Post by Yahto on Aug 21, 2012 23:04:32 GMT -5
Name: Yahto
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Nation of Origin: United Republic
Bender? What Element?: Yes, a waterbender. Yahto has a good foundation of waterbending knowledge from lessons in his youth, but his general technique is slow and brutish. He has enough finesse to manipulate separate bodies of water in each hand, but only if the water is within a few feet of him at the time; otherwise, his control is much shakier. He seems to put all his weight behind every waterbending strike, with his ultimate goal when sparring being to get the opponent on the floor as soon as possible. He really only waterbends to show off while bartending, or when patrons are exceptionally difficult during his bouncer duties.
Physical Appearance: The first thing someone is bound to notice about Yahto is his sheer size, since his 6’5”, 320-lb form does well to set him apart from most of Republic City’s population. He has a definite belly and a somewhat pudgy look overall, but his build is quite solid and carries his weight in a mostly even distribution. The bulkiness of his muscles is especially obvious in his long arms and legs, the latter of which have often been compared to tree trunks due to their size. His hands and feet are gigantic, as can probably be expected from someone so large.
His face is round with a slight added fullness from his weight, mainly around the cheeks. His jawline is strong enough not to let his thick neck exceed the width of his face, and his slightly jutting chin has a distinct dimple in the middle. He has a rather large mouth with full lips, and it often forms a wry smirk most people recognize as his trademark expression. His small eyes are a rich walnut brown with streaks of sycamore green radiating from around the pupil, and his somewhat heavy brow bears thick, wide-set eyebrows. His ears are large, but hug the sides of his head rather closely. The only significant scar on him stretches a little more than an inch horizontally across the bridge of his broad, flat nose. A shade darker than his fawn complexion, the scar tends to be noticeable in most lighting.
His thick hair is the same walnut brown as his eyes (though without the green streaks), with the sides and back cut less than a quarter inch long when not shaven off completely. The hair on the top of his head is a lot longer, five inches on average, and he usually combs it to the side. More often, he just covers it up with a hat. Being naturally wavy, his hair tends to curl up around the tips no matter what style he wears it in. Yahto often has a visible five o’ clock shadow due to how fast his stubble grows in, but he rarely lets his facial hair grow in more than that. His chest, arms, and legs are also rather hairy, similar to his face.
As a nod to his Water Tribe heritage, the top side of his right forearm bears a tattoo of many thickening and tapering lines done in dark slate grey ink, which form all together into an abstract yet still recognizable shape of a tiger shark (a great white shark with a sleeker body, two pairs of clawed fins along the lateral line, and teeth that are more cat-like). The creature is drawn at a side-on view, with its open mouth facing his hand. The tattoo covers the middle of his forearm, meaning he can easily cover it up with long sleeves if he expects that those around him might disapprove.
Clothing: A common outfit of his includes a barley white shirt with a banded collar and series of dark goldenrod frog-style closures going diagonally from the neckline, down in front of the right shoulder. It has long sleeves, and he almost always rolls them back to his elbows. He tucks this shirt into a pair of raw umber knickerbockers, and accessorizes with navy blue suspenders. Over his shirt and suspenders, he wears a cerulean-trimmed sky blue vest with a deep neck and a few cerulean frog closures down the front. He alternates between wearing this vest with the front closed, but he often opens it in more relaxed situations. His shoes are either a pair of plain nutmeg brown loafers with pale oyster grey socks reaching high on his calf, or seal brown biker boots around the same height as the socks. Yahto would also wear his favorite dull steel blue newsboy cap, though he owns several more hats of the same kind.
This outfit is a good representation of his wardrobe, in that he owns several shirts, vests, knickerbockers, and shoes in the same (or similar) styles. He uses durable, practical fabrics, but many of his clothes have signs of abuse, like slightly frayed edges or seams Yahto has sewn back together himself. When it comes to colors, he usually dresses in subdued shades of brown, blue, and teal, along with white, yellow, rich purple, or dark red accents. His clothes are often a bit short or tight, since his financial situation can make it difficult for him to afford a good tailor. He prefers suspenders, but may use a belt or wide cloth cummerbund for the same purpose. Most of his undershirts are tank tops in colors like sea blue or midnight green, though he owns a few with long sleeves and thicker fabric for colder weather.
When riding his motorcycle, he wears a pair of thick russet leather gloves and a faded midnight blue leather jacket. The jacket has cream-colored fur on the shawl lapels, and a row of brass buttons down the far right side of the front, causing quite a bit of the neck line to fold over the inside half of the collar. It tightens around the waist with a built-in belt, and it sports a pair of brass buttons on the cuffs for the same purpose. He also owns a chestnut brown, zippered leather vest with two rather large pockets on the lower half of the front, and he would either wear this under his jacket or wear the vest alone. For safety’s sake he would also wear a simple, bowl-shaped black helmet made of hardened leather, with a short bill, a wide royal azure stripe down the middle, and flaps on the sides that cover his ears and tie under his chin. Fitting over this is a pair of tinted goggles with black straps and a growing crack in the upper corner of the left lens, though nothing that impedes his vision so far.
