Post by tarot on Mar 28, 2008 0:13:18 GMT -5
Name: Arai Kurik Sayu
Age:24
Gender:Male
Group: Earth Kingdom Citizens
Nation: Earth Kingdom
Bender?: Yes
Physical Appearance: Arai reaches about six foot even when he's standing at his full height, though he has been known to slouch, especially when he's engrossed in something. Weighing in at around 170 pounds,he has little fat on his frame, which shows off what muscle he's accumulated over the years of work. His skin also reflects his productive past. Having a pretty formidable tan from spending most of his time outside, its a sandy brown color. There are a few scars on his body, lighter than the rest of his skin, mostly scrapes from childhood on knees and elbows, small job incidents, nothing fantastic. His hands are toughened from work, with long fingers which remain dexterous, his left being a bit rougher, as this is his dominant hand. His nails are usually dirty, either from dirt or charcoal, but kept short for convenience's sake. His thigh and calf muscles are defined, having traveled a lot in his time. His feet have also become rougher, calloused, since he is often seen without shoes.
His head is elongated, and the shape of his jawline is fairly narrow, coming to a rounded point at his chin. Arai's nose is a bit long, placing his thin lips lower on his face, which gives him a mature, or wise look to his young face. His hunter green eyes are wider than they are tall, showing a general calm, save for when he's greatly amused or angered by something. His dark brown eyebrows are somewhat thick, though are sometimes hidden by his lengthy bangs. Being the same dark sepia, his mop of hair extends nearly to his shoulders, usually a bit scraggly or unkempt. His 'bangs' technically aren't bangs, as they are the same length of the rest of his hair, the only difference being they fall in chunks around his face, splitting around his eyes. On occasion, he'll pull his hair back in a rather short pony-tail, which creates a poof only few inches long. When he does this the strands nearest his face usually aren't long enough to reach the pony-tail, still falling around his facial features. Normally, he has no facial hair, choosing to shave regularly if possible, and mild body hair. He's sometimes seen with charcoal or ink smudged on his face, and more often his hands.
Clothing/Armor: Arai normally wears a double breasted jerkin with a high standing oriental collar, which reaches just below his waist. It is a slightly saturated forest green, which fastens with three buckle clasps on his left side. It is made of dyed leather, with a soft cotton backing to make it more comfortable to wear. On the right side of his jerkin, below the arm, there is a series of thick, crossed stitches that connect the front piece to the back, but a small area at the bottom was not stitched closed, leaving a slit a few inches long on along the bottom hem. On the left side, because the two pieces are held closed with the buckles, there are no stitches present, allowing the overlapped pieces shift with movement.
Because his shirt is sleeveless, he travels with a cloak. Made of a thick koala sheep wool, and crafted by his mother a few years back. It is dyed an almost asparagus color, slightly greyer, with a brown leather buckle clasp at the neck. Its a decent length, coming to an end about his ankles, unless his pack is under it, which he does when the weather takes a turn for the worst, in which case the back of the cloak rides a bit higher. It’s seen some wear, having a few holes, and patches made of almost the same shade of green. It seems to have become a tradition that every time he returns home from a long trip, his mother will mend the cloak.
His pants are three-quarter in length, with a khaki coloring. Around the waist there are several loops of the same khaki material, which keep his belt in place. A bit of gathering occurs at the waist, showing they are in fact a bit larger than they need to be. The legs flare out a bit from the knee, but are bound mid-calf by thin leather strips. If he is wearing shoes, they are usually just simple zori sandals. Underfoot, a layer of traditional tatami covers a non-stained wooden base with a flat bottom. The thongs are a similar grayed asparagus color to his cloak, and rest between his big toe and his second. He wears no socks, and often slips off his sandals to feel the earth under his feet. On his hands, inch wide brown leather straps encircle his palms. He'll often tuck his writing utensils in these in the event he is sketching and bending simultaneously, which he sometimes does, creating small models for references.
