Dragon Called ~ Application
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thefogliesThe Basics
Canon: Persona 4
Character Name: Izanami
Character Journal:thefoglies
Player Name: Skyla
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skyladoragono
Character Details
Canon Point: End game.
Species: Izanami is a (dead) goddess of Shinto origin. She does hold power over illusions, and is able to mask her true form behind a human-like appearance when she wants to.
Timeline of Important Events in Canon History:
Izanami's legend is important to events in Persona 4:
Izanami and Izanagi create Japan.
They are married after settling on the land they made, though because Izanami spoke out of turn, the ceremony had to be repeated before she was able to properly give birth to the deities that followed.
Died when giving birth to the fire deity, Hi-no-Kagutsuchi.
Subsequently betrayed by Izanagi when he traveled down to Yomi to retrieve her, resulting in the curse that a thousand people would die every day, while fifteen hundred would be born to counter her curse.
In game:
Granted powers to the protagonist, Adachi, and Namatame, and watched the results for the year that followed.
Only revealed herself when the protagonist confronted her.
Challenged the party to a final battle, during which she nearly killed all of them.
Only defeated by the protagonist when he realized his true potential.
Personality: Izanami's motivations can be difficult to ascertain, and are open to interpretation, as she is not likely to ever reveal why she really decided to do what she did. Even if she were asked directly to give an answer, she would probably tell the person what they wanted to hear, rather than the truth. She could have been trying to mother humanity, give them what they wanted and all would be well, but an argument could be made for her being very lonely. She has spent thousands of years alone in Yomotsu Hirasaka, and though she has accepted her fate as a death goddess, she is still entirely alone, something that would wear anyone thin after awhile. Another argument could be made that her actions are an obscure attempt at apologizing to her husband, and scrabbled desperately for a way to understand why Izanagi countered her curse in order to protect humanity. Either way, there is no way to say for certain if any of these were her true reasoning behind starting the events in Inaba. It is against her nature to be truthful, and as a goddess, she can sometimes be diliberately vague to the point of being annoying to mortals.
As an illusionist, Izanami is very good at concealing what she's really feeling and thinking. Just as she can take whatever form she wants, she can also take on the personality to match. One thing remains consistent however: she is just a little strange to a normal human being. Sure she seems overly cheerful, maybe a little too formal, anxious to spread rumors; and that's just normal for some people. But it's how she does it -- an unsettling smile, movement that's a little too practiced, a cheerful response when anyone else would have a different reaction. It's because she doesn't really understand humanity and is just emulating what she sees around her in the human world. She wants to understand humanity's wishes, as she actually has their welfare in mind and wants to fulfill their desires, but even after her defeat she still has trouble understanding what the truth behind what humans want is. This is no more obvious than near the end of the game, where her fog begins to flood the world to turn all of humanity into mindless shadows, only because Adachi's Emptiness had the most impact on the people.
Izanami is the grand puppeteer behind the events in Persona 4; however, calling her a puppeteer isn't entirely accurate. She is more like a gardener, planting the seeds and watching what they grow into; instead of taking full and immediate credit for her manipulation, she preferred to conceal herself and observe the world as events unfold. In fact, she assumes the role of a gas station attendant so she could hide in plain sight; because seriously, how many people remember who puts gas in their car? Even with the fact that she had an obvious personality flaw extending from her inability to understand humans, this gave her plenty of opportunities to decide what it was that humanity really wanted (even though she was wrong), as well as keeping an eye on her chosen representatives.
Because of her deception, it can be difficult to tell what the "real" Izanami is like. One thing is clear though: she is a very strong woman, almost to the point of being ahead of her time. She even took the initiative during her wedding ceremony, speaking out of turn and forcing the ceremony to be repeated so that Izanagi could speak first. This strength almost makes her come off as arrogant and self important, with a massive superiority complex to add to it. At the same time, the only people she is seen interacting with in canon are humans; of course she's going to act like she's superior -- she is! Even though her methods are questionable, she was very deliberate in what she wanted to happen, and also only dealt in absolutes; either humanity wanted the truth, or they wanted to live in lies, without even seeing the shades of grey between those two options. Her stubbornness is as legendary as she is, and even when she's beaten to the point where she can't fight anymore, she can't see how her opinions were wrong. That doesn't mean she can't admit defeat, however; when the protagonist meets and exceeds the expectations she had of him, she acknowledges her defeat and even congratulates him, allowing for humanity to continue making it's own decisions even though she cannot guarantee happiness.
