fleeting glow

[solightary]

sporadic activity / selective / headcanon-based* roleplay blog for kitain "tomo” tomodachi of genshin impact

written by eph ! he/they, 21+

* inevitably, given how very little canon information we have about him. i’ve been writing him since august 2021 so he is a fairly well developed muse, and although i feed on as many canon crumbs as possible, he is arguably an oc.

this blog follows the “last of the kitain” theory, along with my own convoluted way of allowing him to survive his canon lethal fate. you can find the tl;dr of these under the cut. please note that i am very flexible in both of these aspects, and more than willing to adapt to each writing partner’s preferences, as i understand having him survive bends canon to a degree that may intrude on some people’s headcanons.

rules || about

*the only notable divergence from diluc’s rules being art sources, given there is very little official content of tomo. this blog will be mostly iconless - and all icon art used is from Kuro Lee. dash icon by koyuxim.

blog roll:

@pyrodigy - diluc rp blog

@nb-diluc - genshin posting

@friendlifyre - personal

some summaries for those who want an idea of what theyre signing up for without diving into the detailed ramblings:

personality very friendly and outgoing, the charismatic extrovert type. he may come across as a bit ‘dumb’ for his lack of formal education, but he is a very perceptive and philosophical person who may reveal himself to be more intellectually challenged than he seemed at a first impression. getting along with people and leaving the world better than he found it is one his core values, so he's never in a hurry to voice negative or controversial opinions. that being said, he is one of the few people in teyvat who actively doubts the gods’ benevolence and believes humans would be better off on their own. full character portrait: (x)

backstory raised in an abusive orphanage through childhood, his severe adhd and dyslexia were interpreted as a deliberate lack of obedience and punished with cramped solitary confinement that would leave him with acute claustrophobia later in life. when he reached early teens, he was passed over to an equally abusive swordmaster who beat some semblance of discipline into him, which allowed him to learn a thing or two. he developed his fighting skills further after running away and seeking work with mercenaries, until he was capable enough to fend for himself. then a young adult, he set out to wander inazuma, certain encounters and explorations unintentionally leading him to find out about his origins and ties to the kitain clan - which briefly preceded the arrival of his vision. full backstory telling: (x) (WIP)

last of the kitain the kitain clan were also known as the guardians of yashiori island and were tasked with keeping the tatarigami under control and prevent it from harming people. being from kannazuka (’the hill where no gods reside’) which was contested territory between narukami and watatsumi, they did not worship either baal nor orobaxi, and merely accepted the shogun’s rule when the latter was slain. they had their own school of martial arts and practiced both cleansing rituals and ‘demon slaying’ as means of reducing the tatarigami’s effects on yashiori. this clan suffered a mysterious decline over the last generations (presumably thanks to the fatui’s design on the tatarigami) and has now completely disappeared - or so it seems. a few canon aspects of tomo hint that he may be the last of the kitain: - the type of bracelet he wears being commonly used in buddhist prayers (”kitain” is a buddhist temple in japan); - the sword he wields has a white handle which indicates that it’s a goshitou, a sacred sword the likes of which are only canonly seen in the hands of makoto and tomo (one such sacred swords could feasibly have been passed down through the kitain clan to be used in suppressing the tatarigami’s influence) - tomo’s lack of knowledge regarding the musou no hitotachi, which is very widely known throughout inazuma, as well as his suspicion of the archon’s gaze (both of which would be explained if the closest thing to family he had was a clan of people who refrained from associating with the gods/archons, let alone worshipping them). full theory with details + sources: (x) (WIP)

survival we know vision bearers are granted a chance to ascend to celestia upon their death - but we also have pieces of evidence suggesting this may not be as noble an ending as it sounds, from how the archons seem to resent celestia. in the manga, vennessa is shown being brought to celestia and being led into what arguably looks like some kind of prison, and, presumably because she recognizes it as such, backing out before the door closes on her to return to the mortal world as mondstadt’s falcon of the west. given his wariness of the gods and of the vision’s blessing, tomo would also be one of the few to back out of celestia’s trap upon his ascension; his essence would have returned to inazuma’s ley lines - up until the leak observed in ei’s second story quest. that’s when his spirit traversed back into the mortal world, and, guided by his cat who somehow happened to be nearby, retrieved his vision which materialized his spirit back into the world for good. tomo didn’t retain any memories from celestia’s truth, just an uneasy gut feeling that, paired with the knowledge that he’s essentially cheated death, has him avoiding the topic entirely. he’s simply taking this second chance for what it is and resuming his life how it was before the vision hunt decree, namely by being a happy-go-lucky wanderer. note: unless agreed upon otherwise, i will default to kazuha not knowing that tomo is alive - since by the time he did get revived, kazuha had done a beautiful job of handling his grief and tomo would not want to agitate that on purpose.

