[CHAR] The Pro-Bending Tournament [Open and looking for members]

[bittersweetsymphonia]

The Raven Eagles

The Raven Eagles have been competing for two consecutive years now. Their trademark is that every member of the team wears goggles and Anana, Kimiko's raven eagle, flies around them when they're being introduced. #####

Name: Kimiko Tetsume Age: 19 Sex: Female Team: Raven Eagles Role: Firebender Appearance:

Kimiko

Personality: Kimiko is feisty and confident. She's someone who knows what she wants, and will do everything that she can to get it. Her charm and wit can usually get things to flow her way, but if they fail, Kimiko can still rely on life-long friends she's made. They always have her back, just like she has theirs. She's undeniably loyal, even to the point of overlooking people's faults and defending them even if they're in the wrong. Kimiko is also a tad forgetful and flippant. Details never stay for too long in Kimiko's mind, which is why she always keeps a notebook with her where she'll write down important things. Kimiko's vigor also causes her to speak too fast for people to fully understand what she's saying, and she never stays still for too long, which can irritate the people around her. If you choose to harm any of the people Kimiko cares about, you must be prepared to face her wrath as she can be extremely ruthless and violent. Kimiko is a huge fan of birds and really wants to ride a flying bison one day. When fighting, she prioritizes agility over strength. She hates losing and can be pretty childish about it. She also hates bitter things. Background: Kimiko was born to an average couple living in Ba Sing Se. Her father was a firebender working as a blacksmith in the city and her mother mostly stayed at home. When Kimiko was born, her family decided to move to Republic City thinking that they'd find better opportunities there. Her father got a job as an engineer for Future Industries and her mother set up a small clothes' shop in the ground floor of their new home. The Tetsume family isn't rich, but they hardly suffer from financial problems. Kimiko discovered that she was a firebender when she was five years old, around the time that her mother became pregnant with her younger brother. She began to train with her father, who happily showed her his moves whenever he got a break from work. Kimiko grew up training around the city, watching the other firebenders in the Pro-Bending Tournaments and attempting to mimic their styles. Since she was young, she always loved the game. When Kimiko reached the age of sixteen, she asked her parents to allow her to enter and they did, but the team she joined was weak and didn't last long in the tournament. She continued to hone her skills and created a new team with Kai and Xeno. She named their team the Raven Eagles, after her favourite species of bird. She has a pet Raven Eagle named Anana. ##### Name: Inoue Kai Age: 17 Sex: Male Team: Raven Eagles Role: Earthbender Appearance:

Kai

Personality: Charming, free-spirited, energetic, naive, reckless, too trusting (will expand on this later) Background: Born to two police officers in the Metalbending Police Force, Kai always wanted to follow in their paths. He was the youngest of four boys, and the only one born with bendiing abilities. His oldest brother resented him, and often bullied him as he grew up. This never stopped Kai from doing what he wants, though, and his other brothers always stood by his side. Despite all his training and willpower, Kai never learned how to metalbend which didn't qualify him for the police force. His parents comforted him, telling him that he was still young and that he would one day get the hang of it, but Kai knew then that being like his parents wasn't for him. Instead, he asked his older brothers for advice on what to do next and was told to try pro-bending. Kai loved it immediately. Kimiko was a good friend of his even before he was introduced to pro-bending. Joining her team had been an obvious decision. ##### Name: Xeno Age: 18 Sex: Non-binary Team: Raven Eagles Role: Waterbender Appearance:

Xeno

Personality: Xeno has a slightly dark aura around them. They're mysterious and aloof, which often garners the attention of others who gravitate towards them as they're curious about Xeno. Xeno is the epitome of an introvert. They're not that easy to approach, as Xeno doesn't like socializing with strangers until Kimiko or Kai say it's okay. Only Xeno's closest friends know the side of Xeno that is optimistic and happy. They are a lover of tall places and the freedom it gives. Xeno is also very strategic, opting to not do anything until necessary. As such, the Raven Eagles often rely on Xeno for pre-game tactics. Background: Not much is known about Xeno's background as they don't really open up to people that much. What they've told Kimiko and Kai so far is that they're from a currently still uncharted land where bending was extremely rare and those who had that ability were worshipped by the natives. Xeno was regarded as a god there, and their family lived in prosperity. Xeno soon grew tired of their life in the island and left without another look back. The guilt of suddenly leaving still haunts them to this day but Xeno pushes the memories back. They came to Republic City after almost a year of travelling and learning about the world. Xeno sought to just be a nomad and wander around, but after discovering pro-bending, they decided to stay. It took a while, but Xeno opened up to Kimiko (after months of prodding) and joined the Raven Eagles. The game is a reminder of their time in the island where their bending was worshipped, but at least in Republic City, Xeno felt excitement.

