Avatar of Andreyich

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8 days ago
Current the ad spam isn't that much of a problem in terms of covering content. but its a hurtful reminder that the many algorithms that decide what ads to serve think I am the kind of person to gamble
6 likes
13 days ago
do it just don't spam
2 likes
2 yrs ago
All the things u thought were cool and good as a kid are actually cool and good. The snobby shit you learn as an adult is cringe, fake counterculture. Embrace reducing everything to infantile terms
6 likes
2 yrs ago
I'm a descendant of Charles the 5th of the Habsburgs but the only thing I inherited was the beautiful jaw
2 likes
2 yrs ago
something more important than this shitty war is happening its chris chan's birthday
2 likes

Bio

If you enjoy my posts then consider pressing here to see my 1x1 interest check. Now listen to the tale of a man far from home longing to see its greens again.



About me:
Where do I begin. I'm from Belarus, and fairly proud of it. I've been RPing about a decade starting mostly with chat stuff and some LARPs/reenactments, doing the stuff of this site for maybe half a decade now. I'm a former serviceman, and while I was conscripted I make sure to stay in related circles. As a day job I'm a programmer letting me usually work from home even when we don't have coronavirus forcing us to do so and thus I got a lot of time for RP.

Most Recent Posts

Leaning against a wooden pillar of a shop much closer to the scene, Jin crossed his arms. His eyes darted side to side as it seemed the soldiers were not relenting at the seemingly futile effort of the air nomad to intimidate them. A grimace came across his face as the mention of an order of King Wei came about. Mere months ago, if he had heard that said he would have joined the ranks of the soldiers present to restore law and order. Now? It seemed a cruel joke. What fugitives would even be in this little fishery? Well, actually that was an incredibly stupid question now that he thought about it. He had spent enough time outside of the army or his sheltered early life to know that any sort of crime could be hidden away in such a little establishment. But, what constituted a crime seemed to be ever more creatively interpreted between the Dai Li and the damn thugs that had stripped him of all he had.

Unexpectedly, a woman entered the scene, standing as a bulwark between the wholly unintimidating Bido and the soldiers. From where she stood, the woman looked like she would be flattened into a pancake shape if she actually tried to fight them. So, Temujin decided there was only two possibilities. Either this woman was an idiot intoxicated with fairy tales that courage was enough to overcome any adversity, or she was a frighteningly skilled warrior that could make short work of these men. The former would be tragic, the latter would be fascinating to watch.

He rolled his eyes a little bit as she called upon law and the necessity of burden of proof. For now, he was inclined to think she was indeed a brave idiot. Did she really think these men cared in the slightest bit? Maybe, but enough to stop them from doing what they were ordered to do? Yeah right.

But he was surprised, impressed. Just as a rock was thrown at the strange lady, the moment after she had turned the offender into a heap of pain. Poor, dumb guy. He had probably made the same assessment as Jin had, but had not left room for the possibility that the reason she was so confident was because she actually could deal with such a threat. Or at least, part of it.

However, he couldn't be ignorant of the fact the violence had escalated. The air monk seemed to intervene with more of his kind's limp wristed efforts to prevent violence. Temujin appreciated it, but there was something more important to do; reducing the effects of that violence.

Thus Temujin ran to the edge of the scene, without intervening, and waved any gawkers away. "Go! Leave! Run! Do you want to be smushed by rocks? Get out of here!" he kept yelling, waving his arms. But, more than that he braced his fists and slammed a foot into the ground erecting a thin barrier of rock between the bystanders and the encroaching chaos. It would work twofold in protecting people from any projectiles that would inevitably leave the scene, but also it would remove the point of interest that attracted people to suffering like fruit attracted flies. His eyes darted to Mr. Hanwei who looked confused and terrified in his chair.

“No, please, Mr. Hanwei, this way.” Jin urged the old man to follow him, but it was like goading a wild canyon crawler without so much as a morsel of food to grab its attention.

“Oh, but is that not a chamomile flower? The tea we could make Tom-Ji.”

“It’s Temu-... yes, of course sir, but please we must keep on the road.” After a few pulls, he was able to finally get the man to follow him and away from the dandelion those crusted eyes had so readily mistaken for chamomile. “Please.”

“Oh alright you impatient little….” Mr. Hanwei then suddenly looked quizzically at Jin, his lip curling back and his sparse eyebrows furrowing. “Who are you again?” the man asked, those same crusty eyes looking into Jin’s own.

“I’m Te… I’m Tei, your grandson.” During the pause Jin’s eyebrow arose in contemplation as he tried to remember the names from the old man’s ramblings. “Now please granddad, we have to get to town. We’re travelling.”

“Of course boy, you don’t have to tell me. It was my idea.” Jin sighed with relief as the old man seemed to return to a perfect state where his delirium was not so great that it made him non functional, but great enough that he was not able to recognize stranger before him as being a stranger and was thus susceptible to whatever the earthbender told him to get moving.

