Avatar: The Lost Avatar - an interest thread

[iThinkCat]

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Just a quick question: In the show the bending abilities evolved (e.g. Azula could lightning bend, Toph could metal bend.). Would this be included in the RP at all (e.g. Our characters could, over time, develop the ability to use the evolved bending).

I could see the firebenders maybe being able to learn lightning, but the only reason Toph could is because she learned to look at the earth, and she found the tiny pieces of it inside metal, and is actually bending that. That's just what I know, GM can do whatever.

The way I interpreted the evolved bending were first, metal bending is unique to Toph. Even Aang learned to "feel the earth with" his feet, but never developed that ability. I would say as far as canon goes, Toph was the first to invent it, so no one before her would know how to. As far as lightning goes, in the show only those of royal blood ever use lightning attacks. I would assume that it is a very well guarded secret of theirs (probably a reason they stay in power for so long), and seeing as I'm not going to allow any character with royal ties to the Fire Nation (it would go against canon), no one may use lightning. It does exist though, unlike metal bending.

In likeness, blood bending is supposedly invented by Hama. Considering the time this RP takes place, the oldest Hama could be at this point is maybe 5 years old, if she's even born yet. Her age wasn't clear in the show, and the attacks on the Southern Water Tribe don't take place for another 20 years. So Hama hasn't invented it yet. No one will be blood bending either.

 

[iThinkCat]

Time for me to review your character:

So first thing, very good character. I like it. Though I don't know if you know this, but if you paste from Word the ( ' )s aren't displayed properly and show up as (?)s. Just a fyi. It kind of perturbs me every time I write up a character and have to go through and locate all my ( ' )s and re-type them.

Everything else I can't complain about really, but I have tip for you. Spirit benders are much more rare than the other elements and although it is passed down through one's hereditary, everyone has the recessive genes for it. So chances of one's father also being a spirit bender is like one in a million. You don't have to change it, but just know that it's very rare. I do need to update the OP to mention this, my bad.

Also, know that in order to spirit bend one must have a strong control on their "inner self". You could call these one's emotions or even as broad as to say their personality. Notice Guru Pathik and Ty Lee generally had the same carefree outlook on life. In order to truly be in touch with the spirit realm, you must let go of worldly things. Now Ty Lee was still caught up in teenage dreams, probably why she would never be able to master all the chakras like the Guru has. Much like the monk ways of the Air Nomads, spirit bending is a way of life, more so as it directly reflects the state of your "inner self" when used.

Last thing, I'd like if you added to your background (or in skills if you want) some examples of the style of spirit bending he uses. Spirit is one of those elements that could be over powered if I give someone mastery over everything it can accomplish. Do you focus more on the "self" aspect (martial abilities, pain numbing on yourself, and the like), the "others" aspect (healing, communicating, aura reading, etc.), or the "spiritual" aspect (astral projection, spirit communicating, and even partial clairvoyance (I'll have to help you this if you choose the spiritual path)). Also say something about the chakras, like which ones you've opened and haven't opened. The picture below should sum up the chakras neatly enough. Keep in mind though that the chakras must be opened in order, from bottom to top.

Spoiler: Chakras

That should be about it. Sorry for not including this info in the OP. I feel like this was mostly my mistake. I should have thought more about what a spirit bending character would encompass. Stupid me.

Self seems like the best for what he's been doing. Also, as a master, wouldn't he have opened all seven? If not, I would say he's opened up at least five, verging on six.

Simply put, one can never master everything. Spiritual bending is also a lot more broad and alien than any other skill/element. Just understanding the first chakra and how to open it requires changing one's way of life and great lengths of meditation.

As far as how many you would have opened, it typically depends on which path you choose. The path of self would usually stop at the first two or three, as they have more to do with one's own life (i.e. earth and creative). For the path of others, the first four to five would be opened, as they deal with your relations with others (i.e. heart and communication). Lastly, the spiritual path would HAVE to have the seventh chakra open in order to be a master (i.e. spiritual). Now these are by no means the rule, only the majority. Spending countless hours studying the throat chakra would do someone of the self path little good. You would continue learning as much of the infinite knowledge regarding the lower chakras if you went with the self path. Like wise, those of the others path would progress through the earlier ones learning only what they NEED to know in order to reach the higher tier chakras.

