Regitnui

Ba Sing Se

@McHaggis Alright, how about the family being recently rich types with sandbender in the blood (the character's grandparents) they've sworn off to fit in with Middle Ring Ba Sing Se culture. The character is a bender, but is incredibly poor at earthbending (which the parents would encourage) but is naturally talented at sandbending.

The character attends an earthbending academy, and has to often stay for extra lessons (aka cleaning up, a punishment from a bad teacher). The character learns/practices their talent with the dust and powder left over from the training rocks/discs. The parents are embarrassed by this talent, despite the fact it makes the character the equal or better of their peers.

As for the airbending teacher, I'd be interested in exploring cross-cultural influences; the loose, shifting nature of sand might make air- or waterbending techniques applicable in the same way waterbending was applicable to lightningbending. The character would be thoroughly outclassed by a real sandbender, but the other bending styles would teach them tricks and skills a "pure" sandbender might not know.

Pokémon: Hoenn - Make a Wish

@Phoenix, I love that whole "wait, I'm busy with my boyfriend," attitude from Asuna. I would have actually written that myself, with a little more description of how Keoni had a hand up (or down) her pajamas at the time. We can collab the next post or so. Link me to the proper address? Or will we PM it?

Ba Sing Se

@Undine, it wouldn't be a special accolade. It would be what their parents call the kid's style so that they aren't embarrassed by their child having a natural talent for sandbending. Instead of rocks, the character uses dust and sand to create "airbender"-like effects such as whirlwinds or spinning discs of sand.

Also, there's precedence for compressing stones and earth as part of the natural earthbender set, so I figured that would be what they learned from the air nomads: the ability to feel/sense the patterns in the stone and realign them. No pulling rubies from city streets, but diamonds from coal dust (same chemical) or rubies and sapphires from corundum dust (same chemical).

Ba Sing Se

Concept: Young Earthbender noble/middle ring who can't control much at once but has great control (high Dex, low Str), wanted to learn from the sandbenders but went to the airbenders instead as a compromise with their parents. Has a talent for crystallising stone into sharp, fine dust, being dubbed a "gembender". Essentially learning meditation and redirection techniques to apply to their peculiar talents.

Ba Sing Se

Not committing (yet), but are we going by established canon of the Air Nomad Avatar still being lost in the ice to be discovered years from now?

Pokémon: Hoenn - Make a Wish

@Phoenix, I am equal parts excited and nervous. It's difficult letting characters off the leash.

Pokémon: Hoenn - Make a Wish

@Phoenix, let's say nothing that contradicts established behaviour or personality, without good reason. So basically, in love with Keoni, talks a lot, fire-type affinity, little bit childish.

Pokémon: Hoenn - Make a Wish

@Phoenix Is done. Simple morning scene.

Epic City: Starburst

Roxana pulled her knees up onto the couch and wrapped her arms around her legs as she tried to ignore the gnawing sense of worry in her stomach. She'd come to Dragon's house to find some comfort, but it was hard when he'd had to go deal with some hero business not two minutes after she'd arrived with Charlotte. The television was showing some movie Charlotte had chosen from Dragon's collection, but Roxana was focused on her phone, even if she wasn't directly looking at it.

It had to chirp soon with a message. She'd sent Alex messages every day, even when she stopped responding. The first day was alright, even if Roxana had gone out to check on Alex's apartment when she really shouldn't have. The second day without a message had left Roxana pacing around the house and flying around EC at speeds that would have made it impossible to actually see Alex. The third day, today, Charlotte had insisted that they go to Dragon's apartment. It hadn't helped. Roxana was still shining a watery blue with anxiety. Dragon had settled her feelings for a moment, but then he'd gone and the anxiety had come back.

"Come on, Alex," Roxana unfolded her thighs and grabbed the phone, opening her messages and looking at the last conversation in the chat. Don't forget Charlotte and I think you're awesome! Stay safe. That line was at the top of the screen now, with all the variations of Hey Alex and Where are you? that she'd sent into the empty, lonely void since Alex had disappeared. She sniffed slightly, fighting the anxiety down away from turning into tears.

The sound of the door opening had her out of the chair and clasping Dragon before he'd had time to put the keys down. "Please, please, please tell me you found something. Somebody must've heard something at the police station. Did you file a missing person's report? Tell me they're looking, that they're going to find her. I want Alex back and I'm scared she's gone…" Roxana felt his arms wrap gently around her and cradle her against his chest.

She was crying on his chest, and some part of her found that a little embarrassing, but she couldn't stop the tears now. "I spoke to the Chief, Spec. He owes me a favour, I told you." He lifted her into a bridal carry, and she buried her face against a slightly drier part of his shirt. She felt her ankles touch the leather of the couch as he sat down with her on his lap, letting her curl up against him. "What'd you find, Charlotte?" He asked, as Roxana sniffed. Worry tears were one thing, but she wasn't gong to get snot on him.

∆Stay where you are∆ One of the voices from the movie blared out, as if someone had sat on the remote control. ∆I can protect you, but only if you stay there, understand?∆ One of Dragon's arms released Roxana, and she looked around to see him picking up the remote. She turned to the movie just as it rewound a minute, cuing a serious-looking, dirty soldier to repeat the last line.

"That wasn't me," Dragon muttered. He felt around, perhaps brushing Roxana's butt a little more than he should have, trying to make sure they weren't pressing buttons on any other device. "Charlotte, you or your cat aren't messing with anything, are you?" He asked, putting the movie on pause with a hand past Roxana's head. ∆Stay where you are. I can protect you, but only if you stay there, understand?∆ This time Roxana almost jumped out of Dragon's lap. The screen hadn't moved. It was just the line being played again.

@thehangedman@Old Amsterdam

Closed

Zeke was following a sunbeam. He'd woken up with his roommate still asleep and the picture he had drawn faded away. When he'd got the notice about classes only starting in the afternoon, he'd grabbed his camera and decided to go find something pretty. Then he'd remembered he had to change out of his pajamas first. So he was now wandering down the corridors of the main building.

A funny song attracted his attention, and he looked down the corridor to the nurse's office. A girl was standing there, with her eyes shut and framed by the light from the office. Zeke picked his camera up and took a photo of the light in the passage. Then he walked down the corridor, his eye glued to the viewfinder, looking for a different angle. The light was interesting inside, after all. Perhaps he'd go wander around the grounds later.

@Pseudo Stygian