Issa is good hearted, but not great at judgement. They're really gullible and easily manipulated, willing to believe people mean the best and are telling the truth 9 times out of 10. |
INFO
Personality
Issa, at their core, is very Neutral Good. They believe in freedom very strongly, and believes that everyone should have a chance to do what they want! But rules and laws are also there for a reason, to prevent bad things from happening. They differentiate Rules/Laws and Expectations very strictly, though. Following expectations doesn't always lead to good, and breaking expectations isn't always bad!
They believe that most people follow this logic, too. Most people are Good, and tell the truth, and are looking out for other people! This, unfortunately, makes them very gullible and trusting. Issa will believe almost anything told to them, unless it goes against logical Facts, rules of the world, etc, or if the person have proved to be unreliable in the past. And even that is iffy, since they want to believe in people and give people second chances!
While Issa cares a lot about the pursuit of knowledge, doing good trumps that. And although they believe that, sometimes, easily, Issa can get wrapped up in learning and moving forward in that direction, that they don't really...think through what they're doing. They're quick to action, and honestly Very Intelligent -- if they sat and thought things through they would make better choices, but they would rather be on the move!!
That's not to say they're ambitious. If not given a direction, Issa meanders. They're bad at picking out a goal for themselves and sticking to it, making plans of action, etc. They're not a leader, and will defer to other people to make choices more often than not. They want their input to be considered, but know that there is always someone better off to be the shot caller!
They believe that most people follow this logic, too. Most people are Good, and tell the truth, and are looking out for other people! This, unfortunately, makes them very gullible and trusting. Issa will believe almost anything told to them, unless it goes against logical Facts, rules of the world, etc, or if the person have proved to be unreliable in the past. And even that is iffy, since they want to believe in people and give people second chances!
While Issa cares a lot about the pursuit of knowledge, doing good trumps that. And although they believe that, sometimes, easily, Issa can get wrapped up in learning and moving forward in that direction, that they don't really...think through what they're doing. They're quick to action, and honestly Very Intelligent -- if they sat and thought things through they would make better choices, but they would rather be on the move!!
That's not to say they're ambitious. If not given a direction, Issa meanders. They're bad at picking out a goal for themselves and sticking to it, making plans of action, etc. They're not a leader, and will defer to other people to make choices more often than not. They want their input to be considered, but know that there is always someone better off to be the shot caller!
Issa with people is. Complicated. They pursue knowledge, and often cross personal boundaries without realizing that it might be something someone doesn't want to talk about, or think about. Issa is willing to ask the hard questions because they don't realize that they're Hard.
They've spent a lot of their life surrounding themselves with books, and books just lay out the facts and figures there in front of you. The fact that people don't or won't do the same thing is something they don't quite grasp a lot of the time.
Issa is well meaning, but their impulsiveness and awkwardness with people often causes them to make actions that lead to bad things happening. Honestly never their intention, and they always work hard to fix their mistakes!!
They've spent a lot of their life surrounding themselves with books, and books just lay out the facts and figures there in front of you. The fact that people don't or won't do the same thing is something they don't quite grasp a lot of the time.
Issa is well meaning, but their impulsiveness and awkwardness with people often causes them to make actions that lead to bad things happening. Honestly never their intention, and they always work hard to fix their mistakes!!
Background
Issa was born 5th child of a wealthy family. They have always been well off, although they haven't always fit in with their family. As with most of Naimei, there is little magic, and people tend to value physical strength. Issa, on the other hand, is small, weak, and has access to magic.
Their childhood wasn't Bad -- they never went hungry, they had so many opportunities, and could basically get anything they needed. But it wasn't a Great childhood, either. Their siblings at this time were already pretty well established in the country, so it was difficult living under their shadows. Issa's parents also pushed them very hard, at least with the general intent of good intention. Issa always enjoyed learning new things, but being forced into things that they weren't good at, and didn't like, was difficult and just lead more often than not to their parents being visibly disappointed in them.