The closest thing he has to formal wear is his charcoal grey cap-toed oxford shoes and matching pastel brown trousers and overcoat, which are all in much better condition than his other garments because he rarely wears them. Designed to be worn with an open front, the coat reaches to his hips and has opal blue trim along the edges and shawl-style lapels, separated from the main color by a thin pale aqua line. With this ensemble, he would wear whichever of his shirts, hats, and vests look to him to be in passable condition that day.
Equipment?: Yahto’s most prized possession is his motorcycle, a two-wheeled motor vehicle which in this case is a café racer style, its frame elongated with the seat and handlebars low and separated enough that the driver must lean forward while operating it. He has christened it the “Yahtocycle” in mockery of the Satomobiles that dominate the Republic City’s streets. Perhaps most noteworthy about the Yahtocycle is that many of its parts have been salvaged from the junkyard and installed by Yahto with surprising effectiveness despite his limited knowledge, or by whichever back alley mechanics he could afford at the time. The chassis is a cool medium grey, with a lack of fairing giving it a rather bare-bones aesthetic. The gas tank cover and front mud guard are an unadorned pine green, while the rear mud guard is an obvious, dingy white replacement. The black leather-wrapped handlebars are mismatched, with the left one tilting up slightly before leveling out again (and being a lighter, more neutral grey than the rest of the frame), whereas the right is straight throughout and appears to have been part of the original model. The muffler is a lighter, shinier silver color than the chassis and seems larger than it should be, while not noticeably affecting performance. The black leather seat is extended over the rear wheel, allowing room for perhaps one more passenger, though accommodations like this would be pretty uncomfortable for Yahto. At the front is a single headlight, and it looks to have been replaced only recently.
Personality: Yahto is a man of great presence who rarely keeps his mouth shut or shies away from a good laugh. It seems like each time he interacts with someone, he tries leave a lasting impression reminding that person of his personality and not his appearance, regardless of how true this is. His habit of showing off is quite well known amongst patrons of the bar, since he frequently does whimsical waterbending tricks to serve drinks. Generally, most of what he says is either shallow remarks about himself or others, dubious boasts, flattery, or idle chatter without getting too personal. This is a large reason why, although taking a fairly observant person to notice it, his boisterously outgoing attitude has a vaguely impersonal air about it.
He has no problem lending a hearing ear or a shoulder to cry on, but it can be almost impossible for him to talk about his deeper personal feelings or problems, even when drunk. While visibly cheerful and comfortable around most, he definitely keeps his distance emotionally. This outward attitude he shows is still more or less genuine, because he feels that if someone wants to befriend him, that they do so without some kind of fake politeness getting in the way. Even if he keeps a fair number of his own secrets, he values honesty perhaps more than any other trait. In the rare case that he considers someone a friend, it’s because he foresees his relationship with them withstanding the test of time. Should someone violate a friendship with him, it would lead to a rare case where he holds a lasting grudge.
He can often be seen in a good mood, though his emotions can change pretty quickly and drastically given the right situation. His anger is relatively easy to trigger, though it rarely escalates above obvious annoyance where, after fighting back verbally for a while, he would simply ignore the person who offended him. Noteworthy about cases like these is that Yahto is somewhat forgetful about things that matter relatively little to him, and aside from trivial things like what he ate or wore the other day, this extends to hurt feelings of strangers or acquaintances. This means he rarely, if ever holds grudges against these people, though it would take him a little longer to get over a closer friend stepping on his toes, so to speak.
This lack of severity to his anger isn’t by intense self-control on his part, but rather his innate reaction to things. He actually lacks willpower when it comes to many things, including food, drink, and other delights one may find addicting, though not being someone especially prone to addiction. Still, even in the uncommon case that anger brings him to feel physically violent, he seems to instinctually remind himself of his limits. Aware of his size and the harm he could do, he would never dream of striking someone who looks or acts considerably weaker than himself.
Yahto has pretty good street smarts developed from years of trial and error, relying on intuition and past experience for guidance in most cases. He generally feels that divulging too much personal information about himself tempts the other person into using it to gain the upper hand, and so he avoids being too personal as a result. He definitely knows how to lie convincingly to stay out of trouble and cover his tracks, especially if he feels the other person has such an advantage as this. However, he also lies pretty often just to get a rise out of people too. He has a knack for persuading others, which is a prime tool in his arsenal. Still, although he would never admit it, there are many cases where he only seems competent and merely guesses his way through a situation. He leaves little room to trust others unless dealing with someone he finds exceptionally attractive, but even then his sense of suspicion never really goes away.
