McHaggis

Avatar: The Uprising [McHaggis & Azel]

Whoa, this kid was beyond easy to scare – and did he say he had a sister? Yowza. The womanizing sliver of his brain just went into melt-down.

"Do I look like the type to beat someone up?" he asked sarcastically, before realising that, yes – yes he really did. "Don't answer that," he continued hastily. "Look, I just need you to take my drunk ass to Gensu. A tour guide for the area, and a pack mule." He heaved his sack of semi-clean clothes and miscellaneous trinkets off his shoulders, untying the rope and dumping it at the brat's feet.

He didn't really need to pay the scaredy-cat little earthbender who apparently had a backbone when there were no swords in sight. Maybe he was getting soft in his old age.

"Is your sis on the way?"

Avatar: The Uprising [McHaggis & Azel]

Jun had to forcibly suppress a snort of derision mixed with laughter. Really? Kid was a pickpocket and and earthbender and he couldn't even keep his own two feet on the ground? Wasn't that just the funniest damn thing he'd seen all week...

Oh. He was one of those types of street rat, the ones who didn't have a choice on becoming what they were rather than the ones who enjoyed assaulting drunken swordsmen with flailing arrows of earth. After chewing on his lip in thought, he eventually said, "What d'ya think I am, Fire Nation? If you needed the money you could've just asked."

Not that he would have given it, but the kid didn't know that. No harm in teasing the brat, right? Jun began to fiddle with the hilt of his sword again, even with no intention of hurting the young earthbender. He chuckled with theatrical evil and continued, "But. Now that you tried to steal from me..." He tugged on his scarf with his free hand to reveal a wicked grin. "I'll only pay out for a few hours of your loyal service."

Avatar: The Uprising [McHaggis & Azel]

Jun congratulated himself on not flinching as a sharp bit of earth – was that an arrow? – embedded itself in the wall next to his ear. Perhaps his reflexes were dulled by the drink, and that was why he hadn't heard the kid coming. Maybe it was the exhaustion, the lack of sleep that drew him into believing that Lelan was safe. Even so, Jun's hand dropped down to the hilt of his sword and slide it out of its sheath with a quiet click. His teeth were bared in a snarl... he had long since decided that he wasn't above murder...

Then he blinked abruptly, cloudy amber eyes clearing and further adjusting to the darkness so he could actually see. He was sure, even before he managed to make out the features of his assailant, that it wasn't someone old or powerful. An earthbender, a young one, judging from the ringing in his ears from the youthful voice, was attacking him. Wasn't that just grand.

Kids these days. His uncle would've had his head if he tried to rob someone, even from whatever prison or grave he's stuck in. "Listen, uh, brat," Jun said, sword sliding back into place with his hands up in the air. He took a tentative step forward. "You don't want to do this."

In a flash he reached out to grab the easiest article of clothing the kid had on – his shirt, as it was in this case – while a leg swung out in attempt to separate the earthbender from his medium, the ground.

Forsaken Children of War (Kirah and McHaggis)

Siobhan nodded. She hadn't put much thought into her own ideas, only a few minutes of realisation that she couldn't instantly go back to being friends with Kyle. Rubbing her chin again, she wondered aloud, "I know a way to the kitchens, if need be... Of course, my sister made it so it might be a trick..."

Then again, going to Classroom 11... she had heard from the older Gryffindor girls' conversations that the centaur was handsome.

Shaking her head, the continued, "I could ask my brother? Or we could see how it goes. I'm sure somebody out there hates us both equally."

Avatar: The Uprising [McHaggis & Azel]

During the summer months, the Earth Kingdom shriveled up like a bug under a magnifying glass. By the time noon rolled around with the sun glaring relentlessly overhead, the streets of Lelan were emptying of life. Only a few dozen citizens wandered around from place to place, braving the supposedly innocent, prickling heat.