When traveling, which seems to be happening more these days, he carries a large knapsack. It’s made of medium brown un-dyed leather, with thick stitches. The shoulder straps are reinforced with a bit of wool padding to provide a bit of cushioning. The sack itself has a generally rectangular shape. Most of the pockets are filled with inks, quills, charcoal, the largest, top compartment is reserved for paper and scrolls so the weight of other things, or the possibility that ink may spill, won't ruin them. Along with the tools of his trade, he carries a small bedroll, which is tied to the bottom of the pack, a small dinning set, rope, and flint.
Weapons: He's not had any formal combat training, and his bending form is a bit off, so other than basic earthbending, he wouldn't be very useful in a fight. He also carries a small knife in his backpack, which could be used if it was necessary.
Personality: When he was younger he had a great appetite for learning, wanting to bring in as much information as he could. Even today he is very curious, less now than when he was a child, since he’s learned about many of the day to day workings around him, but he is still attracted to things that are outside his realm of rural knowledge. When Arai is caught off guard by new things he is often amazed by how they work whether they are technological or natural, and tends to be distracted by them. His ability to be distracted, or become engrossed in a project can be trying for those around him, especially if he completely loses track of what the other person is saying, which has been known to happen.
He has learned the value of a hard day’s work, and still enjoys getting his hands dirty. He was taught to try to be in balance, mind and body, so as he has grown mentally, he tries to keep up, and not become lazy in the area of physical fitness. Traveling helps with this, as does the physical labor when he is working on construction. As long as he can improve himself, he is pretty at peace with the world.
Somewhat of an introvert, he isn’t bothered by silence, but enjoys friendly conversations, usually letting the other person do most of the talking. However, if the right subjects are brought up in conversation, sometimes he can’t shut up. He’s more than welcome to explain every detail and thought that went into his designs and exchange ideas with others to the point they can get annoyed or lose interest. He can take a hint though, and he’ll usually trail off or finish up what he’s saying so the other person doesn’t get too uncomfortable. His speech is generally casual, and in a tenor range, but he has enough sense to speak formally to those of importance.
He has a real knack for drawing and sketching, just about anything. When he was younger he was more inclined to draw creatures or people he met, though now, having secured a job as a builder, he usually is sketching ideas for buildings. Some are more realistic than others, ranging from one room houses which maximize space to fortresses or castles which he'd only be able to build in his wildest dreams.
Arai has a strange taste for spicier foods, and tends not to like much of anything that comes from the sea. He also has a habit for biting his fingernails, which is another reason they are so short. This is curbed from time to time however, when he finds his hands to be dirty. He has also discovered ink does not taste good...at all.
Background: Arai was born if a rather rural area near Kei Lan, to his parents, Kedar and Chitra Sayu who were in their late, and mid twenties. They were happy to have finally had a child after trying for so long, and were pleased to have had a son who would help with the work. He was raised on their ranch, which consisted of two fields, and a small wooded area. Near the edge of their property started the foothills of the mountains, which he was told to stay away from. They raised a herd of koala-sheep as their main source of income, selling and weaving their coats into thread, blankets, and clothing to sell at market. Kedar's father also lived on the ranch, which allowed Arai to be tutored rather than attend school in town. Arai's grandfather was a bender and a wise man, always encouraging him in both physical and mental tasks. One of the things which the boy seemed apt to was sketching, anything and everything he could find. At the age of 6 it was discovered that he too had the skill of earthbending. He wasn't overly gifted with it, but with practice, guided by his grandfather his skills improved gradually. He continued his lessons with his grandfather, basic mathematics, literature, and history, paired with the crane-style-like bending techniques.
When he became a bit older, he added ranch work to his repertoire, grooming, feeding, cleaning, and shepherding to help his father. He even learned some basic wool spinning and weaving techniques from his mother. All of these things he seemed to learn willingly, and even anxiously in some cases. His bending skills were slow-going, seeming to lag behind his academic skills.
His first really productive use of bending was when he was about ten, and was brought about when an earthquake disrupted the flow of groundwater to their family well. Together, Arai and his grandfather set to work in creating a new well, removing the soil and rocks through the use of bending. The small boy had made a sketch of a well, one of his own design. After a minor alteration to make the well function properly, his grandfather encouraged Arai’s creativity by deciding to follow the plans. His parents were quite proud of his little achievement, and Arai himself never forgot how he felt to see something he thought of brought to life. This fueled what would become his passion, architecture.