[rextremendum]

Yang

Name: Yang Shen-Li Age: 18 Sex: Male Team [GM's team] Role: Earthbender Appearance: A consummately average looking man, Yang is characterized with a mop of short black hair, a friendly face and an analytical gaze. He is of a normal weight, lacking the muscles usually characterizing other professional earthbenders. He has pale skin, and though not a particularly well-groomed man Yang is no slob - he dresses nicely, and takes care to not make a poor first impression. Personality: Yang values creativity, ingenuity, and accuracy of belief. He is curious to a fault, always looking for new knowledge to improve his understanding of the world. Yang dislikes dogmatic belief, and ardently opposes regressive thinking. He loves the brave new world this new technology provides, and has a very optimistic view on the capabilities of humanity to use it for good. Yang attempts to be affable, his optimism spreading to interpersonal relationships, though he is by no means an enthusiastic socialite. He is easily distracted when engaged in non-critical activities, always looking to learn new things about the world, but shows impressive determination when dealing with matters of import. Yang's moral philosophy is consequentialist, and Yang is prone to manipulation and unsavory work to achieve net gains of happiness in the world. He hates mushrooms, and has always wanted to own a blimp. Background: Yang was raised in Ba Sing Se, born to loving parents as an only child. His father was a cobbler, and his mother a chef at a local restaurant. From a young age, Yang was curious: he learned to read early, and after school would spend time reading about all manner of things, from philosophy [which he rarely understood, at least at first] to history to art and literature. As he grew up, he found two passions in life: Natural Philosophy, and Earthbending. He grew up in a period of extraordinary industrialization, and remembers vividly all the technological marvels coming into his life one at a time. He remembers when their house got electric lights, he remembers the hot-water heater being installed, and he still has fond memories of his family clustered around their large, wood-paneled radio set. He wanted to contribute to this technological golden age, and found his interests buried in prosaic tomes on physics, about the movement of things, about heat and electricity. At around the same time, Yang pressured his parents into signing him up for earthbending training, and found it to be enthralling. It was strategic, fast, exciting, and there were always new things to be learned. He learned to incorporate one interest into another, and now has set out to be a pro-bender, not only for the money, fame, women and prestige, but also to try and refine his earthbending theories, and add something to the understanding of earthbending as a fighting style.

[ScarlettWaters16]

Name: Siku Juntenka Age: Sixteen Sex: Female Team: Viper Bats Role: Water-Bender Appearance:

Siku

She is very tall and lengthy. Her hair is also longer than that, but she normally keeps it up in a ponytail

Personality: Siku tends to be quiet during a match. She never responds to taunts. Even though she does not respond to them doesn’t mean that she doesn’t hears them. Siku tends to keep her anger bottled up inside rather than letting it out. She is very fun loving thought when she is not in a match. She tends to be very carefree and excited all the time. She is never quiet outside of a match. She has a weakness, though, towards fire because of her family history (reason why below). She never purposely steps over a boundary though, unless she is forced over it. Her main weapon of choice is the water whip, which seems to the do the job in a match very well. Siku isn’t a showoff, but she likes to add a little flare to whatever she is doing. She tends to be restless when she is not doing anything and likes to get into trouble at times. But she would never jeopardize her team. Whenever she is knocked into the water, she is always frustrated with herself and always tells herself that she needs to do better. If they lose a match, never talk to her. She gets furious and goes out to the ocean to train some more. Background: Siku grew up mostly in the northern water tribe. She was a very restless child, always getting into trouble whenever she could. She discovered that she was a water bender when she was seven years old. Her and one of her friends were running along the edge (like the very edge) of the outer wall when he suddenly slipped and fell off the side. There was nothing below but freezing water. She ran to the other side and screamed for help. He tumbled even further down and she mimicked something that she had seen some of the older water benders do. A small block of snow came out from within the wall and caught her friend just in time. After she discovered this new power, she began to train with the other water benders. When she was eight, only a year after beginning her training, her parents decided to move to Republic City for a better life. They packed up their things and left the tribe, heading for the emblem of freedom. They found a small apartment close to the pro bending arena and her and her father began to go to games frequently. This is how to she got into pro bending. She would watch the matches and then go out to the sea and try to copy the movements. One night, when she was thirteen, when she and her father were walking home from one of the matches, they were confronted by a tall, towering fire bender, who was obviously homeless or poor. He struck a very threatening pose and told them if they didn’t give him their money, then he would cut them down like the water tribe scum they were. Her father, being a proud man, refused and the man kept his word. As he was fighting the man, her father screamed at her to run, which she did. She ran to go get help, but there were no policemen around at the time. By the time she found someone though, it was too late. Her father was dead. She threw herself headlong into practicing her water bending, mimicking and perfecting each move that she had seen at the pro bending tournaments. She eventually told her mother that she was joining and that they needed the money. Her mother didn’t stop her and even promised to come to all of her matches. Now, she has joined a team with Ryko and Ryou. This is her first team and she hopes that they can do well, considering that they have been training together for two years. Name: Ryou and Ryko Kasaisekitan Age: Both 19 (Fraternal Twins, Ryou is older by a minute) Sex: Both Male Team: Viper Bats Role: Ryou is fire bender and Ryko is the earth bender Appearance:

