"Run far, far away. Run til your mind leaves you."
Name ;; Parzifal
Alias ;; Izal Gender ;; Hermaphrodite (both male and female) uses both "he" and "her" pronouns, but mainly "he/him" Element(s) ;; Fire and Blood Allegiance ;; The Scourge Rank ;; Knave -- Assassin Edits ;; Fusion/Chimera, One tracker ear, half set of blood horns, enlarged right front leg, enlarged left hind leg, incomplete pride male mane, scaled sides w/ spikes, visible element, scars, embedded spears, bone tail, Hetero Chromatic Eyes, IS INFERTILE Original Form ;; link to stash here |
"My full name means 'destroyer' in Latin. I'll do what I must."
Personality ;; Izal has two souls within a single body, with two distinct personalities that shouldn't overlap. But like the moon, the dominance of one or the other can wax and wane.
loud // restless // dishonest // overburdens // conscientious // critical // attentive Izal is a loud lion, he became too comfortable in his own skin in his jail cell, where he could boast and holler like all the others. His bravado may have been due to the fact he could never interact with those he spoke to, but it did its job of making the time pass. Parzifal is also a lion made of motion- the only time he's still is when he can't wrestle himself to his paws. When he can, however, everyone's gotta watch out because he won't stop until exhaustion wears at his bones. When he's awake, he's always moving, whether it be tail flicks or the tapping of his paws. It's enough to drive one insane, but the alternative is that he lay depressed instead. Whether he wants to admit it or not, doing something is better than nothing, and that's the first lesson he learned on Z-99. Izal also finds another flaw eating away at him... dishonesty. He hasn't learned to curb his tongue, and false promises and fake stories sometimes spring from his mind. He doesn't mean to, not really. But when he sees a flicker or hope or even thanks on another's face... well, one would do anything to see that again. So his lies become a negative thing from a positive intention, but hell if he doesn't try to make them happen. Izal will work and work until he collapses to do something. The concept of too much doesn't fit him, but the shame of too little is a familiar sting. And in fact, he does know his flaws too well. He knows them as well as he knows his name, and can point them out in turn. He knows how others see him, he sees himself through their eyes. And he wants to be better- as angry and resentful as he feels, he's more overcome with the need to make it easier on others. So he's critical on himself, but that always isn't a bad thing. He can point out the flaws in a plan and suggest alternatives. He knows how to read thoughts through body language, and if he had any interest in teaching, he could point out how to become less telling to other lions. But he doesn't, and in any case, it's an advantage he doesn't quite need to give up yet. Which leads to his last personality trait. Parzifal may seem loud and boisterous, but he raised himself and learned how to walk on eggshells. He knows body language, and he'll listen when you speak. Not only listen, but he'll remember it for eons, resting safely in the back of his mind. It's more for his own sanity than to be a good friend, but is a desirable trait nonetheless. (to be continued, in detail, below) |
Fear ;;
His fear is losing his ironclad grip on anything. His mind, his personality, his memories. All of it, he keeps so close to himself in order to protect this false image of himself, that he fools everyone, even sometimes himself with. And now, with the influence of the blood moon lionness, who seems so determined to have him lose it all, his grip is threatened. But this was something bound to happen sooner or later. You can't lock all the worst pieces of yourself away and expect to be better for it- no, those dark pieces come back in full force. Now, he seems like a complete opposite of himself, when in reality it was the parts of himself he didn't like. Now they take the spotlight, and he feels his grip slipping away. It's the thought of losing it completely that terrifies him. There must be a line, an event horizon that he can't come back from. |
The fire element is not a defensive element by nature. It's very rarely used that way, and even then, only in limited circumstances.