white cat her name is mashu (short for mashumaro - marshmallow) and she was a tiny stray baby shooed away by passersby from asking for some food when tomo first encountered her. he gave her the last of his dried meat and tuck her away into his haori to shelter her from the oncoming rain, and she’s never wandered too far from his side since.

[solightary]

how much would u guys mind if i turned this into a little multi-muse

[solightary]

     starter call !! ♥

[solightary]

@kanedoji​:

“Aw, come on, Tomo-kun! Whadja do this time?”

If he knew anything, it was that he and Tomo sometimes had a mischievous streak a mile wide. That, and a past that was a little too close for comfort, but who was asking? That was the stuff for heavy drinking and blurry memories you wouldn’t remember in the morning! With a chipper grin did he drape a weighty arm over the smaller man’s slimmer shoulders, mindful not to crush a certain marshmallow that was certain to be clinging somewhere within the wanderer’s robes.

“Come oooon, it’s been real slow today and I need a story t’ get hooked on, y’know?”

     “ Oh, Itto, thank goodness. ” It’s decidedly a breath of relief that passes Tomo’s lips as he places himself well into his friend’s personal space with one last look over his shoulder. A wise man would likely not consider himself out of the woods for finding refuge with the oni of all people, but Tomo is wise enough to find some sort of comfort in a fellow troublemaker’s presence. After all, between the two of them, they’re, well, two handfuls rather than one. 

     “ Right, get this, ” he starts, now confident he wasn’t followed - further proven when Mashu exits her hiding spot and climbs up on his shoulder, firmly pressing herself against Itto’s settled arm, confirming the absence of immediate danger. “ I was walking by that one Thunder Sakura, north of Kannazuka, and I kid you not, there were at least a dozen dead fish in the water around it. I just- I thought, someone might as well eat them, right ? I barely took one step towards the tree and I swear those Tenryou officers just materialized out of nowhere, shouting about the area being ‘restricted’,” he does the air quotes with his fingers, “ as if there was an obvious sign or something ! ” There may have been, come to think of it. Tomo’s reading skills are rusty and his brain would definitely have elected to not see it. 

     ...But that’s besides the point. “ They came running, and for some reason the tree started targeting them, and I think they thought I was doing it ? ” Vague gestures at his Vision. “ I suppose it didn’t help that my reflex was to run away... but can you blame me, after how they’ve been hunting us during the decree, honestly ! ”

[supersources]

random (chaotic) dialogue starters.

* is that all you have to say?

* tell me you love me or something, don’t just stand there!

* are you out of your fucking mind?

* it’s truly a wonder that you’re still alive.

* that’s not my name.

* that’s not my name and you know it.

* how many fingers am i holding up?

* i swear, it’s my dog’s fault.

* are you really going in there?

* that’s how people get killed in horror movies, you know?

* if you die on me after everything i’ve done for you… i’ll never forgive you.

* how could i ever forgive you?

* sometimes, everything shifts in the snap of a finger.

* stop yelling at me or i’ll tell them!

* would it kill you to hold my hand every now and then?

* just squeeze my ass and tell me everything will be okay.

* you’re all i need right now.

* you’re finally here, so i can fucking sleep.

* i told you to turn your music down!

* you’re not my parent!

* i didn’t steal your boyfriend, he came with me willingly.

* it’s taking everything in me not to slap you in the face right now.

* you know, people can hear you.

* do you ever think before you speak? you should try it.

* i’ll change your life, if you let me.

* will you go buy me tampons or not?

* please, close the door on your way out.

* keep your hands to yourself.

* what do you think they were thinking about? you know, when they died?

* do you think they know?

* it’s not my fault, it’s 4am and you’re fucking yelling at me!

* you’re a shit friend.

* you’re my best friend.

* you’re my only friend.

* i hope hell is nice and warm when we get there.

* tell me the truth, at least once.

* did you really cheat?