Ryou

Ryko

Personality:

Ryou

Ryou is more fun loving that his brother. He is fiery, like his fire bending powers, and he loves to pull pranks on his younger brother. He is fiercely loyal when it comes to his team and his family and he loves to argue with his brother. He likes to taunt during matches and tends to show off his powers like Siku does. Ryou is very accepting of Siku's fear of fear and tries not to fire bend to close to her. He has a very short fuse when it comes to anger and can switch quickly between happiness and anger.

Ryko

Ryko is a bit more stubborn than his brother is and a bit more hard headed, like his earth bending powers. He doesn't mind the pranks that his brother pulls, but he is always serious when it comes to matches. Like Siku, he is silent during the match and tries to stay focused rather than taunt the other team. He hates the taunting itself and if the other team begins to taunt him, he will knock the taunter off if he can. He has a short fuse, like his brother, and he hates it when his brother rubs it in his face that he's older. He is always the one who starts the fights with his brother, though.

Background: Ryou and Ryko were both born in Republic City to a fire bending father and an earth bending mother. They grew up in the city where their father worked as an electrician and their mother worked with the police of Republic city. Their parents were rarely home, so the boys would always go exploring without their parents' knowledge. They would always come back before either of them came home at night. Ryou was very protective of Ryko. They found out that they had bending abilities when they were playing in the streets one day. They were play fighting and Ryou accidentally set off a fire blast in the direction of his younger brother. Ryko drew up his arms to defend himself, thus bringing up huge rocks directly in front of himself. After this discovery, they immediately ran home to tell their parents. Their parents, in turn, began to train them in the ways of each of their powers. They both grew closer with the parent that taught them how to train their powers. Their parents also began to take them to pro bending games. Ryou and Ryko got so excited by these that when their parents were at work, they would sneak into matches and watch. They began to copy the movements of the pro benders and replicate them in fights against each other, Ryou always winning of course. When they finally turned eighteen, they told their parents that they wanted to join the league. Their parents didn't care, and, being too busy, didn't seem to notice when their boys were gone. The boys and Siku have been training together for over two years now and have become very well trained. They plan to hopefully train some more and win.

[Marcus XVI]