This just grew as time went on. Mostly Issa's father, Nicodemo, continued pushing just as hard the whole time. He was convinced Issa was just blowing off all the trainings, taking advantage of all the time and money being put forward to help them improve themselves.
This lead to a lot of arguments -- most of which Issa backed down from very quickly.
The truth is Issa just wasn't Good at a lot of physical training. They could understand theories, and the application of it all, and How to do it but never could quiet...Do it.
Nicodemo eventually started training Issa himself, thinking that Issa can't slack off if it was literally with their father. This just lead to things getting worse and worse, and Nico just getting harder on Issa. During some training, Issa got struck pretty hard with a sword and got real hurt!
Once they recovered, Issa decided to leave home and find somewhere else to live. Nico never truely admitting fault to that, blaming Issa instead, and never offering a real apology -- Issa decided this was probably for the best.
From there, Issa went on some adventures, getting their footing in the world outside of home!! They made some friends, and happened upon a lot of gold, so now they live in Pesca in a nice little home with Alexei, a vampire novelist and Dmytro, a demon fanatic and researcher.
Issa still returns home for a few weeks at a time to support their siblings with their jobs, and the environment there now is a lot better now that it's not a constant. They haven't really spoken much to their father since, though.
In returning, they met with Samson, who works at the Colosseum as a monster wrangler for the Matador fights. They hit it off over time and started dating.
Their childhood wasn't Bad -- they never went hungry, they had so many opportunities, and could basically get anything they needed. But it wasn't a Great childhood, either. Their siblings at this time were already pretty well established in the country, so it was difficult living under their shadows. Issa's parents also pushed them very hard, at least with the general intent of good intention. Issa always enjoyed learning new things, but being forced into things that they weren't good at, and didn't like, was difficult and just lead more often than not to their parents being visibly disappointed in them.
This just grew as time went on. Mostly Issa's father, Nicodemo, continued pushing just as hard the whole time. He was convinced Issa was just blowing off all the trainings, taking advantage of all the time and money being put forward to help them improve themselves.
This lead to a lot of arguments -- most of which Issa backed down from very quickly.
The truth is Issa just wasn't Good at a lot of physical training. They could understand theories, and the application of it all, and How to do it but never could quiet...Do it.
Nicodemo eventually started training Issa himself, thinking that Issa can't slack off if it was literally with their father. This just lead to things getting worse and worse, and Nico just getting harder on Issa. During some training, Issa got struck pretty hard with a sword and got real hurt!
Once they recovered, Issa decided to leave home and find somewhere else to live. Nico never truely admitting fault to that, blaming Issa instead, and never offering a real apology -- Issa decided this was probably for the best.
From there, Issa went on some adventures, getting their footing in the world outside of home!! They made some friends, and happened upon a lot of gold, so now they live in Pesca in a nice little home with Alexei, a vampire novelist and Dmytro, a demon fanatic and researcher.
Issa still returns home for a few weeks at a time to support their siblings with their jobs, and the environment there now is a lot better now that it's not a constant. They haven't really spoken much to their father since, though.
In returning, they met with Samson, who works at the Colosseum as a monster wrangler for the Matador fights. They hit it off over time and started dating.
FAMILY
Issa is the youngest of five in an aristocratic family. The Galanodel family works both in Naimei tournaments, as well as Land/Gold Mine trade/real-estate.
Parents
Issa's Father, Nicodemo Galanodel, a retired Matador, now a tournament curator -- Helping organize and accept what tournaments are when, and delegating other work to make sure everything runs smoothly. He cares a lot about appearances, both at work and at home. He's a rather strict father, and pushes his kids pretty hard -- signs them up for classes in things he thinks they should be good at, expects straight A's. Not the warmest of people, and quick to let someone know he's disappointed in them.
Issa and Nicodemo have a rocky relationship at best. They haven't had a meaningful conversation since Issa left home, and even when Issa does visit home, Nicodemo rarely acknowledges Issa.
