Raijin [雷神] ; Tryout ; SF#200 ; DNP

[Caeleesi]

[雷神] meaning "God of Lightning, Thunder, and Storms."
named for his unearthly control over the elements- especially in times of disaster.

Raijin was thought to be a myth.
Key word, thought. What is a thought?
A thought is an idea or opinion produced by thinking, or occurring suddenly in the mind.

.pictured below : Raijin resting in the willow tree, curled up after shrinking down to a comfortable size.

[Caeleesi]

[Introduction]

He was born in a.. different way to most. Whilst other flitz were birthed from stones with a tear from each parent, Raijin was said to have been born from a drop of blood and a seed from the elder willow tree, his body formed from the mountain itself. How this was possible was unknown- but so was it said to have happened.
As his body took shape and he was able to view the world for the first time, a thought rang throughout his mind over and over again, until finally- he understood what it meant.

"Your name shall be Raijin. Bring forth peace to the forest to which you are bound to as protector, defender, guardian. Do not leave the forest. Do not harm or let be harmed the willow tree in which you are born. To pass on your protection produce a child of your own blood, and a seed from the willow tree."

As Raijin grew with the forest, he came to know each animal and plant that lived there, and floating above the treetops was one of his favourite things to do, simply watching the clouds pass by and birds flutter around him. Sometimes he'd also go walking around in the forest, making sure everything was how he'd left it, nice and peaceful. He much preferred floating above the forest though, as on his feet he was a bit clumsy and always tripping over branches or running head-first into trees. Though amusing to the forest, it certainly hurt Raijin's pride; along with his head! His antlers getting stuck in different branches or knocking against things certainly wasn't uncommon either, ending with him back up on the mountain trying to tug vines and leaves from his body.
After a while, Raijin learnt from his experiences- how to treat different injuries or sicknesses, how to care for different plants or animals. He learnt all he could about the area he lived in as he grew, learning and growing further from every mistake until he made no more. It was tough, but he had to do it if he were to be the guardian of the forest.

[Caeleesi]

[Para 2]

Every now and then something bad would happen. Others would come by, seeking something from the forest without the intention of giving back, or some disease or poison would be leaking into the forest. It was Raijin's job to take care of the forest, and because he didn't know how to deal with all these foreign things, he sometimes had a really hard time doing so. Trial and error was his only hope at saving the forest- and thankfully he was able to mix up the right concoctions and antidotes for all the poisons and diseases that came through, but not without some losses. Trees died and animals passed on, but Raijin stayed strong. When humans came by to take wood or plants from the forest, Raijin was finally forced to show himself to them, for how else was he to deal with such a problem? Approaching them, he proclaimed

"It is my duty to protect the forest, and those who live within.
Anyone who dares to attack it or take without giving back or asking will suffer accordingly."

At first they seemed astounded that there was something- a creature resembling a flit, no less- that spoke to them and defended the forest against them, and then they just laughed, taking what they wanted.. but not for long, Raijin vowed.
Well, that's the last time they would be laughing. Raijin returned to his mountain after that, letting his body curl inwards as he shrunk down to fit in the large opening to the willow tree, closing his eyes and letting his body and mind connect to the nature that surrounded him. The humans punishment would be left up to the forest this time- and oh did they have a nasty surprise for them.
The next morning the humans returned. Raijin was sat near the edge of the forest, peering out at them. As they approached, he let his body grow larger and climbed to the tops of the trees, grasping a bundle of different plants in his jaw that he dropped upon the humans as they walked within throwing distance of said plants. He watched as they looked around in confusion before they started screaming, red blotches covering their skin in every place that the plants had rubbed up against. Their skin on fire, itchy, and drying out, the humans ran away and left whatever they had been carrying. Raijin swooped down to gather everything left on the floor, floating lightly above the ground. However, as soon as his body left the forest his heart started aching, being tugged back towards the forest. Raijin quickly turned back towards the forest, his body still enlarged so that he could carry each item the humans had left, dropping it all in a small pile near the willow tree as he reached it, his body then shrinking back to the size he was most comfortable in, his paws touching the ground lightly as he ceased his floating.
From that day on, though- humans no longer took without giving back, so really it was all worth it. Occasionally there'd be another issue with them, but Raijin knew their ways now, and had learnt to speak and understand their tongue rather well, so communication was no problem for him and he dealt with and grew more knowledgeable with every problem, often coming up with creative solutions, his pile of "junk" or "trophies" growing each time. So really, it was a win-win for Raijin. His hoarding tendencies and the forest ended up both sated, and the peace would continue.