For many years he worked on the ranch, spending most of his days looking after the koala sheep in the fields, often taking a drawing set with him, jotting down observations and creating things on sheets of parchment. His room began to look more like a library than a sleeping area, something that didn't seem to bother him at all.
During one trip to market, they met a builder who was being commissioned to build a chapel on the outskirts of the town. Arai asked permission from both the builder and his father if it would be alright to join in the project as a laborer. After learning the teenager was a bender, and interested in construction, the man didn’t take much more convincing. So for two months he stayed with the man, who turned out to be good at his job, but at the same time, Arai found his buildings and blueprints…stale. Functional yes, but that was about it. They had no flow, no…soul. Luckily, during this time, he was able to meet a few other architects, through the foreman’s social networks. One in particular had caught Arai’s attention, Saritdikhun Somasa.
He was absolutely captivated with some of the work’s he’d been involved in designing. After discussing it with his parents, he sent a letter to Sarit, requesting an apprenticeship. The master builder had been intrigued by some of the sample sketches Arai had sent him along with the request, and decided to accept Arai into his studio. From the age of 17 he has worked under, and with the architect, improving his skills. He had very little time to himself; Sarit always found ways to keep him busy, only allowing him genuine free time to roam the city after a year’s service. As a young man with a bit of free time in the city, he was a bit naïve about things and after a bad experience with alcohol, he’s pretty much sworn off the stuff. He also has very little experience with women, having been homeschooled on a ranch. There was however, one girl who seemed interested in Arai, the daughter of an innkeeper where he and his master were staying for a short while. However, after the new dam had been completed, his master was called to the next project. Though he and the innkeeper’s daughter weren’t overly serious with their relationship, Arai was a bit surprised to find she had become engaged by the time he passed through the town once more, a few months later. He knew he shouldn’t have been surprised though, he hadn’t kept contact, and there are plenty more interesting guys in the world, ones with less traveling in their future.
During the seven year apprenticeship, Arai gained many skills, and tricks of the trade, and fair portion of the buildings commissioned were those intended for military use by the Thunderfist Battalion, based out of Kei Lan, giving Arai a bit of experience in reading military blueprints. Because of their protection, the general area which Arai lives is generally unharmed by the Fire Nation Army, being so rural. However, after the recent invasion, the area has all felt the effects of the war, and rebuilding has become a very necessary profession, restoring the buildings which were damaged.
His bending skills have improved a bit with use in the construction projects, and he fills just as many notebooks and scrolls as he did in his younger days. In the last year of his apprenticeship Sarit allowed Arai to manage a few smaller scale projects under his banner, so his name got little mention, being overshadowed by such a great man. Now that his apprenticeship has ended, he’s downgraded a bit, returning home.
It’s only been a few months since he left the master architect, and he’s only worked on a few very local projects, beautiful, but mostly unseen by large amounts of people. He may be new to the professional world of the architects, but he’s hoping to get a few more jobs in the near future, and start a small business of his own.
Sample RP: The plans for the new town hall were stretched out before him on the table which had been provided for him. Several stones had been placed on the corners to help flatten it, and discourage the occasional wind which threatened to carry it off. Arai was bent over the plans, with a compass, checking over the dimensions for the fifth time, muttering the numbers quietly to no one but himself.
"Oy," one of the builders approached the table, a tall man with a great amount of bulk to him, "that shipment of lumber just came in from the docks, where did you want them to put it?" The brunette looked up from the papers, stretching to a stand, his back cracking a few times in the process. "Ah, good. Yeah, you can have them put it over by the south corner of the church, it should be out of the way there, and they gave us the whole area to work." The man nodded briefly, and went off without further question.
Arai always got a bit nervous, and excited when a build was starting. It was the fact that one of his ideas, his sketches, was becoming a real...and he intended to make it as true to his vision as he could. He really did love his job, and was grateful that he had been allowed to pursue it.