* i don’t wanna know the details.

* can i have some?

* i would kill for a nice glass of wine right now.

* you brought a knife to a gun fight, baby.

* you’re so stupid it kinda turns me on.

* i want you to meet my parents.

[solightary]

overview

name: kitain tomodachi, aka tomo

age: 24

pronouns: he/him

sexuality: yes

nationality: inazuma

vision: electro

weapon: sword

education: minimal

height: 6′6″

weight: 150lbs

eye color: purple

hair color: sandy blond

skin color: pale

build: slender - fit but underweight

affiliation: none (formerly - kitain clan)

occupation: ronin (wandering samurai)

residence: none

language(s) spoken: inazuman + the common tongue

religion: skeptic

tomo, while not being his birth name, is what he asks people to call him. he reclaimed the family name “kitain” upon learning of his origins into his late teens, but chose to keep the first name he had already picked for himself a few years prior as it fits the friendly energy he means to put out into the world. 

personality

tomo is a very agreeable individual who will make a point to get along with you so long as you’re remotely civil. he loves people and company, and finds much gratification in seeing his support and optimism make a difference in people’s lives, whether it be close friends or complete strangers.

he’s very curious, and not always in a cute innocent way; he gets himself into trouble a lot just because he wants to ‘see something’, and always manages to get out of it thanks to his charisma, fighting abilities, or sheer dumb luck - meaning he never really learns his lesson. you could say he drastically lacks a sense of self-preservation, and you would be correct. he has a knack for walking into danger without a single concern for how he’ll live to tell the tale.

you might find his spontaneous ‘go with the flow’ demeanor a tad familiar if you’ve met a certain kaedehara kazuha, but tomo bears his with a lot less elegance and a bit of an ambitious, less sane nerve to him. some of it may very well be rooted in his peculiar disdain for the gods, which has historically been the source of his most defiant endeavors. much like lightning compared to wind, he is quite attuned to nature, but a fair share more prone to cause disturbances.

all in all, tomo is very friendly and curious, he finds a lot of value in seeing everything with his own two eyes - impulsively and recklessly so, which can make him quite chaotic at times. he has strong beliefs and righteous ambitions, but sometimes questionable ways to put them forward. he is, however, ultimately just a happy-go-lucky ronin with lots of love in his heart for the outdoors and most of the people he meets.

appearance

tomo is... a beanpole. very lean and tall, easily one of the tallest people you’ve ever seen. he has an athletic build but isn’t buff by any means - he doesn’t eat enough to fill out - and relies more on speed and agility in battle than on physical strength (which is admittedly not ideal, when you’re that tall, and he had to develop a rather unique fighting style to make it work). he wears very loose clothes that might make him seem imposing added to his height, but he floats in them.

his hair is very poofy so he just ties it up well enough that it doesn’t get in the way. his eyes are a striking shade of purple, but you’re more likely to notice the scar when you first look at his face, as its a very deep, perfectly horizontal cut that goes all the way across the bridge of his nose.

tomo’s entire outfit, clothes and accessories alike, is just an amalgam of gifts, most of them tokens from people who wanted to express kindness or gratitude but who he refused to accept money from - so they instead bought or made him something that would serve him well on his travels, hence the very comfortable and durable pieces of clothing.

he’s always done his best to preserve it - as indicated by the clumsy stitches on his obviously slashed sleeve - and lightly customized it to his liking over time. notable mentions go to his beaded bracelet, which is the last thing he kept from his clan besides the sword, and his scarf, which was a gift from his dearest friend.

[solightary]

luckuki​:

“Wait… Hang on, how are you alive?”

     “ H-Hey... hello to you too ! ” Cue nervous laughter and awkward neck scratching. “ It’s a very interesting story, for sure, but a long one, and not the reason I’m here. ” A not so well concealed bouquet of dendrobiums is produced from behind his back and all but shoved into Shinobu’s hands. “ Happy birthday ! I was hoping I’d catch you before you get roped into whatever the gang has prepared for you. Now that is sure to be something worth talking about. ” 

     He feels quite antsy with his hands now empty, which prompts him to remember another little trinket he meant to offer as a gift: a small knife pulled out from the generous lapels of his haori. “ Here, you can have this too. I grabbed it off one of those treasure hoarders in Kannazuka. The handle matches your gloves, see, so I thought you might like it... ”