≀Asgard Eventide Application
IC Information;
Character Name; Nao
Age; Physically appears around 25; her actual age is unknown (though it is safe to assume she's existed for at least 50 years)
Appearance; Commissioned artwork. Her hair is black and her eyes are turquoise-blue (noting this since the art is black and white). I'll be using a PB for her, since I don't have more art currently. Her PB will be Olivia Wilde.
House; Odin
Power; Fire Magic, Level one.
World Info; Nao has experience with two worlds; her original world, where she was born, that she spent 25 years of her life growing up in, and then the current world she lives in (the one I'll be bringing her in from). I'll explain the important aspects that affect Nao's personality for both worlds.
The first world Nao comes from is her original world, the one she was born in, and where she spent the first 25 years of her life. It has no name, but is a planet with ecosystems similar to Earth (much smaller, however), though a bit drier, lacking many of the more humid-type climates, like rainforests. Technology wise it is "up to date" by our standards, though possesses a few interesting types of technology (none of which Nao will have with her or really care/talk about). While every individual living there is a humanoid, and most look more or less what we'd consider human, nearly everyone has a different internal genetic make up that essentially separates them species-wise from everyone else. Therefore, there isn't an exact name or title for her or the other individuals that exist in her world. They're just called beings, or individuals, or other rather neutral terms to describe a living thing.
Despite living in a world far different from her birth one for so long, Nao's definition of what is "normal" in society is still primarily influenced by her original world. There are two very large parts of Nao's outlook on life and her personality that are affected by her original world: one, how she views relationships with other individuals, and two, her view on what technology is and how it is supposed to function.
In Nao's birth world, the bulk of how relationships are formed between others and how they are treated begin with meeting complete strangers, as opposed to our world where typically the first relationship formed is with a parental figure. Where Nao comes from, the concept of parents, guardians, or one central figure that has dedicated their life to raising someone does not exist. Individuals reproduce, children are born, but often times the parent-child relationship ends there, typically resulting in the child simply being left to their own. Children in Nao's world function much like many wild animal infants in ours; right from the get go, they're ready to move on their own and survive. Reproduction in Nao's is a bit difficult to expand on without killing you with TL;DR medical processes, and since the process itself doesn't affect any part of her personality, I'm going to skip the sort of medical aspect of it (since the birthing process is far different than a human's). However, it should be noted that children come into Nao's world physically different than ours; physically, children are about the age of five when they are born, and while their brains aren't fully developed, they are physically ready to survive without the constant presence of someone else. In other words, they're born with an ingrained, almost animalistic sense of survival.
When a child is left on their own and ends up dying or hurting themselves, it's simply seen as something that happens, and isn't as much of a tragedy to her society as it would be in other societies. It would be apt to say that Nao's birth world's society is built on the "survival of the fittest" ideology. This is mostly due to the genetic differences that separate nearly everyone from everyone else; aside from the fact that they're all alive, individuals often find it hard to relate to one another on basic levels because at their most basic level, they're all different genetically. This has caused their society to exist without that sort of common thread that ties many other species together. There is no "We're all the same deep down, so we need to treat each other equally and with respect" idea grained into Nao's society, instead being based on more of a "Take care of yourself first, others second" ideology. As you can imagine, this has created a bit of an eclectic (and in some areas, anarchistic) society, with no real or acknowledged by the masses hierarchy in the more chaotic parts of civilization. In the tamer parts of her world, people get along, play nice, and work together to be able survive and live in peace, as opposed to out of compassion or sharing a common bond.
It should also be noted that attachments to individuals are treated differently because of these differences. While the ingrained need for some sort of interaction with others is present in the individuals of Nao's world, attachments and friendships aren't expected of people who spend time together or get along. Instead of assuming that two people who are nice to each other are friends, like we would in the human world, people naturally assume they're getting along just because they need to to survive. Because of this, Nao has never viewed things like trust, love, and friendship as common, needed, or naturally occurring things. It isn't that individuals in her world are cold or cruel, but rather they don't place as much of an emphasis on emotional and connecting interaction between each other.