Their big fissure in their relationship happened during an argument while trying to personally train Issa to be proficient in any strength based skill -- this time happened to be sword play. Nicodemo was Too Hard on Issa, and ended up injuring them. He stands by that he was not at fault for the incident, and Issa should have been able to deal with it -- He'd put so much time and money into trying to get Issa "good at anything," and Issa was just using this as an excuse to be dramatic and get out of doing anything else.
There's been a half-hearted apology from both of them to the other, but both Issa and Nicodemo are aware of what their relationship is now and neither are going to make a move to mend it.
Issabella Galanodel, Issa's mother, is a little kinder. She comes from a family of Land owners, and had followed in her family's footsteps. Issabella was married off to Nicodemo, who has always been apart of a high-up family, to help extend family relations, and they luckily hit it off pretty well.
While Issabella is still stern with her kids and expects the best out of them, she's much more willing to let things go over when its apparent that they Tried, even if the results aren't the best. Encourages her kids to be a little more artistic, or experimental. She travels a lot, and honestly isn't at home much.
Issa has a much better relationship with Issabella compared to Nicodemo. While Issa isn't exactly what she expected Issa to grow into, Issabella thinks it's important that Issa is, and knows, they're still part of the family.
Issa was named after Issabella.
Issa and Nicodemo have a rocky relationship at best. They haven't had a meaningful conversation since Issa left home, and even when Issa does visit home, Nicodemo rarely acknowledges Issa.
Their big fissure in their relationship happened during an argument while trying to personally train Issa to be proficient in any strength based skill -- this time happened to be sword play. Nicodemo was Too Hard on Issa, and ended up injuring them. He stands by that he was not at fault for the incident, and Issa should have been able to deal with it -- He'd put so much time and money into trying to get Issa "good at anything," and Issa was just using this as an excuse to be dramatic and get out of doing anything else.
There's been a half-hearted apology from both of them to the other, but both Issa and Nicodemo are aware of what their relationship is now and neither are going to make a move to mend it.
Issabella Galanodel, Issa's mother, is a little kinder. She comes from a family of Land owners, and had followed in her family's footsteps. Issabella was married off to Nicodemo, who has always been apart of a high-up family, to help extend family relations, and they luckily hit it off pretty well.
While Issabella is still stern with her kids and expects the best out of them, she's much more willing to let things go over when its apparent that they Tried, even if the results aren't the best. Encourages her kids to be a little more artistic, or experimental. She travels a lot, and honestly isn't at home much.
Issa has a much better relationship with Issabella compared to Nicodemo. While Issa isn't exactly what she expected Issa to grow into, Issabella thinks it's important that Issa is, and knows, they're still part of the family.
Issa was named after Issabella.
Siblings
Ambrosio Galanodel, the eldest of the five siblings. Ambros is tall, big, and a lot like his father. He takes things very seriously, and values strength, position, and power over all else. He's a little difficult to deal with, because he's the type of person who is always right, and even if he's wrong, he's so stubbornly set that it is hard to convince him otherwise.
Ambros works closely with his father, but as a matador in the tournaments. He's extremely skilled with fighting, and likes to show off. Honestly, Ambrosio isn't the Best person. He's prideful and self important, and often looks down on, or completely overlooks people who he considers beneath him. He is very good at separating his Stage presence from his real personality, though. As a Matador, he's much warmer of a person, especially to fans, than he would be outside of it all.
Issa and Ambrosio have an okay relationship, because while Ambrosio is tough on Issa like their father, he also cares a lot about Issa -- the youngest child who is struggling to make their mark somewhere. While Ambrosio often sides with Nicodemo in ideas, he does believe their dad is much harder on Issa than the other siblings. He does think that Issa going into Magic is Stupid.
Issa idolizes Ambrosio, and often brushes his bad qualities under the rug unless someone confronts Issa about it.
