#it's the closest parallel that i can find to karmic debt

[paimonial-rage]

what are they like in a relationship? For diluc

do you have headcanons about them? for xiao

[Character Analysis Ask Meme]

What is Diluc like in a relationship?

The day you found out his feelings, he didn’t approach the matter like most men in Mondstadt. He didn’t smile, nor did he meet your gaze. If you had to be honest with yourself, it seemed as if he wanted to be anywhere but here with you. Yet even with his stiff expression, he asked if you would meet him on the veranda privately. There, with the sun setting from behind and a slight dusting of red upon his cheeks, he then requested permission to court you. 

It doesn’t take you very long to notice how awkward he is in his courtship of you. Whenever you walk side by side, he always keeps a respectable distance. He does not reach for your hand, nor does he hold you close. Still, you can’t deny he’s earnest. Every meeting greets you with a bouquet of flowers. Every parting leaves you with a kiss upon your hand. 

It takes you a bit longer to see through his cold exterior. How his frowns when you speak are only in frustration due to not knowing how to respond in a way that’ll make you smile. How his eyes tend to follow you when he thinks you are not looking. How he turns away to hide his smiles when you do something that warms his heart. 

You come to the conclusion that even though he left his past behind him, he is a knight through and through. Never having been in a relationship before, he lets propriety dictate the way he acts toward you. It’s so incredibly stiff and awkward, you can’t deny that. And yet, when you look in his eyes, all you can feel is warmth. 

-----

Xiao Headcanons

Self-focused

Though many of the workers at the Wangshu Inn attempt to create a calming atmosphere for Xiao, there’s nothing he hates more than silence. Many people would not expect it with the young adeptus, introverted as he is. How would they know that the worst times of his life were spent struggling to survive on his own? And the best? When he closes his eyes, he can still hear them—the melodious voice of Sister Bonanus, the loud and rambunctious teasing of Brother Bosacius—his family. Sometimes, on the worst nights, he finds himself drawn to the edges of Liyue Harbor to let the sounds of life and living draw him to sleep.

Relationship-focused

Though you may have realized it before entering into a relationship with him, it only becomes even more noticeable after that Xiao isn’t one to express his needs. Oftentimes, it’s only until after he’s fully withdrawn himself that you realize something may have happened that caused him undue stress. It takes you time to realize that it’s not because he’s upset with you or that he doesn’t trust you; it’s simply that he does not wish to inconvenience you with his problems. It’ll take time and patience before he feels truly comfortable relying on you during his weakest moments.

[tumblunni]

30 Days Of Character Development #1

Doing this with my oc Malachi! Because it looked so cool!!

1.) Describe your character’s relationship with their mother or their father, or both. Was it good? Bad? Were they spoiled rotten, ignored? Do they still get along now, or no? 

Malachi actually both doesn’t know his biological parents and also doesn’t have any adoptive parents. He was raised in a church orphanage but the staff were neglectful at best and abusive at worst. There was a policy of not getting attatched to the kids, Malachi only ever knew the head of the church as “Matron” instead of any kind of parent.

The particular Matron who was in charge at the time took it even further than usual, seeing the orphans as leeches on their resources and bemoaning how they were forced to take them in. She would work them to death and make them feel like they deserved it, a constant lifelong quest to repay the debt they owed her for daring to exist under her roof. And she would indoctrinate them into a very twisted interpretation of her religion with emphasis only on the sin, and the rules, and the constant terrifying presence of god judging you for your every action. Many children in her care died of neglect, overwork, or “falling down the stairs”. And the few who grew to adulthood just ended up becoming workers in the orphanage, spending their whole life in the church and continuing the same cycle of abuse upon the next generation. Needless to say, Malachi didn’t really have a good relationship with her. She treated everyone horribly but seemed to be particularly frustrated by Mal’s existance. He was seen as a particularly ‘willful’ child even though he did everything possible to be obedient. He dared to act effeminate, he ‘caused trouble’ by being a bullying target to the other kids, he showed way too much emotion. One day he just snapped and became a stepford smiler who lost all will to disobey her.. that was even worse than when he wouldn’t stop crying. What a pathetic child... what a creepy thing.. completely justified in using him as a scapegoat for everything, I mean he just brings it upon himself, doesn’t he? He was an easy target, so she actively encouraged bullying of her chosen scapegoat, to keep the kids bickering amoungst themselves instead of banding together to rebel against her.

The closest thing he had to a real parent at the time was one of the many Sisters that served under Matron, one of the many former orphans here who was too scared to oppose her even in adulthood. Out of all of them, one of them occasionally snuck Malachi some food when he was in solitary confinement, gave him help with his work, slipped him some paper and crayons and other ‘unproductive’ toys from the outside world. Various tiny acts of kindness. And a secret promise to keep silent about it. They never even really talked, and Malachi never knew much about Sister Gretchen, but because of those little moments he’ll remember her forever.  I actually have a bunch of extra sidestory plots for her that occurred after Malachi died, showing how the orphanage eventually fell and the matron got her karmic reward for all those years of opression. but I haven’t even drawn a design for her let alone started writing those, lol. So yeah, just know that Gretchen was a badass who had her own story behind the scenes and went out in a blaze of glory avenging the little kid who smile helped her get through the day.

Nowadays after he’s been adopted by the protagonist and this lil ragtag army, Malachi has a whole bunch of kind friends and is on his way to finding a real family. I was planning some sort of system similar to FE: Awakening where you can have friendship and romance routes between characters you use together in battle, not just with the protagonist. So I think a few of Mal’s ones would have an ending where they adopt him at S-Rank. ^_^ So far I’ve just been seeing a nice family dynamic develop between him and Florin, and him and the protagonist. I’m sure as I add more characters to the roster he’ll get even more wonderful friendships and potential mums and dads. GODDAMMIT I WILL GIVE THIS BOY SO MANY PARALLEL HAPPY ENDINGS