Post by aden on Feb 25, 2007 0:35:38 GMT -5
Name: Aang
Age: 12 (~112)
Gender: Male
Nation: Air Nomad
Bender?: Avatar
Physical Appearance: Aang is small of stature, standing just over 5 feet tall with a slim, wiry build. He has very little body fat, but also has very little definition. His hands and feet are slender and graceful, though his feet seem small even relative to his tiny frame. If he really tried he could probably show off some muscle, but to most casual observation he’s simply skinny.
Aang keeps his head cleanly shaved and devoid of all hair except his eyebrows. If let grow, it would be a light brown in color, though even he hasn’t seen himself with hair since he was a toddler. He has a very round head with large ears and a small, softly pointed chin. He has large grey eyes that are almost always filled with spirit, and a small, slightly upturned nose that seems to make his eyes all the bigger by comparison.
The Avatar’s most notable feature, however, are his airbending master tattoos. Light, sky blue ink forms a series of arrows that travel along his entire body. The most noticeable being the arrow with its point located on his forehead with its tip pointing down toward his face. A blue line approximately 1.5 inches thick extends from the bottom of the arrow, straight back over his head and down his neck and spine. It ends just under his waistline at the base of his vertebrae. Two more arrows decorate the backs of his hands, their tails extending along his arms and their ends disappearing around his tricep and under his arm. The last pieces of the tattoos have their arrows located atop his feet with their tails trailing up his shins. They swing around his legs starting around the knees and continue up his hamstrings to join with the tattoo that ends at his spine.
The tattoos symbolize the flow of oxygen and chi throughout the body, and are a fitting symbol for one who has mastered an element that depends so much on circulation and flow.
Clothing/Armor: Despite being the last of his people, Aang still wears clothing straight from the days when the Air Nomads were alive and thriving. It is the same outfit he wore almost one hundred years ago and that he was wearing on the fateful day he was frozen.
Aang’s first layer of clothing consists of a pair of briefs made from a dark brown, cotton-like cloth. Above that, he wears a pair of slightly lighter tan breeches that are loose-fitting but not baggy. The pants, however, are unique from nearly any other culture in that there is a second layer of fabric attached to them at the waist and knee. This second layer of cloth is of a lightweight, yet durable fabric and is dyed bright yellow. It only covers the front and sides of his legs, as well as a little in the back near his waistline. They are designed especially for an airbender and can be inflated with wind to provide lift, slow a fall, or even allow for bending enhanced running and leaps. These pants tuck into brown cloth boots with soft soles. They weren’t designed for heavy walking, though they’ve managed to survive the Avatar’s lengthy journey in tact.
Aang’s shirt follows the same basic function as his pants. A bright yellow shirt makes up the first layer. It fits closely, but not skin tight and has a high, wide collar that it cut to the neckline in the front. It has long sleeves that are loose at his upper arm, but fitted close at his forearm. A pair of red-orange bands secure the shirt at his wrists and elbows. Above this base shirt is a red-orange shawl-like flap that covers the upper half of his torso, shoulders, back, and upper arms. It tucks into the bands at his elbows and has a small slit on the front starting at the bottom and running almost up to his neck.
Finally, he wears a red-orange sash around his waist to hold everything in place.
Weapons: Aang is pacifistic for the most part and doesn’t like to cause lasting harm to anyone. However, he does find the use of a specially-crafted airbending staff to come in handy. The staff was made by the monks of the Southern Air Temple and serves a dual-purpose. In its normal, collapsed form, the staff stands about 6 feet tall with a rectangular cross-section. It is made from light, flexible wood that has a deal of hardness to it and is rich mahogany in color. About a foot from each end is located a small, diamond-shaped joint. There are two pins side-by-side in these joints that fasten the internal spokes of a gliding wing and tail fan.
With his airbending, Aang can cause these these spokes to spring out. This creates to extending fan-like wings with which he can glide on air currents like a bird. The larger wing spans from one joint to the other, while the smaller extends from that second joint to the end of the staff.