Technology-wise, the concept of technological (or really anything powered) items fueled by inorganic substances is entirely foreign to her. In Nao's original world, everything is fueled by individuals and their internal physical abilities. For instance, the idea of electricity being something that happens naturally and isn't an actual life form would be entirely absurd to Nao; electricity is created by an individual. It stems from an organic origin and represents an extension of a living, breathing individual. Any sort of gadget or machine in Nao's world is similar; their fuel sources all have organic origins and are seen as extensions of living things. The idea of technology being powered by inorganic fuel would sound ridiculous to Nao - she'd sooner believe something was working by magic than by something without life. Because of this, technology in her world is treated with as much respect as they'd give another living being, since that's essentially what their technology is. Not caring if something breaks because you can just "replace it", or mistreating technology or neglecting to take care of it are social offenses in Nao's world. Don't mistake society's respect and value placed on the individuals responsible for helping power technology to be from a compassionate or caring standpoint, but rather one of material value; these individuals are the ones that make living in comfort possible, so they are valued by society as worthwhile and useful beings. Also, each individual is different, so there's no telling if society would find someone similar anytime soon should one of them become injured or pass away, making these individuals valuable to society.
[A note, just in case any of the following description sounds familiar: This particular city I'm about to talk about is what Splendor, the city from Splendorocity RP, is based upon, so there will be similarities. Both cities were created by myself, though, so while there are similarities, neither of the ideas are stolen since they both come from the same author. Similar, yes, but all mine!]
The other world Nao comes from, the one I'll be taking her from, is one Nao entered when she was 25. The world is more of a free standing city, and can best be described as being self-supportive, slightly sentient, and powered by what is essentially magic - in other words, something unexplainable and intangible. The city is called the City of Glass, named for the massive canals that run through the city, which instead of water, are filled with completely solid glass. Despite the city being easily livable and very large, it has only one actual native inhabitant, and is currently populated by barely a handful of foreign individuals (Nao being one).
The City of Glass is a city of living concepts, wishes, but most of all, choices. Individuals that are brought to the city ultimately face the choice of staying and living in the city, or going back home. Sometimes individuals face life changing revelations, other times they get absolutely nothing out of their visit - everything differs in this city. Individuals are brought in one at a time, and the amount of time they stay in the city before they face their choice differs. Nao was one of the individuals brought to the city, and when faced with the choice of staying or returning, she chose to stay in the city.
The city itself is rather massive, resembling a metropolis in size, but taking on more of an ancient feel in architecture, with no modern looking structures anywhere. The entire city looks abandoned (and most of it is very, very empty), and foliage has grown on and inside most of the buildings. In the south side of the city, there is a large network of wide canals that look as if they're filled with calm, shining water, but are in fact filled with solid glass. There are two sides to the city, one named "Prism" (for it's more colorful and lively appearance) and the other named "Void" (for it's darker and empty feel). Each side exists simply because the other does, just like how dark and light exist because of each other. The glass canals separate both parts of the city from each other, and only outsiders that have yet to choose whether or not they want to stay in the city can pass through the canals, as they get to choose which side they wish to stay on. Most outsiders typically show up on the Prism side.
If an outsider decides to stay in the City of Glass, their physical body stops aging, and loses the ability to develop sicknesses naturally, meaning anything from a bad head cold to cancer. Any current illness the individual has stays exactly as it is, never getting better or worse. Individuals still susceptible to injury and any problems forced upon them by someone or some thing, but naturally they gain near perfect immune systems. (For the sake of the RP, though, and any possible plots or shenanigans, I'm counting this immune system towards a side effect of the city and throwing it into the "power" category, meaning Nao's immune system will be normal once she arrives in the RP.)
Currently, the City of Glass has a population of 16 - 15 outsiders that have chosen to stay in the city, and one "original" that claims to have always been there, and was there before anyone else arrived. Nao is one of the 15, and lives on the Prism side of the city with 8 other outsiders and the one native inhabitant, called the Professor. The other 7 outsiders live on the Void side, and have rarely been encountered by those on the Prism.
Background; For the first 25 years of her life, Nao's life was rather calm.
