goshdarnspam | welcome to republic city, hero...

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welcome to republic city, hero...

CAPE & MY CABBAGES

Basically you're in the Avatar universe now and have crazy Avatar bending powers, deal with it. In the same way that the City is the locus of the action in-game despite the world being huge, the center of this silly AU is Republic City! To explain there being so fucking many benders and keep to the superhero theme, in recent years there's been a disproportionately large percentage of people with bending talent being born, and now a whole bunch of those new benders are crammed into one 1900s-ish city together. Great power doesn't always come with great responsibility, though, and for every citizen interested in keeping the peace, there's one who wants to upset it! Or just steal that one guy's phonographs, idk, it's a toss-up. Either way, this is a cosmopolitan city full of weirdos that needs defending and is probably attacked by hordes of oversized gila-bears once every six months, which certainly isn't a familiar concept at all! Shenanigans.

HELPFUL (?) GUIDELINES:
-The format of this post is essentially like the way-back original CNC2020 setup, in that everyone comments with what their characters' powers are, what they're doing, what their history is, etc., and everyone else comments to them to try and hash out shenanigans! Since I'm too goddamn lazy to post a follow-up open RP post, you can also respond to each other ICly! Or someone else can post one a few days later, who... knows... either way, it's a pretty high effort meme and thus should be slow-burning! Nobody is late.
-Not everyone has to be a bender in this setting, but everyone can be a bender! For reference and a guide to what characterizes each type of bending, refer here: firebending, waterbending, earthbending, and airbending. There are also a few cool bending subsets, such as bloodbending, metalbending, and lightning generation, that benders advanced in their field might specialize in!
-If you understandably don't want to read all of those longass articles, here's a comment which sums each style of bending up more briefly! And if you don't know much, or anything, about the Avatar universe, feel free to ask questions! This is supposed to be fun.
-Nonbenders can totally be badasses too, so if you don't think your character would be one, that's no reason not to throw them in anyway! They can still use cool weapons, or block chi, making benders pretty darn useless, or invent and use technology; it's all up to you. And if the universe needs a little tweaking for them to exist in it, you can just make some shit up, let's be real.
-Nonhuman characters can either be human for the purposes of the AU or part of the Spirit World. Some spirits can also exist in the "real world" and interact with humans, though in order to make a permanent transition to the different plane they must give up their immortality.
-Pro-bending is totally a thing here.
-Just as in CNC2020, dropped characters or characters you just really really want to app can play too!
-Make new journals for this if you want, why the hell not?
-How the hell did all these white guys get into the Avatar universe? Why does everyone have statistically unlikely, totally awesome powers, and why are they all so good at using them? When is this set, anyway? Who's the Avatar? Why are the air nomads not all dead? THESE AND OTHER BURNING QUESTIONS WILL NOT BE ANSWERED BY THIS MEME.

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WATERBENDING
-is based around water, the element of change; as such, waterbenders have to be yielding and work in concert with the environment.
-its style involves flowing and graceful movements that evoke the flow of water.
-the boundaries between defense and offense are fluid; waterbenders most frequently use their defensive strategies to turn enemies' attacks against them, rather than directly attacking them.
-this style is generally associated with peaceable people who are in touch with nature, but powerful waterbenders can be pretty goddamn terrifying! water is in everything, after all, including you.
-generally limited by the availability of surrounding water, creative and powerful waterbenders can extract water from their surroundings; for example, using sweat and the fluid in living organisms such as plants, though doing the latter will dessicate and kill the water source.
-waterbenders draw their power from the moon, and are strongest when it is full and weakest during the new moon; they also are more powerful during the nighttime. winter is associated with waterbenders, most likely because it has the longest nights.