As they walked with the young soldier’s hand — the young warrior’s hand holding onto that of the old man, Jin was able to spot a scar on the head of the man he was helping. It was mostly covered by hat and thinning white hair and easily mistaken as a birthmark or the likes, but it was a grievous wound. Perhaps that was the source of the fellow’s poor state of mind? He was old, but he still had most of his teeth and wasn’t all that wrinkly as other people so ancient their minds began to fray.

“We’re almost there granddad.” Temujin remarked with anxiety instantly leaving his face. The senior’s legs were shaking now, clearly exhausted even if his brain hadn’t yet caught up to this state of affairs. Jin could carry him there, but that would be quite difficult if every few moments the old timer once more imagined an entirely new scenario he was supposedly in.

As they began to enter the town proper, Mr. Hanwei got the confused look that once more told Jin that his thoughts had been shuffled, eliciting a sigh. What now?

“What is this, get off me, who are you?” he old man shook free of Temujin’s grasp, stumbling a little bit.

“It’s me, your grandson, Tei.”

“What are you talking about you idiot, my grandson Tei died when they attacked Yeonma.” Jin froze. Yeonma. Balls of stone and flame crossing each other in the sky, the strike on the colony was as vivid in his mind as if it was mere days ago. “Who are you?” the demanded was repeated, now with anger to it.

Jin sighed, closing his eyes with a deep breath before replying. “I’m a stranger, but a friend. You’re lost, and I’m helping you get to town. Please, I-”

He was cut off by a wave of the old man’s hand. “You’re one of them, aren’t you? Come to finish the job have you?” Well at least the scar suddenly made sense. “Well I won’t get on my knees and beg.” another wave of the hand, and Hanwei continued towards the village. Jin’s fists clenched and unclenched as he watched his brief companion head off towards the village, before he ran to catch up what little ground was between them.

Not quite getting into Hanwei’s vision in case he was still in that strange half-lucidity, Jin opened his coinpurse with a sigh and began counting. “One, two….” well, hopefully that was enough to get the man out. If it wasn’t then he would probably just get lost in town and die. He hoped there would be a kind soul or two to take care of him on the boat, but the cynic in Jin told him that this wasn’t likely. Worse yet, what would happen to him if and when he did at last reach the Fire nation? When Jin found him struggling in a muddy ditch by the roadside, he found on his chest a pendant that seemed to belong to some sort of family. Perhaps he still had some sort of kin in their homeland that would be able to take him in.

“Why did you have to come here?” he muttered sorrowfully, shaking his head. Hearing some new rambling, Jin rushed to catch up to Hanwei, pulling both of their cloaks tighter to hide his own green uniform, and the distinctive red of the old man in the chance there’d be people harsh enough to harass him over it in town.

Half-listening to Hanwei’s long story of how he had grown some beautiful pale roses in his daughter’s garden, Temujin was becoming distinctly aware that there was trouble in town. Soldiers, once comrades of his. Now just an ache in the depths of his heart.

Looking up at the commotion and making out a few of the words spoken, Jin realized that getting Hanwei out of town wouldn’t be as easy as he had hoped. “Sit down old man, wait here, don’t leave for anything unless its for me.” he walked off, hoping there was just enough sense in the geezer to stay put in the stool outside the shop he had stopped at.

For now the disgraced veteran simply crept a little closer as nonchalantly as he could. Somebody at least, wanted to give the soldiers trouble. He suspected it wouldn’t go all that well. Anxiety gripped him over what was going to happen. Was the old fellow just going to be stuck here? Jin couldn't abandon him, would he end up settling here just to take care of the man that would likely spurn his help every few moments? “Stubborn, mighty, great and strong, our nation brooks no wrongs.” he murmured the marching song under his breath, dark eyes darting side to side as he awaited an outcome of the proceedings. As he got closer, he realized it was a man of the Air Nomads.

Well, that was something. What was his game? What was one of the them doing here?

Man War Criminal to the max! I'm very interested in his mortal slider here. Why is poisoning a settlement and forcing prisoners of war to work for you more acceptable than looting and stealing? What implications do you think this has on his interactions with the rest of the group and dies he/will he acknowledge that he is in fact, a war criminal?