Nao spent the first three years of her life more or less on her own, as is typical in her world. She then was picked up by a guy named Five, who had interest in her specific abilities, and offered help training said abilities as well as a job using them at his place of work in the capital. Five also took in Flash and Rohy, two of Nao's currently close friends, and the three kids worked together with Five until Nao was eighteen. During Nao's time with Five, he taught her how to read, but more importantly, how to read individuals. Since Nao had a natural ability she could use to calm panicked or angry minds, Five spent time teaching her how to read expressions, so she would be able to tell if one of his clients was becoming upset or angry, and could defuse the situation faster. This is where Nao fell in love with the concept of individual secrets and hidden emotions, and enjoyed learning how to read others.
Nao, Flash, and Rohy left Five's shop together and ended up traveling around for the next three years, none of them really interested in settling down in any specific place or staying in one point for too long. As they traveled, Nao found herself collecting books, and spending more time in cities with large libraries. When Nao was twenty-one, the trio ended up back where they started, in a small town outside of the capital. There, Nao discovered a rather decrepit old library with thousands of neglected antique books. The idea that so many books filled with hidden secrets were laying neglected in a town filled with people that for some reason were choosing to neglect them fascinated Nao, and she ended up staying in the small city. Flash and Rohy chose to move on, but only for a few weeks before returning and settling into the city with Nao. Nao ended up working with them to help restore part of the library, and spent almost all of her time exploring the secrets within the books and within the town's residents.
Then, at age 25, Nao found herself in a different world.
The City of Glass quickly snatched up Nao's curiosity and her love of secrets. When the Professor introduced her to the numerous libraries, only revealing more loose ends and unanswered questions, Nao fell in love. It didn't matter very much to her that she was more or less entirely alone, though she did come to miss interaction with others. However, Flash and Rohy were close on her heels, arriving only a month after her. When it came to their separate times to decide whether to go or to stay, all three decided to stay within the city, becoming somewhat of the welcoming committee and guiding new arrivals throughout the decision process in their own way.
Nao retained her usual detached demeanor towards relationships for a little bit, but as their small population began to multiply, Nao began encountering individuals who had the absurd idea that emotions and attachments are associated with relationships. While Nao wasn't exactly opposed to the idea of those types of relationships, it was extremely foreign to her. However, after decades of living in close quarters with individuals who placed great importance on emotional ties and connections, Nao eventually tried her own hand at the idea of closer relationships. This personality change is explained more in her personality section below.
After decades of residing in the city, an outsider showed up that caused the residents of the Void to act rather strangely. This raised alarms for Nao and her fellow residents of the Prism, but before Nao can "do her thing" and explore the reasons and decisions behind their actions, she'll find herself in a different world once again.
Personality; 'Knowledge is like power; The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse.'
First and foremost, Nao is someone who seeks knowledge. It is her primary driving force, and gathering knowledge is what she dedicates the majority of her time towards. However, it would be a mistake to call her any sort of a scholar; Nao's search for knowledge is deliberately restricted to a certain category that is hardly academic in motivation. What Nao desires more than anything is to know everything there is to know about individuals. This desire surpasses far more than a generic anthropological standpoint; in fact, Nao cares little about cultures people come from. Instead, she wants to know you. Your secrets, your desires, your abilities - Nao wants to know it all.
Considering the nature of her current home and how an outsider could affect it, one could assume Nao wishes to know this simply because it would help her better protect her beloved city, but that is far from the truth. Nao wants to know because she enjoys knowing. She has a bit of a superiority complex in this sense, believing that knowledge is the most powerful weapon you can wield against someone, and that if someone knows your secrets, they possess the ultimate weapon to wield against you. Nao enjoys being the one that knows everything you don't, even enjoying keeping secret the fact that she knows your secrets. Many people need a feeling of control somewhere in their life to function appropriately; for Nao, that is knowledge of others, and she has spent almost her entire existence attempting to perfect the art of learning in her chosen field.