A few dozen citizens plus one wanderer, landing heavily on his backside in the dust and grime of the village's main path. After a few seconds, a sheathed sword landed next to him with a clatter that had the boy, Jun, scrambling over to grab it. "Hey, man," he whined to the bartender who was flanked by two burly patrons – the hands that had grabbed the swordsman from his stool in the tavern and tossed him outside. "I was only saying."

Crushed glass surrounded Jun, stinking of cheap liquor and covered in fresh blood – quite probably his own. It bit into his fingertips as he balanced himself, staggering to his feet. Another bottle was clenched in his free hand, emptied of the last drop, while dried in rivulets ran down his chin. His left eye involuntarily twitched as he felt it beginning to swell. At least he gave as good as he got! Maybe...

"Yeah well, I don't want ta hear it," said the bartender, beckoning the men back inside with a promise of free drinks. "Shin's girl is a nice lass. She didn't want your... attentions." The door slammed behind him, a clear warning not to come back.

Standing in the empty street, Jun simply muttered, "Tch, whatever." He took the first few steps towards the direction he thought Gensu might be in, his ultimate destination, and grimaced as he wiped at his mouth and the blood that oozed lazily out of it, mixing with cheap liquor. He'd need to wait an hour or two in the shade before it was safe to travel – he didn't tan easily. It might even be possible to give those guys a lesson later, this time with live steel!

No, his head protested. You need to get to Gensu. You need to find uncle. C'mon, you've put it off for so long.

He sharply turned off the main street, avoiding the curious gazes of various passersby, and into a quiet alleyway, resting his forehead against the wall. He still had his money, at least. And his sword.

And his life.

Avatar: The Uprising [McHaggis & Azel]

Alright, it'll be up in about an hour or so!

Avatar: The Uprising [McHaggis & Azel]

Sure! Do you want them to meet in a neighboring village with Jun being a total drunkard and being kicked out of a tavern at noon? It might make him seem vulnerable enough to be a good target for Jin.

Maybe Jin could accidentally let slip some signs of earth-bending that Jun notices?

[High Casual] Frontier: The Great Space Rebellion

Next post by me will be tomorrow! Mostly because writing dissertations suck, even if it's just the intro. Giving everyone a chance to get some posts in.

Avatar: The Uprising [McHaggis & Azel]

Set in the Earth Kingdom during the years of occupation by Fire Nation forces before the Avatar's return. A village called Gensu, surviving unscathed so far in the war, is now a breeding ground for rebellious opinions and desire to overthrow oppression.

First IC post will be up later. My characters so far:

Jun

[Male | 19 | Earth Kingdom]

Jun is a loud-mouthed, aggressive vagrant who wanders the Earth Kingdom 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 Fire Nation. 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 – 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. Instead, it usually manifests as heat, making it easier for him to boil water and stay warm even in colder climates. A beneficial side effect of keeping so much energy pent up inside himself is that his natural strength 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 Fire Nation 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 Fire Nation. Their former village was infamous at one point in time for being a 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 soldier 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 very 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 his 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 Fire Nation... 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 live a hedonistic life, partaking in as many pleasures as he could.

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.

Jia Suyin

Suyin, 15
Daughter of General Jia Zhang
PERSONALITY: Suyin is efficient, hard-working and most of all determined to be great. As one of the rare children born to Fire Nation nobles without the ability to bend fire, she is particularly jealous of benders like her adopted brother and so trains even harder to be better. She is a bit of a control freak and is at her kindest when she is allowed to lead or otherwise make decisions. Suyin is loyal to her family first and her nation second.

BACKSTORY: When the esteemed general, one of the rare folk with the ability to bend lightning, realised that his only heir was a daughter and, above that, a daughter who could not bend fire, his first reaction was utter despair. Even so, he was loyal to his lineage first and foremost: no child of his would be weak. He ensured that Suyin had the best education money and reputation could buy, apprenticing her under the Yuyan Archers in her teenage years.