A fiercely independent person, he values his own opinions above those of anyone else, no matter how much they influence his life. As such, he finds himself drawn to likeminded ones much more than the alternative, though he seems to wind up stubbornly butting heads with everyone sooner or later. As one to act on his own terms, he typically gives little regard to personal space or other peoples’ preferences, giving him little reason for remorse if he oversteps such interpersonal bounds. This, and his sense of humor, can make him seem audacious and irreverent to those who are uninformed. He despises things like chores or errands because their apparent dullness overrules him seeing any benefit in doing them, though he tolerates his job as a bartender and bouncer mainly because he gets paid for it. He would only contact his parents for help again if he were in the most dire straits, though this has happened several times over the years.
While Yahto outwardly seems to lack subtlety in all forms, his body language can often make his inward feelings more obvious than he wants at times. This is obvious when around children or his elders, where his mannerisms become much gentler, or when excitement brings his movements to a much quicker pace. He almost never realizes this trend about himself, but his skill at reading others is rather keen in and of itself. This is mainly because he, although being attracted to both sexes to some degree, is more attracted to men and has thereby learned to find traits indicating a man might be interested in other men – obviously for personal gratification. At the same time, he seems to act more hesitant around men he finds attractive, but he seems much more comfortable even with the women he thinks are most beautiful.
His spending habits are deplorable, blaming it on his middle-class upbringing making him never fully understand the value of money. This has led to a notable exception to his independence, which is his reputation for mooching off of others and never repaying the lender. However, constantly badgering or more rarely, seducing him into repayment is more effective than one may assume.
He generally sneers at authority unless doing so would immediately threaten him, but even then he would try anything he could get away with to undercut them. This has unfortunately brought him close to getting fired on a number of occasions, but these times he’s been persuasive and devious enough to keep his only source of income.
Yahto seems somewhat apathetic about recent developments in Republic City, even though his workplace means he hears (or overhears) the latest things almost daily. The Equalists seem too extreme to be a realistic threat to him, and not knowingly being involved with the triads in any significant way, he feels their presence is not a pressing reason to worry.
His favorite pastime by far is riding the Yahtocycle through the city, and so far he’s never ventured beyond its borders. He enjoys various venues on his nights off, mainly probending matches when he can afford them; there he alternates between feeling envy as he reminds himself he’ll probably never be one of them, and keeping his eyes glued to whichever pretty athletes in the arena happen to catch his eye. He may also spend a good amount of his free time back at the bar, practicing his pickup lines. Lately, though, he tinkers with his CB radio more than ever before, if only because of a special someone on the other side…
Background: Yahto was born in the somewhat upper-class Silver Glade District of Republic City (so named for the many small ponds dotting the terrain between houses, interconnected by small, yet ornate footbridges), to a newlywed couple whose relationship would always seem “off” to him. While he obviously doesn’t remember how he, as a somewhat needy infant, would spark a needless amount of bickering and arguing between his parents with his fussing, he would notice at an early age how his mom and dad were much less agreeable with one another compared to those of his peers. Nevertheless, there was nothing altogether tragic about his childhood, and in fact he was a fairly social child who made many friends in his neighborhood.
Being that his father Renshu, an accountant and eventual executive for Cabbage Corp, was hardly a lively or vibrant person and his mother Kanti was quite abrupt and impatient when it came to her son’s antics, the exuberant and rather hyperactive young Yahto quickly began thinking of his parents as boring. They did merit a high degree of respect from the boy, often simply with a stern gaze (or mainly what it would imply, based on past shows of punishment), so any destructive behavior on his part was due to his own rowdiness and mostly unintentional. As his mother and father were reminded daily of the importance of keeping a close eye on their boy, they were unbelievably grateful when Yahto was old enough to go to school.
Much to the school staff’s collective dismay, it took Yahto until the end of his tearful first week at school to realize his parents weren’t abandoning him, but after that he learned to make the best of things. He was respectful of his teachers despite being separated from the only meaningful authority in his life, though he would still bully other students to an extent; stealing supplies that he liked better than his own, calling them rude names, and invading their personal space until they whined were among his favorite methods. His hijinks were inconsistent enough that any punishment really didn’t stop him from doing it, but on the other hand it apparently wasn’t enough to worry his teachers or parents into severe, corrective action either. His classmates merely had to stay on guard whenever Yahto was around, even those who viewed him as a friend.
His waterbending manifested when he was five years old, and struggled to reach a koi from a nearby pond outside his house. An outcry pulled his mother from her momentary negligence, only for her to find her boy miserable, drenching wet with a panicked fish flopping around on his lap. It surprised his mother and father somewhat, since neither of them knew of any waterbenders in family history, but the waterbending lessons he was soon enrolled under served as a fine way to burn off his excess energy. The sifu was a former probender who, to Renshu’s chagrin, seemed to stir curiosity in the boy about the sport of probending. Renshu would thus begin taking his son to probending matches from time to time, even though Yahto was the only one of the pair who was even remotely interested in the sport. At the very least, Yahto was encouraged by the sport to keep on track during his lessons, lest his attention stray elsewhere – which as almost everyone knew, was alarmingly easy to do. As was probably true of most young bender children, Yahto aspired to one day be in that arena, the crowd cheering for him.