Personality: Aang, above all other things, loves to have fun. As a child growing up under the care of wizened monks he has always been taught to free his mind from worldly concerns. It takes something quiet severe to dampen his spirits, and even then it’s not long before a smile finds its way back onto his face. Aang enjoys nothing more than the company of his friends and would do anything to ensure their safety. He is spiritual and pacifistic whenever peace is an option. He likes to spend long hours in meditation and will always seek to exhaust his enemies with kindness and fair treatment.
However, despite all his teachings and wise council he’s received over the years, Aang is still just a child and has much to learn. Often times his thoughts stray easily from the task at hand and he will abandon a more important objective for a temporary thrill. He loves animals and has a habit of biting off more than he can chew when it comes to socializing with large or dangerous creatures. Aang is not above playing pranks on his friends, but he generally knows where to draw the line. He can also make rash decisions when he feels particularly scared or guilty. One thing that he fears more than anything else is losing those he’s come to love in a world where he has no home to turn to.
As an Avatar, Aang also feels a strong sense of duty to the world. He knows the burden that has been placed on him, but makes every effort he can to face it with all his strength and skill. He is dedicated to his training, but can sometimes feel overwhelmed by the responsibility that comes with such power.
Finally, Aang is also a bit of a hopeless romantic. At his age he is only just beginning to explore thoughts of love, but already he feels a strong attachment to the Water Tribe girl, Katara. He doesn’t necessarily hide his feelings, but he has difficulty expressing them in a coherent manner. His inexperience leads him to phrase his thoughts on the matter in very awkward terms most of the time, and this discomfort with intimacy makes him a little shy about love. Deep down though, he never stops loving and continues to try and make sure Katara knows it too.
Background: Born before the great war ever started, Aang was raised by the world’s last generation of Air Nomads. Like all young Airbenders, Aang’s life began at the Eastern Air Temple under the loving care of the Temple’s sisterhood of monks. Aang never actually knew his father, but that was common among the spiritual Nomads. They placed no concern on the identity of biological parents, and instead they felt that the entire community was responsible for the well-being of each child. Sister Iio was the highest ranking Sister at the temple, and because of this she became a default Mother figure for most of the children at the temple.
Aang’s early days at the Eastern Temple were fairly carefree. It was also one of the few times in his young life that he’s ever been around girls his age. The Air Nomads kept the boys and girls strictly separated, but there were still chance meetings. Unfortunately, Aang’s lack of exposure to the opposite gender makes him somewhat clueless to the mental workings of girls. However, this didn’t matter much to Aang. He spent his days at the temple playing with toys and friends, learning the basics of Air Nomad teachings, and generally just having fun. Unbeknownst to Aang, though, even at that young age, the elders of the temple had recognized the Avatar Spirit within him. His choice of toys, seemingly a trivial matter, had matched perfectly with the personal belongings of young Avatars past. The elders never informed Aang of this, but they made sure to keep a close eye on his from then on.
At the age of 4, Aang met his animal guide and lifelong friend in the form of a Sky-Bison he named Appa. The young boy and sky-bison formed an immediate bond that intertwined their souls from that day forward. In the following months, Appa grew large and strong. By the time Aang turned 5, he was big enough to ride. At the age, Aang and his peers, all of whom were within a month or so of birthdate (because of the breeding habits of the segregated male and female temples) were relocated to the Southern Air Temple to begin their training as Airbenders. Aang was unsure about leaving the only place he’d ever known as home, but the Sisters of the Eastern Temple had long taught him about the wonders of the world and assured him that all would be well. Figuring he would return some day anyway, Aang saddled up on Appa and made the journey with a dozen or so of his male peers to the South.
Aang felt a little out of place at first. There were no women anywhere at the temple, and several of the Masters didn’t seem to be as fond of his usual antics as the Sisters were. However, there were some monks there who seemed to share his free spirit, namely a kind old man by the name of Gyattso. Gyattso became a sort of father figure to the young Aang. After the first few years of training in airbending, Aang began to study directly under Gyattso by himself. Unsurprisingly to the monks of the temple, Aang’s natural affinity for bending allowed him to progress much more rapidly than his classmates.