Guru Pathik was more of a jack of all trades spirit bender, while Ty Lee probably only had the first one open, but then again she might have all the way up to the fifth seeing as she can see chakras...and puffy dust clouds...puff. I love that scene.

*Edit* What I was trying to say is you can be a master of one of the chakras or a master of all, but you would have less knowledge in each individually the more you opened...unless you breezed through the earlier ones to pursue a higher tier one.*End*Edit*

 

[Fallen-Angel Risen-Demon]

Is my edit any good?

 

[iThinkCat]

Is my edit any good?

Yep, you're edit is good.

 

[Dragon_of_red]

So a question; When do you think this Role Play will be starting?
At least a general time limit please.

 

[iThinkCat]

@Dragon_of_red: It will probably start near the end of January. Pretty soon I'm going to move back to Germany and I will have to get my internet situation taken care of. Also sometime between now and then I will try to recruit a Co-GM and have to collaborate with him/her about everything I have.

 

[Xero Scythe]

@Dragon_of_red: It will probably start near the end of January. Pretty soon I'm going to move back to Germany and I will have to get my internet situation taken care of. Also sometime between now and then I will try to recruit a Co-GM and have to collaborate with him/her about everything I have.

Alright, I think he would have opened the first three, though maybe five(Depends on the next question) To close a chakra gate, would he have to open the corresponding gate on himself? If so, I think he would have to open all five in order to silence others. If not, Masamune has only opened the Root, Splenic, and Solar Plexus Chakra's. The first two for his profession, the third to differentiate between his targets and tell if "Oh crap oh crap, there's a guard behind this wall, he wasn't supposed to be there! Silence him! Yahhh!"

Also, I wouldn't mind being a Co-GM. I'm pretty good at it.

 

[Dragon_of_red]

@Cat: Okay, though I start school around then, so I won't be able to post to frequently, but still enough to stay active.
And if you're looking for a Co-GM, I have Gm/Co-Gm'ed about... 5... maybe 8 soon... 7 definitely... So yes, I have experience =P

 

[VuvuZelaMan]

Ah, so it'll be a good bit until this starts up. I've not actually co-GMed a thread before, but I'll be mostly available around that time if you need anything.

Also, you mentioned the possibility of adding more noncombat skill points to characters. Does that still sound like something that you'd want to work in?

Finally, because it's been some time, here's some further refinement on Qianqi.

Spoiler: 4

Name: Qianqi "Qian Qi" means 'hidden wind' and, using the metaphorical definition of qi, 'hidden energy' (the former alludes to his secret airbending, the latter a euphemism for his claimed dormant status)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gender: Male
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Age: 22
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Element: Wind (though, formerly hailing from the Fire Nation, will usually present himself as Dormant)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skills: Disguise Mastery, Airbending (mostly as agility enhancement and air moves he uses with the sword, so as to make it harder to tell it's not just martial ability), Master Swordsman (type: short sword)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Appearance: Short-cut black hair, "oddly" green eyes, slightly taller than the average Fire Nation male but average in weight. Somewhat pale skin, Qianqi usually is slightly unshaven. Clothes are a dark gray hooded cloak, with long (dark green) pants and shoes, a yellow-tan shirt, and - on his waist - a one/two-handed straight short sword, blue and green with green scabbard - a gift from his mother. He also wears a straw hat.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Personality: Although he is oddly easygoing/laidback in interaction (an aspect exemplified by his post-defection lifestyle), Qianqi maintains a bold persona. He is, however, quick to anger at certain aspects of the Fire Nation, especially a particular officer... and, more amusingly, if someone pokes fun at his name, or makes a crack about him 'stepping lightly' when he walks/a similar reference to his gait (also, don't mess with the sword. Really, don't.) Other than this, he has a rather pensive attitude at times, and is more generous than most would expect of one raised in the Fire Nation.