Hefty young Yahto was anything but an athletic child, and was usually among those tired out most by the time his waterbending lessons were done for the day. This made it more and more obvious to him, as years went by, that to be a probender meant he had to put much more of an effort into gaining the kind of endurance and nimbleness he thought he needed to make it in the athletic world. Finding the very idea of intense training tiring at best, he had to let reality sink in and drown his “lifelong” dream. All before he was ten years old, too! Schoolwork and waterbending training were just about all he could handle, in his dramatic and easily overwhelmed young mind.
Yahto mellowed out over his preteen years, but noticing his friends getting more affectionate with those of the opposite sex made him downright somber sometimes. There were few girls he actually liked, and even then he couldn’t get into the swing of such silly things as holding hands, passing notes, or declaring himself to be any girl’s boyfriend. He was more attracted to other boys anyway, but his most subtle hints this way were either completely ignored or met with disgust. He, at age fifteen, finally managed to start a covert relationship with an acquaintance named Sangwon, but he found the initial awkwardness never really went away. Despite them sharing their first kiss together, Sangwon was always visibly uncomfortable whenever they were affectionate with each other in private. Yahto was simply too impatient to wait for Sangwon to ease away from his anxieties, and after a few months he called it quits.
There were still a respectable number of other youngsters who weren’t so keen on romance after that, but Yahto ignored these potential friendships and grew to appreciate the idea of independence more. Since his waterbending lessons had already ended, as he didn’t see any real point in pursuing more advanced techniques, he became something of a loner with all his newfound free time. Where some may withdraw themselves out of self-pity, though, Yahto did so out of egotism – he clearly thought he was so much better than his peers for not following stupid, sappy things. Spending more time at home around his parents reminded him of how boring they were, and he wound up arguing with them almost every day.
As he approached adulthood, the somewhat unrealistic visions of independence he had imagined seemed more within reach than ever. Once school was over, Yahto kept turning down his father’s offers to land him a cushy job using his connections, because he wanted to prove he could succeed on his own. Renshu even went so far as to buy his son a spiffy new motorcycle to sway him in his favor (which was soon after given its current egotistical moniker), but this backfired horribly when it gave Yahto a reason to waste time driving around the city. His once high expectations wavered the more his parents pressured him, and eventually he settled for work at the first employer who gave him a chance – a pawn shop in Dragon Flats. His parents were horrified when their son announced he would be working and living in such an unseemly district of town, but once they put up with Yahto’s lengthy rant about what he really wanted in life, Renshu convinced Kanti to respect the young man’s wishes.
Yahto moved into a tiny studio apartment where most everything was too small for him, though this was because his crafty landlord had rented him a garage outfitted with most necessary appliances. Somehow, the rollup door didn’t register as unusual with him. It was all he could afford, though, since being almost eighteen years old and having never appreciated the value of a yuan meant his money was a vanishing resource. On top of that, his job and newfound friends exposed him to violence and corruption like he’d never seen before – and he loved it. It put a new spin on life for him, even though his naivety was preyed upon like crazy. Perhaps easing the transition a bit was when he and his coworker Shirong fell for one another. Yahto was enthralled for weeks afterward, where almost every night he and Shirong would spend time together, whether it meant going out or staying in. Shirong even introduced Yahto to The Stronghold, a bar where men who preferred the company of other men seemed to be the standard, much to his surprise.
Unfortunately, it happened almost a year afterward that Yahto discovered that Shirong had been seeing another man, which led to a rather violent breakup wherein he was wrestled down the stairs and earned that nasty scar on his nose. After quitting his job the next day and sulking for little less than a week afterward, Yahto contacted his parents for the first time since moving out. They of course learned about his sexual preferences, but his mother surprised him with a secret of her own – that Renshu was not his father by blood, and that Yahto was the result of his Kanti attending a string of somewhat scandalous upper-crust parties in her young adulthood. She and Renshu, a childhood friend, simply rushed to marry after she discovered her pregnancy, claiming their courtship was in secret and hoping nobody in the family suspected. Suddenly, Yahto gained a new kind of respect for his parents, but not enough for him to forsake his independence. Thankfully, despite seeing how life in Dragon Flats was affecting him, they understood.
After a few hopeless attempts at finding work, Yahto was at The Stronghold when a drunken firebender became rather violent and clearly dangerous to those around him. Caring more about the situation than the cause (or possible danger), Yahto quickly sprung over and almost effortlessly wrestled the man to the ground, using his considerable bulk to subdue him. Impressed, the bartender Hanyu (who happened to be the owner as well) approached and offered Yahto a job as a bouncer, a position that had gone untaken in the establishment for almost a month – much too long, given the locale. Yahto accepted immediately without question, though afterwards he had to accept that his ex was a regular patron. That’s never stopped him from loving his job, though.