FIREBENDING
-is based around fire, the element of power, and as such is characterized by powerful force and unbending will. firebenders have to act with decisiveness and certainty, using their will to accomplish tasks to add force to their attacks.
-as such, firebenders typically don't focus on defense, relying instead on powerful and rapidfire offensive moves, and their style is the most aggressive.
-this doesn't necessarily mean that firebending is "bad"; in the first series, however, it is characterized by the harnessing of aggression and rage, a result of the imperialist fire nation perverting firebending's original source.
-firebenders can manipulate the fire around them, but, unlike other benders, they don't inherently manipulate only their elemental surroundings; most commonly, they use their own internal body heat to generate the fire which they bend. in combination with the focus on will and power, this makes firebending a particularly internally-focused style of bending, and one that depends heavily on the self-control and state of mind of the person using it. where other benders rely on a close relation with their element, firebending comes from within.
-firebenders draw their power from the sun; they are strongest during the daytime, and unusual solar objects, such as comets, can give them massive power boosts. Solar eclipses, on the other hand, weaken them dramatically. their associated season is summer.

EARTHBENDING
-is based around earth, the element of substance; this means that earthbenders are typically unyielding opponents and have powerful attacks and a strong foundation, ba dum tish.
-earthbending as a general discipline centers around the use of neutrality and waiting, enduring and evading enemies' attacks until the right moment to strike arrives; when earthbenders attack, they do it decisively and at well-timed moments, rather than redirecting attacks or putting up a continuous barrage of offense.
-however, there are many different earthbending styles! this is probably a reflection of the size of the earth kingdom, which is the largest region in the avatar universe, and both the different cultures and different landscapes which earthbenders end up manipulating.
-in general, earthbending emphasizes a close connection to the earth surrounding the bender; movements are strong and powerful, and heavy stances reflect the mass and unyielding nature of earth. many earthbenders do not wear shoes, in order to maintain a direct connection to the earth beneath their feet, and earthbending styles generally heavily rely on the lower body, which is typically closest to the ground.
-in many cases, the waiting/neutral component ties into an anticipation of their opponents' next move, "reading" the opponents' actions and style and predicting the best time to strike.
-therefore, earthbending balances an intuitive defense style with an aggressive and powerful offense, evoking the earth's simultaneous stillness and powerful, even catastrophic potential.
-earthbenders draw their power from.... the earth....... surprise............. and this means that they're strongest when on their own two feet! their associated season is spring, when nature (and thus.... the earth........) is particularly powerful and vibrant.

AIRBENDING
-is based around air, the element of freedom, and as such, the key to airbending well is flexibility and a style that finds the path of least resistance. airbending is even more defensive and passive as a style than waterbending, partially because of the pacifist nature of the air nomads.
-all air nomads are born as airbenders! this is due to the culture's deeply-engrained spirituality and focus on a detachment from worldly concerns. as might be expected, airbending is associated with a nomadic lifestyle and few material ties, but despite going where the wind takes them airbenders are strongly principled when it comes to leading their lives and engaging with enemies.
-airbending style is particularly evasive; airbenders never seek fights, and when fighting attempt never to directly attack or even touch an opponent. almost entirely defensive, the style relies on avoidance and sweeping circular motions, making the practitioner fast and impossible to hit; however, airbending is also one of the most dynamic bending styles, due to the changeable nature of wind and air itself. imagination and creative uses of bending are strongly emphasized; airbenders are taught that, just as with the wind, there is always another path to take.
-since air is, obviously, fucking everywhere, airbending is extremely versatile and is not often limited by the availability of material with which to bend. airbenders are most powerful when in wide open spaces, rather than closed ones, where they have a large playing field and momentum to use against others.
-in principle, airbending has no killing moves, and airbenders are strongly opposed to ever taking lives; in practice, however, necessity sometimes forces them to disregard their ideals, and airbending can have strong fatal potential when used in this way.
-airbenders draw their power from the air currents around them, and their associated season is fall!
-THEY CAN FUCKING FLY

Edited 2012-03-25 17:23 (UTC)

placeholdin for mad jeff + michael zenchild

placeholding............???????

WELL, FIRST OF ALL LUST IS NOT ACTUALLY CALLED LUST AND SHE'S HUMAN AND HER NAME IS ACTUALLY MARA BECAUSE OF THIS, THANK YOU FRANKY FOR THE SUGGESTION. :') She's a Fire Nation ambassador's daughter or something that makes her seem harmless and silly by day, and at night she moonlights as a huge douchebag. And I guess she's part of some evil splinter organization that wants to overthrow THE ESTABLISHMENT, MAAAAAAAANNNN and plunge the earth into war for the sake of bender supremacy and a return to the gloooorious halcyon days of the Fire Nation, so she can still have the ouroboros! It's just a tattoo instead of a permanent fixture on her body, and Lust is her codename among members of the order rather than what she actually... is. She's a big prejudiced jerk behind closed doors and probably thinks most of yall are filthy peasants or gross peasant-sympathizers. SO BASICALLY DRACO MALFOY.