Suyin was forced to get along with her brother, Ran, and thinks of him as nothing less than family despite him being a waterbender. Though she may have been apprehensive about him previously, she has long since gotten past her difficulties with him as a newcomer and sees herself as caught up in a friendly competition with him for their father's affections and approval.

WEAPONRY: Suyin doesn't go anywhere without her throwing knives, taught to her by the various maids and concubines her father 'keeps' on their small island home; however, her true skill is in archery. "If a bender can't reach you, they can't hurt you" is a rule taken to heart by the girl and she usually spends her time on cliffs and treetops looking for vantage points. She can use a sword but is mostly hopeless at it.

Azel's characters:

Jia Ran

Name: Jia Ran
age: 16
Appearance: http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120814025337/pokemon/images/4/42/Ranmaru_pokemon.png
Personality: As an adoptive outsider Ran is well aware he doesn't truly belong in the fire nation which has led to boy to take on an honest, eager but ultimately meek personality that just want to please everyone. Even to his adoptive family Ran is completely submissive. ''no'' Is a word Ran never dared to utter to his adoptive father and he has a tendency to behave more like a butler then a little brother to the child the general already has.

Ran has no love for violence and would rather have an administrative post, something he excels at but if his family needs him on the front then that is where he will be, shutting himself out so he can bring himself to boil men alive that he holds no ill will towards.

Ran doesn't hate the fire nation for destroying his old home in the south pole but he doesn't hold any loyalty to them either. His only loyalty is to the family that took pity on him and adopted him as their own rather then leave him to his sorry fate. The thought that they only use him for his power did sometimes occur to Ran but he tells himself that he doesn't care, as long as he belongs with them he is happy.

Backstory: One of the generals leading the invasion against the southern water tribe was general Jia Zhang, a favorite of fire lord Azulon thanks to his cunning and brutality. Under his command city after city, and when they ran out of city village after village fell to the fire nation. In his last mission before being allowed to return to the fire nation something strange happened. A child clung to Zhang's leg and started crying uncontrollably, only when a soldier tried to kick him away did the boy pause to shoot a wave of snow at the soldier. Zhang was baffled by the child clinging to him like that but whether it was to recruit a water bender for himself or because he genuinely couldn't send a child this desperate to the fire nation's prison is unknown but only a few weeks later the renamed Jia Ran was being raised in the Jia palace back in the fire nation.

Zang did make it clear there was an expectation to being a member of the Jia family. Ran wouldn't just contribute to the family, he would excel while doing so and beatings would follow should he not perform up to expectation. This was harsh but no harsher then how he threatened his actual child who he raised alongside Ran. The two grew up as siblings and Ran would grow to greatly admire his older sister and would act subordinate to him/her

Water bending: Ran's style of water bending reflects his new home. Rather then turn his water into ice as a means to shield himself or attack others with it he heats the water he controls up in order to burn his enemies before him. (Its usually ice they use but I don't think there's any reason why water benders couldn't make their water hot if they can freeze it at will.)
Ran is able to extract water from the air itself but this is very taxing on him. He and his sibling can create and control steam by heating up his water to such extend it turns into steam which allows them to spread it out over a large area.

Yu Jin

Name: Yu Jin
Age: 14
Appearance: http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130712160358/s__/sengokubasara/images/0/0c/Ranmaru.jpg (manually implanting those pics is weird here)
Personality: Jin is a true rookie brimming with enthusiasm of finally driving the ''bad guys'' from his home. As one of the few earth benders that managed to escape incarnation he is crucial for the rebellion to succeed and he knows it. Jin is very cheeky and arrogant when it comes to his enemies but he is quick to look up to his allies and act the cute little brother around them, partly because he does loves them but also because Jin knows he can be very endearing when he puts his mind to it...and exploits it.
Jin thinks in black and white but on the job he isn't exactly honorable. Jin gleefully pickpockets from or otherwise loot from defeated fire nation soldiers to help his big sister pay for the rent. He claims not to enjoy doing so and just doing what he needs to do but....his smile does spread wide when he takes home gold from the defeated fire nation nobles.