She is, ultimately, the main antagonist of Persona 4, however she is not villainous at all. If anything, she is very motherly and concerned for all those under her; she may be a death goddess now, but she started as a creation goddess with her brother Izanagi, and was responsible for the birth of a number of gods and goddesses. The best way to describe her is like an overly concerned parent, doting over her children and trying to give them whatever they want, and it takes an event of epic proportions for her to realize that her children are grown and they don't need her help any longer.
Abilities, Magic and Supernatural Skills/Afflictions:
Izanami has an extensive ability list, most of which is dedicated to battle. As a few of her skills in her game could be viewed as the same skill in a written setting, I've shortened her skill list to the following:
In addition to her extensive list of battle skills, Izanami is also strong against physical assaults, and is capable of absorbing lightning. In addition, she is capable of casting powerful illusions. These include changing her own appearance, to making another see whatever she wishes them to see. She has also been shown hovering in the air.
Dragon & Magical Element
Elemental Alignment:
Dragon: Izanryu
Adult Size: Standard
Body Type: Serpentine
Legs: 0
Wings: 2
Appearance: Very much resembles a Japanese dragon, with a long, drawn out muzzle and two horns extending back from the top of her head. Her scales are bluish-green and reflective, allowing her a bit of camouflage while swimming in water, and the pattern they make closely resembles a koi fish. Her wings are set where the shoulders may be if she had legs, and are long and leathery, and can close tightly against her body when not in use. The base of her tail has a hard, fin-like extension on either side, acting like a rudder when swimming.
Hide: Reflective blue and green scales.
Flight: Sort of; not incapable of flight, but better equipped for gliding.
Ridden: Difficult, but not impossible to ride on land; much easier to ride while flying or swimming.
Diet: Fish
Egg: Smooth and baby blue in color, much like a robin's egg; roughly the size of a human infant.
Personality traits inherited from Character Bond:
Sense of superiority
Motherly
Stubborn
Writing Samples
First Sample: Thread with Steve on the TDM.
Second Sample: Izanami was very familiar with the call of otherworldly forces. She had been the cause of it multiple times when it came to mortals, three of which just happened recently. She was not, however, used to feeling that tug herself, and did not appreciate it when she was uncertain as to the motive of the godly beasts. Still, she knew what ignoring such calls could do to another, and while she was out of her element and away from her world, she was not about to take chances. She would cooperate with what they wanted... for now.
She followed that tug to the heart of the city, carefully setting foot into the cavern. It was warm within, and for a moment Izanami found herself hesitating, half expecting a plume of fire to be coming her way. When she was sure nothing would be coming toward her was when she proceeded forward, pausing again once she reached the center. A wave of nostalgia hit her at once, and she understood why she was here; there was life here, life that she was meant to be responsible for. Not all of them, of course -- such a role was not meant for her any longer -- but there was at least one here that she was meant to care for.
Izanami allowed herself to be led once again, through the chamber this time, paying very little heed as her feet crossed over runes glowing on the floor. When that tug finally stopped, she was standing before a light blue egg, reminding her much of the waters that surrounded her home island. Curiosity led her to kneeling before it, and shortly after, a curious hand was reaching for the smooth looking surface. It, too, was as warm as the cavern that surrounded them, and a brief moment passed before the egg started to wiggle.
She brought her hand away, watching patiently as the egg wobbled once more, twice more, before a crack began to appear. Still, she did not attempt to aid the creature as it broke free, knowing better than anyone that life needed to happen as it was meant to, least unintended tragedy befall the tiny one. It did not take long for the end result, however; the creature within could be heard letting out a faint cry as it pushed up against the crack again and again, before its head finally broke through. The shell stuck, however, and try as it might, the poor creature could not shake it off. Izanami moved then, reaching over carefully to pluck the shell from its small head, revealing blue and green scales glistening in the dim light of the magic around them.
"Hello there, child," she said softly, getting a happy little trill in return. A faint laugh escaped from her. "Yes, it is good to see you as well."
Canon: Persona 4
Character Name: Izanami
Character Journal:
thefogliesPlayer Name: Skyla
Best contact method:
Character Details
Canon Point: End game.
Species: Izanami is a (dead) goddess of Shinto origin. She does hold power over illusions, and is able to mask her true form behind a human-like appearance when she wants to.