Yahto’s job has expanded to include bartending in the four years up till the present, alternating between that and bouncer duties depending on the night. He’s had a few brief flings since Shirong thanks to his association with The Stronghold, but a completely unrelated chance encounter with a fellow named Hyojin on his CB radio has led to a burgeoning romance over the airwaves. The two have yet to meet in person thanks to their scheduled dates failing for one reason for another, but Yahto still keeps hope alive in this case. He still lives in the same dinky apartment, having grown oddly attached to the place despite it being so cramped, and having to keep the Yahtocycle in the front section. The Yahtocycle itself has undergone an absurd number of repairs since he’s moved out, though luckily he’s learned to be resourceful and make most of the slipshod repairs the monstrosity now bears. It’s been rare for him to contact his parents except on special occasions, since they usually try to convince him to move back to Silver Glade, though despite wanting to avoid that pressure he’s been known to come whining to them if and when he’s dangerously low on funds. Somewhat peculiarly, he believes he’s achieved the sense of independence he longed for in his youth, and feels perfectly content with his place in the world right now.
Sample RP: He was almost home.
The rush of the probending match he’d watched that night had yet to wear off, too. It was the Bau Ling Buzzard Wasps versus the Kolau Komodo Rhinos, and boy, what an event it was! Yahto may have decided to root for the latter of the two teams this night (mainly because the firebender on their team caught his eye even from a distance), but either one fought back from the brink of defeat enough times that it added layers of excitement to the game. Layers of excitement that he would describe to a special someone over the radio, sparing no small details. Well, there might be a little detail spared, being that his memory wasn’t all that reliable.
Yahto may have gone alone, but his presence in the bleachers could have taken up three sets – if not the whole row! He was the type of fan who quieter, but no less avid supporters of the game, generally hated. Yahto would loudly cheer every time his favored team did well, scorn the opposing team each time they succeeded, and accuse the referee of misdeeds every time he thought he saw one – which most of the time, turned out to be his imagination. Given the chance, he might even have attended the game shirtless, his team’s colors and logo painted across his chest and belly. He’d enjoy it even more if he were among a group of other guys doing the same, though that would be for a slightly different reason.
Fog was already starting to form that night, though it was less noticeable on the busier street mere turns away from that which held his apartment. There, lights from Satomobiles blended with the glowing streetlights to keep the drivers safe – even the lone motorcyclist Yahto, who peered at the traffic to his front and side with anticipation. Tightening his lips to the point where he was biting them from behind, he saw his opportunity and swiftly turned onto another street.
There, the thickening mist was more obvious, with far fewer lights to guide his way. He couldn’t even see the next turn he had to make! He didn’t let himself fret over things like these, though, and even if he did Yahto had something else on his mind. Indeed, he was in a hurry. He may even have been going a little faster than the law would approve, but there was nobody visible around to tell him otherwise – only his conscience, which was taking a proverbial backseat right now anyway.
Once he witnessed a thin film of moisture blurring the lenses of his goggles, he merely gave a subtle tilt to his head and shoulder, thus sliding it right away. He was no master of waterbending, but clearing a few droplets of water like that was nothing spectacular when it came to bending without using ones’ hands. He knew the mist would collect the same in a few more minutes, but he kept at his previous speed nonetheless. He simply couldn’t get home soon enough.
The next turn in the road showed itself through the mist once he neared it, and he felt another jolt of excitement in his nerves. As he turned, though, that excitement was interrupted by a rather loud crash coming from his right. It sounded like something had fallen into a cluster of garbage cans, but he almost felt like it was a burden to turn and look. Did he want to get involved? Not really, but it seemed like out of common courtesy, he slowed down considerably anyway.
Idling down the empty street, Yahto turned his head down to look at his handlebars, closing his eyes longer than it may have been wise to do. His mind was still running a mile a minute, but he could at least focus on one idea; that whatever made that sound, it wasn’t his responsibility. Suddenly, he felt free again! Then, straightening his head upward, he left that little detail in the dust.
Before he knew it, he had rounded the corner to his apartment. He left the Yahtocycle idling while it was parked while he hopped off to open the rolling metal door, walking it inside to safety before turning it off for the night. It would rest in the middle of his living room area, on a filthy oil-stained rug, until morning.
The room was dimly lit, with the only light he left on was in the back, amidst the pair of cabinets, stove, and refrigerator he considered his kitchen. Despite the lack of light, he had other things on his mind. Nearby was his ratty green couch, perpendicular to the front door, and he cast his leather jacket on the back of it (atop a pile of other clothes). He plopped himself on the cushion farthest from the door, as nearby was the end table where his CB radio was located. As he took off his biking helmet and revealed his mass of disheveled hair, he turned on the device and listened to the static on the other end.
