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Name: Jinu
Age: 424 years (roughly)
Gender: Male
Canon: K-Pop Demon Hunters
Age: 424 years (roughly)
Gender: Male
Canon: K-Pop Demon Hunters
Feel the way my voice gets underneath your skin
+ history
Jinu was born over 400 years ago in a time of great poverty and suffering. He assumed the role of man of the house from a young age, doing his best to provide for his mother and younger sister. His days were spent busking on the street and gathering whatever meager rations he could but it was never enough. Recent war had devastated the country. There were few paying patrons to be found. Starving, suffering, desperate, Jinu fell victim to the sinister promises of Gwi-ma, the demon king who preyed upon weakness. Gwi-ma offered to give him the life he desired. A life of luxury, a life of ease. A life where he would not know the terrible misery of hunger or wicked bite of the cold. Jinu accepted without hesitation and Gwi-ma made good on his promises... as he saw fit.
Jinu's fortunes changed overnight. Before he knew it he was being invited to the palace to become a personal musician to the king. However, a demon's promise should always be viewed as a double-edged sword, and Jinu learned that the hard way. Commoners were not allowed in the palace. While he had been invited, his family had not. Though his mother and sister accompanied him to the palace they were stopped at the gates by the guards and Jinu found himself in an impossible position. If his family tried to force their way in they would be killed. If he rejected the king's invitation he would be tried with treason and they would have ended up just as dead. With no other option he watched them be pulled away from him.
It was the last time he ever saw them. He never learned what their ultimate fates were. Without his support at home their situation was more dire than ever, but there was nothing he could do. He settled into his new life with a heavy heart. While he had all the food he could eat and slept in silk sheets every night he felt no joy in any of it. Guilt ate him alive. His deal with Gwi-ma had only benefited himself. How could he have abandoned his family? The more guilt and shame he felt, the more glowing patterns began to appear on his skin, and soon Gwi-ma claimed his payment. Jinu was pulled down into the underworld and transformed into a demon, becoming a servant of the demon king that had tricked him into eternal servitude.
For the next 400 years Jinu acted as one of Gwi-ma's underlings, performing such deeds as stealing human souls to feed his master. His hatred towards the demon king grew with each passing century. He fantasized about the entity's death while doing just enough work for him to save his own hide. Gwi-ma tolerated his antics, both because he found them amusing and because he was certain in his control over him. If Jinu ever started to get out of line Gwi-ma brought him back into order by reminding him that he had abandoned his family to die. The weight of his guilt always crushed Jinu's rebellion.
Over the course of his time in the underworld much of Jinu's humanity was suppressed. What few memories he managed to cling to of his life before became obscured and twisted by Gwi-ma's insistence that he was selfish and had failed his family because of it. He became that which Gwi-ma told him he was--a self serving monster that felt no remorse for the harm he caused after being turned into a demon. He remained that way for hundreds of years...until 2025. Tired of the torment he felt over what he had done to his family he came up with a scheme to free himself of the memories by forcing Gwi-ma to take them in exchange for Jinu destroying the honmoon, the mystical barrier preventing Gwi-ma from crossing over into the human world himself. Gwi-ma agreed to let him try, setting off a series of events that placed Jinu directly in the path of the one individual who could revive the person he had once been, ultimately leading to the defeat of Gwi-ma and the freeing of Jinu's soul.
Jinu's fortunes changed overnight. Before he knew it he was being invited to the palace to become a personal musician to the king. However, a demon's promise should always be viewed as a double-edged sword, and Jinu learned that the hard way. Commoners were not allowed in the palace. While he had been invited, his family had not. Though his mother and sister accompanied him to the palace they were stopped at the gates by the guards and Jinu found himself in an impossible position. If his family tried to force their way in they would be killed. If he rejected the king's invitation he would be tried with treason and they would have ended up just as dead. With no other option he watched them be pulled away from him.
It was the last time he ever saw them. He never learned what their ultimate fates were. Without his support at home their situation was more dire than ever, but there was nothing he could do. He settled into his new life with a heavy heart. While he had all the food he could eat and slept in silk sheets every night he felt no joy in any of it. Guilt ate him alive. His deal with Gwi-ma had only benefited himself. How could he have abandoned his family? The more guilt and shame he felt, the more glowing patterns began to appear on his skin, and soon Gwi-ma claimed his payment. Jinu was pulled down into the underworld and transformed into a demon, becoming a servant of the demon king that had tricked him into eternal servitude.
For the next 400 years Jinu acted as one of Gwi-ma's underlings, performing such deeds as stealing human souls to feed his master. His hatred towards the demon king grew with each passing century. He fantasized about the entity's death while doing just enough work for him to save his own hide. Gwi-ma tolerated his antics, both because he found them amusing and because he was certain in his control over him. If Jinu ever started to get out of line Gwi-ma brought him back into order by reminding him that he had abandoned his family to die. The weight of his guilt always crushed Jinu's rebellion.
Over the course of his time in the underworld much of Jinu's humanity was suppressed. What few memories he managed to cling to of his life before became obscured and twisted by Gwi-ma's insistence that he was selfish and had failed his family because of it. He became that which Gwi-ma told him he was--a self serving monster that felt no remorse for the harm he caused after being turned into a demon. He remained that way for hundreds of years...until 2025. Tired of the torment he felt over what he had done to his family he came up with a scheme to free himself of the memories by forcing Gwi-ma to take them in exchange for Jinu destroying the honmoon, the mystical barrier preventing Gwi-ma from crossing over into the human world himself. Gwi-ma agreed to let him try, setting off a series of events that placed Jinu directly in the path of the one individual who could revive the person he had once been, ultimately leading to the defeat of Gwi-ma and the freeing of Jinu's soul.
+ personality
Cunning, charismatic and ambitious, Jinu is someone who mostly looks after his own self interests. No one is coming to save him. He learned that lesson a long, long time ago and keeps it tucked into the back of his head at all times.
[section under construction; come back for more later]
+ abilities
Immortality As a demon Jinu is functionally immortal. He does not age, and does not suffer from illnesses. He is not immune to injury, however, and can be killed in combat by a Hunter or a stronger demon (ie: Gwi-ma). Fire is another potential killer, though it remains to be seen whether it is only supernatural flames or all fire he must be wary of.
Enthralling Voice
Gwi-ma's gift that he has so graciously allowed Jinu to keep throughout the centuries is the ability to bespell humans with his voice. It works best when used in unison with other demons with similar abilities, such as the other Saja Boys. Hunters are immune to its effects but regular humans are drawn to his singing voice like moths to flames. It is also possible for him to create illusions visible to bespelled individuals, but this again works best in concert with other demons.
Soul Stealing
An ability inherent in all demons, Jinu can extract a person's soul from their body. These souls are most often sent to the underworld to feed Gwi-Ma, but on very rare occasions he may chose to absorb them himself. A demon has to eat sometimes, you know?
Shapeshifting
Jinu can switch between human and demon form. Hunters and other humans with unusually high spiritual energy will be able to see through his human disguise at least in part. He is also able to control the degree to which his shifts, such as changing his human fingers into demon claws, but his eyes will always revert to demon when he does.
Teleportation & Levitation
What it says on the tin. Jinu can teleport in a swirl of red mist whenever he wants. He mostly uses it in short distance bursts to avoid injury in combat but also employs it to make a flashy exit when it suits him. The same can be said about his levitation ability. Both are used for ease of getting around and avoiding annoyances such as fall damage or having a spirit blade plunged into his chest.