Layla and Sabah Galanodel are twins.
Layla Galanodel, technically the younger of the twins, follows in Ambrosio's footsteps. Works hard to be skilled matador, and struggles a little to break away from under Ambros' shadow. Headstrong and forward thinking, Layla is more crafty compared to her older brother. She focus' a lot on public relations, between her and fans, or between her and other matadors, working more to make friendships or rivalries with other people to get her name around more, rather than for just brute strength.
Issa and Layla have very little of a relationship, honestly. She isn't home much, and Issa is so much younger than her that she often hardly gives Issa the time of day. Not necessarily a Bad relationship, but definitely not a close one.
Sabah Galanodel, the older of the twins, follows their mother's footsteps. She decided to get into real-estate after watching her sister struggle to make a lasting name for herself outside of "Ambrosio's younger sister" for a while. While this had a lot less fame and fanfare, it was stable and profitable. Sabah is the most sensible of the siblings, taking a little more time to analyze things before moving forward.
She works often with Issabella, helping reread over terms and contracts to make sure things are worded the best to get the most of everything, or going out with her to look over land and see if it's really worth investing in or buying. Often doing desk work and crunching numbers, which isn't her favorite, but she's very confident in her abilities. Besides, she doesn't really want anyone else doing it because they will do it wrong.
Issa and Sabah have a pretty good relationship. She understands feeling stuck or overshadowed, and choosing to go at things from a different angle, and will listen to Issa when they need to complain or vent about family issues. Sabah doesn't understand magic, really, but is glad that Issa found something they were really good at to pursue.
Malik Galanodel is Issa's last sibling, and was the youngest child for a good while. He is. Very different compared to the rest of the family before him. Malik cares a lot about the arts, and despite the rest of his siblings following in their parents footsteps, he has decided to be an artist. He's a very...experimental, performing artist. Malik does gallery shows and collaborates with other artists, doing the most traveling outside of Naimei.
He's dabbled in magic, but decided to drop it when he couldn't get a good grip on it.
While he doesn't follow in any of his family's footsteps, Malik is still really interested in the whole Matador show as an art piece, and what sort of things the shows say, and the drama behind it. A lot of his work is inspired by that, or the idea that things are a lot deeper than surface level.
Malik honestly comes off as very lackadaisical, especially compared to his older siblings who are all very ambitious.
Issa and Malik have a good relationship. Malik was in Issa's position for a long time, and feels a little guilty because he believes that Nicodemo is harder on Issa because Malik didn't try to incorporate himself in the family very much. While Malik does encourage Issa to follow their dreams and do what they want, he also tries to make sure Issa "fits in" when it matter.
Issa feels most comfortable talking to Malik, and is the most honest with him in how they feel and think. They are very grateful for having Malik around.
Ambros works closely with his father, but as a matador in the tournaments. He's extremely skilled with fighting, and likes to show off. Honestly, Ambrosio isn't the Best person. He's prideful and self important, and often looks down on, or completely overlooks people who he considers beneath him. He is very good at separating his Stage presence from his real personality, though. As a Matador, he's much warmer of a person, especially to fans, than he would be outside of it all.
Issa and Ambrosio have an okay relationship, because while Ambrosio is tough on Issa like their father, he also cares a lot about Issa -- the youngest child who is struggling to make their mark somewhere. While Ambrosio often sides with Nicodemo in ideas, he does believe their dad is much harder on Issa than the other siblings. He does think that Issa going into Magic is Stupid.
Issa idolizes Ambrosio, and often brushes his bad qualities under the rug unless someone confronts Issa about it.
Layla and Sabah Galanodel are twins.
Layla Galanodel, technically the younger of the twins, follows in Ambrosio's footsteps. Works hard to be skilled matador, and struggles a little to break away from under Ambros' shadow. Headstrong and forward thinking, Layla is more crafty compared to her older brother. She focus' a lot on public relations, between her and fans, or between her and other matadors, working more to make friendships or rivalries with other people to get her name around more, rather than for just brute strength.