This suits Izal just fine. His style is to remain concealed until that simply isn't possible- and then he attacks with the element of surprise and quickly- hopefully- overwhelms the target. He doesn't need large, dramatic, energy consuming attacks when he doesn't plan to leave a trail behind him, and as such his elemental moves are different than most. His defensive ones are meant to conceal, and his offensive moves are meant to knock a target out quickly. This is the best outcome for him. The problem with his element lies in the fact that it burns him. From the inside out, it's a constant battle with the inferno under his skin. His muscles spasm, they twitch and clench painfully sometimes. And if he doesn't let the flames burn, (which he can't on Z-99), they start to actually sear his skin. He hasn't the faintest clue if other fire elementals share the same issue, but as a result, he always seems to be in motion. Pacing, talking, whatever he can manage to take his mind off of the hell beneath his skin. Lions also avoid brushing past him, since third-degree burns aren't the nicest thing to deal with. Now blood... blood is a curious element. Even with the limited amount of time to explore the extents of his element, some things seem to come naturally to him. As if a part of him had been familiar with it all his life. But that fact could also be contributed to the blood moon hanging in the sky. Every time he uses his element, there's an intense feeling of power that hums through his blood. He knows that using his element should require his concentration, drain his energy and leave him limp with exhaustion. But it doesn't. It's a foreign concept, feeling stronger when he uses it. But the more he uses this new element, the more his hold over fire seems to sputter. Even stranger, his head seems to cloud with thoughts that aren't entirely his. And confusion over memories that belong to him leaves him dazed. It doesn't steal his focus from whatever he's doing at the moment, rather, he feels as if he's floating. Separated, from what's happening. To say this is off-putting is an understatement, but the sheer strength with which he commands the element is alluring. So in using his element, it becomes a trade-off. Does he risk himself- his fire, his thoughts, even his memories- for the power? The blood moon won't last forever. But maybe, neither will he. -- BLOOD --
Pulse // unconscious // his blood elements here are divided into 'conscious' and 'unconscious' rather than just defensive or offensive. Whether he's aware he's affecting those around him or not, Parzifal is swaying things his way with his newfound element. Pulse is an ability that rises heartrates or lowers them, provoking or soothing anger, respectively. This move uses very little concentration or energy. -- similar to Adrenaline, a move used solely on providing a short-term boost of blood flow allowing for strength and concentration to be increased, which is also an unconscious move requiring little energy. It may become exhausting if upheld in any target multiple times without rest, however. Debilitate // conscious // when using this move, Parzifal alters the course of the blood flow in a target's body. An example would be pulling the blood from the head into the limbs. The move causes confusion, dizziness, tingling, and numbing of the limbs, of course depending on how it is used. -- this move is versatile in being either offensive or defensive, but it does take a moderate amount of concentration and a large amount of energy. As such, it's used as a last resort or preventative measure. Enfeeble // conscious // this move causes a target's blood to thin and flow more easily. Their heart rate will rise in order to accommodate, and leaves the target heaving for air. With this, even minor scratches will play a big roll in blood loss. Enfeeble is useful for draining the strength of a fresh opponent to allow for an advantage in a fight. -- this uses a moderate amount of concentration/energy, but also requires touch to be made. Bloodclot // conscious // a dangerous elemental ability that can lead to stroke if not used with the utmost concentration, this move entails clotting a target's blood to prevent blood loss in lions who are swiftly approaching death. -- the ability itself uses very little energy, but to maintain over a long period requires an intense amount of concentration and energy. |
-- FIRE --
Flux // defensive // the air around Parzifal is heated to immense temperatures, making it both hard to breathe and bending the light around him. Suddenly he seems as if his image is shifting left, right, up, down. confuses enemies greatly -- takes little focus but a moderate/large amount of energy Ring of Fire // offensive // requires very little in terms of concentration, a target is surrounded in flames. while using this to trap a lion, Izal must also focus to keep the flames from burning himself (which requires much more of his focus.) -- commonly used by him to probe others for information, the sheer stress of the situation usually provides him answers fairly quickly. Smoke Screen // defensive // this works well (and only) in tight spaces, where movement is limited. Parzifal will burn, and in the process uses all the oxygen in the space to fuel the flames. lions are blinded by smoke and are eventually left heaving for air. -- this uses an intense amount of focus and saps a fair amount of strength. Fireball // offensive // a simple elemental move, which is aptly named. Parzifal creates a ball of fire to send flying at a target or to light up a space like a torch. he creates a multitude of small fireballs to scorch a moving target. -- this uses moderate focus but little energy. -- BLOOD AND FIRE -- Since both of his elements belong to different souls, combining them is rarely done and takes an immense amount of focus and energy that can't always be done when trying to peacefully blend two souls. Blood Cleanse // blood and fire // a healing move, in which Parzifal purifies the blood by causing poisoned or infected blood to pool in one area, and then burn the toxins out. This can be incredibly painful for lions whose strength is being worn away by the infection/poison but can be necessary to prevent death. -- the process takes a fair amount of time and an extreme amount of energy and focus to use both his elements without causing damage. Fuel the Flames // blood and fire // an unconscious move meant to increase concentration and strength when Parzifal grows weak, or when there isn't much oxygen to use to fuel his fire element. When using this move, Izal instead draws on the blood of a target or a group around him in order to get a second wind. This move grants him a swift-acting boost, but it does not last for long and leaves him even wearier afterward. -- this ability uses a large amount of energy, but only moderate focus since its an unconscious attempt at self-preservation. |