Age:24
Gender:Male
Group: Earth Kingdom Citizens
Nation: Earth Kingdom
Bender?: Yes
Physical Appearance: Arai reaches about six foot even when he's standing at his full height, though he has been known to slouch, especially when he's engrossed in something. Weighing in at around 170 pounds,he has little fat on his frame, which shows off what muscle he's accumulated over the years of work. His skin also reflects his productive past. Having a pretty formidable tan from spending most of his time outside, its a sandy brown color. There are a few scars on his body, lighter than the rest of his skin, mostly scrapes from childhood on knees and elbows, small job incidents, nothing fantastic. His hands are toughened from work, with long fingers which remain dexterous, his left being a bit rougher, as this is his dominant hand. His nails are usually dirty, either from dirt or charcoal, but kept short for convenience's sake. His thigh and calf muscles are defined, having traveled a lot in his time. His feet have also become rougher, calloused, since he is often seen without shoes.
His head is elongated, and the shape of his jawline is fairly narrow, coming to a rounded point at his chin. Arai's nose is a bit long, placing his thin lips lower on his face, which gives him a mature, or wise look to his young face. His hunter green eyes are wider than they are tall, showing a general calm, save for when he's greatly amused or angered by something. His dark brown eyebrows are somewhat thick, though are sometimes hidden by his lengthy bangs. Being the same dark sepia, his mop of hair extends nearly to his shoulders, usually a bit scraggly or unkempt. His 'bangs' technically aren't bangs, as they are the same length of the rest of his hair, the only difference being they fall in chunks around his face, splitting around his eyes. On occasion, he'll pull his hair back in a rather short pony-tail, which creates a poof only few inches long. When he does this the strands nearest his face usually aren't long enough to reach the pony-tail, still falling around his facial features. Normally, he has no facial hair, choosing to shave regularly if possible, and mild body hair. He's sometimes seen with charcoal or ink smudged on his face, and more often his hands.
Clothing/Armor: Arai normally wears a double breasted jerkin with a high standing oriental collar, which reaches just below his waist. It is a slightly saturated forest green, which fastens with three buckle clasps on his left side. It is made of dyed leather, with a soft cotton backing to make it more comfortable to wear. On the right side of his jerkin, below the arm, there is a series of thick, crossed stitches that connect the front piece to the back, but a small area at the bottom was not stitched closed, leaving a slit a few inches long on along the bottom hem. On the left side, because the two pieces are held closed with the buckles, there are no stitches present, allowing the overlapped pieces shift with movement.
Because his shirt is sleeveless, he travels with a cloak. Made of a thick koala sheep wool, and crafted by his mother a few years back. It is dyed an almost asparagus color, slightly greyer, with a brown leather buckle clasp at the neck. Its a decent length, coming to an end about his ankles, unless his pack is under it, which he does when the weather takes a turn for the worst, in which case the back of the cloak rides a bit higher. It’s seen some wear, having a few holes, and patches made of almost the same shade of green. It seems to have become a tradition that every time he returns home from a long trip, his mother will mend the cloak.
His pants are three-quarter in length, with a khaki coloring. Around the waist there are several loops of the same khaki material, which keep his belt in place. A bit of gathering occurs at the waist, showing they are in fact a bit larger than they need to be. The legs flare out a bit from the knee, but are bound mid-calf by thin leather strips. If he is wearing shoes, they are usually just simple zori sandals. Underfoot, a layer of traditional tatami covers a non-stained wooden base with a flat bottom. The thongs are a similar grayed asparagus color to his cloak, and rest between his big toe and his second. He wears no socks, and often slips off his sandals to feel the earth under his feet. On his hands, inch wide brown leather straps encircle his palms. He'll often tuck his writing utensils in these in the event he is sketching and bending simultaneously, which he sometimes does, creating small models for references.
