McHaggis

The fall of an Empire. The rise of a Rebellion. (High-Casual)

I'm pretty interested in this as well! (Probably as a rebel, but I haven't decided yet - I think I might wait for a bit more information first).

Avatar: A Legend Reborn

Posting now because I'm going on holiday -- terrible timing, I know -- but I should be back before the 3-5 day rule kicks me out. I'm admittedly cutting it fine. Stitches has permission to do whatever she wants with Jun's unconscious body while I'm gone (and I expect her to abuse that).

I also hope the post was okay! I'm a bit out of practice and it was pretty rushed!

Avatar: A Legend Reborn

The Swordsman
Location: Earth Kingdom - Middle of Nowhere

The Earth Kingdom shrivelled up like a bug under a magnifying glass. Too dry to support anything but the withered husks of what were once plants, it was a rare occurrence to see another human being out on in the harsh outskirts of civilisation. A well-trodden path cut through the endless arid plains, marked by the old dusty footprints of previous travellers – the only connection to life in such a desolate landscape.

The sea of parched, cracked earth was broken only by a dark, human-shaped blot by the side of the road, the spot marked by a katana embedded deep in the ground. It was eerily similar to the grave markers for fallen swordsmen; the only difference being that the 'corpse' was still holding on to the hilt with a desperate grip. The trail he'd left behind suggest he dragged himself for a few meters to ensure he was visible to passing wanderers before just... giving up.

Crushed glass surrounded the man, stinking of cheap liquor and covered in fresh blood – quite probably his own. One bottle was clenched in his free hand, emptied of the last drop, while dried in rivulets ran down his chin. The overpowering smell of a night of boozing still permeated the area; however, the cuts on the man's face – coinciding with the glass shards from a broken bottle – suggested a brawl would be the cause of death, not alcohol poisoning.

Except he wasn't dead. His breathing was shallow and he showed no reaction to the pain of his injuries, but there were signs of life indeed – including the trail of drool dripping from the corner of his mouth. A sign fastened by a rope around his neck (horribly misspelled and mostly illegible) read, 'Swordman Jun four sale. Help needed.' Clearly the poor wanderer hadn't received any Earth Kingdom hospitality. Dragged on a cart out into the middle of nowhere, dumped and left to the buzzards.

A shadow loomed over his unconscious body and he hummed in relief as it blocked out the torturous sunlight on his burnt, blistering skin. Perhaps it was help?

Avatar: A Legend Reborn [Character Sheets]

[Male | 25 | Earth Kingdom]

Jun is a loud-mouthed, aggressive vagrant who wanders the four nations partaking in his three favourite pastimes: drinking, arguing and brawling. Claiming to be “the best swordsman the world's ever seen,” he is not only stubborn and (stupidly) fearless but incredibly competitive. His underhanded fighting tactics even in 'friendly' fights have had him barred from entering all the taverns in his home province.

Despite his hot-headed tendencies, Jun is a cheery fellow, enjoying the simple life on the road and even finding pleasure in protecting the weak... notably small pockets of resistance set against the might of the Phoenix Kingdom. Though he is not selfless by any sense of the word, he rarely accepts monetary payment for his services – instead asking for a night's shelter, or information on earth-bending techniques.

With his morality a dark grey on the spectrum from black to white, he rarely finds issues with his violent behaviour or any problems with bending the truth as he often does. While never outright lying, he uses his mixed parentage and carefully adjusts his stories to fit in with both the Earth Kingdom peasants and firebending noble – sometimes without even realising he's doing it.

Traits

Jun isn't just blowing smoke when he claims he's good with a blade in his hands. Years of practice have honed his stilted Earth Kingdom swordplay (taught by his great-uncle) into a unique style designed to be used in tandem with his own firebending and specifically against other benders.

His firebending is hardly flashy and he rarely uses naked flames, given that he learned to keep it hidden from a young age. It only manifests with excitement or when he loses control and with the lack of proper training it is unpredictable and untamed. During these times, fire tends to flare out in time with his breathing, following the edge and direction of his sword. A beneficial side effect of keeping so much energy pent up inside himself is that his natural stamina is well above average... linked to – as he puts it – “a strong inner fire”.

Relations

Uncle Kanan – Raised Jun from a young age. Currently imprisoned in an undisclosed location by the Phoenix Kingdom for rebelling.
Mother – Dead, died in childbirth.
Father – Unknown. Presumably sent Jun his sword and is keeping tabs on him.

History

Jun was born into a community of impoverished refugees looking for a fresh start out from under the thumb of the Phoenix Kingdom. Their former village was infamous at one point in time for being a last bastion of organised resistance for the Earth Kingdom; however, nine months before Jun's birth it was practically erased from the map, a footnote in a history of failed rebellions.

His mother, Lea, was a peasant girl of few talents and passable beauty, twenty years old. Given his talent for firebending, his father was almost certainly an occupying soldier, although little else is known about the man. The secret of Jun's paternity was presumably lost forever when his mother died in childbirth, leaving her infant son with only old stories and worthless heirlooms.

Jun's uncle, an ex-soldier named Kanan who harboured bitter resentment against the Fire Nation for... well, almost everything, took him in and raised him far away from civilisation. It was in part due to the fear that he would be taken away if any Phoenix Kingdom ambassador travelling to the outlying villages caught wind of the young firebender and sought to take him away. He cultivated Jun's distrust for other firebenders early on.