Taking a deep breath, Yahto brought the microphone to his mouth. One last look told him the frequency he selected was the right one. “This is Yahtocycle, over.” Apparently he wasn’t very creative with nicknames.
That jolt of excitement returned when he heard the voice on the other end. “This is Landshark, over.” Landshark. It was Hyojin’s CB handle! Yahto almost squealed with glee. Hopefully the night would go just like he expected.
Great! Despite the impracticality, they could now drop CB trends like they normally did, just to set the right mood. “Hey. How’s your night?”
“Just fine,” Hyojin chuckled. “Just fine.”
And Yahto smiled.
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Nation of Origin: United Republic
Bender? What Element?: Yes, a waterbender. Yahto has a good foundation of waterbending knowledge from lessons in his youth, but his general technique is slow and brutish. He has enough finesse to manipulate separate bodies of water in each hand, but only if the water is within a few feet of him at the time; otherwise, his control is much shakier. He seems to put all his weight behind every waterbending strike, with his ultimate goal when sparring being to get the opponent on the floor as soon as possible. He really only waterbends to show off while bartending, or when patrons are exceptionally difficult during his bouncer duties.
Physical Appearance: The first thing someone is bound to notice about Yahto is his sheer size, since his 6’5”, 320-lb form does well to set him apart from most of Republic City’s population. He has a definite belly and a somewhat pudgy look overall, but his build is quite solid and carries his weight in a mostly even distribution. The bulkiness of his muscles is especially obvious in his long arms and legs, the latter of which have often been compared to tree trunks due to their size. His hands and feet are gigantic, as can probably be expected from someone so large.
His face is round with a slight added fullness from his weight, mainly around the cheeks. His jawline is strong enough not to let his thick neck exceed the width of his face, and his slightly jutting chin has a distinct dimple in the middle. He has a rather large mouth with full lips, and it often forms a wry smirk most people recognize as his trademark expression. His small eyes are a rich walnut brown with streaks of sycamore green radiating from around the pupil, and his somewhat heavy brow bears thick, wide-set eyebrows. His ears are large, but hug the sides of his head rather closely. The only significant scar on him stretches a little more than an inch horizontally across the bridge of his broad, flat nose. A shade darker than his fawn complexion, the scar tends to be noticeable in most lighting.
His thick hair is the same walnut brown as his eyes (though without the green streaks), with the sides and back cut less than a quarter inch long when not shaven off completely. The hair on the top of his head is a lot longer, five inches on average, and he usually combs it to the side. More often, he just covers it up with a hat. Being naturally wavy, his hair tends to curl up around the tips no matter what style he wears it in. Yahto often has a visible five o’ clock shadow due to how fast his stubble grows in, but he rarely lets his facial hair grow in more than that. His chest, arms, and legs are also rather hairy, similar to his face.
As a nod to his Water Tribe heritage, the top side of his right forearm bears a tattoo of many thickening and tapering lines done in dark slate grey ink, which form all together into an abstract yet still recognizable shape of a tiger shark (a great white shark with a sleeker body, two pairs of clawed fins along the lateral line, and teeth that are more cat-like). The creature is drawn at a side-on view, with its open mouth facing his hand. The tattoo covers the middle of his forearm, meaning he can easily cover it up with long sleeves if he expects that those around him might disapprove.
Clothing: A common outfit of his includes a barley white shirt with a banded collar and series of dark goldenrod frog-style closures going diagonally from the neckline, down in front of the right shoulder. It has long sleeves, and he almost always rolls them back to his elbows. He tucks this shirt into a pair of raw umber knickerbockers, and accessorizes with navy blue suspenders. Over his shirt and suspenders, he wears a cerulean-trimmed sky blue vest with a deep neck and a few cerulean frog closures down the front. He alternates between wearing this vest with the front closed, but he often opens it in more relaxed situations. His shoes are either a pair of plain nutmeg brown loafers with pale oyster grey socks reaching high on his calf, or seal brown biker boots around the same height as the socks. Yahto would also wear his favorite dull steel blue newsboy cap, though he owns several more hats of the same kind.
This outfit is a good representation of his wardrobe, in that he owns several shirts, vests, knickerbockers, and shoes in the same (or similar) styles. He uses durable, practical fabrics, but many of his clothes have signs of abuse, like slightly frayed edges or seams Yahto has sewn back together himself. When it comes to colors, he usually dresses in subdued shades of brown, blue, and teal, along with white, yellow, rich purple, or dark red accents. His clothes are often a bit short or tight, since his financial situation can make it difficult for him to afford a good tailor. He prefers suspenders, but may use a belt or wide cloth cummerbund for the same purpose. Most of his undershirts are tank tops in colors like sea blue or midnight green, though he owns a few with long sleeves and thicker fabric for colder weather.