Cub ---> Adolescence
Parzifal grew up with his two parents in a nomadic pride on the edges of the Pride's borders. When food grew too scarce and the nomads that roamed the Unknown Lands too threatening, they crossed into the Pride Lands, weak and weary. There they begged the Alpha to let them rest for a couple of days to regain their strength. He agreed, and even offered them a place in the Pride. But the group refused, and so the Alpha bid them farewell, promising them protection if they were ever near the borders. Izal was a rather ignorant cub for living in the Unknown Lands. His parents worked tirelessly to keep him sheltered from a stark reality he had never considered. Had they lived in the Ravine, he was sure to have come face to face with death.. but with his paws hardened with travel, he never did. What Izal did know, however, was that the Pride had saved them. And ever since the day they had left its lands, he had idolized the lions living there. They were legends come to life, pure souls who fought to end evil. He didn't know who that evil was, but why did the specifics matter? He was simply fascinated by the fact that there were heroes in this world. |
Adolescence ---> Adulthood
This was a rough time for Izal. He was an unwilling recruit into the Rebellion and forced into the war. He stumbled behind the lines and cauterized any wounds he could, even though these were lions he had come to loathe. For the first time, he witnessed the world at it's worst, which was disturbing to the young lion. He was the bottom of the totem pole in the Rebel's camp, often shoved around brutally because his cuts would never bleed. And he was surrounded with the worst of the worst, the Rebels who had never had to learn how to like to watch another bleed because they enjoyed watching the pain they caused. Those who scavenged the bodies of the fallen and picked whatever valuables they found. The cruelty they caused bred hatred and animosity among one another, which was an endless cycle. Izal watched from afar, as tangible as a ghost, as he pretended to be a healer. The stress was endless, keeping up the act. He knew there was no alternative besides death. Of course one day he slipped. A rebel whose cruelty he was familiar with had caught him. He called Parzifal's bluff and then decided to mob the young lion. Since he had essentially betrayed the Rebels, he would be left to die. Unfortunately for Izal, regular pain wouldn't suffice. His wounds would just seal up, there wouldn't be enough blood loss to simply kill him. His death would be much more painful. |
After ---> Life with Aeros
When he awoke, alive, everything seemed like a strange dream. The first words he heard since he was left to die were like a small blessing, or perhaps a cruel lie. "You're safe." How he let himself slip away into unconsciousness at the mere thought of something life safety. When he was able to talk, even rise to his paws many weeks after he had been brought in, the lion who had saved him came into the cramped quarters of the healer's den. He sat down, introduced himself.
His name wasn't one Izal would easily forget.
This was Aeros, the son of Arknon. And after encountering him, Izal should have been aching for revenge. Here was a way to kill two birds with one stone- kill the heir to the rebels and end the war that had stolen so much from him and hundreds of others. And yet, strangely, he couldn't bring himself to fight against Aeros. His allegiance became undoubtedly to him. It wasn't compassion that had moved the lion to save Izal. It might seem ironic, but in his weakest moment, he was at his strongest. Something clawed its way up from his throat and with a strangled roar Izal refused death. He'd be damned if he'd just lay down like a dog and die that day. Too many sacrifices had been made up to that point, the universe owed him nothing and yet he demanded something of it anyway. He wanted to live. Aeros had glimpsed that in the young male, and perhaps saw something worth saving.
Life with Aeros' pride was... strange.
For the first time in years, the catcalls and shouts that lions threw at one another didn't end in bloodshed. Instead, it was a friendly banter of comrades. Izal didn't need to have eyes on the back of his head to watch out for a paw that'd smack him upside the head or a shoulder that'd shove him to the ground. When Izal was fed up, he was free to snarl his frustrations. The fact that he could didn't mean he did, he was left unnerved and wondering when this easy stretch between everyone would end and he'd be at their mercy. The environment was foreign to him. How long would this last?
But there was a day when Izal stopped ghosting among these lions. He started talking again, started learning the names of those around him. He owed Aeros his life, and he was determined to rise the ranks and prove his loyalty until the day came where he could repay his debt. And finally, he had a means to the cause he'd taken up in his heart. The end of the Pride and the Rebellion.
When he awoke, alive, everything seemed like a strange dream. The first words he heard since he was left to die were like a small blessing, or perhaps a cruel lie. "You're safe." How he let himself slip away into unconsciousness at the mere thought of something life safety. When he was able to talk, even rise to his paws many weeks after he had been brought in, the lion who had saved him came into the cramped quarters of the healer's den. He sat down, introduced himself.
His name wasn't one Izal would easily forget.
This was Aeros, the son of Arknon. And after encountering him, Izal should have been aching for revenge. Here was a way to kill two birds with one stone- kill the heir to the rebels and end the war that had stolen so much from him and hundreds of others. And yet, strangely, he couldn't bring himself to fight against Aeros. His allegiance became undoubtedly to him. It wasn't compassion that had moved the lion to save Izal. It might seem ironic, but in his weakest moment, he was at his strongest. Something clawed its way up from his throat and with a strangled roar Izal refused death. He'd be damned if he'd just lay down like a dog and die that day. Too many sacrifices had been made up to that point, the universe owed him nothing and yet he demanded something of it anyway. He wanted to live. Aeros had glimpsed that in the young male, and perhaps saw something worth saving.