When traveling, which seems to be happening more these days, he carries a large knapsack. It’s made of medium brown un-dyed leather, with thick stitches. The shoulder straps are reinforced with a bit of wool padding to provide a bit of cushioning. The sack itself has a generally rectangular shape. Most of the pockets are filled with inks, quills, charcoal, the largest, top compartment is reserved for paper and scrolls so the weight of other things, or the possibility that ink may spill, won't ruin them. Along with the tools of his trade, he carries a small bedroll, which is tied to the bottom of the pack, a small dinning set, rope, and flint.
Weapons: He's not had any formal combat training, and his bending form is a bit off, so other than basic earthbending, he wouldn't be very useful in a fight. He also carries a small knife in his backpack, which could be used if it was necessary.
Personality: When he was younger he had a great appetite for learning, wanting to bring in as much information as he could. Even today he is very curious, less now than when he was a child, since he’s learned about many of the day to day workings around him, but he is still attracted to things that are outside his realm of rural knowledge. When Arai is caught off guard by new things he is often amazed by how they work whether they are technological or natural, and tends to be distracted by them. His ability to be distracted, or become engrossed in a project can be trying for those around him, especially if he completely loses track of what the other person is saying, which has been known to happen.
He has learned the value of a hard day’s work, and still enjoys getting his hands dirty. He was taught to try to be in balance, mind and body, so as he has grown mentally, he tries to keep up, and not become lazy in the area of physical fitness. Traveling helps with this, as does the physical labor when he is working on construction. As long as he can improve himself, he is pretty at peace with the world.
Somewhat of an introvert, he isn’t bothered by silence, but enjoys friendly conversations, usually letting the other person do most of the talking. However, if the right subjects are brought up in conversation, sometimes he can’t shut up. He’s more than welcome to explain every detail and thought that went into his designs and exchange ideas with others to the point they can get annoyed or lose interest. He can take a hint though, and he’ll usually trail off or finish up what he’s saying so the other person doesn’t get too uncomfortable. His speech is generally casual, and in a tenor range, but he has enough sense to speak formally to those of importance.
He has a real knack for drawing and sketching, just about anything. When he was younger he was more inclined to draw creatures or people he met, though now, having secured a job as a builder, he usually is sketching ideas for buildings. Some are more realistic than others, ranging from one room houses which maximize space to fortresses or castles which he'd only be able to build in his wildest dreams.
Arai has a strange taste for spicier foods, and tends not to like much of anything that comes from the sea. He also has a habit for biting his fingernails, which is another reason they are so short. This is curbed from time to time however, when he finds his hands to be dirty. He has also discovered ink does not taste good...at all.
Background: Arai was born if a rather rural area near Kei Lan, to his parents, Kedar and Chitra Sayu who were in their late, and mid twenties. They were happy to have finally had a child after trying for so long, and were pleased to have had a son who would help with the work. He was raised on their ranch, which consisted of two fields, and a small wooded area. Near the edge of their property started the foothills of the mountains, which he was told to stay away from. They raised a herd of koala-sheep as their main source of income, selling and weaving their coats into thread, blankets, and clothing to sell at market. Kedar's father also lived on the ranch, which allowed Arai to be tutored rather than attend school in town. Arai's grandfather was a bender and a wise man, always encouraging him in both physical and mental tasks. One of the things which the boy seemed apt to was sketching, anything and everything he could find. At the age of 6 it was discovered that he too had the skill of earthbending. He wasn't overly gifted with it, but with practice, guided by his grandfather his skills improved gradually. He continued his lessons with his grandfather, basic mathematics, literature, and history, paired with the crane-style-like bending techniques.
When he became a bit older, he added ranch work to his repertoire, grooming, feeding, cleaning, and shepherding to help his father. He even learned some basic wool spinning and weaving techniques from his mother. All of these things he seemed to learn willingly, and even anxiously in some cases. His bending skills were slow-going, seeming to lag behind his academic skills.
His first really productive use of bending was when he was about ten, and was brought about when an earthquake disrupted the flow of groundwater to their family well. Together, Arai and his grandfather set to work in creating a new well, removing the soil and rocks through the use of bending. The small boy had made a sketch of a well, one of his own design. After a minor alteration to make the well function properly, his grandfather encouraged Arai’s creativity by deciding to follow the plans. His parents were quite proud of his little achievement, and Arai himself never forgot how he felt to see something he thought of brought to life. This fueled what would become his passion, architecture.