When riding his motorcycle, he wears a pair of thick russet leather gloves and a faded midnight blue leather jacket. The jacket has cream-colored fur on the shawl lapels, and a row of brass buttons down the far right side of the front, causing quite a bit of the neck line to fold over the inside half of the collar. It tightens around the waist with a built-in belt, and it sports a pair of brass buttons on the cuffs for the same purpose. He also owns a chestnut brown, zippered leather vest with two rather large pockets on the lower half of the front, and he would either wear this under his jacket or wear the vest alone. For safety’s sake he would also wear a simple, bowl-shaped black helmet made of hardened leather, with a short bill, a wide royal azure stripe down the middle, and flaps on the sides that cover his ears and tie under his chin. Fitting over this is a pair of tinted goggles with black straps and a growing crack in the upper corner of the left lens, though nothing that impedes his vision so far.
The closest thing he has to formal wear is his charcoal grey cap-toed oxford shoes and matching pastel brown trousers and overcoat, which are all in much better condition than his other garments because he rarely wears them. Designed to be worn with an open front, the coat reaches to his hips and has opal blue trim along the edges and shawl-style lapels, separated from the main color by a thin pale aqua line. With this ensemble, he would wear whichever of his shirts, hats, and vests look to him to be in passable condition that day.
Equipment?: Yahto’s most prized possession is his motorcycle, a two-wheeled motor vehicle which in this case is a café racer style, its frame elongated with the seat and handlebars low and separated enough that the driver must lean forward while operating it. He has christened it the “Yahtocycle” in mockery of the Satomobiles that dominate the Republic City’s streets. Perhaps most noteworthy about the Yahtocycle is that many of its parts have been salvaged from the junkyard and installed by Yahto with surprising effectiveness despite his limited knowledge, or by whichever back alley mechanics he could afford at the time. The chassis is a cool medium grey, with a lack of fairing giving it a rather bare-bones aesthetic. The gas tank cover and front mud guard are an unadorned pine green, while the rear mud guard is an obvious, dingy white replacement. The black leather-wrapped handlebars are mismatched, with the left one tilting up slightly before leveling out again (and being a lighter, more neutral grey than the rest of the frame), whereas the right is straight throughout and appears to have been part of the original model. The muffler is a lighter, shinier silver color than the chassis and seems larger than it should be, while not noticeably affecting performance. The black leather seat is extended over the rear wheel, allowing room for perhaps one more passenger, though accommodations like this would be pretty uncomfortable for Yahto. At the front is a single headlight, and it looks to have been replaced only recently.
Personality: Yahto is a man of great presence who rarely keeps his mouth shut or shies away from a good laugh. It seems like each time he interacts with someone, he tries leave a lasting impression reminding that person of his personality and not his appearance, regardless of how true this is. His habit of showing off is quite well known amongst patrons of the bar, since he frequently does whimsical waterbending tricks to serve drinks. Generally, most of what he says is either shallow remarks about himself or others, dubious boasts, flattery, or idle chatter without getting too personal. This is a large reason why, although taking a fairly observant person to notice it, his boisterously outgoing attitude has a vaguely impersonal air about it.
He has no problem lending a hearing ear or a shoulder to cry on, but it can be almost impossible for him to talk about his deeper personal feelings or problems, even when drunk. While visibly cheerful and comfortable around most, he definitely keeps his distance emotionally. This outward attitude he shows is still more or less genuine, because he feels that if someone wants to befriend him, that they do so without some kind of fake politeness getting in the way. Even if he keeps a fair number of his own secrets, he values honesty perhaps more than any other trait. In the rare case that he considers someone a friend, it’s because he foresees his relationship with them withstanding the test of time. Should someone violate a friendship with him, it would lead to a rare case where he holds a lasting grudge.
He can often be seen in a good mood, though his emotions can change pretty quickly and drastically given the right situation. His anger is relatively easy to trigger, though it rarely escalates above obvious annoyance where, after fighting back verbally for a while, he would simply ignore the person who offended him. Noteworthy about cases like these is that Yahto is somewhat forgetful about things that matter relatively little to him, and aside from trivial things like what he ate or wore the other day, this extends to hurt feelings of strangers or acquaintances. This means he rarely, if ever holds grudges against these people, though it would take him a little longer to get over a closer friend stepping on his toes, so to speak.
This lack of severity to his anger isn’t by intense self-control on his part, but rather his innate reaction to things. He actually lacks willpower when it comes to many things, including food, drink, and other delights one may find addicting, though not being someone especially prone to addiction. Still, even in the uncommon case that anger brings him to feel physically violent, he seems to instinctually remind himself of his limits. Aware of his size and the harm he could do, he would never dream of striking someone who looks or acts considerably weaker than himself.