Relating to how he views the people in the world, Qianqi finds himself unable to deny several aspects of the Fire Nation's progressive worldview - though in his case, any unusual egalitarianism is more in the sense of pragmatic apathy than any active identification of it. Also, though Qianqi is less likely to support divergence from their goal to help others, he shows a strong aversion to losing comrades to the Fire Nation.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Background: Qianqi was born to Akira and Zan, the former an ex-Air Nomad - who claimed to be Dormant - and a Fire Nation merchant, also dormant. Qianqi had been raised mostly by his mother, who had included some teachings of her home - though little in the way of airbending other than how not to be identified as one. Zan, however, was there when he could be - and had shown Qianqi the basics of swordfighting (though Akira resisted at first, she later would be the one to identify Qianqi's affinity with the straight shortsword). As the war efforts continued scaling up, Qianqi felt honestly sympathetic toward the goal (if not the means to fulfill it); however, with his obviously misplaced eye color and oddly semi-bald mother (as well as an unfitting name, but he was always made fun of for that), it wasn't long before sympathy was replaced by annoyance and isolation. Of course, when the inevitable occurred...

Grief-stricken at his parent's execution, Qianqi fled his home in the night. He began wandering the continent, at first only doing errands in exchange for necessities. But then the Fire Nation caught up with his movements. Qianqi began a slight sabotaging campaign against a division of the army, first only with petty thefts of some items they'd hardly miss; however, with his boldness evident, a few resistors began clinging onto his image as a local hero. With their help, he began trying to raid the supply lines; however, this rarely turned out too well; even if Qianqi's knowledge in disguises allowed an easy 'in', they'd often get caught and have to flee. However, many left after close calls, and Qianqi began to scale down their efforts to continue to evade capture. He had gotten to the point where he'd begun dissembling this guerrilla cell when the strange, balding Yoshiro (an old fisherman whom most everyone got along with) presented him with a lotus-stamped letter addressed to Qianqi, 'from a man who vanished'... Now, Qianqi finds himself going to San Xei.

Spoiler: As for names

If it doesn't fit the Fire/Air Nation well, Xiang might work as well, as it means "to soar", which would also fit (as a general name and relating to his airbending). Does Xiang place better in the verse?

I also changed his parents' names to ones I think more reflect the naming motifs of the Avatar world.

EDIT: And yes, I know I redo the sheet a lot. I hope it isn't an issue.

 

[iThinkCat]

@Dragon_of_red: It will probably start near the end of January. Pretty soon I'm going to move back to Germany and I will have to get my internet situation taken care of. Also sometime between now and then I will try to recruit a Co-GM and have to collaborate with him/her about everything I have.

Alright, I think he would have opened the first three, though maybe five(Depends on the next question) To close a chakra gate, would he have to open the corresponding gate on himself? If so, I think he would have to open all five in order to silence others. If not, Masamune has only opened the Root, Splenic, and Solar Plexus Chakra's. The first two for his profession, the third to differentiate between his targets and tell if "Oh crap oh crap, there's a guard behind this wall, he wasn't supposed to be there! Silence him! Yahhh!"

Also, I wouldn't mind being a Co-GM. I'm pretty good at it.

To answer your question, he would have to have opened the gate in order to "close" one on someone else. Reminder, the Chakras aren't so much a physical location, but more say a "frequency" their Chakra resonates in, there being many. Only knowing the Root Chakra would grant the basics of disabling someone's bending or body (connection to the physical world). The Creative Chakra would allow you to touch someone's thinking ability (for better or worse(dulling it or helping them recall a memory)). The Life Chakra would allow you to touch someone's...well, life force (much more intangible effects, i.e. making someone feel sick without poisons and the like or faster healing). The others follow in suit.

One benefit I would say to having the highest Chakra would be that that person could force open any Chakras you closed on him (with brief meditation of course).

Anyways, I'll make a post when I'm ready to accept another GM. I'm glad you're interested though and will definitely keep you in mind. *Warning* I've been debating not allowing either GM to have a character, but to instead engage the players more actively through NPCs.