Backstory: Jin never knew either of his parents. His mother died in a fire nation raid when he was two and his father left the village to become a pirate and taking advantage of the Earth kingdom removing troops from the islands to better defend the mainland. The village never heard from him again.
With no parent to take care of him Jin was raised by his big sister who owns a little house on the outskirts of the village. Cheeky as he always act towards others Ranmaru always acted like her little angel and seeks to help her as much as possible. One particular time when he defended his sister from a drunk that kept pestering him they discovered something very dangerous....Jin was an earth bender.

Against his own will Jin kept his powers hidden, never moving earth outright as a means to attack or defend. Instead Jin used hard earth to craft various kinds of weapons, especially arrows for his bow so he could either sell them or use them to hunt. There are many artist that could craft things from earth or clay and Jin was good enough an artist to convince everyone that was the way he made the stuff that he sold.

Selling wasn't the only way Jin took care of his sister, he also regular went out stealing so she could pay the rent. One man however proved to have been a very , very bad target (Jun?). This meeting would eventually result in him taking place among the rebel rank.

Earth bending? As said Jin often craft weapons from earth he can use in combat, being able to from and reform them very quickly to adapt to any situation. Jin has never been schooled in any official earth bending style and has actively been discouraged from training

katekyo hitman reborn: the Moreno family

Wondering if it's okay if my character's grandmother is a friend of Brenda Moreno as well as a former (retired) subordinate?

Zan Drago

NAME: Zan Drago
AGE: 18
GENDER: Male

APPEARANCE: As pictured. Zan is just shy of 6'0" and of a lean build more suited to agility than physical strength. He tends to have a lot of open wounds and scratches on any visible skin from animals' claws and talons. He has tan skin, inky black hair and vibrant blue eyes.

PERSONALITY: Zan is something of a pacifist in that he doesn't like to fight or argue under any circumstances, though he has been forced into it in the past. He is unselfish, charitable, and an altruistic lifestyle of giving freely and never getting back treats him just fine. Though he appears gullible, easily fooled by sob-stories, he is not quite that naïve; rather, he only pretends (and wishes) that he still is as he fervently believes in second chances and forgiveness.

Many believe Zan to be gormless, and it's somewhat true. He was never the brightest in academics and rarely – if ever – pays attention. Even so, he has a mind for tactics and often feels (due to other humans letting him down too often) that it is better if he goes it alone and becomes independent.

HISTORY: Zan was born in a bad part of town and thus it was unsurprising that his school career was marred by fighting, danger and truancy. His parents were always absent, bogged down by "work" which he didn't know was related to the Mafia. When he was eight, his grandmother moved in to curb his aggressive behaviour and raise him. Thankfully, it was not too late for him to learn respect and kindness – it was in his personality to begin with, only stifled by his environment in a 'nature vs. nurture' argument.

He went through a miraculous transformation, becoming the charitable soul that he is today; however, in his younger years it was almost always taken advantage of and there was nothing he could to about it as any action would go against the creed his grandmother had set out for him. As a result, Zan grew up with no true friends whatsoever, at least none that he could trust. He never did stop skipping school, much to the ire of every adult around him. It was simply a fact of life – thus, he didn't complain when he was held back a year.

When Zan's parents went missing, presumed dead, his grandmother began training him in her own weapon, the staff, at age fourteen under the guise that he needed it to stay safe in their neighborhood. Only when he turned sixteen did she decide to inform him that his parents were affiliates of the Moreno family and likely away on work for them when they disappeared, but she still hasn't told him of the special abilities he is expected to have like her own (rain) flame. Currently, he volunteers at a local animal shelter as he tends to prefer cats and dogs more than humans.

FLAME: Rain

FIGHTING STYLE/WEAPON: Uses a long bō staff made out of oak, passed down through the family.