk and could likely be overpowered with relative ease.

**Acquired Intellect:** As a scholarship student at a prestigious private university, it can easily be determined that Bianca is rather clever. Through hard work, passion, and a cultivated knack for connecting information, she has maintained proper grades through her school career. Her intelligence is not strictly a product of prodigy and has been developed due to her love of anthropology, reading, and her motivation to succeed. She is also fairly well-versed in psychology, as part of her research into her quirk and how to manage it.

**Emotional Regulation and Mental Discipline:** Likely the most astounding of Bianca's traits, is her carefully cultivated control of her own psyche. Because of the psychological nature of her quirk, she has worked hard to understand her own emotions, fears, and adequately manage them. Because of this, she can sometimes appear quite aloof and is talented at masking her emotions, making her difficult to read. She is also well-versed in mindfulness, despite holding little faith in the "mystical powers" of yoga and meditation. What makes this ability so remarkable is that it directly correlates to the strength of her quirk. Without proper control and emotional regulation, Acechador, her nightmare, grows out of control, with power great enough to decimate. To keep her quirk in check, it is essential that she regulates her level of fear; enough to keep him tangible, but not great enough to lose control. It has taken years of practice to come to fruition, however, now Bianca has garnered the skills necessary to keep her nightmares at bay.

## Trivia

* Bianca's appearance is based on María Aracely Penalba from Marvel's *Scarlet Spider*.
* She is my play on the Damsel in distress trope.
* Bianca's name, personality, and quirk are a direct nod to the protagonist of a short story written by the author.
* As pointed out by Zef, her name is quite ironic considering Bianca means "white" and Moreno means "black".
* Her "user quote" is an excerpt of poetry by Charles Wright, which is fitting not only because of the imagery of dark and light but is also a nod to the author's short story, which was set in November.
* According to the author:
	+ Bianca's ideal day would feature the following: a jog in the park, a hot shower, and curling up in an armchair with a good book and a cup of tea.
	+ She suffers from depression and has been taking anti-depressants since high school.