 

[iThinkCat]

Ah, so it'll be a good bit until this starts up. I've not actually co-GMed a thread before, but I'll be mostly available around that time if you need anything.

Also, you mentioned the possibility of adding more noncombat skill points to characters. Does that still sound like something that you'd want to work in?

Finally, because it's been some time, here's some further refinement on Qianqi.

Spoiler: 4

Name: Qianqi "Qian Qi" means 'hidden wind' and, using the metaphorical definition of qi, 'hidden energy' (the former alludes to his secret airbending, the latter a euphemism for his claimed dormant status)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gender: Male
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Age: 22
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Element: Wind (though, formerly hailing from the Fire Nation, will usually present himself as Dormant)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skills: Disguise Mastery, Airbending (mostly as agility enhancement and air moves he uses with the sword, so as to make it harder to tell it's not just martial ability), Master Swordsman (type: short sword)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Appearance: Short-cut black hair, "oddly" green eyes, slightly taller than the average Fire Nation male but average in weight. Somewhat pale skin, Qianqi usually is slightly unshaven. Clothes are a dark gray hooded cloak, with long (dark green) pants and shoes, a yellow-tan shirt, and - on his waist - a one/two-handed straight short sword, blue and green with green scabbard - a gift from his mother. He also wears a straw hat.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Personality: Although he is oddly easygoing/laidback in interaction (an aspect exemplified by his post-defection lifestyle), Qianqi maintains a bold persona. He is, however, quick to anger at certain aspects of the Fire Nation, especially a particular officer... and, more amusingly, if someone pokes fun at his name, or makes a crack about him 'stepping lightly' when he walks/a similar reference to his gait (also, don't mess with the sword. Really, don't.) Other than this, he has a rather pensive attitude at times, and is more generous than most would expect of one raised in the Fire Nation.

Relating to how he views the people in the world, Qianqi finds himself unable to deny several aspects of the Fire Nation's progressive worldview - though in his case, any unusual egalitarianism is more in the sense of pragmatic apathy than any active identification of it. Also, though Qianqi is less likely to support divergence from their goal to help others, he shows a strong aversion to losing comrades to the Fire Nation.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Background: Qianqi was born to Akira and Zan, the former an ex-Air Nomad - who claimed to be Dormant - and a Fire Nation merchant, also dormant. Qianqi had been raised mostly by his mother, who had included some teachings of her home - though little in the way of airbending other than how not to be identified as one. Zan, however, was there when he could be - and had shown Qianqi the basics of swordfighting (though Akira resisted at first, she later would be the one to identify Qianqi's affinity with the straight shortsword). As the war efforts continued scaling up, Qianqi felt honestly sympathetic toward the goal (if not the means to fulfill it); however, with his obviously misplaced eye color and oddly semi-bald mother (as well as an unfitting name, but he was always made fun of for that), it wasn't long before sympathy was replaced by annoyance and isolation. Of course, when the inevitable occurred...

Grief-stricken at his parent's execution, Qianqi fled his home in the night. He began wandering the continent, at first only doing errands in exchange for necessities. But then the Fire Nation caught up with his movements. Qianqi began a slight sabotaging campaign against a division of the army, first only with petty thefts of some items they'd hardly miss; however, with his boldness evident, a few resistors began clinging onto his image as a local hero. With their help, he began trying to raid the supply lines; however, this rarely turned out too well; even if Qianqi's knowledge in disguises allowed an easy 'in', they'd often get caught and have to flee. However, many left after close calls, and Qianqi began to scale down their efforts to continue to evade capture. He had gotten to the point where he'd begun dissembling this guerrilla cell when the strange, balding Yoshiro (an old fisherman whom most everyone got along with) presented him with a lotus-stamped letter addressed to Qianqi, 'from a man who vanished'... Now, Qianqi finds himself going to San Xei.

Spoiler: As for names

If it doesn't fit the Fire/Air Nation well, Xiang might work as well, as it means "to soar", which would also fit (as a general name and relating to his airbending). Does Xiang place better in the verse?

I also changed his parents' names to ones I think more reflect the naming motifs of the Avatar world.