[Caeleesi]

[Personality]

[Caretaker]

Growing up as a guardian of something really brought out his-- "motherly" side, and despite the fact that he's a carnivore and has to eat animals from the forest, he also cares for them and provides them (as well as the plant-life) with whatever they need to survive. He'll point them in the direction of the river that runs throughout the forest, or lead them to wherever the best sustenance is. He loves being able to provide for the forest as much as it provides for him, and does so as often as possible.

[Hoarder]

He can't help his hoarding tendencies. Once he found a shell necklace that had been long since lost in the forest, and had taken it and hung it from one of the willow tree branches. Ever since then, anything that is lost, forgotten, or simply left behind becomes part of Raijin's hoarding pile behind the willow tree. Some things he'll bring into the tree or hang from its branches, but most of it is stored in a small cave that only Raijin knows about. After eating, he'll even sometimes preserve the skulls of whatever his meal was. A bit dark of him, but something he can't help doing. He finds the intricacies of bones and hoe they work and connect fascinating. Of course, he cleans it up and makes sure it won't smell terrible before adding it to his collection, but some of the skulls he has includes a deer, a bird, and a rabbit.

[Perfectionist]

For Raijin, everything has to be perfect. Yes, his ideas of perfection are a little different to others (considering he thinks a cave of junk is perfect), but it's almost as if he has an extreme case of ocd. Everything is colour coordinated around the willow tree, and any belongings he owns has to be in a particular spot, even the stuff in the cave. If it isn't he has immense trouble trying to find it, and sometimes even gets worries that it's been taken or he's lost it- even though he finds it shortly afterwards.

[Clumsy]

On his feet is where Raijin is clumsiest of all, more used to just floating around above the forest and staring up at the sky than actually walking around on the forest floor. He can never find the right size to be and always trips over or knocks into things. Which is why he prefers floating around. At least he doesn't return to the willow tree covered in whatever decided to tangle him up on that day.

[Caeleesi]

[Hobbies]

[Cloud + Star watching]

Spending most of his free time staring up at the skies is soothing for Raijin, he feels more connected to the skies than he does the actual forest, funnily enough. Perhaps it has something to do with his name, but who knows. Making shapes and creatures from the clouds or watching the sun go down only to reveal the gleaming stars and moon above simply brings him to peace, and thus both cloud and star watching are number one on his list of favourite things to do.

[Reading + Writing]

He only ever reads the stuff he's written, or books that he's found in the forest, but it still brings him joy and puts his mind in a place far away from the forest, into a fantasy world where he's the hero or a sidekick, fighting for the good of the world and being recognized. Reading was something he used to do a lot more but as he grew he mostly stuck to actually writing his own stories, letting his imagination run wild as he jotted down the words that came to mind onto the page. Perhaps not the best works, or works that made sense to anybody else, but he enjoyed being able to express himself in the form of writing. He'd gather feathers for writing, and make ink from different black (or coloured) fruits or rocks and water to make something he could draw and write with, though he often had to start again because of accidentally turning and whacking things away with his tail. Thanks, clumsiness.

[Surveying, Watching]

Simply being able to stare out at the forest from his mountain, or watch as things happen in the distance brings Raijin happiness. He likes watching things happen, even if it is as boring as watching paint dry. The creativity and building of the modern world and humans, in comparison to the hibernation and growth of the natural world, like the forest. It was all quite interesting to watch to him, and lazing around on one of the branches of the willow tree just to watch the world pass by was sometimes the only thing he needed if he was feeling lost, or just needed some time to himself.

[Caeleesi]

Other ideas that most likely won't be written about on time b/c busy + lack of time irl:
x Battle for the forest
x Shine fast / Disasters + Trouble
x Shine slow + unnoticeable / Peaceful, no issues.
x Love of storms, lighting in particular.
x Gallery of art ; Above treetops, behind trees, lazing on tree branch, collection cave?
x Additional info on how his soul is connected to the forest/willow tree.

Playlist?
(Spotify!)
linky,, probably unfinished.

--Ignore the above if unfinished; it's all for further development--