During these years, Aang’s main goal was still to have as much fun as possible. He was the most sought-after pick when he friends made teams for airball. Appa and Aang continued to become close friends and soon enough they were practically reading each other’s minds. Appa could understood Aang’s every word and Aang could feel Appa’s every mood. Shortly after his 10th birthday, Aang had reached the level of an Airbending Master. He was the youngest bender in the Temple’s history to have achieved such a feat, and his rank was commemorated with the ceremonial arrow tattoos. The process took two painful months to complete, but Aang managed to survive the sometimes problematic procedure and became a full-fledged master. With that title, Aang was granted permission to travel around the world with some of the other Air Nomads who often made journeys to various spiritual locations in the other nations.
He and a few of his friends even made a trip one year all the way to the Northern Air Temple to compete in the World Airball championships. It was held only once every 4 years, and though they were young, they still gave the reigning champions a run for their money. Aang was recognized at the most valuable player on his team. On the way back, Aang and some of the Air Nomads made a stop in the Fire Nation. It began as a short pilgrimage to the Temple of the Avatar, perhaps an attempt by the monks to familiarize Aang with his destiny, but the traveling band was offered a chance to visit the Fire Lord’s palace. At the time, the Fire Lord was a respected and honorable man who felt it was a good chance to strengthen his Nation’s bonds with the Air Nomads. The group of Nomads, under monk Gyattso, humbly accepted the invitation and became guests of the Fire Lord.
Aang was awed by the impressive capital city of the much more industrial Nation. He was unused to seeing so many people living in one place. However, during his short stay, he met a young boy only slightly older than him named Kuzon. Kuzon was the son of a wealthy spice merchant in the city and shared Aang’s love for fun. The two spent several weeks terrorizing the citizens of the town with pranks. They got into a good deal of trouble, but they always made up for any harm they caused, and most of their victims would come to laugh at their own misfortune in time. However, while Aang’s time in the Fire Nation was full of fond memories, Gyattso and the other senior monk who was with him became aware that the Fire Lord’s son, Sozhin was nothing like his honorable father. More than once they had overheard the ambitious young prince remarking negatively on the presence of Airbenders in the Palace. Sozhin was a nationalist, and his burning desire for the throne was nearly transparent. When the monks decided it was time to leave and Aang had to say good bye to his new friend, Gyattso and the others had a bad feeling about the future Fire lord.
They made one more stop in Omashu on their way back to the Southern Temple. The monks felt more at home in the Earth Kingdom city whose towering buildings reminded them of their mountain homes. The people were also much more friendly and easy-going than in the business-oriented Fire Nation capital. Aang found another friend her in the form of an eccentric young boy by the name of Bumi. Much like with Kuzon, Aang only had a month or so of time to get to know him, but he and Bumi had many fond memories. Most notably, the two would use Omashu’s mail delivery system as a giant super slide for their own amusement, much to the chagrin of the benders to operated the chutes.
During Aang’s last year at the Southern Temple, he had all but completed his airbending training. The monks had taught him all there was to learn and there was nothing left for him to do but just practice until his technique was perfect. However, Aang’s life took a dramatic twist when, on his 12th birthday, the Monks revealed to him that he was indeed the Avatar. Word had reached the Air Nomads that Sozhin had become the new Fire Lord and was beginning to arm his country for war. Knowing that the ambitious Fire Prince would seek to take advantage of the fact that the Avatar had not yet reached his full power, the monks realized that Aang had to expedite his training so that he would be capable of stopping an attack from the Fire Nation.
Aang was surprised to learn of his identity, but he hoped that he would still be able to keep living his life as he had. Unfortunately, that was not to be so. The other children of the temple began excluding him from some of their games, claiming that whatever side had the avatar would hold an unfair advantage. Some of the monks began to try and drill him relentlessly on advanced techniques. Only Monk Gyattso, Aang’s guardian, argued that it was in the young Avatar’s best interest that his life be as normal as possible. He made sure to give Aang rest when he needed it, and allowed him to have fun whenever he could.