Luckily for anyone Nao finds interesting, her motivations in life are not malicious. In fact, one could call her want to know more...playful than anything else. She'll tease and taunt in her own ways, but blackmail, extortion, torture...anything negative that can be easily achieved by a wealth of knowledge is not appealing to her in the least. While Nao is a bit of a morally ambiguous character, the abuse of knowledge is something she heavily dislikes. Secrets are precious and are meant to be kept. To use them to injure the one they belong to is, in her mind, to turn someone's very essence against themselves. This is not something she approves of or desires, and while she finds individuals who take actions like these to be interesting, above all she finds them to be despicable beings.
The enjoyment Nao gains from keeping secrets has led her to become somewhat of an enigmatic individual, even to her fellow allies. Nao is... perplexing. When put side by side, her actions often seem to lack a pattern, and her conversations are difficult to pinpoint a motive behind when taken at face value. What is obvious about Nao (and somewhat adds to her enigmatic persona) is that she is a very calculating and intentional individual. The very air about her exudes deliberate intentions; it is the intentions and motivations that are kept secret. Her love for knowing is also no secret; instead, it is her reason why that is kept. In other words, Nao is not exactly a secret individual, but rather an individual with secrets.
This enigmatic persona is, of course, deliberate. Nao enjoys not only being the one knowing, but the one who is unknown. It isn't necessarily because she has deep secrets she wants kept, but more because she finds it fun and humorous to know things about others who have no knowledge of her. There are few that exist that know anything about her past her surface persona, and even fewer that truly know her.
On the subject of relationships, Nao's views towards relationships with others have changed quite a bit during her life. Before coming to her new city, Nao saw any sort of relationship as something that formed only out of necessity, and never understood nor longed for the concepts of love or deep trust. However, after being surrounded for years by a few endearing individuals that live their lives by these values, they have rubbed off on Nao. The concept of friendship is no longer a foreign one to her, and trust towards those she considers friends is something she sees as a requirement, and is freely given to her comrades. Nao's relationships with her friends have turned from empty necessities to healthy, fulfilled support systems, and have exposed her to an entirely different culture than she was once familiar with. While the ideas of relationships are still rather abnormal to her (she still doesn't consider them something that could naturally occur, but only something consciously worked towards), she has embraced and accepted the idea of genuine ones.
Nao is not someone to form relationships freely, however. She has become open to the idea of friendship amongst certain individuals, but even then, Nao is not and probably never will be someone to actively attempt to make friends or establish bonds with people. It is sort of hardwired into her that relationships, even if they result in meaningful friendships, should still only be actively sought out if they are needed, not wanted. Nao is also rather content with the relationships and friendships she already has, and doesn't see a reason why she would search out more if she is already happy with what she has.
Nao's closest relationships, and possibly her most important, are with the other two individuals in the city that come from Nao's world as well - Flash and Rohy. Nao, Flash, and Rohy knew each other before appearing in the city, and had known each other since children. The three formed a sort of alliance amongst each other, knowing even as kids that to survive in their world initially, it would be better to stick together instead of fending for themselves. The three were on friendly terms, though wouldn't exactly call each other friends, before arriving in the city. After years of growth and exploration of different ideas, the three have become close friends and comrades. None of them speak or actively show their affection or care towards each other, as it isn't something any of them are used to nor see as something expected, but they are still very close.
In a social setting, Nao's initial impression given to others reflects her desired enigmatic persona; Nao very rarely gives out information freely in her conversations, instead skidding around certain subjects and playing with words to steer conversations in her favor. Her way of speaking isn't intentionally condescending, but could be taken as such; her wording and tone of voice are rather playful, and the lack of seriousness to her tone allows her to change and guide subjects to where she wants them to be without seeming odd or dodging. Much of what she says in conversations should be taken with a grain of salt, as often her words carry multiple meanings.
Nao is also fairly good at schooling her expressions in multiple scenarios. Her knowing smile stays in place during almost every casual conversation, aiding her want to mask her intentions or current emotions; she isn't one to wear her heart on her sleeve. However, Nao's general expressions are rather muted anyway, even if she isn't making an effort to keep them neutral. Even if she is extremely angry, ridiculously happy, or unbelievably depressed, her expressions (and often times her reactions as well) are much more subtle or muted than obvious and passionate.