From an absurdly young age, Jun was trained in swordsmanship (albeit the stilted, old-fashioned style that his uncle mastered) and was forbidden to learn even the most basic of firebending moves. Of course, that didn't stop him – it just made him sneakier about spying on army patrols and practice after he turned into a rebellious teenager and led him to develop more subtle techniques.

Once he turned of age (roughly fourteen), his uncle began taking him to small resistance meetings in local taverns, and even out on trips to sabotage supply chains or other illegal business. By his sixteenth birthday, he was actively seeking out his own opportunities to undermine the Phoenix Kingdom... until he received a package: a Fire Nation sword and an unsigned letter.

Shortly after this, Jun had a change of heart and refused to join a small uprising in another nearby village. A wise decision, as it turned out his enemies were well-prepared and arrested the insurgents on the spot – his uncle among them. No longer wanted in his community despite being completely loyal to the resistance (after all, what sane rebel would consort with a possible enemy?), he began to wander the four nations.

Miscellaneous

1. The back pockets on his trousers are filled with sand to use in an emergency combat situation. Nobody ever won a war being fair, after all.

Avatar: A Legend Reborn

Looking back I agree on the metal-fire-sword-thing, so I fixed it now -- I think.

(I also changed the damn unicorn avatar.)

Avatar: A Legend Reborn

Hi! I'm one of Stitches' group that's meant to be joining (fingers crossed) and I finally finished my character sheet. I hope it's acceptable!

Character Sheet

[Male | 25 | Earth Kingdom]

Jun is a loud-mouthed, aggressive vagrant who wanders the four nations partaking in his three favourite pastimes: drinking, arguing and brawling. Claiming to be “the best swordsman the world's ever seen,” he is not only stubborn and (stupidly) fearless but incredibly competitive. His underhanded fighting tactics even in 'friendly' fights have had him barred from entering all the taverns in his home province.

Despite his hot-headed tendencies, Jun is a cheery fellow, enjoying the simple life on the road and even finding pleasure in protecting the weak... notably small pockets of resistance set against the might of the Phoenix Kingdom. Though he is not selfless by any sense of the word, he rarely accepts monetary payment for his services – instead asking for a night's shelter, or information on earth-bending techniques.

With his morality a dark grey on the spectrum from black to white, he rarely finds issues with his violent behaviour or any problems with bending the truth as he often does. While never outright lying, he uses his mixed parentage and carefully adjusts his stories to fit in with both the Earth Kingdom peasants and firebending noble – sometimes without even realising he's doing it.

Traits

Jun isn't just blowing smoke when he claims he's good with a blade in his hands. Years of practice have honed his stilted Earth Kingdom swordplay (taught by his great-uncle) into a unique style designed to be used in tandem with his own firebending and specifically against other benders.

His firebending is hardly flashy and he rarely uses naked flames, given that he learned to keep it hidden from a young age. It only manifests with excitement or when he loses control and with the lack of proper training it is unpredictable and untamed. During these times, fire tends to flare out in time with his breathing, following the edge and direction of his sword. A beneficial side effect of keeping so much energy pent up inside himself is that his natural stamina is well above average... linked to – as he puts it – “a strong inner fire”.

Relations

Uncle Kanan – Raised Jun from a young age. Currently imprisoned in an undisclosed location by the Phoenix Kingdom for rebelling.
Mother – Dead, died in childbirth.
Father – Unknown. Presumably sent Jun his sword and is keeping tabs on him.

History

Jun was born into a community of impoverished refugees looking for a fresh start out from under the thumb of the Phoenix Kingdom. Their former village was infamous at one point in time for being a last bastion of organised resistance for the Earth Kingdom; however, nine months before Jun's birth it was practically erased from the map, a footnote in a history of failed rebellions.

His mother, Lea, was a peasant girl of few talents and passable beauty, twenty years old. Given his talent for firebending, his father was almost certainly an occupying soldier, although little else is known about the man. The secret of Jun's paternity was presumably lost forever when his mother died in childbirth, leaving her infant son with only old stories and worthless heirlooms.

Jun's uncle, an ex-soldier named Kanan who harboured bitter resentment against the Fire Nation for... well, almost everything, took him in and raised him far away from civilisation. It was in part due to the fear that he would be taken away if any Phoenix Kingdom ambassador travelling to the outlying villages caught wind of the young firebender and sought to take him away. He cultivated Jun's distrust for other firebenders early on.

From an absurdly young age, Jun was trained in swordsmanship (albeit the stilted, old-fashioned style that his uncle mastered) and was forbidden to learn even the most basic of firebending moves. Of course, that didn't stop him – it just made him sneakier about spying on army patrols and practice after he turned into a rebellious teenager and led him to develop more subtle techniques.

Once he turned of age (roughly fourteen), his uncle began taking him to small resistance meetings in local taverns, and even out on trips to sabotage supply chains or other illegal business. By his sixteenth birthday, he was actively seeking out his own opportunities to undermine the Phoenix Kingdom... until he received a package: a Fire Nation sword and an unsigned letter.

Shortly after this, Jun had a change of heart and refused to join a small uprising in another nearby village. A wise decision, as it turned out his enemies were well-prepared and arrested the insurgents on the spot – his uncle among them. No longer wanted in his community despite being completely loyal to the resistance (after all, what sane rebel would consort with a possible enemy?), he began to wander the four nations.

Miscellaneous

1. The back pockets on his trousers are filled with sand to use in an emergency combat situation. Nobody ever won a war being fair, after all.