The other monks, however, felt that the fate of the world was more important than Aang having a normal life. They decided to separate Aang from Gyattso and send Aang to the Eastern Temple to complete his training. Aang learned of this, though, and decided that he would not be forced into the fate the monks had outlined for him. He didn’t want the responsibility, and so he ran. Leaving a note for Gyattso, he saddled up on Appa and took off with no particular destination in mind. However, before he even had time to second-guess his decision, he found himself caught in a terrible storm. The wind and rain and massive waves pushed him down into the ocean as he tried to get away from the temple. There was no way to escape, until his Avatar Spirit was triggered by necessity. Acting subconsciously, he froze himself and Appa in ice and was lost to the world.
After 100 years of drifting, frozen in an iceberg, Aang ended up in the South Pole. The world around him had descended into violence and war with the Fire Nation nearing victory. Aang would have remained in that iceberg forever had not a pair of Water Tribe children found him completely by accident. The girl, Katara, had freed Aang from his icy prison, and from there, the story began….
Sample RP: “That spot looks good!” Aang called out of the sound of rushing wind as Appa made his swift descent toward a clearing up ahead. There was a stream cutting through the forest with an area along the bank large enough for the massive Sky-bison to land and rest from a long day’s flight. The young Avatar looked over his shoulder from his perch at the front of Appa’s saddle, smiling widely. Katara and Sokka, however, seemed to have been napping previously and were rubbing the sleep from their eyes. “Wake up, Katara,” Aang said cheerfully, grinning at the Water Tribe girl, “There’s a stream down there. Maybe you can teach me some more waterbending once we set up camp?”
A yawn escaped Katara’s mouth as she stretched the stiffness out of her joints and sat up fully. “Sounds good,” she grunted halfway through her stretch. And tossed her another grin before turning back to look ahead as Appa circled around once to bring them into an easy landing. His six legs had hardly touched the ground, though, before Aang hopped off the sky-bison’s back and summoned a strong gust of wind underneath him as he started to descend. The folds of Aang’s voluminous clothing inflated from the force of the updraft and slowed his fall into a gentle descent. He touched down lightly and turned immediately toward his companions.
“Last one out of the saddle makes dinner!” he proclaimed, laughing slightly. A grumble from Appa’s back signified that Sokka was awake, but Katara was the only one he saw moving. The waterbender made her way off the back edge of the saddle and climbed down Appa’s wide tail to the ground. “Looks like Sokka’s making the food,” Aang said, placing his hands on his hips, “Which means we’ve got plenty of time to practice some of those cool moves on the Advanced scrolls!”
Katara allowed a slight smile to cross her face as she approached the Avatar. She was still rubbing the last remnants of sleep from her eyes. “Alright,” she agreed. “Let’s just unpack, then give me a minute to change and we’ll get to work.” Aang slumped his shoulders and jutted out his bottom lip in an exaggerated expression of defeat. He gave his saddest puppy face he could muster, but Katara just smirked and folded her arms over her chest. Realizing she wasn’t taking the hook, Aang decided to change his tactics.
“Okay!” he suddenly exclaimed, perking up in an instant. His face regained its usual smile as he turned his attention toward Appa. He stepped toward the giant bison with his left leg, dropped his hands low, and then swung them up and to the side. A burst of wind surged around him and squeezed under the saddle. A cry from inside the saddle alerted the group that Sokka was now fully awake, but it didn’t stop Aang from lifting the saddle right off Appa’s back and dropping it onto the ground beside him. “There!” he said cheerfully, “All unpacked. Now let’s go!” He ran over to the saddle, ignoring Sokka’s rumbling complaints, and grabbed the box that contained the waterbending scrolls from the Northern tribe. He presented the box to Katara, who was stifling a laugh at her brother, and finally gave in to Aang’s persistence.
“Alright,” the Water Tribe girl caved in, “I’ll get by bathing suit…” Aang had already begun pulling his shirt over his head as Katara finished speaking and was heading toward the water with only his pants. She shook her head slightly at the Avatar’s eagerness and went behind Appa to get changed.
