Application for The Far Shore

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Player Information

Name: Rynn
Contact: chaneystarr
Other Characters: Nanako Dojima (Persona4), Misaki Yata (K Project)

Character Information

Name: Yona
Canon: Akatsuki no Yona/Yona of the Dawn
Canon Point: post Zeno's OVA, the most recent point in the anime as of her app.
Age: 16
History: Yona's Wiki

Personality:

Much of what we see of Yona's personality grows, changes or enhances throughout the course of the series along with her personal growth. When it first starts out, she's shown as a very selfish, sheltered and self-involved Princess, having been raised within the confines of her father's palace all her life and therefore only really concerned with what happens to her. She's very ignorant of pretty much everything outside the castle walls and at fifteen, shows little desire to change that, too caught up in the whirlwind of growing up and the secret love she cherishes for her cousin, Soo-Won. it's stated that, outside of being forbidden to handle any weapons, her father lavished anything she wanted on her, whether it be clothes or jewelry or ornamentation for her hair. And while most take these surface shows of childhood temperament and shallow pampered fascinations as all there is to her, even as an immature princess, Yona still shows that there is more depth lurking beneath the surface.

In flashbacks, it's shown how even as a child Yona has a sweet side to her, someone who does her best to put on a smile for those around her even when she is sad. Someone who tries to find her own solution to problems rather for relying on others to solve them for her. And someone who - while maybe not always being aware of doing so - is very in-tune to the emotions and concerns of those around her, not trying to make herself more of a burden on them. one example shown of this is a holiday celebrated in Kouka that is often spent with one's family to celebrate. Hak learns that the King often secludes himself in prayer for this holiday, leaving Yona all alone, so he offers to stay and keep her company instead of going back to his own Clan and observers her going out of her way to make sure not to make any more trouble for him or any of the servants in the palace, even going so far as to try and reassure him that she will be fine and that his family will be sad if he doesn't go home to celebrate with them, despite her own intense loneliness of always spending this holiday by herself.

Yona's peaceful and sheltered life abruptly ends on her sixteenth birthday when a coup set in motion by her beloved cousin results in her father being murdered in front of her and being chased and captured by enemies who want her dead within her own castle. She escapes with the aid of her protector, Hak, but it is at the sacrifice of one of her father's loyal servant's Min-Soo and as they flee into the hills, Yona goes into shock from the betrayal and terror of the night. It takes her days to recover, but as she comes out of it, it's with opening eyes to the realities of the world and she only grows from there. She realizes, now that she is on the run, that she knows next to nothing about the world outside the walls of the palace, or the people that inhabit her country. The more she learns, the harsher the reality it is, too, for while her father loved peace and hated violence and war, his lofty ideals did not automatically mean peace and happiness for his subjects. She comes face to face, again and again, with the reality that her beloved father was actually hated and despised and thought cowardly by the people suffering in poverty and sickness. This breaks her heart but also builds in her a fire to protect the people she meets who are suffering and slowly heal the land she wanders through.

It takes her a little while to discover the path she should walk now and what she should do. While on a journey to discover the four ancient dragons of legend and attain their aid and strength, she meets many people and learns more about herself on her journey. She takes up the bow, despite her late father's wishes for her to never handle weapons, stating that she refuses to ever be that helpless again. And after watching Hak nearly die to protect her as they escape pursuit, it instills in her a desire to one day be able to protect him as well, not wanting to watch him die in front of her, or lose anyone precious to her ever again. She confesses often to being afraid, but she doesn't let that stop her. And when questioned about how she can still press forward despite her fear, she confesses that in comparison, nothing is as terrifying to her as "that night", meaning her final night in the castle. It gives her a perspective to balance her other struggles by and in that she can still take strength from it to keep going.

Yona inspires those around her, often in different ways, but she is optimistic, driven, determined, hopeful, and protective. her companions often remark that watching her struggle to overcome a fear or a conflict often inspires them to be better, or to be of more aid to her. While she looks frail and frightened, she carries an immense weight of responsibility on her shoulders but she does not falter under it. Even when her hands shake with fear or pain or weariness, she still grips her bow tightly to take aim. When she is backed into a corner, there is a fire in her eyes that makes her enemies waver and fall back in the face of her determination and conviction.