EDIT: And yes, I know I redo the sheet a lot. I hope it isn't an issue.

Again, your character is good, and I don't mind you changing it any. Obviously people would be allowed to completely change their characters before the RP started, although with the same strict whipping I've been lashing out.

Both names are fine, but I do have to admit I have no clue how to pronounce your current one. Good thing I don't need to.

Regarding the extra points, it's still up for debate. I might wait until I get my Co-GM so he/she and I can discuss the pros and cons.

 

[iThinkCat]

@Cat: Okay, though I start school around then, so I won't be able to post to frequently, but still enough to stay active.
And if you're looking for a Co-GM, I have Gm/Co-Gm'ed about... 5... maybe 8 soon... 7 definitely... So yes, I have experience =P

Cool, nice to know. I'll keep you in mind also.

 

[VuvuZelaMan]

Again, your character is good, and I don't mind you changing it any. Obviously people would be allowed to completely change their characters before the RP started, although with the same strict whipping I've been lashing out.

Both names are fine, but I do have to admit I have no clue how to pronounce your current one. Good thing I don't need to.

Regarding the extra points, it's still up for debate. I might wait until I get my Co-GM so he/she and I can discuss the pros and cons.

The current one would be pronounced 'Kyan Ki' IIRC.

With the extra points, I'd think tossing in a few extra would be useful. It seems most of us use 3 or 4 points to develop a combat style...

 

[Irony's Acolyte]

"Avatar: The Lost Avatar". Heh, funny title...

Anywho, it looks like this RP is still open (well I hope it is) and it looks interesting. If there is still space I'll work up a character sheet for ya to review. I'm thinking a Sand Bender (so Earth would be the element). Its not a unique bending style so I would imagine it will be fine.

 

[iThinkCat]

"Avatar: The Lost Avatar". Heh, funny title...

Anywho, it looks like this RP is still open (well I hope it is) and it looks interesting. If there is still space I'll work up a character sheet for ya to review. I'm thinking a Sand Bender (so Earth would be the element). Its not a unique bending style so I would imagine it will be fine.

Yeah, space is infinite currently so I think one more can squeeze in. And go crazy on the character. I'll be sure to tell what needs changing. Good luck.

 

[Irony's Acolyte]

Okay so here's the sheet for my character. Feel free to let me know of any problems you find with it.

Spoiler: Sima Character Sheet

Name: Sima

Gender: Male

Age: 26

Element: Earth

Skills: Earth Bending (Sand Bending specialization)
Desert Survival
Endurance (As in he can survive for a while with smaller amounts of food and water than would be normal)
Fist-fighting (nothing fancy, just straight up bar-brawl style)
Sleight of Hand/Pickpocketing (He has some experience swiping small objects without people noticing)

Appearance: Sima's skin is well tanned just like a regular sand bender. He keeps his brown hair short as well as the facial hair he can grow, but due to his sloppy work he constantly has some stubble and his hair has an unkempt look to it. Sima is tall, standing at 6'0", and lean due to his harsh desert diet which bordered on starvation at times.
His clothing is much like any other Sand Bender, light brown and tan rags covering most of his body. He currently wears a little less than usual, along with a cheap typical Earth Kingdom shirt, due him traveling out of the desert. While he allows his hair to go uncovered now, he still will have the lower part of his face covered at times. His clothes are generally dirty and worn, and show his little regard for fashion.

Personality: Sima seems much like the desert he comes from, harsh and uncaring. His personality is very dry as he rarely shows emotions beyond slight amusement, annoyance, and general disinterest. He generally isn't very stoic though. When talking to someone he will show some limited emotion. His humor is much the same, made up mainly of snark and sarcasm. Sima is not cruel though. He would not laugh at someone in pain; he simply would not care about them either way. He only shows empathy with those that he has grown close to, although right now he has no friends to speak of.