Age: 12 (~112)
Gender: Male
Nation: Air Nomad
Bender?: Avatar
Physical Appearance: Aang is small of stature, standing just over 5 feet tall with a slim, wiry build. He has very little body fat, but also has very little definition. His hands and feet are slender and graceful, though his feet seem small even relative to his tiny frame. If he really tried he could probably show off some muscle, but to most casual observation he’s simply skinny.
Aang keeps his head cleanly shaved and devoid of all hair except his eyebrows. If let grow, it would be a light brown in color, though even he hasn’t seen himself with hair since he was a toddler. He has a very round head with large ears and a small, softly pointed chin. He has large grey eyes that are almost always filled with spirit, and a small, slightly upturned nose that seems to make his eyes all the bigger by comparison.
The Avatar’s most notable feature, however, are his airbending master tattoos. Light, sky blue ink forms a series of arrows that travel along his entire body. The most noticeable being the arrow with its point located on his forehead with its tip pointing down toward his face. A blue line approximately 1.5 inches thick extends from the bottom of the arrow, straight back over his head and down his neck and spine. It ends just under his waistline at the base of his vertebrae. Two more arrows decorate the backs of his hands, their tails extending along his arms and their ends disappearing around his tricep and under his arm. The last pieces of the tattoos have their arrows located atop his feet with their tails trailing up his shins. They swing around his legs starting around the knees and continue up his hamstrings to join with the tattoo that ends at his spine.
The tattoos symbolize the flow of oxygen and chi throughout the body, and are a fitting symbol for one who has mastered an element that depends so much on circulation and flow.
Clothing/Armor: Despite being the last of his people, Aang still wears clothing straight from the days when the Air Nomads were alive and thriving. It is the same outfit he wore almost one hundred years ago and that he was wearing on the fateful day he was frozen.
Aang’s first layer of clothing consists of a pair of briefs made from a dark brown, cotton-like cloth. Above that, he wears a pair of slightly lighter tan breeches that are loose-fitting but not baggy. The pants, however, are unique from nearly any other culture in that there is a second layer of fabric attached to them at the waist and knee. This second layer of cloth is of a lightweight, yet durable fabric and is dyed bright yellow. It only covers the front and sides of his legs, as well as a little in the back near his waistline. They are designed especially for an airbender and can be inflated with wind to provide lift, slow a fall, or even allow for bending enhanced running and leaps. These pants tuck into brown cloth boots with soft soles. They weren’t designed for heavy walking, though they’ve managed to survive the Avatar’s lengthy journey in tact.
Aang’s shirt follows the same basic function as his pants. A bright yellow shirt makes up the first layer. It fits closely, but not skin tight and has a high, wide collar that it cut to the neckline in the front. It has long sleeves that are loose at his upper arm, but fitted close at his forearm. A pair of red-orange bands secure the shirt at his wrists and elbows. Above this base shirt is a red-orange shawl-like flap that covers the upper half of his torso, shoulders, back, and upper arms. It tucks into the bands at his elbows and has a small slit on the front starting at the bottom and running almost up to his neck.
Finally, he wears a red-orange sash around his waist to hold everything in place.
Weapons: Aang is pacifistic for the most part and doesn’t like to cause lasting harm to anyone. However, he does find the use of a specially-crafted airbending staff to come in handy. The staff was made by the monks of the Southern Air Temple and serves a dual-purpose. In its normal, collapsed form, the staff stands about 6 feet tall with a rectangular cross-section. It is made from light, flexible wood that has a deal of hardness to it and is rich mahogany in color. About a foot from each end is located a small, diamond-shaped joint. There are two pins side-by-side in these joints that fasten the internal spokes of a gliding wing and tail fan.
With his airbending, Aang can cause these these spokes to spring out. This creates to extending fan-like wings with which he can glide on air currents like a bird. The larger wing spans from one joint to the other, while the smaller extends from that second joint to the end of the staff.