Hilariously enough, she's a firebender; more specifically, a lightningbender, because the control and lack of emotion that's required for lightning generation and manipulation is right up Lust's alley, and it allows her to still shoot deadly stuff from her fingers at people! The general principles of firebending--strong offense, very little defense, and a powerful devotion to goals and will to accomplish--are also very definitely her. In public, however, she generally pretends to be far less proficient than she really is, using throwing knives and bodyguards for defense whenever she can and only deploying her bending as a last resort. Most of the people who've seen her bending lightning are kind of dead now!

She wears the gloves all the time not because they're a part of her body, but rather as a sort of flame-resistant armor! As someone who generates lightning, her hands and arms are her primary and most deadly weapons, and the gloves help her concentrate her attacks and act as insurance against her own bending or an opponent's causing damage to them. They also cover up the burn scars she already has, a result of intensive training starting in her childhood, and that's the excuse she'll give if ever asked about them--she had a childhood accident, and she's too vain to let anyone see them exposed. The fingertips are highly conductive and also kind of sharp, so she can still claw people up with them! It's just less horrifying.

Edited 2012-03-25 18:07 (UTC)

WHEN I GET AROUND TO THIS

when I have time

sobs

why does everybody want stuff from me today OKAY I AM GOOD LOOK I AM NOT A CHUMP

DAMIAN WAYNE is a Firebender from a rich and elitist family who has literally been training since birth, but eventually travels to Republic City to seek his ~~honor~~ father's approval!! He's a by-the-book Firebender, but his temper has kept him, thus far, from mastering lightning. He has a lot of power but not a lot of control. He challenges basically everyone to Agni Kai because he can.

DONNA TROY is a warrior from Kyoshi Island, because women warriors are always amazing. Her familial heritage is in the Water Tribes, and she combines both styles of fighting, dare I say using water to create lassos and whips. Competent but sheltered, she journeyed to Republic City as a young teenage, set up shop with a bunch of other young benders and warriors, and has done a lot of travelling and adventuring since then. Having a near-death experience led her to be more connected to the Spirit World, so she has that going on, as well.

CLINT BARTON is a non-bender of Earth Nation stock, and yes, he is an archer who grew up in a circus. He has a giant chip on his shoulder about the bending thing, but actually loves watching pro-bending because he can. But he's basically just an adventurer who ends up in the city because that is where the adventure is.

Edited 2012-03-25 18:52 (UTC)

SUCH A PLACEHOLDER.

aw yeah placeholder c:

I'VE NEVER SEEN THE SHOW BUT this looks fun so :c I will placehold and vigorously article-read

NORTHERN WATER TRIBE REPRESENT.

Astral is an orphan! You know his mother was totes a spirit being who gave up that shit to pursue a better life than being a spirit puddle in the Spirit World. He was lovingly ~~kidnapped~~adopted by Kazuma and Mirai on their travels.

Extremely proficient in waterbending, though he prefers more defensive styles! AND HEALING... Yeah he's really good at that.

He's forced into pro-bending ring because goddammit Yuma.

Edited (whoo, I broke my HTML) 2012-03-25 18:24 (UTC)

placeholding.

spoilers all my characters are swampbenders everyone go home

PLACEHOLDIN'

Chell's an earthbender, and a fucking amazing one at that. She's unyielding, stubborn, and her fighting style involves a lot of waiting. She's even willing to take a lot of hits until her opponents run out of juice before she pummels them into the ground mercilessly or at least knocking them off their feet when an opening is in clear view.

She probably grew up on the streets of the city and her parents sold her away to some big-shot pro-bending team who needed a great earthbender to complete their set, and they saw her in action when she got into a tussle with some generic thugs. So, she's a part of the sport, but not by choice and only because it's how she's able to get food on the table for both her and her parents. Winning tournaments is a must. Chell gained a sort of notorious fame when she knocked a person off the ring so hard he was knocked out and nearly drowned. Woops. She was almost banned for it, but seeing as they guy didn't die all they could do was caution her not to do that again, and she was nearly kicked off the team for that too but they actually really do need her.