For many years he worked on the ranch, spending most of his days looking after the koala sheep in the fields, often taking a drawing set with him, jotting down observations and creating things on sheets of parchment. His room began to look more like a library than a sleeping area, something that didn't seem to bother him at all.
During one trip to market, they met a builder who was being commissioned to build a chapel on the outskirts of the town. Arai asked permission from both the builder and his father if it would be alright to join in the project as a laborer. After learning the teenager was a bender, and interested in construction, the man didn’t take much more convincing. So for two months he stayed with the man, who turned out to be good at his job, but at the same time, Arai found his buildings and blueprints…stale. Functional yes, but that was about it. They had no flow, no…soul. Luckily, during this time, he was able to meet a few other architects, through the foreman’s social networks. One in particular had caught Arai’s attention, Saritdikhun Somasa.
He was absolutely captivated with some of the work’s he’d been involved in designing. After discussing it with his parents, he sent a letter to Sarit, requesting an apprenticeship. The master builder had been intrigued by some of the sample sketches Arai had sent him along with the request, and decided to accept Arai into his studio. From the age of 17 he has worked under, and with the architect, improving his skills. He had very little time to himself; Sarit always found ways to keep him busy, only allowing him genuine free time to roam the city after a year’s service. As a young man with a bit of free time in the city, he was a bit naïve about things and after a bad experience with alcohol, he’s pretty much sworn off the stuff. He also has very little experience with women, having been homeschooled on a ranch. There was however, one girl who seemed interested in Arai, the daughter of an innkeeper where he and his master were staying for a short while. However, after the new dam had been completed, his master was called to the next project. Though he and the innkeeper’s daughter weren’t overly serious with their relationship, Arai was a bit surprised to find she had become engaged by the time he passed through the town once more, a few months later. He knew he shouldn’t have been surprised though, he hadn’t kept contact, and there are plenty more interesting guys in the world, ones with less traveling in their future.
During the seven year apprenticeship, Arai gained many skills, and tricks of the trade, and fair portion of the buildings commissioned were those intended for military use by the Thunderfist Battalion, based out of Kei Lan, giving Arai a bit of experience in reading military blueprints. Because of their protection, the general area which Arai lives is generally unharmed by the Fire Nation Army, being so rural. However, after the recent invasion, the area has all felt the effects of the war, and rebuilding has become a very necessary profession, restoring the buildings which were damaged.
His bending skills have improved a bit with use in the construction projects, and he fills just as many notebooks and scrolls as he did in his younger days. In the last year of his apprenticeship Sarit allowed Arai to manage a few smaller scale projects under his banner, so his name got little mention, being overshadowed by such a great man. Now that his apprenticeship has ended, he’s downgraded a bit, returning home.
It’s only been a few months since he left the master architect, and he’s only worked on a few very local projects, beautiful, but mostly unseen by large amounts of people. He may be new to the professional world of the architects, but he’s hoping to get a few more jobs in the near future, and start a small business of his own.
Sample RP: The plans for the new town hall were stretched out before him on the table which had been provided for him. Several stones had been placed on the corners to help flatten it, and discourage the occasional wind which threatened to carry it off. Arai was bent over the plans, with a compass, checking over the dimensions for the fifth time, muttering the numbers quietly to no one but himself.
"Oy," one of the builders approached the table, a tall man with a great amount of bulk to him, "that shipment of lumber just came in from the docks, where did you want them to put it?" The brunette looked up from the papers, stretching to a stand, his back cracking a few times in the process. "Ah, good. Yeah, you can have them put it over by the south corner of the church, it should be out of the way there, and they gave us the whole area to work." The man nodded briefly, and went off without further question.
Arai always got a bit nervous, and excited when a build was starting. It was the fact that one of his ideas, his sketches, was becoming a real...and he intended to make it as true to his vision as he could. He really did love his job, and was grateful that he had been allowed to pursue it.