KARMIC / DEMON

xiao's karmic reflection.

[kammic]

*   ——   TEMPORARY PINNED POST: THE BASIC.

xiao, but not xiao. he’s the reflective demon of xiao’s, manifesting according to his visage, adopting a vessel so similar to xiao in the human world, but essentially he isn’t xiao, just the karmic mirror of his. he doesn’t eat almond tofu... instead, he feeds on the dark energy of every being, an enabler of everything negative since that’s how he survives. he isn’t native to the human world, and was created ( unintentionally, conscience and sentience formed from the bad karmas harboured by the real xiao ) in the karmic world, so his venture in teyvat is nothing if not to simply survive. he exudes gentle dark aura upon taking off the mask of yaksha, and emits thrice as much as real xiao’s negative energy when he does... and therefore, thrice the damage. if anyone cannot differentiate the smokes, then he’s distinguished from the way he can actually wield twin spears, his singular one detachable into two. see exhibit childe when it comes to the versatility in combat, can make the dual spears into boomerangs also, that he tosses and retrieves once he teleports.

he is essentially also a shadow walker since the human world often weakens him, especially when he hasn’t eliminated opponents. also, since he’s a reflection, he can detect the real xiao’s presence, and also teleport wherever the real deal is through water body, manifesting from the mirrored image. the real xiao also can summon him through the use of mask of yaksha, especially when the energy is depleted. therefore, he’s like a last resort. younger than xiao by about a few hundred years, sharing his memories, pains, but isn’t necessarily tormented by it since he’s... well, the villain in xiao’s psyche. they are identical in teyvat, but because he’s essentially ‘xiao’, he’s not extremely inclined to be seen with the real xiao, and has a penchant for lying about his connection with xiao, claiming that he’s the ~ inferior twin ~ so that people who know xiao don’t question why he’s different. more mischievous, he also harbours more interests in knowing humans, and also favours those who sin a lot because he feeds on that negative energy. furthermore, he’s not keen on engaging in anything too positive, so if you’d like to ship with him *winkwonk* he’s not the healthiest person around, latching onto those that he believes has the potentials to provide him with his meals. after all, bad karmas keep him alive here.

[kammic]

“I, uh... brought this for you,” It’s little Qiqi! It seems she’s brought a gift with her. It’s a small bundle of wild Violetgrass, carefully plucked from the cliffs she often traversed. She holds them out for him to take, “I hope you like them.” Alas, little Qiqi. You shouldn’t really give such nice gifts to ‘demons’.

*   ——   an inquiry… ft. @spacewrought​ [ ID: QIQI ].

sometimes, xiao wonders if his foolishness has ascended past teyvat’s realm entirely. it seems that he’s surpassed any measures of stupidity, as proven by how he’s actually grown a soft spot for a zombie child whose death he’s caused. and to preserve the said spot, too. still, he cannot seem to shake it off, so he chooses to stay away from it, too. except, even when he’s gone as far as the qingce village to escape liyue harbour, and consecutively, bubu pharmacy, he still detects her presence from too many kilometres away. she’s near, her aura distinct for him, and he is very, very tempted to just leap off the cliff, transporting himself somewhere farther, but instead, the fool in him prevents him from doing so. instead, the fool in him fastens him to the spot, waiting for qiqi’s arrival. her energy emits positivity that in other occasions would make him gag, but he perseveres for qiqi.

the little girl closes the distance between them with small strides, and when she arrives, he looks past his own shoulder. the wafting scent of violetgrass is unmistakeable, even from afar, and he weakens his otherwise stern gaze when she comes nearer. “ah, qiqi,” he pretends to have just noticed her. when she extends the small bouquet, he turns his body entirely, sitting cross-legged before her so that he doesn’t have to look down on the small feature. he takes the bouquet from her tiny hand, feeling like the major parts of him have shattered. what kind of demon is he, truly? “i... what brings you here?” he asks, his tone gentle. he’d retch. “can i walk you back to bubu? it’s late, qiqi. you shouldn’t wander...” and he swallows, worrying his lower lip between his teeth as he looks at the bouquet. “thank you, i... love it.” ha. sucker.