Personality: Aang, above all other things, loves to have fun. As a child growing up under the care of wizened monks he has always been taught to free his mind from worldly concerns. It takes something quiet severe to dampen his spirits, and even then it’s not long before a smile finds its way back onto his face. Aang enjoys nothing more than the company of his friends and would do anything to ensure their safety. He is spiritual and pacifistic whenever peace is an option. He likes to spend long hours in meditation and will always seek to exhaust his enemies with kindness and fair treatment.
However, despite all his teachings and wise council he’s received over the years, Aang is still just a child and has much to learn. Often times his thoughts stray easily from the task at hand and he will abandon a more important objective for a temporary thrill. He loves animals and has a habit of biting off more than he can chew when it comes to socializing with large or dangerous creatures. Aang is not above playing pranks on his friends, but he generally knows where to draw the line. He can also make rash decisions when he feels particularly scared or guilty. One thing that he fears more than anything else is losing those he’s come to love in a world where he has no home to turn to.
As an Avatar, Aang also feels a strong sense of duty to the world. He knows the burden that has been placed on him, but makes every effort he can to face it with all his strength and skill. He is dedicated to his training, but can sometimes feel overwhelmed by the responsibility that comes with such power.
Finally, Aang is also a bit of a hopeless romantic. At his age he is only just beginning to explore thoughts of love, but already he feels a strong attachment to the Water Tribe girl, Katara. He doesn’t necessarily hide his feelings, but he has difficulty expressing them in a coherent manner. His inexperience leads him to phrase his thoughts on the matter in very awkward terms most of the time, and this discomfort with intimacy makes him a little shy about love. Deep down though, he never stops loving and continues to try and make sure Katara knows it too.
Background: Born before the great war ever started, Aang was raised by the world’s last generation of Air Nomads. Like all young Airbenders, Aang’s life began at the Eastern Air Temple under the loving care of the Temple’s sisterhood of monks. Aang never actually knew his father, but that was common among the spiritual Nomads. They placed no concern on the identity of biological parents, and instead they felt that the entire community was responsible for the well-being of each child. Sister Iio was the highest ranking Sister at the temple, and because of this she became a default Mother figure for most of the children at the temple.
Aang’s early days at the Eastern Temple were fairly carefree. It was also one of the few times in his young life that he’s ever been around girls his age. The Air Nomads kept the boys and girls strictly separated, but there were still chance meetings. Unfortunately, Aang’s lack of exposure to the opposite gender makes him somewhat clueless to the mental workings of girls. However, this didn’t matter much to Aang. He spent his days at the temple playing with toys and friends, learning the basics of Air Nomad teachings, and generally just having fun. Unbeknownst to Aang, though, even at that young age, the elders of the temple had recognized the Avatar Spirit within him. His choice of toys, seemingly a trivial matter, had matched perfectly with the personal belongings of young Avatars past. The elders never informed Aang of this, but they made sure to keep a close eye on his from then on.
At the age of 4, Aang met his animal guide and lifelong friend in the form of a Sky-Bison he named Appa. The young boy and sky-bison formed an immediate bond that intertwined their souls from that day forward. In the following months, Appa grew large and strong. By the time Aang turned 5, he was big enough to ride. At the age, Aang and his peers, all of whom were within a month or so of birthdate (because of the breeding habits of the segregated male and female temples) were relocated to the Southern Air Temple to begin their training as Airbenders. Aang was unsure about leaving the only place he’d ever known as home, but the Sisters of the Eastern Temple had long taught him about the wonders of the world and assured him that all would be well. Figuring he would return some day anyway, Aang saddled up on Appa and made the journey with a dozen or so of his male peers to the South.
Aang felt a little out of place at first. There were no women anywhere at the temple, and several of the Masters didn’t seem to be as fond of his usual antics as the Sisters were. However, there were some monks there who seemed to share his free spirit, namely a kind old man by the name of Gyattso. Gyattso became a sort of father figure to the young Aang. After the first few years of training in airbending, Aang began to study directly under Gyattso by himself. Unsurprisingly to the monks of the temple, Aang’s natural affinity for bending allowed him to progress much more rapidly than his classmates.