Issa and Layla have very little of a relationship, honestly. She isn't home much, and Issa is so much younger than her that she often hardly gives Issa the time of day. Not necessarily a Bad relationship, but definitely not a close one.
Sabah Galanodel, the older of the twins, follows their mother's footsteps. She decided to get into real-estate after watching her sister struggle to make a lasting name for herself outside of "Ambrosio's younger sister" for a while. While this had a lot less fame and fanfare, it was stable and profitable. Sabah is the most sensible of the siblings, taking a little more time to analyze things before moving forward.
She works often with Issabella, helping reread over terms and contracts to make sure things are worded the best to get the most of everything, or going out with her to look over land and see if it's really worth investing in or buying. Often doing desk work and crunching numbers, which isn't her favorite, but she's very confident in her abilities. Besides, she doesn't really want anyone else doing it because they will do it wrong.
Issa and Sabah have a pretty good relationship. She understands feeling stuck or overshadowed, and choosing to go at things from a different angle, and will listen to Issa when they need to complain or vent about family issues. Sabah doesn't understand magic, really, but is glad that Issa found something they were really good at to pursue.
Malik Galanodel is Issa's last sibling, and was the youngest child for a good while. He is. Very different compared to the rest of the family before him. Malik cares a lot about the arts, and despite the rest of his siblings following in their parents footsteps, he has decided to be an artist. He's a very...experimental, performing artist. Malik does gallery shows and collaborates with other artists, doing the most traveling outside of Naimei.
He's dabbled in magic, but decided to drop it when he couldn't get a good grip on it.
While he doesn't follow in any of his family's footsteps, Malik is still really interested in the whole Matador show as an art piece, and what sort of things the shows say, and the drama behind it. A lot of his work is inspired by that, or the idea that things are a lot deeper than surface level.
Malik honestly comes off as very lackadaisical, especially compared to his older siblings who are all very ambitious.
Issa and Malik have a good relationship. Malik was in Issa's position for a long time, and feels a little guilty because he believes that Nicodemo is harder on Issa because Malik didn't try to incorporate himself in the family very much. While Malik does encourage Issa to follow their dreams and do what they want, he also tries to make sure Issa "fits in" when it matter.
Issa feels most comfortable talking to Malik, and is the most honest with him in how they feel and think. They are very grateful for having Malik around.
ETC
Misc facts
- Issa really likes stars and space! They're very inspiring for them, and the aesthetic is very nice. Their room is practically a planetarium.
- Their freckles are magically put on, and not natural. They make them different colors often, but tend to stick to purple a lot of the time
- Issa has a familiar that is a white armadillo, that likely got possessed by a demon at some point. Kind to Issa, but does vocally threaten to eat other people's souls, or feast on their flesh. It's a little concerning, but Issa doesn't think much of it.
- They're dating Samson!!
- Issa has glasses, but actually has very good vision!! They're actually transition glasses for sunglasses because they have sensitivity to sunlight.
- Dress themselves in a very Lisa Frank, Japanese Decora fashion type of style. They aren't great at matching things together, and view things very separate in that they like one shirt a lot, and they like these pants a lot, so wear them together regardless of how they look with each other.
- Has a very hard time grasping what monetary worth is, and throws money around very easily. They're a rich kid who still rides on their family's money, as well as making their own.
- Most of the family visually looks a lot like their dad, but Issa has a lot of features of their mom. Them being so short is an unknown, though, as the rest of the family is Very Tall.
- Issa mainly sticks to fire magic when they can, because of the elements it seems the "strongest" physically, like it does the most damage, and they tried to relate that to their family in terms of being physically strong.
- They make their fire as yellow/gold as they can.
- In their original campaign, QDNDOS, they were actually a prince! The campaign followed a little more closely to "Drow are Evil," and Issa ran away because they were starting to get responsibilities that required them to be...pretty bad :(