Life with Aeros' pride was... strange.
For the first time in years, the catcalls and shouts that lions threw at one another didn't end in bloodshed. Instead, it was a friendly banter of comrades. Izal didn't need to have eyes on the back of his head to watch out for a paw that'd smack him upside the head or a shoulder that'd shove him to the ground. When Izal was fed up, he was free to snarl his frustrations. The fact that he could didn't mean he did, he was left unnerved and wondering when this easy stretch between everyone would end and he'd be at their mercy. The environment was foreign to him. How long would this last?
But there was a day when Izal stopped ghosting among these lions. He started talking again, started learning the names of those around him. He owed Aeros his life, and he was determined to rise the ranks and prove his loyalty until the day came where he could repay his debt. And finally, he had a means to the cause he'd taken up in his heart. The end of the Pride and the Rebellion.
Personality (in full) ;;
They shouldn't overlap, but it seems that in joining, they've both lost parts of themselves. One soul is never fully in control, there's always the presence, the underlying pulling of the strings of the other behind the curtain. They don't form conscious thoughts with one another, but one can definitely feel the influence of another, the slow realization that... I'm not fully myself.
His first personality is a loud but empty one. Izal talks and talks, really he has no problem being boisterous. After so long of remaining silent, it seems ironic at the very least that Izal is the one to be annoying. But it's a way of defending himself. When he talks, he doesn't need to say anything important, in fact, you'll never learn a thing about him if he doesn't feel comfortable. And he doesn't love the act of talking itself, rather enjoys the distraction it brings for two primary purposes. The first, to distract from the pain that rolls through his muscles due to his element of fire trapped beneath his skin. And the second, to distract from the quiet that picks away at his brain. Sometimes his loud mouth is a mercy to other lions, sometimes its just a nuisance. He avoided conflict at every cost when he was younger, and learned to embrace all the lies that he told. Now he finds that he can't stop. It's a struggle for him, to want to be open and yet the only way to do so is to find himself lying. Lying has become a close friend since the fusion. He's been blundering through everything, pretending to be the lion he was even though he has no idea who he is anymore. Before, he was good. At least he thought so. And now he's drifting farther and farther away from being good. Izal wants to be a positive lion. He truly only wants stability for himself. If nothing can be certain, he wants to know that others can count on him. This idea was certainly tossed away the moment he became fused with another. Now he's uncertain. Confused. Angry and not himself. Everything he had known became muddled with who he is now. Even so, he still yearns to take the reigns. To lead everyone straight, to make the best version of the future the present. That ambition and determination haven't wavered since the fusion. Neither has his determination to hold on to everything with an iron grip. Since the majority of his memories from his time with Aeros were stolen, he's trying so hard to remember everything. The thought of forgetting terrifies him. His second personality, well. She's very telling. Izal is a slow-burning fuse, she's the explosion and the aftermath. Her mind encourages the rage buried deep in her soul. She is emotions in their purest form. Uncontrollable anger, paralyzing sadness. She's cunning and methodical, but she is unwilling to wait, mimicking in part Izal's endless motion. He lives to be distracted, and she's only ever focused on her emotions and her needs. What are her needs? Chaos. She was born from it, raised in it, yearns for it. When things are at their worst, she finds the calmness in which to think. When everything but her becomes discord, she falls into a harmony. And so she strives for a reality where she can lead. His ambition is her ambition in that sense, and together they strive for power. She feeds off of his emotions and feeds into them. When he is angry, she's there, egging him on. Lowering his walls. She makes him bold in the place of his hesitation. She's reckless where he would be careful. But you can't feed poison and expect to not get it on your hands. She feels his confusion. And sometimes, she tastes his fear of losing his grip. There are still pieces of him that are beyond her reach. The times where she needs to ignore him are the times where he seems to get through the most. Not a voice, but an influence that impedes her emotions, stems the rising waters. She's not another lion in his mind, don't be mistaken. She's just a vessel carrying the emotions and wishes of a fragmented soul. Maybe there is another part of her, holding on to something precious like memories. But had she not fused with Izal, she would have became a lion not living. She'd be dead in every regard but the heaving of her lungs. No emotions or thoughts would remain. It's a desolate image, an unfortunate possibility that didn't happen. But now, someone along the lines of a hazy future, she and him may blur into a complete soul. A damaged one, but one no longer broken. She'll have lived. He'll have swept the darkest parts of his personality away. |
Relationships ;;