[kammic]

Ah. How strange - Guizhong offers him nothing but a gentle smile. It is calm, lacking any malice behind it, “You've been through quite a lot in your time, haven't you?” She didn't expect an answer. She assumed there was far too much to say, “...Why not come and join me for tea, hm? It's my own special blend, too.”

*   ——   an inquiry... ft. @spacewrought​ [ ID: GUIZHONG ].

the prolonged acquaintanceship that he’s shared with guizhong has never eased their relationship, with his conflicting aperture to the lots of the adepti and the... well, one yaksha. he cannot say he’s entirely fond of the familial tree, their branches a puncture to everything that he has never had: demons do not generally flock together, their survival abilities measured by each dollop of cruelty. for that, xiao doesn’t think he’s ever in need of certain companies, but guizhong is never one to leave him alone, somehow. and that... he wonders, sometimes, if guizhong has any negative force that can be offered towards him, so that he can somehow feast on the deified energies. still, she’s too much of a tranquil presence, and that almost makes his skin crawl. he sees guizhong as an extension, nearly so. zhongli’s, and with the contradiction proffered by the way they interact, this demon with the adeptus, he believes that entertaining her is rather peculiar on his end. still, he listens.

a shrug. “i don’t really like tea,” he says after mulling over answers for the former question, but understands to an extent that it’s more of a rhetoric. of course he has; she knows it. she’s lived much longer than he has, after all. and still, he does not synchronise with his own words, the contradictory act bringing him to sit behind the round table, just across her. “you’re somehow more tolerable than your others.” a statement, accompanied by a quirk of eyebrows. “i don’t think anybody in our world doesn’t go through a lot in their time,” he eventually addresses that, eyes fixated on guizhong. “you have seen a lot yourself. care to share? you know i always... indulge in some tales.”

[kammic]

spacewrought​ [ ID: QIQI ]:

“ Hello… Today is my birthday. I would like to invite you to a party… for my birthday. You don’t need to bring anything. I’m happy with just seeing you… ”

“ So, please come soon. I made… a lot of food for us. Everyone can come. I made enough. ” And as promised, there is a table with a large array of home-cooked foods, made entirely by the young girl himself. No gifts required, no cake needed.

... the clasp of hungered teeth often results in greed, his gluttony a pinnacle of his prolonged existence. typically, he would avoid crowded places at times like these, specifically when positive emotions are involved, birthdays another occasion that exudes too much joviality, but for once, xiao is willing to compromise. this might be a sense of amends that he’s trying to make, although he’d never, in this lifetime or the next, admit to it. sighing, he isn’t one to surround himself with people, so he comes to bubu pharmacy slightly later, when many souls are sound asleep. qiqi’s words invade, leaving him extremely, extremely vulnerable. the scent of human food pervades, leaving him wondering if anyone has already finished celebrating her birthday. they better gave her something, anything... he’s inclined to snarl at the thought, but when he sees her looking up at him—albeit slight, the entity whose visage he borrows isn’t entirely tall, after all—he has all the guilt creeping up on him. well, fuck, didn’t he... contribute in killing this girl...

xiao tries not to let that thought permeate into the otherwise festive celebration. when qiqi guides him to the table full of her own cookings, his lips curl into a smile. no, not at the sight of mundane meals, but at the sight of how happy she is. he doesn’t believe it counts as a kind experience when she’s a zombie, but she’s... too pure for his own good. he’s prepared for this event, however, the soft spots hammered repeatedly to the point where the demon pulls out a bouquet of qingxin from the thin air, but he’s been keeping it in the shadows. no, it’s not a product of illusion the way he would give to others. yes, he went to the mountains to collect twenty of it. “for you,” he says, the disgust creeping to his throat at just how uncharacteristic of a demon it is catching up on him. “happy birthday, qiqi.” his gaze softens unintentionally. “did you manage to celebrate with many people?” even his question is genuine. “beautiful dishes.” his skin feels like shattering; he’s not a product of kindness, after all. “have you had a lot of coconut milk? would you like to have some?”