Timeline of Important Events in Canon History:
Izanami's legend is important to events in Persona 4:
In game:
Personality: Izanami's motivations can be difficult to ascertain, and are open to interpretation, as she is not likely to ever reveal why she really decided to do what she did. Even if she were asked directly to give an answer, she would probably tell the person what they wanted to hear, rather than the truth. She could have been trying to mother humanity, give them what they wanted and all would be well, but an argument could be made for her being very lonely. She has spent thousands of years alone in Yomotsu Hirasaka, and though she has accepted her fate as a death goddess, she is still entirely alone, something that would wear anyone thin after awhile. Another argument could be made that her actions are an obscure attempt at apologizing to her husband, and scrabbled desperately for a way to understand why Izanagi countered her curse in order to protect humanity. Either way, there is no way to say for certain if any of these were her true reasoning behind starting the events in Inaba. It is against her nature to be truthful, and as a goddess, she can sometimes be diliberately vague to the point of being annoying to mortals.
As an illusionist, Izanami is very good at concealing what she's really feeling and thinking. Just as she can take whatever form she wants, she can also take on the personality to match. One thing remains consistent however: she is just a little strange to a normal human being. Sure she seems overly cheerful, maybe a little too formal, anxious to spread rumors; and that's just normal for some people. But it's how she does it -- an unsettling smile, movement that's a little too practiced, a cheerful response when anyone else would have a different reaction. It's because she doesn't really understand humanity and is just emulating what she sees around her in the human world. She wants to understand humanity's wishes, as she actually has their welfare in mind and wants to fulfill their desires, but even after her defeat she still has trouble understanding what the truth behind what humans want is. This is no more obvious than near the end of the game, where her fog begins to flood the world to turn all of humanity into mindless shadows, only because Adachi's Emptiness had the most impact on the people.
Izanami is the grand puppeteer behind the events in Persona 4; however, calling her a puppeteer isn't entirely accurate. She is more like a gardener, planting the seeds and watching what they grow into; instead of taking full and immediate credit for her manipulation, she preferred to conceal herself and observe the world as events unfold. In fact, she assumes the role of a gas station attendant so she could hide in plain sight; because seriously, how many people remember who puts gas in their car? Even with the fact that she had an obvious personality flaw extending from her inability to understand humans, this gave her plenty of opportunities to decide what it was that humanity really wanted (even though she was wrong), as well as keeping an eye on her chosen representatives.
Because of her deception, it can be difficult to tell what the "real" Izanami is like. One thing is clear though: she is a very strong woman, almost to the point of being ahead of her time. She even took the initiative during her wedding ceremony, speaking out of turn and forcing the ceremony to be repeated so that Izanagi could speak first. This strength almost makes her come off as arrogant and self important, with a massive superiority complex to add to it. At the same time, the only people she is seen interacting with in canon are humans; of course she's going to act like she's superior -- she is! Even though her methods are questionable, she was very deliberate in what she wanted to happen, and also only dealt in absolutes; either humanity wanted the truth, or they wanted to live in lies, without even seeing the shades of grey between those two options. Her stubbornness is as legendary as she is, and even when she's beaten to the point where she can't fight anymore, she can't see how her opinions were wrong. That doesn't mean she can't admit defeat, however; when the protagonist meets and exceeds the expectations she had of him, she acknowledges her defeat and even congratulates him, allowing for humanity to continue making it's own decisions even though she cannot guarantee happiness.
She is, ultimately, the main antagonist of Persona 4, however she is not villainous at all. If anything, she is very motherly and concerned for all those under her; she may be a death goddess now, but she started as a creation goddess with her brother Izanagi, and was responsible for the birth of a number of gods and goddesses. The best way to describe her is like an overly concerned parent, doting over her children and trying to give them whatever they want, and it takes an event of epic proportions for her to realize that her children are grown and they don't need her help any longer.
Abilities, Magic and Supernatural Skills/Afflictions:
Izanami has an extensive ability list, most of which is dedicated to battle. As a few of her skills in her game could be viewed as the same skill in a written setting, I've shortened her skill list to the following:
- Agidyne: Inflicts large Fire damage.
Bufudyne: Inflicts large Ice damage.
Ziodyne: Inflicts large Electricity damage.
Garudyne: Inflicts large Wind damage.
Megidolaon: Deals severe Almighty damage.
Mind Charge: The next Fire, Ice, Electricity, Wind, or Almighty magic attack will do 2.5x more damage.
Stagnant Air: Increases susceptibility to ailments and Light/Dark-based skills.
Foolish Whisper: 30% chance of inflicting silence.
Dekaja: Nullifies stat bonuses.
God's Judgement: Chance of reducing an opponent to half life; light.