Name: Liang Xian Age: 28 Sex: female Team: Legendary Lion-Turtles Role: Firebender Appearance: Liang stands just barely over 5 feet. Her face is quite pretty - though little scar runs from the left tip of her mouth to her chin. Her eyes are golden in color. Liang keeps her black hair cut very short from the front and the longer back part is held on a bun most of the time. Her left arm is missing - having been cut off just above the elbow in a horrible freak accident caused by an opposing team's blatant cheating. Liang wears a sort of prosthetic arm which is fixed behind her back as a part of her pro-bending uniform, mostly for helping her keep her balance. When not pro-bending she either wears a blue jacket with it's left sleeve tucked in a manner which hides the stump of her arm, or a bit longer red coat with the sleeve fixed in a similar manner. If she's making some kind of a public appearance she wears a slightly different prosthetic which she either tucks in one of her coat pockets or fixes behind her back. In addition to the coat or jacket Liang usually wears either gray or black pants with knee high boots that have a large buckle at the front and a red sleeveless shirt. Personality: Liang is a very quick thinker, she's able to come up with a strategy at a moment's notice. She trusts her friends more than anyone and does her best to never let their hopes down. Liang loathes cheaters to such a degree that if her team members do not step in she might actually cause some serious injury to the cheating party - be it in or outside the ring, even if it would cost them the whole tournament. Luckily she's easily calmed down by both Shin and Gen. Due to her rather volatile temperament Liang has a hard time controlling the intensity of her firebending - especially if she's frustrated - which can, and most likely will earn their team a penalty. Background: Liang Xian was born and raised in the Republic city to a relatively wealthy - if not overtly so - family of mixed heritage. Her father had been an above average pro-bender - he actually was the original captain of the Leaping Lion-Turtles well to his 50's until his back simply couldn't manage the work as a member of the Metalbending Police Force and his hobby of pro-bending. Her mother had tried her best not to encourage Liang in to following at her father's footsteps and instead work with the electric company she was working in. Their daughter however was enamored with the sport the moment she saw her first mach and after some arguing, a few tantrums and other such happenings Liang took over the captaincy and the legacy of the Leaping Lion-Turtles at the young age of 16. The new generation of the Lion-Turtles was a true force to be reckoned with - even though they were relatively young and at first quite untalented the group won their first championship during their first year and went on to dominate the Pro-Bending scene for the next 3 years. Their magnificent streak of victories and domination - which came at first from a combination of their opponents underestimating them and their skill and Liang's tactical thinking and later their near unrivaled teamwork and downright amazing stunts and sheer strength - came to a rather gruesome end. The opposing team cheated their way to a tiebreaker round where Liang faced the opposing team's firebender. Their match was very even until the opposing team's earthbender used a sharpened stone disc to brutally maim her arm. The opposing team was immediately disqualified and the Metalbending Police Force quickly took them in to custody. The Leaping Lion-Turtles won the championship at the cost of Liang's dominant arm and left the sport altogether for nearly 8 years. Sadly Liang's arm was so badly damaged that it had to be amputated. This however didn't stop her from bending. On the contrary she's spent a good portion of her free time to teach herself a new firebending style that only uses one arm. Just before the beginning of the tournament Liang gathered the old team together again and signed up as the Legendary Lion-Turtles. Though she knows they are all a bit out of practice they have not been forgotten. With luck their former success and fame gives them an edge over the competition - though no-one's going to underestimate them this time. Name: Shin Yu Age: 29 Sex: male Team: Legendary Lion-Turtles Role: Waterbender Appearance: Shin stands at just under 6 feet tall, he's quite broad shouldered - which makes him seem rather top heavy due to his thin arms and legs. His eyes have a warm brown color. His shoulder length hair is kept on a very simple topknot held in place by a thin strap of blue cloth. Shin has a bit effeminate facial features and a very kind and charming smile. Outside the ring Shin more often than not lends his blue jacket to Liang and just wears a white long sleeved collared shirt and blueish-gray pants with soft leather boots. Personality: If Liang is the hotblooded tactician of the team and Gen is the strength Shin is the mediator and diplomat. He seems to have a knack of talking the group out of any situation that Liang's temper or Gen's furious stubbornness have gotten them in to that time. He is quite overprotective of the rest of the team - especially after what happened to Liang - which oftentimes makes it seem like he has no sense of self preservation during matches. He often makes downright stupid stunts to keep his teammates out of harms way - usually it costs him either a knock back a zone or some minor injury. Background: Shin's family had been on the move ever since he could remember. Both is father and mother were skilled healers who seemingly had a need to help anyone in need of healing. The good part was that this actually kept the family well fed, but the bad part was that Shin really didn't have that many friends while growing up. When Shin was 17 - his family had settled down in Republic City for the time being - he made his first real longtime friends mostly by accident by intervening in a fight a really hotheaded girl had gotten into. It wasn't long until the girl - Liang - managed to convince him to join her Pro-Bending team which soon gained a third member in the form of a perhaps the most hardheaded earthbender Shin had ever met. The Leaping Lion-Turtles had their time in the spotlight and after the horrible accident that crippled Liang the team was disbanded. Shin has spent the last 8 years healing people in his small clinic near the Pro-Bending arena and though he has kept out of the ring himself he's still an avid fan - occasionally people recognize him which gives him a chance to for at least a while go back to the glory days of the team. When Liang suggested that the team should reform Shin was at first a bit skeptical, but eventually Gen's stubbornness and Liang's excitement won him over. Name: Gen Gan-Jin Age: 31 Sex: Male Team: Legendary Lion-Turtles Role: Earthbender Appearance: Gen stands at an amazing 7'2 feet, he's noticeably more muscular and larger than the rest of the team to the point that if the group has to be found in a crowd spotting him is the easiest way. His black hair has a thick reddish-brown lock on the left temple which he keeps away from his eye with a silver hairpin. Gen has a very strong jaw and his nose has been broken a few times judging by the angle it has twisted to. Despite that he's quite handsome and used to be the face of the team - though Shin did most of the talking especially when Liang was frustrated over something. Outside the ring Gen wears a wide sleeved black shirt with way too many buttons on it and over it he drapes a gray overcoat that extends just below his knees. Despite wearing a very stylish pair of pants - that have way too many pockets - Gen doesn't wear any shoes if it's not cold outside - in his own words it 'cramps his style'. Personality: Gen is a very stubborn individual - though quite nice to chat with and most of the times polite - he just has a very bad habit of not agreeing with people even when he's wrong, though eventually he might cave in and admit that he was wrong. His sheer size has made him slightly overconfident in his strength and he's usually the first target the opposing team goes for - not that it bothers him to the slightest since he's very good at taking and causing damage. Gen still tries to act like the young, handsome and lady wooing fellow he was 10 years ago, but nowadays he does it mostly to annoy his teammates. Background: Gen had never been much of a fan of Pro-Bending even though his father had taken him to watch the matches since he was 4 years old. There had just been something about the sport that kinda went over his head. He was in his early 20's - well 19 to be exact - when he was coerced in to trying the sport by a friend of his father. His father's friend had been a captain of a pro-bending team for nearly 30 years as a side hobby and the team had managed to get a few wins under their belt. He joined the team quite reluctantly - after all the captain of the team was just an annoyingly hotheaded girl and the waterbender was an annoyingly pretty boy with an annoyingly nice smile. The team however worked surprisingly well and Gen had to admit that the attention they were getting from fans was something he really liked. The team's heyday came and went, the team was eventually disbanded due to Liang's injury and Gen ended up joining the Metalbending Police for a brief while before working on different odd jobs. Nearly 8 years passed and while Gen kept close contact to his former team members and stayed in touch with the sport - even stepping back to the ring for a brief while - he really didn't feel at home without his friends. When Liang suggested that the old band was to be put together Gen was more than delighted to join and eventually he and Liang managed to convince Shin back to the team as well.