She also refuses to speak, go figure! That, or she speaks one-worded phrases in a small, quiet voice because she's like that. She doesn't wear shoes and she sleeps in the park because despite being a pro-bender she's really just a smelly hobo at heart.

Samara(who is a human now ok) has perfected her firebending through decades of intense training. She is considered a master of the art, and has even mastered the use of lightning in her bending, though she doesn't frequently make use of it.

Instead of teaching the new generation of benders like some masters would, Samara devotes her time to eradicating Republic City and outlying areas of crime and criminals. She is quite an old woman, but her name is feared among many of the city's gangs.

... is a lifelong Republic City boy. Apparently there were Air Nomads in his family a generation or two ago, because in his teenage years he semi-spontaneously developed airbending abilities and, similarly to his original counterpart, put on a mask and joined an underground pro-bending circuit. He did very well, grew very cocky, and one day let a thief escape right by him ... we all know where that ends. Vigilante hero Spider-Man, news photographer Peter!

Inspired both by the ballooning of spiders and the metalbending of the police force, Peter creates his webbing and web-shooters; the web-shooters aren't as sophisticated as his 616 counterpart's, but they don't need to be because he can use his airbending to control the rate of exposure to air so he can do whatever a spider can, etc. However, his web-fluid is manipulable by waterbending in the moments before it dries, which causes him problems when a waterbender opponent is both savvy and fast enough to take advantage.

Spider-Man's fighting and bending styles are both a weird mishmash of techniques he's picked up every which way, but he makes it work somehow -- though his tactics, while far from aggressive, put a lot more focus on offense than most other airbenders'. (Which, on the one hand, is an advantage because it takes people by surprise, but on the other hand he possibly makes other airbenders all linefacey at his OMG AGGRESSION HOW IS HE EVEN BENDING.)

Uh and possibly at some point he was possessed by a Spirit World being? I DUNNO ASK FRANKY I'M NOT THE ONE PLAYING A VENOM.

Stuff to be added in additional comments as I think of it!

Edited 2012-03-25 19:36 (UTC)

just sticking this here for Rachel and Max

OKAY I want to say Jade is an earthbender because her element in canon is earth, but waterbending fits her better, mainly because of its connection to nature and the moon and nighttime. Also, her planet was frozen for most of their session, and waterbenders live in... frozen... places... She's also very good at adapting and ~*~going with the flow~*~, if you know what I mean.

Anyway, Jade would totally be a waterbender of the Southern Tribe, because they're more isolated and so was she. Also she would have a polar bear dog. Yes.

ALSO my headcanon skintone for Jade is pretty dark. SO.

Edited 2012-03-25 19:26 (UTC)

all i really have to say on the topic
but okay so she's an kyoshi warrior, probably among the younger ones tbh
originally from earth kingdom, but maybe a more secluded section of it?

vic might be water tribe?

hank might be non-bending earth kingdom?

Edited 2012-03-25 19:41 (UTC)

THIS CAN GO TWO WAYS.

firebender, running off of his personality alone, or waterbender, running off of his character themes.

waterbender is my personal favorite.

one, if we go by his sign's assigned element, and if we take into account knight of blood and the bloodbending, karkat could be a waterbender. though i think, due to the nature of his personality, he would be an extremely incompetent one.

EXCEPT DURING THE FULL MOON.

which is where things get interesting.

running with karkat's blood-theme, i can see him knowing how to bloodbend. in fact, this is the only bending he's halfway decent at. AND HE DOESN'T EVEN LIKE DOING IT. he thinks he is terrible because bloodbending is all he can do. what a failure.

so basically he's a useless bloodbender. YEAAHHH.

Wow I think it should be super obvious that Renee is an earthbender and a member of the metal bending police force in Republic City. I imagine she is quite good at it, not because of innate talent but because of diligent, dedicated practice. I think her parents were probably from Gaoling and struggled to make a living as lower-middle class due to class divides, hence moving to Republic City where there is more opportunity. Renee would have faith in the Avatar, but not unswervingly so.

have i revealed my status as an Avatar-nerd yet.

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