During these years, Aang’s main goal was still to have as much fun as possible. He was the most sought-after pick when he friends made teams for airball. Appa and Aang continued to become close friends and soon enough they were practically reading each other’s minds. Appa could understood Aang’s every word and Aang could feel Appa’s every mood. Shortly after his 10th birthday, Aang had reached the level of an Airbending Master. He was the youngest bender in the Temple’s history to have achieved such a feat, and his rank was commemorated with the ceremonial arrow tattoos. The process took two painful months to complete, but Aang managed to survive the sometimes problematic procedure and became a full-fledged master. With that title, Aang was granted permission to travel around the world with some of the other Air Nomads who often made journeys to various spiritual locations in the other nations.
He and a few of his friends even made a trip one year all the way to the Northern Air Temple to compete in the World Airball championships. It was held only once every 4 years, and though they were young, they still gave the reigning champions a run for their money. Aang was recognized at the most valuable player on his team. On the way back, Aang and some of the Air Nomads made a stop in the Fire Nation. It began as a short pilgrimage to the Temple of the Avatar, perhaps an attempt by the monks to familiarize Aang with his destiny, but the traveling band was offered a chance to visit the Fire Lord’s palace. At the time, the Fire Lord was a respected and honorable man who felt it was a good chance to strengthen his Nation’s bonds with the Air Nomads. The group of Nomads, under monk Gyattso, humbly accepted the invitation and became guests of the Fire Lord.
Aang was awed by the impressive capital city of the much more industrial Nation. He was unused to seeing so many people living in one place. However, during his short stay, he met a young boy only slightly older than him named Kuzon. Kuzon was the son of a wealthy spice merchant in the city and shared Aang’s love for fun. The two spent several weeks terrorizing the citizens of the town with pranks. They got into a good deal of trouble, but they always made up for any harm they caused, and most of their victims would come to laugh at their own misfortune in time. However, while Aang’s time in the Fire Nation was full of fond memories, Gyattso and the other senior monk who was with him became aware that the Fire Lord’s son, Sozhin was nothing like his honorable father. More than once they had overheard the ambitious young prince remarking negatively on the presence of Airbenders in the Palace. Sozhin was a nationalist, and his burning desire for the throne was nearly transparent. When the monks decided it was time to leave and Aang had to say good bye to his new friend, Gyattso and the others had a bad feeling about the future Fire lord.
They made one more stop in Omashu on their way back to the Southern Temple. The monks felt more at home in the Earth Kingdom city whose towering buildings reminded them of their mountain homes. The people were also much more friendly and easy-going than in the business-oriented Fire Nation capital. Aang found another friend her in the form of an eccentric young boy by the name of Bumi. Much like with Kuzon, Aang only had a month or so of time to get to know him, but he and Bumi had many fond memories. Most notably, the two would use Omashu’s mail delivery system as a giant super slide for their own amusement, much to the chagrin of the benders to operated the chutes.
During Aang’s last year at the Southern Temple, he had all but completed his airbending training. The monks had taught him all there was to learn and there was nothing left for him to do but just practice until his technique was perfect. However, Aang’s life took a dramatic twist when, on his 12th birthday, the Monks revealed to him that he was indeed the Avatar. Word had reached the Air Nomads that Sozhin had become the new Fire Lord and was beginning to arm his country for war. Knowing that the ambitious Fire Prince would seek to take advantage of the fact that the Avatar had not yet reached his full power, the monks realized that Aang had to expedite his training so that he would be capable of stopping an attack from the Fire Nation.
Aang was surprised to learn of his identity, but he hoped that he would still be able to keep living his life as he had. Unfortunately, that was not to be so. The other children of the temple began excluding him from some of their games, claiming that whatever side had the avatar would hold an unfair advantage. Some of the monks began to try and drill him relentlessly on advanced techniques. Only Monk Gyattso, Aang’s guardian, argued that it was in the young Avatar’s best interest that his life be as normal as possible. He made sure to give Aang rest when he needed it, and allowed him to have fun whenever he could.