[kammic]

yegou​ [ ID: RUNE ]:

✧ ー exhausted gaze sells his truth out; he hasn’t been able to get a moment of rest for who knows how long. entertaining others is the last thing that he wants to do, thus, his roughness makes itself known in the way he speaks, husky voice rings low in the other’s ears. ❝ whaddya’ want? ‘m busy. ❞ not really. one can easily tell that all he’s doing is lazing around, but still. he shifts from his sitting position, moving to lay on the torn up couch instead. ruby hues fall shut, pretending to go to sleep. ❝ .. ❞ a minute later and he’s suddenly sitting up, frustration building. ❝ damn it. ❞ he whacks the spot on the couch next to him with a balled up fist. suddenly, he looks at the demon. ❝ tell me of a way to sleep with little struggle. surely someone of your standing has an idea. ❞ he pauses. ❝ no death jokes. they’re not funny for someone who can’t actually die. ❞

the men of dead zone seem to falter in the face of daylight’s absence; their dark is incessant just like the cold is persistent. common insomnia almost bears no cure, but xiao is here to swallow all those forces, the fatigue often relenting to the anger that becomes insatiable. even after the time passed after his escape from the place of origin, rune hasn’t let go of his old ways, often riveting back to the tides of sleeplessness. at that, xiao is amused to no end. he knows someone who’s asleep, and someone who’s awake, the energies emitted distinguished for a being so predatory. however, he also lets rune amuse himself, the permeating silence a lapse that wedges itself between moments of sleep. busy... right. xiao shrugs, seemingly not inclined to entertain any banter. this battered premise seems to not vibe with the so-called lovers’ quarrel either.

he leans against the wall, then, crossing his arms as he nods to sleep, but even in his supposed slumber, xiao is aware of the movements around him. it’s perpetual, the way he notices his surroundings. after all, a demon from hell doesn’t require rest when he’s fully fed. the drilling gaze causes him to flick his eyes open, nonetheless, as he reserves the mirth humming within when rune breaks the quiet for sleeping tricks. “oh, you really want to know?” he quirks an eyebrow, closing the gap between them. he tilts his head sideways. “i thought you were busy... but i guess, i can be of service no matter how harshly you just shunned me.” he feigns a look of hurt, clutching at his chest. “ah, i have a few tricks, but a demon requires payments upfront.” and he smiles solemnly, insinuating that rune knows the price of his demand.

[kammic]

                               . . .   E V I L   W I L L   B E   D I S P E R S E D   ? an independent roleplay for xiao’s karmic demon, envisioned by rosé.              selective and private. low activity. not canon-compliant, headcanon-heavy.     as curated from genshin impact mixed with some buddhist lore.

[kammic]

*   ——   a thread... ft. @zuishi​ [ ID: NÓTT ].

even a demon demands affection. almost pathetic, inscribed that way, but xiao isn’t one to deny himself of such pleasures when he knows it tastes... good. gluttony is a sin committed, a sin indulged. he drinks in the sight of his lover from afar as nótt fends off the monster from the border, this dead zone a reminiscent thought away from the karmic hell. thinks of it this way: the further nótt is astray, the further xiao is askew. and with the aggregated components of his tilted more, he’s rendered full. this is how he consumes. love, by proxy, is a determinant for his survival instincts. after all, what’s there to not love about nótt’s persistence regardless of how close to the carnage he is? xiao adores that. this is the essence of a feast; so, he thrives on it.