While much of Nao is her enigmatic personality and her drive for knowledge, she is not without a more emotional side, which is something she has gained and strengthened through her time in her new city. After years of being surrounded by individuals filled with it, Nao has embraced the idea love and kindness (albeit very selective love and kindness), and those she has friendships with she cares for deeply. Nao also possesses a very strong protective instinct, whether it be for her friends, for her city, or for ideals she firmly supports and believes in. She is not someone who would jump on the self-sacrificing train, but since her relationships are very important to her, she would willingly self-sacrifice for one of them if it was needed - needed being the keyword (she will not jump in front a bullet if the original target is wearing a vest, essentially). It should also be noted that Nao rarely has a temper, but if someone wrongs someone or something she is protective of, she becomes very serious and can reach varying levels of anger, from mildly annoyed to absolutely furious, depending on the degree of the situation. She does not scream or yell, instead reverting to a very serious calm, her anger showing in her tone and her retaliation rather than her words or volume of voice.
It should also be noted that, while Nao doesn't really possess a temper, she can get very annoyed (almost angry) if she is put in a position where she isn't on top knowledge-wise. If she becomes the person who has information being dangled over her head, Nao can become almost childlike in her annoyance. She is very used to being on top of the knowledge pyramid, and becomes very uncomfortable and displeased in situations where she is not. She doesn't verbally express it, but she does become very passive aggressive in her mannerisms, and if it is continuously dangled above her, there is a chance of her actually confronting someone about it in an aggressive manner. Regarding her temper/anger/negative side, Nao is also one to hold grudges. If you seriously wrong her in some way, she will not forget nor forgive regardless of what you meant to her before the act. Her attitude towards someone can turn 180 depending on the extremity of the situation, and it is very rare for someone to get back into her favor after falling out.
Nao's softer side is not something she shows through words or obvious actions; for her to verbally express her care for someone would be extremely rare (though she does express her appreciation for others). Instead, she chooses to show her affection through her actions. She treats those she cares for with respect, most notably in her willingness to drop her enigmatic side around those she has relationships with. To keep guarded and play with those she cares for is disrespectful to her, because in her eyes it is being dishonest, and without honesty relationships have very little to stand on. She is honest - blunt, almost - with those she is open with, and actually carries no fear or reservations (at least not anymore) about being open with her companions. Honesty is something they all began sharing out of necessity and has since grown into trust, which is something she holds very highly and wouldn't give out to anyone outside her circle of friends - no exceptions.
Overall, Nao's outlook on life is a positive and curious one. She has very little cynicism in her personality, and is far from a pessimist. She takes life seriously without being dull or depressing; at the end of the day, life should be pleasant and relaxing, and Nao has made a point to go about indulging herself in activities that will make it such.
EXTRA:
Bwuh, I tried to fit these trivia-esque parts into the above section but they didn't really fit into the flow of it. They're still important to her personality though, so I'm listing them here!
Notable Attribute: If there is anything Nao is known for physical-wise, it would be her default expression. Nao is almost always wearing a sort of playful, knowing expression, and is almost always sporting a somewhat mischievous smile.
What's in a name: Nao has a tendency to not give her actual name (Nao) outright to individuals. In her original world, she gained quite a few nicknames for her internal individual powers (The Witch being the most prominent), and became rather fond of them, so she tends to let others come up with names to call her and reserves her actual name for those she trusts.
Books, books, and more books: Nao is almost always seen in the library in her city, or heading to the library. She never carries a book outside of the library, but while inside, she's almost always seen surrounded by books of all sorts. Regardless of what she is studying, there are always two books that seem to find their way to where Nao is - even if the woman doesn't actively search them out.
One is a nondescript journal with unlined pages. Nao often takes notes in this. The notes aren't invisible or anything magical, but they are written in a way that only Nao would be able to decode. She uses a special coded script to write her notes, one that would need a cipher to be able to be read. Nao will have this with her when she arrives in the RP.
The other book that finds its way to Nao is a very old hardback book. It is the size of your average hard back, with a green cover and gilded title writing that has long since worn out and become illegible. It isn't that thick either - roughly 300 pages or so. The odd thing about this book is every single page is blank to anyone except Nao or the Professor. Part of the book contains a cipher used to decode other books in the library that the city has jumbled up or brought in from other worlds. The other part of the book are facts about the city itself that Nao often uses as reference for her studying. Nao will not have this book with her, and will probably be inwardly upset about it for a bit. It's very important to her.