The other monks, however, felt that the fate of the world was more important than Aang having a normal life. They decided to separate Aang from Gyattso and send Aang to the Eastern Temple to complete his training. Aang learned of this, though, and decided that he would not be forced into the fate the monks had outlined for him. He didn’t want the responsibility, and so he ran. Leaving a note for Gyattso, he saddled up on Appa and took off with no particular destination in mind. However, before he even had time to second-guess his decision, he found himself caught in a terrible storm. The wind and rain and massive waves pushed him down into the ocean as he tried to get away from the temple. There was no way to escape, until his Avatar Spirit was triggered by necessity. Acting subconsciously, he froze himself and Appa in ice and was lost to the world.
After 100 years of drifting, frozen in an iceberg, Aang ended up in the South Pole. The world around him had descended into violence and war with the Fire Nation nearing victory. Aang would have remained in that iceberg forever had not a pair of Water Tribe children found him completely by accident. The girl, Katara, had freed Aang from his icy prison, and from there, the story began….
Sample RP: “That spot looks good!” Aang called out of the sound of rushing wind as Appa made his swift descent toward a clearing up ahead. There was a stream cutting through the forest with an area along the bank large enough for the massive Sky-bison to land and rest from a long day’s flight. The young Avatar looked over his shoulder from his perch at the front of Appa’s saddle, smiling widely. Katara and Sokka, however, seemed to have been napping previously and were rubbing the sleep from their eyes. “Wake up, Katara,” Aang said cheerfully, grinning at the Water Tribe girl, “There’s a stream down there. Maybe you can teach me some more waterbending once we set up camp?”
A yawn escaped Katara’s mouth as she stretched the stiffness out of her joints and sat up fully. “Sounds good,” she grunted halfway through her stretch. And tossed her another grin before turning back to look ahead as Appa circled around once to bring them into an easy landing. His six legs had hardly touched the ground, though, before Aang hopped off the sky-bison’s back and summoned a strong gust of wind underneath him as he started to descend. The folds of Aang’s voluminous clothing inflated from the force of the updraft and slowed his fall into a gentle descent. He touched down lightly and turned immediately toward his companions.
“Last one out of the saddle makes dinner!” he proclaimed, laughing slightly. A grumble from Appa’s back signified that Sokka was awake, but Katara was the only one he saw moving. The waterbender made her way off the back edge of the saddle and climbed down Appa’s wide tail to the ground. “Looks like Sokka’s making the food,” Aang said, placing his hands on his hips, “Which means we’ve got plenty of time to practice some of those cool moves on the Advanced scrolls!”
Katara allowed a slight smile to cross her face as she approached the Avatar. She was still rubbing the last remnants of sleep from her eyes. “Alright,” she agreed. “Let’s just unpack, then give me a minute to change and we’ll get to work.” Aang slumped his shoulders and jutted out his bottom lip in an exaggerated expression of defeat. He gave his saddest puppy face he could muster, but Katara just smirked and folded her arms over her chest. Realizing she wasn’t taking the hook, Aang decided to change his tactics.
“Okay!” he suddenly exclaimed, perking up in an instant. His face regained its usual smile as he turned his attention toward Appa. He stepped toward the giant bison with his left leg, dropped his hands low, and then swung them up and to the side. A burst of wind surged around him and squeezed under the saddle. A cry from inside the saddle alerted the group that Sokka was now fully awake, but it didn’t stop Aang from lifting the saddle right off Appa’s back and dropping it onto the ground beside him. “There!” he said cheerfully, “All unpacked. Now let’s go!” He ran over to the saddle, ignoring Sokka’s rumbling complaints, and grabbed the box that contained the waterbending scrolls from the Northern tribe. He presented the box to Katara, who was stifling a laugh at her brother, and finally gave in to Aang’s persistence.
“Alright,” the Water Tribe girl caved in, “I’ll get by bathing suit…” Aang had already begun pulling his shirt over his head as Katara finished speaking and was heading toward the water with only his pants. She shook her head slightly at the Avatar’s eagerness and went behind Appa to get changed.