still, as much as he’d like to savour the view presented, he also hungers for a fight. the itch around his fists needs a cure, and so, he plunges into the white-cloaked terrain, the snow a cold welcome to his presence. he smirks as he puts on the mask of yaksha, the aura around him darkening in folds. the double-edged jade spear spells out the primordial force that he wields, the sheer utterance of it colouring the battlefield with ferocity of his own. “missed me?” he asks as he ceases for a moment, glancing at nótt. he doesn’t wait for an answer, launching himself into a leap as he thrusts the jagged edges of his dual weapons into the cruxes of these beasts. the shrieks a hue of flavours as xiao inhales, the pained sounds emitted the overture of avarice as he executes the dance of the adeptus, his signature moves a demonic rendition to the rhythmic nostalgia. while mortals did not live to see the fleshed xiao’s fights back in the past, mortals could live to see this... rapture when this demon willed it to be done. after all, where’s the beauty when there’s no terror? it is the garnish to his food, after all, the trepidation that hangs in the atmosphere whenever the mortals linger to see the blood-stained battles.

yet, nótt isn’t one. even until today, xiao isn’t certain of nótt true nature, but he cares none for it. there’s some mirth lining the seams of this enigma, so he basks in that. with that kept in mind, xiao throws his spear into one enemy’s chest, the puncture blooming into an open wound once he travels through the shadow to rive the rest of its body. the being perishes with a shriek, a true piece of music as xiao sharply breathes in the stench. “mm,” he hums in the wafts of grievance, the monsters one by one fallen. the victims to their violent desires. he lets nótt finishes the fight prior to closing the gap between them within several strides. “i ate well.” the announcement is followed by the vanishing mask, revealing the adorning smile, almost too soft for his own liking. “it has been almost three months in liyue. mortals are so... strange.” he takes the liberty to place a hand on nótt’s cheek, caressing the fissure. “and how are you coping, my love? is a hot spring an idea you’d entertain at the moment?”

[antigonick]

—but that is what we are. Does the infinite space we dissolve into taste of us then?

Rainer Maria Rilke, excerpt of “The Second Elegy” [Die Zweite Elegie], trans. by Stephen Mitchell in The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke

Source—wir sinds doch. Schmeckt denn der Weltraum, in den wir uns lösen, nach uns?

(via antigonick)

[kammic]

polearmd​ [ ID: XIAO ]:

tired eyes bored into MIRRORED gaze. he fought the urge      ( the instinct ) to curl back lips and flash his teeth, canines cruel and sharp —— as though poised to sink into an awaiting throat. it was pointless to engage with a creature sustained by NEGATIVITY. xiao knew that much, yet the compulsion would not leave him.      ( much like an itch, prodding incessantly at the corners of his consciousness. ) the yaksha exhaled harshly in lieu of a verbal response, scrubbing at his face with a hand. it came back slick with BLOOD —— no doubt a product of the battle that had CONCLUDED moments prior.      ( though who it belonged to, he couldn’t say. ) xiao wrinkled his nose in clear disgust.

he spun on his heel, footsteps padding across damp marshland. stepping over bodies, around the remnants of combat.      ( still refusing to acknowledge the QUESTION. ) a river close by flowed clear —— untainted by what had just transpired at its edge. kneeling, xiao grimaced at the sight of his own REFLECTION.

there was something deeply CATHARTIC about banishing it with a flick of the wrist.

he splashed water on his face and hands —— then repeated the gesture      ( over and over and over again ) until not a trace of gore remained. if only it were so simple to wash away the grime TAINTING his very soul.  ❛   i see no reason why i should answer that.   ❜  the yaksha finally spoke —— and his voice somehow managed to run even COLDER than the river before him.  ❛   you may be a vile manifestation, but surely you are not so lacking in sense.   ❜  xiao got to his feet, sparing a brief glance over his shoulder —— gaze sharp with what could only be described as unconcealed LOATHING.      ( though was it directed towards him or himself —— and was there even a difference between the two? )

