Demeleier Application

[ivorymask]

Player Name: Tsu
Player LJ: N/A
Contact: AIM – Abunai Youko, Plurk - grinningnightmare
Character Number: One!

Character: The Fierce Deity
Fandom: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Personality: The Deity is a cold, seemingly compassionless beast. He does not waste time with things such as mercy or hesitation if someone chooses to goad him. The world is a place where only the strongest survive, and the Oni is not above putting impudent young whelps in their place if they even think about crossing him. In truth, he is a largely neutral party, having moments of both good and evil. Deep down, he has a good heart, but it has been tempered with centuries of experience. He simply acts to react to his surroundings, acting on instinct and satisfying his own wants and needs as he sees fit, though it was not always this way.

He is a being that chooses to live in solitude, speaking little and avoiding contact with most. Often gruff and bluntly to the point, the Deity does not waste time with speaking kindly and mincing words. If he has something to say, he will say it directly, and does not appreciate trickery and word play. He respects both strength and courage, and is always up for a good brawl. Anything that stimulates his more primal urges is always welcomed; though don’t expect him to go easy on whoever feels brave enough to challenge him. He can easily be swept into a state of bloodlust, fighting for the thrill of battle.

Though the Deity is largely self-serving, he does seem to intervene when it comes to issues of justice. If someone is being mugged by bandits or assaulted by monsters, the Oni will choose to defend them. He wants no thanks or rewards for his acts, however, often shrugging off gratitude and wandering on his way. He will, however, accept gifts of food. His appetite is insatiable, so offering him to ‘eat as much as he’d like’ is not advisable.

Incredibly stubborn, he refuses to be pushed into any sort of decision, and will fight furiously to regain his own independence. The beast holds grudges, and prefers to hold everyone at arm’s length rather than lend them any semblance of trust. Self-sacrificing heroes and demonic forces from the underworld both earn equal amounts of scorn and indifference. He couldn’t care less what they do, so long as they leave him out of it. If he chooses to participate in their petty battles, he will choose when and why.

The last thing of note is the Deity’s ferocious temper. When his ire is fully provoked, he is a ferocious and unstoppable combatant, rending his enemy to shreds with his blade. Fortunately, it takes some work to push him into these full-blown rages. At most, people will be confronted with irritation if they manage to cross the line.

Now, to provide some examples for my line of thinking...

http://www.zelda-infinite.com/files/manga/majora/9/19.jpg
http://www.zelda-infinite.com/files/manga/majora/9/20.jpg

As seen in the manga, the Fierce Deity seems entirely unaffected by the fact that the masked children might very well be children who simply want to play with him. He cuts them down without even pausing, and the brutality of his actions even stuns Tatl. Before he leaps into the moon after Majora, Anju refers to the Deity as a "ferocious god", which suggested to me that his stature and perhaps the very aura radiating from him was something both terrible and great.

http://www.zelda-infinite.com/files/manga/majora/9/23.jpg

This scene to me shows more of the violence the Deity possesses, as well as that icy, chilling composure that he always seems to carry with him. He tore Majora's tentacles from him without pause, and did not waste time with its antics as it changed shape and tried to 'play' with him. He would much rather get to the point of things instead of dragging them out and entertaining the evil being. I believe this extends to the 'blunt' part of his personality as well. As he did not respect Majora, or perhaps because he simply outclassed Majora as far as strength went, he simply aimed to finish things quickly, and violently.

http://www.zelda-infinite.com/files/manga/majora/view.php?chap=9&page=26

Though the Deity easily could have struck down the Mask Salesman, he chose to let him live with only a firm, harsh command. He may be brutal, but he isn't a monster, nor is he evil. His methods of justice are simply harder, which is why I see him as more of a neutral party, or something like an 'anti-hero'. If the Mask Salesman were to defy him, however, I don't think the consequences would have been pretty. The Deity does not seem to have much patience, as the above pages suggest.

http://zelda.wikia.com/wiki/Fierce_Deity

According to this wiki article, the manga suggests that the Deity was once a wandering traveler who slayed Majora. The article itself says, 'it is hinted in the story that the stranger is in fact a god, although why this being chose to approach and ultimately slay the beast is never explained, other than when he says, "I was drawn to this land by a strange force".'

I believe the Deity killed Majora to protect the land and its people, but he did not desire thanks or a reward. He simply said that he was drawn to the land, as though it was a natural, almost dismissive explanation for his actions.

In that same wiki article, "In the Manga, he was referred to as the "Ogre Deity", a too-literal translation of the Japanese name of the mask. Oni usually means ogre or demon, but the use of the 鬼 (oni) character in the compound 鬼神 (kishin, fierce deity) is intended to ascribe the wrathful aspect of oni to the deity (神) thus described."