ABILITIES:
Just like every other resident of her world, Nao possesses very special and entirely unique abilities. Nao's most common nickname in her new world is "The Witch", and for good reason; Nao's abilities are solely based on and created through her mind and will power.
Barrier: Nao is capable of creating invisible barriers that can stop almost anything depending on the situation, whether it be a body, a weapon, an item, etc. These aren't fool proof, obviously, and can be breached if the object is stronger than the barrier.
Moving Barriers/Force Push: Nao's barriers can also be moved. She is able to move certain barriers of different sizes and at different speeds and forces to hit anything (or anyone) in their way. Usually this is simply done to calm someone down, or to prevent them from hurting or fighting someone in a small fight. She has attempted to try using these to move items, but typically it results in said item falling to pieces. Pushing her barriers at things only seems to work the way she wants it to when it's being used against living things.
Calm: Nao has the ability to force a sort of calm upon others through physical contact. It is not extreme, nor can it be used to put someone to sleep or sway them in any way - it is usually used to calm down extremely violent or out of control individuals and bring them back to their senses.
Healing Calm: A variation of Calm. Nao can calm parts of the body so it directs more attention to wounds or injuries, speeding up the healing time of these. It isn't an insta heal, it just cuts downtime. During this period, however, the individual healing is pretty incapable of doing anything but sleeping or resting.
Samples;
Network Sample;
(TEXT)
I am certain everyone else who has just arrived is attempting to gather information and settle in as I am, so if you don't have a moment to spare, please disregard this message.
I am curious about the technology of these bracelets that have been handed out. For something so small, it certainly contains a wealth of functions. Is there anyone out there that has an insight into this technology?
[there's a momentary pause in the text before something is added on at the end.]
Ah, and directions to a library in the Odin district would also be appreciated.
Log Sample;
Tonight was not her night.
The pages of the book open in her lap had gone neglected, but the weight on her legs provided a familiar comfort. A small consolation. The woman's legs dangled over the side of her chair, head resting on the soft back. Her face was blank, and her posture suggested she was someone enjoying her quiet night. Inside however, her stomach continued to twist more and more. Even with her memory she could not recall a time where she was so filled with tension. They all felt it; the air was so thick with it she was surprised any of them could even move.
Nao had encountered the residents of the Void before. There had not been any present when she first arrived, but she had seen the type of individuals that gladly fell through the glass to lose themselves in it. They were...persuasive individuals, especially when it came to outsiders that sparked their interest. Nao had quickly noticed that any outsiders that appeared on the Void side had often made up their minds before they even heard of the different world beyond the glass. The Void residents knew what they wanted, and she had seen the effects of their particular nature in the outsiders they got their hands on first.
Never before had something like this happened, though. Never before had either side actively attempted to pull an outsider to their side of the glass. It should have been impossible. It was dangerous and it was unfair. But most importantly, it was against the city's rules. There should not be a want nor a need for new individuals on either side. There were no variables affected by the number of residents, and each side had always been treated equally by the city itself. Yet the Void residents had tried. Failed, thankfully, but tried nonetheless.
The woman spared a glance down at the white bandage wrapped around her forearm, the second source of her displeasure tonight. She was waiting quietly in her study for yet another one of her comrades to come berate her for acting first in the situation, despite the positive outcome of her actions. She had never understood why individuals became angry with others for putting themselves in harm's way if the end outcome was beneficial. Being the first to respond, she knew there was a possibility she would be injured, but with Flash close by to assist, there had been very little probability it would have been ended in catastrophe. Her actions had been premeditated, not improvised. There was no reason for others to chide her, and yet her next visitor to her study would be the fourth one tonight to question the intelligence of her actions.
As if on cue, Nao heard a small rap on her door a few moments later. Shifting in her seat, she removed her book from her lap and set it down on a nearby table, immediately missing the friendly weight. She let out a soft sigh and turned towards the door.
"Come in."