Noctium Application

[vayuda]

« PLAYER INFORMATION »

Name: Maggie
Are you over 18?: Yes
Contact: roseburst / Maggie#0451
Other characters, if any: I also applied for Kashuu Kiyomitsu from Touken Ranbu


« CHARACTER INFORMATION »

Character: Xiao
Canon: Genshin Impact
Canon point: Post Liyue story
OU or AU?: OU
Age: Uncertain but over 2000+ years old.
Species: Adeptus (magical beasts/non humans in his canon)



« RECORD »


Disposition:

• Dedicated. Xiao has spent thousands of years dedicated to the same task of protecting Liyue, and seems inclined to spend thousands more doing the same exact thing. He never deviates from or shirks his task, and is by far the easiest of the Adepti to locate and speak with about Rex Lapis and his "death", although Xiao admittedly just fucking leaves to follow up on matters himself when he's done with the conversation even though the Traveler and Paimon aren't quite finished with him. While some of the Adepti removed themselves ever further from humanity, Xiao works alongside it in tandem - separate, but continuously doing what is expected of him without the need for people to ask him for help overmuch.

• Caring. Not in the way most people would consider someone to be caring, mind. Xiao isn't warm and he won't be overtly kind to you. But he does seem to be dedicated to his task of protecting the humans of Liyue, and he even makes an effort to try to help Ganyu when she becomes despondent and confused about her role, albeit in his own...Xiao-ish way. He's not caring to everyone, but Xiao does have multiple lines about being willing to protect others and offering to kill for those who cannot. He's spent thousands of years hunting demons for the sake of Liyue - that isn't entirely driven only by duty. While he doesn't understand those he protects and he doesn't totally get the other Adepti, Xiao does still have an interest in them no matter how much he'd deny that and he does pay attention to those who stay in his line of sight.

• Calm. Again, he's cool-headed. He can absolutely be curt and doesn't seem to have the best social skills in terms of like...not ditching conversations at will, but Xiao doesn't go out of his way to hurt others and he doesn't seem to lose his temper much at all. He's noted by the Wangshu Inn owners to love "peace and quiet" and they seem fond of having him around despite his demeanor. He causes no trouble for others when he can help it, preferring to keep to himself and think things over on his own.

• Inhuman. This isn't to say Xiao is evil or that his morals aren't good, but he lives on a scale of millenia, not years, and doesn't seem to interact with humans as much as, say, Ganyu. He dismisses many things that come naturally to mortals as "weird human things" and seems to look down on them in a way that doesn't seem malicious but is more - he's been around a long, long time and most humans are short-lived and strange and chatty, and he doesn't understand them because despite protecting them from the shadows for eons he has not lived among them like Ganyu (who has human blood to help her out) and he hasn't really observed them to the degree of Rex Lapis (who despite that doesn't totally Get the humanity thing either). Humanity is like a foreign language in which Xiao has a failing grade. He even admits he can't really understand human emotions, although he clearly does have emotions of his own - he's just not really in touch even with those.

• Distant. Xiao seems to hold himself apart even from the other Adepti to a degree, despite coming when called and being willing to assist them without (much) complaining. It's partly due to believing his battle is his own burden only and partly to just not being particularly social or certain how to interact with people. While he does pretty much nothing but fight, Xiao doesn't seem to get any joy from fighting. He just considers himself to be a weapon, and he sees everything he does as a way of atoning for the things he has done in his past. He's hard to get to know because he's just not really fond of people in general, despite not seeming to hate people - maybe it's the talking he minds most. He's even tried to foist people (specifically humans he thinks are irritating) off on others...sorry, Ganyu.

Under pressure: Xiao is a great deal more stand-offish than the other character I applied for, but he by no means hates people. He hates dealing with unnecessary things and feels awkward around others sometimes, but he has spent thousands of years protecting the people of Liyue. He even took the time to retrieve a lost doll for a small child, and shows up in popular culture of Liyue a lot or just in stories people tell; Xiao is always trying to protect the people he is around, even if he seems to think he needs to do it alone. He will find it odd and strange to be so far away from his battle, but I think the reprieve would be extremely good for him, as would the need to actually bond with others. He's held himself apart for a long time, but even doing that he always ends up helping out anyone who needs it...albeit in a rather terse and distant sort of way. He won't feel angry or lost at being somewhere else, but will turn his goal-oriented mind to learning the ropes and perhaps someday learning how to return to that battle...

Condition upon arrival: Perfectly fine.

Abilities:

• Xiao possesses the power of an Adepti. He isn't human and basically won't die unless killed and doesn't seem to age - the downside of this is that apparently human medicine has zero effect on him. He can also presumably shapeshift like the other Adepti but does not choose to do so at any point in the game thus far, sticking to his edgy teenager aesthetic. Adepti have a variety of other powers that are only touched upon in game, including sub-space creation, sigils, etc - Xiao presumably has some knowledge of these things but does not seem to be an expert or particularly interested in them. You probably want Cloud Shaper instead for that (though he can make a mean battle trial...but that's like, all he's shown to do). The only reference he makes to ever making any sort of Adepti thing besides a battle trial is an "Adepti amulet" he gives the traveler on their birthday in his voicelines. Not as a PRESENT, mind. Just...an amulet.

• Xiao is absolutely a combat expert. He's strong and blindingly fast in battle, and some of that can absolutely be attributed to his status as an Adepti although some of it is also 2000+ years of nonstop battle experience and training.

• He's an anemo vision holder who uses a polearm. His attacks are based around lunging and plunging and his kit is pretty straightforward. When he dons his mask and gets Serious, however, his health will continuously drain - though the trade-off is a boost to his stats and attack and changing things to anemo damage. Like other vision users, he does have a degree of elemental sight as well. The anemo part means his attacks basically have wind magic. It can't do anything ever and he can't fly, but he can glide and attack things mid-air.

• Assorted miscellany: he's better at climbing than most people, apparently can play the flute, and is very good at abrupt arrivals and departures. Also, he can somehow consume dreams and presumably nightmares. Dreams apparently taste similar to Almond Tofu.

Inventory: His clothes, his mask, and the Primordial Jade-Winged Spear, a glider (basically wings Genshin characters wear on their backs and use to catch air drafts to fly around).

Gembond: Sapphire
Gem Location: His upper back between his shoulderblades, neatly framed by his costume.


« MISCELLANEOUS »

Sample: Toplevel at a short-term game.