I'm trying to go by vaguely pre renaissance perceptions, where anyone not surrendered is fair game. He was ordered to take a city and thus any means were a-okay. To take an example from the Mongol that inspired me for this character, when they invaded the Khwarezmian EMpire any city that surrendered had its people treated well. Any that didn't had its people destroyed to the last. He wouldn't exactly have a conception of a warcrime in that sense. There would also be some emotional undercurrents I haven't written where a hard to take fortress would have inevitably had a large amount of his men dead, and thus momentary rage would have more savage measures less problematic for him, and bring some impulsive desire to avenge his comrades he came to cherish; at the same time, people who already surrendered, and were of no threat being harassed is just cruelty for its own sake, especially since hypothetically everyone robbed would probably die on whatever their long road was but not even having enemy combatants in their number. Thus general Huo would have been seen as a person that is just greedy and violent rather than trying to be a good soldier. And, regarding the getting the waterbender healers to work for him, I figured that one would have been somewhat of a mercy as under him they'd be treated better than in a prison camp, rather than true coercion. While also being able to heal people of both sides rather than their talents of helping people being squandered in some sort of forced manual labour. I was also hoping to write this out IC, but I was thinking that he might have seen one of the waterbender healers tending to one of his own wounded men in the midst of battle which would have been a spark that got him much more interested in decent treatment of the foe; seeing people of the Water Nation humanize his countrymen would have certainly made him think twice about the dehumanization of his foe's people.

I think it would definitely cause some hypothetical issues with people who might know of this, though my character would bank on nobody harming him for this because he would believe that his practical knowledge in helping overcome the Earth nation army would be too useful to throw away for an admittedly dark past. But, as long as it didn't lead to maiming or killing him, I think he would accept and understand any abuses he suffers for what he had done. If someone walked up and sucker punched him over it, he would probably stand and take it rather than fighting back. If it was a merely verbal confrontation, I guess it depends on how far the party progressed in trust. Early on he might try to deflect, bringing up some war crime he saw his foe do on his own countrymen. If confronted when he trusts people of the party more, I think he would probably concede that it was wrong, and that if he had been more worldly and had met the peoples of the other nations before rather than just listening to jingoistic stuff about them being invaders on earth nation soil he would never have done it, and hopes his current efforts stop it from ever happening again.

But this doesn't really make or break the character to me, I can get rid of the savagery/brutality if its too problematic & edgy for the rag tags. I figured it would be fun to butt heads over the past in somewhat of a zuko-esque way but I suppose having fought for the bad guys before should be enough for that
Me getting home from work

@Andreyich I can see where that wasn't direct enough!

Thank you for the seriousness of that response and after some discussion, we think that this character is good but not quite the right vibe for this particular RP. You're right, he does present perfectly as a Jong Jong type character but that role type is filled by NPCs. While we do want characters to help each other grow, we're aiming for people being on a similar maturity level in the beginning.

So while I think k this character is solid in the way it is now, it's not quite the character we are looking for I this rp.


All fair enough, and in light of this he was reworked while keeping some of the same vibe.

@Andreyich I guess my concern about the age is the heart of the story -

At the end of the day, ATLA is a coming of age story where characters who have experienced things one way are thrown into situations that force them to look themselves in the mirror and make hard choices, growing as they do into the people they are at the end. It feels like this older character has already gone on this journey and come out, unfortunately, the worst for wear as a result.

Talk to me more about how he'll grow and what your end goal is for his character arc as he embarks on this new chair in his life.

I suppose, in that I have somewhat mistook the RP's intent for while in the setting I didn't think we'd follow quite the team avatar dynamics (especially with the minimum character age being 18 xD)

My answer then, I think I would make twofold.

His own journey begins as a jaded person unable to trust, because he feels that nobody in the world matches his own standards of being duty-oriented, loyal, truthful, etc. he will have to come to terms with the fact that people aren't evil just because they are not flawless exemplars of these things. At the same time, fighting against former comrades, he will be conflicted on if he is doing what is best since he still believes in a lot of the Earth Kingdom's supposed ideals. Moreover, he is now a traitor, doesn't that make him a hypocrite when he's all about duty and honour? In a sentence, his journey will come to be about realizing it is okay to believe in something, even if you can't live up to it. That he must tolerate imperfections both in himself, and in others. On a similar but not identical note, his journey will be about learning to let go. From family that is now possibly happier without him (and would be endangered if he visited them as a rebel, and his wife probably would have remarried as instructed by Temujin to further safeguard their children), to slights real or perceived from other characters (as well as getting over the fact many of them would have been enemy combatants just a few years ago), to possibly forgiving some of the people that helped bring his ruination as the party or he personally captures them, Temujin must let go. Just get over things, leave them in the past. Maybe also somewhat of a Zuko-esque journey in convincing everybody (and himself) that despite the fact he probably burned villages that their friends once lived in, he's a decent guy beneath it all.

The second part of the answer is that perhaps he can be the one to help facilitate the growth of some of the other characters as he gets closer to them, using age and wisdom or simply being there for them when they suffer, not wanting them to go through pain that he has gone through alone. A more recurring version of Iroh, Paku, Guru Patek, Jong Jong, etc. Although perhaps you were wanting to leave that entirely to NPCs/GMPCs.

P.S. I edited the sheet to account for your first two points.
@Achronum
Roger for the first two, but is the third negotiable? I think the youngest I could go without putting the 'old soldier' vibe I'm gunning for into shaky ground is 41 or so
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