❛   will that be all? i have no desire to drag out this CONVERSATION longer than necessary.   ❜

it is a rhetorical question. he simply basks in the sight, how xiao bites back his anger, the reflective measures a domino effect that is bound to crumble the more he pushes around the nerves. he doesn’t truly have any gauge of empathy that otherwise would have made him resemble this fleshed form. xiao is a cloaked figure with his heart worn on his figurative sleeve, but he’d deny that any day, and it amuses him to no end, since that’s what xiao is best at. weaknesses are so palpable, so... culpable. he prevents his own lips from forming that lopsided smile, a signature of his, since he’s keeping that to aggravate xiao further down the line. of course, he’d start by consuming the negative energy through the exuded lethargy that lacquers xiao’s being. ah, what bliss.

he shrugs. “rich coming from you, kind sir,” he replies, the calm almost a tease. doesn’t think it’s time to break his disguise as of yet, the impression relenting to the whole vulnerability, but he knows it fools no one who knows him as a demon enough. the yaksha before him knows him best, that’s for certain, since the demon has been latching onto the adeptus since the commencement of this existence. his genesis, after all, is a product of xiao’s vile karmas. he stands behind xiao, the magnified smokes that linger around his own frame slowly dissipates into the cold as xiao washes the blood. smells good. he inhales the stench of iron, the waft a seize of fragrance. he bites back his own growl at just how pleased he is.

“it is not a conversation,” he says as he crosses his arms. when the smile eventually blooms, he definitely bears less resemblance compared to the yaksha, his demonic nature obvious. “more of a statement. i need no answer to the question—you know it was not meant to be answered. besides, what are you going to do? i’m a part of you. you’re... how do i put it kindly? weak does not even begin to cover the truth, xiao. face it.”

[kammic]

*   ——   a thread... ft. @ventumusica​​ [ ID: VENTI ].

teyvat is another formative, normative day. he thinks in the aperture of feeding, gluttony another vice that he’s been indulging since the beginning of his conception. he believes that there are beasts plaguing the land of the living, ones which his fleshed counterpart has been slaying to protect. well, what a fool. xiao is not into the concepts of this... preservation means, his motives behind eliminating his fellow demons have always been a hybrid theory in the study of selfishness. a demon doesn’t learn to savour kindness, after all, delegated with the flasks filled to the necks with none other than greed. he imbibes it, this sin. still, teyvat houses in its stomach the most fulfilling feast ever, and for that, he doesn’t think that he wants to part ways with it... yet. not even when his kind adeptus origin wishes to eliminate him, pushing and locking him back into the depth of the karmic hell.

that xiao is a loser, after all. he scoffs at the thought as he moves nimbly amidst the groups of famished hilichurls... odd. they’re not devastated from the absence of food, but rather, their unbridled hunger has been sending them rampantly feral, leaving him in the trail of a renowned ( ? ) anemo archon. venti is a body of corruption, propelling those under his touch to wilt with the overflowing covet for something so insatiable. nice. xiao himself knows that he is also a victim to this visceral influence since he doubts that venti would not affect his own ‘beloved’, comprehending all too well that venti leaves nothing untouched. his darkness makes xiao shiver, sometimes, which is more than just satisfactory. the tremble for a lover hastens, now, and so, he rapidly launches his dual spears around, slaying the opponents as he downs their screeches. ah, quite full, now... but he has always reserved some space for the best entry of the night. venti’s eyes are locked on him from the height of the tallest tree on this mountain, leaving xiao feel euphoric. supposedly vulnerable, since he’s in the mercy of someone who stomaches so much dark within the marrows.

and so, xiao smirks. he finishes off the job, the dissipating presence is followed by his launching himself off the ground to reach the height where venti is. he lands gracefully on the branch so close to where venti is seated as the spectator, propping his own height gently. a jerk of head later, the mask of yaksha shatters into the thin air, leaving his smile for venti to peruse. “did you enjoy what you saw?” he asks. “do i get to feast tonight, love?”

[kovir]

XIAO + IDLES       ❝ He will wear the mask and dance—not to conquer demons, but to the tune of that flute amid a sea of flowers.