Background: Sima grew up like any other Sand bender, living a nomadic life in the Si Wong desert. For the most part his life was without note. His tribe traveled the desert wasteland living off what little food and water they could find. When it was found he could bend, he was taught how to sand bend like any other of his tribe with the same talent. The only interesting times for Sima were when his tribe would stop at one of the small villages located along the outskirts of the desert. He quickly picked up the art of sleight of hand, stealing small valuables off any naïve travelers passing through. When he was younger, if he was caught he was usually let off easily. By the time he got older though, getting caught would usually result in a confrontation. It was from this and any fight that would break out in taverns that Sima learned how to fight effectively with his fists.
This lifestyle had little deviations for many years until Sima was about 21 years old. His tribe had stopped in one of the towns which was also hosting a contingent of Fire Nation soldiers. The war had been raging for some years, but due to the relative uselessness of the desert little Fire Nation soldiers had been seen. Some of the Fire Nation supplies went missing though and the soldiers immediately blamed Sima's tribe of theft. The soldier's head officer, despite confronting the tribe's leader, still felt that the Sand Benders were to blame. He had his men torch the entire tribe, members and sand-sailers all. Sima only managed to escape due to him fleeing into the desert.
While at first shocked, Sima's thoughts quickly turned to revenge. Following the soldiers as they left the town and headed out into the desert, he managed to kill them off one by one as they traveled the dunes with his sand bending. When more Fire Nation soldiers were sent out to investigate the disappearance, Sima stalked and killed them as well. Eventually though, after several years and a couple more missing Fire Nation units, a bounty was put out on the main suspect - the only surviving member of a Sand Bender tribe. While Sima was still able to go relatively unharassed due to his typical Sand Bender garb, somehow a seal envelope marked only with Sima's name and a wax seal of a lotus managed to find him. Although at first suspicious of such a letter, Sima's curiosity eventually triumphed and he made his way out of the desert for the first time towards the town of San Xei to find out who had taken interest in him.

(Sorry if the sheet looks like a wall of text. For some reason I can't space the paragraphs properly.)

One note though about Sand Bending. I imagine that Sima's skill is about a little above average for a Sand Bender, but his skill with regular Earth Bending is very limited. Since sand isn't very common in many areas, I think that it would be fair for Sima to be able to loosen otherwise harder soil into something looser that is more like sand. I don't know if this would count as a skill or not, so I didn't put it in. If you think I ought to change the sheet due to that just let me know.

 

[Fishtie]

So having discarded a dozen character ideas I'm thinking I might actually get into this RP. But I'm thinking I might want to writ off of someone else's character for something different. So who here already has a character posted and wants a dormant sidekick/vassal/follower?

And yes, I'm pretty much thinking a dormant character since there isn't anyone else willing to do it. (not surprising I suppose)

 

[KronosTalon]

So having discarded a dozen character ideas I'm thinking I might actually get into this RP. But I'm thinking I might want to writ off of someone else's character for something different. So who here already has a character posted and wants a dormant sidekick/vassal/follower?

And yes, I'm pretty much thinking a dormant character since there isn't anyone else willing to do it. (not surprising I suppose)

Hey Fishtie, Since im the oldest you could be like a lost son? He travelled a lot and didn't stay in one place for very long. Totally possible, Just throwing out an idea.

 

[Fishtie]

That would be somewhat hilarious. Though depending on who I'm following I could have been raised almost anywhere in any one of the kingdoms. Still, I've got no problem in particular.

 

[VuvuZelaMan]

So having discarded a dozen character ideas I'm thinking I might actually get into this RP. But I'm thinking I might want to writ off of someone else's character for something different. So who here already has a character posted and wants a dormant sidekick/vassal/follower?

And yes, I'm pretty much thinking a dormant character since there isn't anyone else willing to do it. (not surprising I suppose)

I'd think that the idea would work with most characters since circumstances kind of force our characters to be separate. The only issue is that only so many will be accepted into the final RP, so it'd depend on who was selected in the end. If you are fine with the possibility of that being problematic, though, then I'd have no problem with it either. Maybe someone from the raids, or that met before (since my character was a wanderer beforehand).

EDIT: It probably wouldn't be too difficult making a general tag-along character and leave the details to whoever is accepted that you'll go along with, but I'd clear all that with the GM first.