Since he was deliberately described as a 'wrathful' Deity, this is where I believe his temper and fighting style comes from. He is not the 'kind' Deity or the 'peaceful' Deity, and they refer to him as Oni Link for a reason. He is a demon on the battlefield, something terrible and awe-inspiring.

History: Eons and eons ago, when lesser gods ruled the realms of the land, the Fierce Deity was known as a wanderer. He was a god both revered and feared, but one that kept largely to himself and often did not intervene in the affairs of mortals. The times that he did, he was hailed as both a savior of the people, and a cruel and merciless being to those he fought against. Offerings of food were the ones most well-received, and the Oni was content with life. At least, almost.

The Deity had a mortal enemy whom he’d clashed with many a time—the god of chaos, known as Majora. No one knows how the conflict started, but some say that Majora offended the Oni somehow, and the beast refused to relinquish the grudge. In truth, Majora had begun preying upon the people of the land, delighting in the pain, suffering, and resulting turmoil that their deaths would bring. After a few months of this, the Oni had had enough. He stepped in on behalf of the people—too defenseless to protect themselves against the crazed god—and chose to fight in their place. Their war seemed endless against one another, neither opponent giving ground. The Deity both loved and hated the violence, frustrated with his inability to fell the foul beast once and for all, and at the same time enamored with the fact that there was truly an enemy he could pit his full strength against again and again. A real challenge was what he’d always wanted.

Once, the Deity and Majora fought for three days straight, hacking away at one another until, at last, Majora began to weaken. It was not as powerful as the Fierce Deity, not as strong—but even the Oni could not kill it forever. Instead, he chose to seal the being away within a mask, trapping it forever unless some foolish mortal chose to don the artifact in hopes of using its corrupted power.

Even with this final act, the Oni had used up too much strength to continue existing in the realm of the living. He crafted another mask, his mask, and sealed himself away inside it. Unlike the mask of Majora, this was no prison. There would be a time again when he was needed to destroy the evil, and when that time came, and a hero received his mask... well, the Deity himself would emerge in order to finish the battle that had been started all of those years ago.

In this, the Deity was content. The people would survive for a while, even without his guardian presence. And with those thoughts in mind, the Oni slumbered for centuries...

Timeline: Before sealing his soul into the Fierce Deity’s Mask. He'll be keeping his memories of Deme, however.
Abilities: Possesses extreme strength and endurance, as well as the ability to literally channel his magic through his blade and project energy disks. I also have it in my head canon that he has regenerative properties. Able to heal gouges, gashes, scrapes and scratches, so on and so forth! I also think that he could regenerate lost limbs, but it would take months, and the limb would be very weak/need to rebuild muscle mass.
Inventory: If allowed, he will have his double-helix blade with him. I’m not sure if it’s made of iron, or more ‘magical’ properties, however. My head canon is that it’s the latter, but if you’d like to remove it entirely, that’s fine with me!
Link to an image of the character: In all his glory! Note, he’s about eight feet tall here.

Prose Sample: His skin felt stretched too tightly across bands of muscle and bone, sporting gashes and tears where the vile thing had lashed out at him in a frenzy. He could still hear those sweet, cackling screams while he choked on the taste of blood, lashing out again and again and again until the body had only twitched and writhed, instead of fighting back. The Deity staggered for a moment, grunting even as he reluctantly allowed himself to sink to the ground. Too far. They had gone too far that time—but there was a deep, almost vicious pulse of satisfaction in his soul. It was a savory victory, one worthy of praise.

Drained as he was, the Oni knew it was only a matter of time until they were both back on their feet, and his work was not yet finished. This being would hunt the little mortals down for as long as it pleased—at least, until something even more catastrophic caught its attention. It lived for the chaos in this world, needed it just like living things needed to breathe. No more.

One large, plated hand reached out to touch the fallen lump of flesh, and with an exhausted sort of sound, he began to concentrate. It was easy at first, feeling the magic flow from his core and through his fingertips to surround the fallen god, but it wouldn’t be long until the Deity was silently baring his teeth from the strain.


Journal Sample: [It sounds like the rumble of boulders at first, low, monotonous, and threatening. After a moment, one might realize it’s a combination of a growl deep in one’s throat, as well as the sound of blunt fangs grinding together in obvious irritation. It had taken him quite a while to even figure out how to turn the thing on, but now everyone could have his piercing, narrowed white eyes trying to bore holes through their souls.]

Where?

[These were not his lands, and he could not sense Majora anywhere nearby. The Oni was exhausted, still bearing the wounds of his titanic struggle, but the dried blood smeared across his face only lent itself to his already savage appearance. Someone had better start talking, and quickly, before he found the first pair of mortals and choked them until they mewled every answer he wanted to hear.]