[TheUnknowable]

Name: Bon Xiu Age: 26 Sex: Any time you want, babe. Male Team: Elephant Kois Role: Water Appearance: Personality: Self absorbed, but fun loving. He may think everyone should like the same things he does, but that's just because he knows those things are the most fun and wants everyone to have fun. Some people wonder if he's capable of understanding that other people might have different interests. Background: Born on Kioshi Island, his father a simple Earth bender/fisherman and his mom a healer from the Swamp benders, he and his brother grew up on the beach. One day, however, a hurricane came to the island. Many people were killed, including his father. After that they moved to Republic city to get a fresh start and try and forget the tragedy. Their mom fell in love with a Fire bender working in the city power plant and got remarried, and a few years later, they had a sister. This didn't keep them at home, however, and they were always going to the beach just outside the city. When they grew up they decided to become pro benders, as it seemed like the most fun way of earning a living. Everything was going good until their fire bender decided to quit. They quickly replaced him with the only fire bender they knew that would join them on short notice, their sister. Unfortunately, she is pathetic at practice, so she doesn't get in much practice. Name: Wes Xiu Age: 24 Sex: Depends who's asking. Male Team: Elephant Kois Role: Earth Appearance: Personality: Partier. He's always looking for a way to have fun, and wants to have as much fun as he can. The closest he comes to having a job is selling the statues he makes out of beach sand. Background: Born on Kioshi Island, his father a simple Earth bender/fisherman and his mom a healer from the Swamp benders, he and his brother grew up on the beach. One day, however, a hurricane came to the island. Many people were killed, including his father. After that they moved to Republic city to get a fresh start and try and forget the tragedy. Their mom fell in love with a Fire bender working in the city power plant and got remarried, and a few years later, they had a sister. This didn't keep them at home, however, and they were always going to the beach just outside the city. When they grew up they decided to become pro benders, as it seemed like the most fun way of earning a living. Everything was going good until their fire bender decided to quit. They quickly replaced him with the only fire bender they knew that would join them on short notice, their sister. Unfortunately, she is pathetic at practice, so she doesn't get in much practice. Name: Min Sun Age: 18 Sex: Female Team: Elephant Kois Role: Fire Bender Appearance: Personality: Timid and subservient, she isn't seems to only want to make others happy and to be unable to stand up for herself. When she gets into the ring, however, she changes. Once she gets hit she kind of loses it and goes into all-out attack mode. Background: Her mom moved to Republic city from Kioshi island following some tragedy, and met her dad. They fell in love and got married, and eventually she was born. She didn't get along to well with her brothers. While they were out playing on the beach, she was at home studying like a good girl. She did well in school, graduating near the top of her class. She did her chores like she was told, and even did her brother's chores for them sometimes so they could go to the beach. When she got out of school, she planned on finding a nice job, a husband, buying a house in the city, and having kids. Her brothers, however, wanted her to join some sports team they started. She decided to help them, at least until they could find a replacement.