Hell's Judgement: Chance of reducing an opponent to half life; dark.
Agneyastra: Deals heavy Physical damage 1-3 times.
Fury of Yasogami: Deals heavy Almighty physical damage.
World's End: Deals heavy Almighty damage and inflicts Enervation.
Terror Voice: Chance of instilling Fear.
Summons to Yomi: Instantly kills foes inflicted with status ailments.
Debilitate: Decreases Attack, Defense, and Hit/Evasion for a short time.
Power Charge: Next physical attack will be 250% stronger than usual.
Mind Charge: Next magical attack will be 250% stronger than usual.
Thousand Curses: Marks another with the curse of death; instant kill.
Oho Ikazuchi: Inflicts severe Almighty damage.
In addition to her extensive list of battle skills, Izanami is also strong against physical assaults, and is capable of absorbing lightning. In addition, she is capable of casting powerful illusions. These include changing her own appearance, to making another see whatever she wishes them to see. She has also been shown hovering in the air.
Dragon & Magical Element
Elemental Alignment:
- Water - Izanami has the only water based skill in the entirety of Persona 4 (or at least, it looks like water is involved). In addition her myth has a lot to do with water, as both her and Izanagi brought to life the islands of Japan from the water, and many other Japanese stories and myths revolve around water as well.
Energy - Many of Izanami's abilities involve lightning in canon, including two of her unique abilities. She is also capable of absorbing lightning.
Fire - Meant more to be a slap in the face, as Izanami was killed when giving birth to a fire diety.
Dragon: Izanryu
Adult Size: Standard
Body Type: Serpentine
Legs: 0
Wings: 2
Appearance: Very much resembles a Japanese dragon, with a long, drawn out muzzle and two horns extending back from the top of her head. Her scales are bluish-green and reflective, allowing her a bit of camouflage while swimming in water, and the pattern they make closely resembles a koi fish. Her wings are set where the shoulders may be if she had legs, and are long and leathery, and can close tightly against her body when not in use. The base of her tail has a hard, fin-like extension on either side, acting like a rudder when swimming.
Hide: Reflective blue and green scales.
Flight: Sort of; not incapable of flight, but better equipped for gliding.
Ridden: Difficult, but not impossible to ride on land; much easier to ride while flying or swimming.
Diet: Fish
Egg: Smooth and baby blue in color, much like a robin's egg; roughly the size of a human infant.
Personality traits inherited from Character Bond:
Writing Samples
First Sample: Thread with Steve on the TDM.
Second Sample: Izanami was very familiar with the call of otherworldly forces. She had been the cause of it multiple times when it came to mortals, three of which just happened recently. She was not, however, used to feeling that tug herself, and did not appreciate it when she was uncertain as to the motive of the godly beasts. Still, she knew what ignoring such calls could do to another, and while she was out of her element and away from her world, she was not about to take chances. She would cooperate with what they wanted... for now.
She followed that tug to the heart of the city, carefully setting foot into the cavern. It was warm within, and for a moment Izanami found herself hesitating, half expecting a plume of fire to be coming her way. When she was sure nothing would be coming toward her was when she proceeded forward, pausing again once she reached the center. A wave of nostalgia hit her at once, and she understood why she was here; there was life here, life that she was meant to be responsible for. Not all of them, of course -- such a role was not meant for her any longer -- but there was at least one here that she was meant to care for.
Izanami allowed herself to be led once again, through the chamber this time, paying very little heed as her feet crossed over runes glowing on the floor. When that tug finally stopped, she was standing before a light blue egg, reminding her much of the waters that surrounded her home island. Curiosity led her to kneeling before it, and shortly after, a curious hand was reaching for the smooth looking surface. It, too, was as warm as the cavern that surrounded them, and a brief moment passed before the egg started to wiggle.
She brought her hand away, watching patiently as the egg wobbled once more, twice more, before a crack began to appear. Still, she did not attempt to aid the creature as it broke free, knowing better than anyone that life needed to happen as it was meant to, least unintended tragedy befall the tiny one. It did not take long for the end result, however; the creature within could be heard letting out a faint cry as it pushed up against the crack again and again, before its head finally broke through. The shell stuck, however, and try as it might, the poor creature could not shake it off. Izanami moved then, reaching over carefully to pluck the shell from its small head, revealing blue and green scales glistening in the dim light of the magic around them.
"Hello there, child," she said softly, getting a happy little trill in return. A faint laugh escaped from her. "Yes, it is good to see you as well."