She remains idealistic and eager to learn throughout her journey through Kouka and its neighboring countries and the more she discovers she is ignorant about, the more she seeks to remedy this. Even when she gains the strength and assistance of the four sacred dragons, she doesn't turn her attention immediately to regain her father's throne, instead turning to learn more of the land and its people herself, believing that she can do more good as just Yona than as a Princess or ruler. Instead of revenge, she focuses instead on healing the hurts and scars left in the wake of countless wars and her own father's naive ideals. Yona is sincere and driven and it's possibly because she does not demand things of the people she encounters that they end up becoming so inspired and willing to aid her, whether it be the dragons she seeks or the people in the villages and cities she travels through and leaves ultimately changed for the better in her wake.

Because of what she endured, and because of what she learned after her life changed, Yona will not stand for injustice or cruelty. She will do everything in her power to right a wrong and help those who are unable to help themselves. She is always drawn to the plight of the lost, the frightened, the lonely, the helpless. Even if it puts herself in danger, she will do what she can to defend or aid them. It is this drive as well that inspires those around her and draws them to her side. In her struggle to overcome her own shortcomings, weaknesses and ignorance, she also inspires those around her to do the same, as well as aid her in her own struggles however they can, wanting to be her strength and her shield as she tries to be for them.

Abilities:

Yona grew up being forbidden to even so much as handle a weapon, so her skills with fighting didn't come until much later when betrayal and necessity forced the need to learn on her. Although she took to learning first the bow and later he sword with determination to protect herself and keep those important to her safe. Hak teaches her the bow first and she practices as they travel shooting up to 200 arrows every night to strengthen her aim and improve her ability. When she accomplishes this, she tries for the sword next, although several of her companions initially refuse to teach her, wanting her to keep her distance in battle. When she cannot find a teacher among them right away, she takes up a small blade and practices by herself in the middle of the night.

Other than fighting abilities, Yona has been learning much since she left the palace - again, most of this out of necessity. Alongside Yoon as they travel, she learns to help prepare meals, gather supplies in the wilderness, helps him prepare medicine and do daily chores like laundry and setting up camp and gathering firewood, etc.

Also, Yona is known to be very observant and intelligent. She had these skills before leaving the palace but they've become much more honed in the time since she's left. She's very empathic when it comes to people, having a keen intuition for the moods and needs of people around her, picking up on subtleties that most would overlook. As a Princess, she hadn't had many skills worth boasting of, having grown up very sheltered and a little spoiled, but she had training in dance (something she uses at a later time for vastly different reasons) and can play the koto (with dubious success, according to Hak).

Strengths:

» Hopeful
» Determined
» Caring
» Adaptive
» Protective
» Just

Weaknesses:

» Naive, Sheltered; still learning about the world.
» Selfish (sometimes)
» Demanding
» Stubborn
» Occasionally very clueless, especially when it comes to romance.

God/Shinki: God
Why?:

Her experiences and progress in her canon are so much of what shapes her throughout the course of her series that it's almost impossible to separate her characterization from that. Without that frame of reference/experience, it's likely she might have never progressed from the naive princess she starts the series as.

Top Choices: (in order of preference)

» Áine: (Irish) A Goddess of Summer, wealth and sovereignty. Associated with midsummer and the sun, and is represented by a red mare. A Goddess of love and fertility, she oversees crops and animals and is associated with agriculture. Rites in her honor involve fire and the blessing of the land. As an embodiment of sovereignty, she can both grant and remove a man's power to rule. Her themes are brightness, glow, joy, radiance; splendor, glory, fame.
» Eos: (Greek) Goddess of the Dawn. Dawnbringer. Represents hope and rejuvenation to mortals. She carried light to the realms of heaven and earth to usher in a new day. Known as mother to wind and planets. Associated with Passion and Love, cursed with insatiable desire. Her themes are wealth, love, joy, health, fertility, leadership, passion and beauty.
» Pakhet: (Egyptian) Lioness Goddess of War. Hunter Goddess. Sun Deity, wears the solar disk as part of her Crown. Solitary Hunter who earned the title Night huntress with sharp eye and pointed claw. Associated with desert storms. A protector of Motherhood.
» Brigid: (Irish) A Goddess of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Dawn Goddess. Associated with Spring, fertility, healing, poetry and smithcraft. Linked to home and hearth.

God Type:

She's not content to sit by when there are people who need help or protecting. She refuses to be helpless and can't stand to sit by if there is an injustice that needs to be righted. She is willing to take great risks and go to great lengths for a cause she believes in, especially if it is for someone she believes in, or wishes to aid.

Power: Empathic Creation: The power to create objects, weapons and creatures out of emotions.


Writing Sample

Sample: Yona on the TDM.

Other

Anything Else?: Yona would be arriving with a certain hairpin tucked on her person as well as her bow and sword.