Yahto has pretty good street smarts developed from years of trial and error, relying on intuition and past experience for guidance in most cases. He generally feels that divulging too much personal information about himself tempts the other person into using it to gain the upper hand, and so he avoids being too personal as a result. He definitely knows how to lie convincingly to stay out of trouble and cover his tracks, especially if he feels the other person has such an advantage as this. However, he also lies pretty often just to get a rise out of people too. He has a knack for persuading others, which is a prime tool in his arsenal. Still, although he would never admit it, there are many cases where he only seems competent and merely guesses his way through a situation. He leaves little room to trust others unless dealing with someone he finds exceptionally attractive, but even then his sense of suspicion never really goes away.
A fiercely independent person, he values his own opinions above those of anyone else, no matter how much they influence his life. As such, he finds himself drawn to likeminded ones much more than the alternative, though he seems to wind up stubbornly butting heads with everyone sooner or later. As one to act on his own terms, he typically gives little regard to personal space or other peoples’ preferences, giving him little reason for remorse if he oversteps such interpersonal bounds. This, and his sense of humor, can make him seem audacious and irreverent to those who are uninformed. He despises things like chores or errands because their apparent dullness overrules him seeing any benefit in doing them, though he tolerates his job as a bartender and bouncer mainly because he gets paid for it. He would only contact his parents for help again if he were in the most dire straits, though this has happened several times over the years.
While Yahto outwardly seems to lack subtlety in all forms, his body language can often make his inward feelings more obvious than he wants at times. This is obvious when around children or his elders, where his mannerisms become much gentler, or when excitement brings his movements to a much quicker pace. He almost never realizes this trend about himself, but his skill at reading others is rather keen in and of itself. This is mainly because he, although being attracted to both sexes to some degree, is more attracted to men and has thereby learned to find traits indicating a man might be interested in other men – obviously for personal gratification. At the same time, he seems to act more hesitant around men he finds attractive, but he seems much more comfortable even with the women he thinks are most beautiful.
His spending habits are deplorable, blaming it on his middle-class upbringing making him never fully understand the value of money. This has led to a notable exception to his independence, which is his reputation for mooching off of others and never repaying the lender. However, constantly badgering or more rarely, seducing him into repayment is more effective than one may assume.
He generally sneers at authority unless doing so would immediately threaten him, but even then he would try anything he could get away with to undercut them. This has unfortunately brought him close to getting fired on a number of occasions, but these times he’s been persuasive and devious enough to keep his only source of income.
Yahto seems somewhat apathetic about recent developments in Republic City, even though his workplace means he hears (or overhears) the latest things almost daily. The Equalists seem too extreme to be a realistic threat to him, and not knowingly being involved with the triads in any significant way, he feels their presence is not a pressing reason to worry.
His favorite pastime by far is riding the Yahtocycle through the city, and so far he’s never ventured beyond its borders. He enjoys various venues on his nights off, mainly probending matches when he can afford them; there he alternates between feeling envy as he reminds himself he’ll probably never be one of them, and keeping his eyes glued to whichever pretty athletes in the arena happen to catch his eye. He may also spend a good amount of his free time back at the bar, practicing his pickup lines. Lately, though, he tinkers with his CB radio more than ever before, if only because of a special someone on the other side…
Background: Yahto was born in the somewhat upper-class Silver Glade District of Republic City (so named for the many small ponds dotting the terrain between houses, interconnected by small, yet ornate footbridges), to a newlywed couple whose relationship would always seem “off” to him. While he obviously doesn’t remember how he, as a somewhat needy infant, would spark a needless amount of bickering and arguing between his parents with his fussing, he would notice at an early age how his mom and dad were much less agreeable with one another compared to those of his peers. Nevertheless, there was nothing altogether tragic about his childhood, and in fact he was a fairly social child who made many friends in his neighborhood.
Being that his father Renshu, an accountant and eventual executive for Cabbage Corp, was hardly a lively or vibrant person and his mother Kanti was quite abrupt and impatient when it came to her son’s antics, the exuberant and rather hyperactive young Yahto quickly began thinking of his parents as boring. They did merit a high degree of respect from the boy, often simply with a stern gaze (or mainly what it would imply, based on past shows of punishment), so any destructive behavior on his part was due to his own rowdiness and mostly unintentional. As his mother and father were reminded daily of the importance of keeping a close eye on their boy, they were unbelievably grateful when Yahto was old enough to go to school.
Much to the school staff’s collective dismay, it took Yahto until the end of his tearful first week at school to realize his parents weren’t abandoning him, but after that he learned to make the best of things. He was respectful of his teachers despite being separated from the only meaningful authority in his life, though he would still bully other students to an extent; stealing supplies that he liked better than his own, calling them rude names, and invading their personal space until they whined were among his favorite methods. His hijinks were inconsistent enough that any punishment really didn’t stop him from doing it, but on the other hand it apparently wasn’t enough to worry his teachers or parents into severe, corrective action either. His classmates merely had to stay on guard whenever Yahto was around, even those who viewed him as a friend.
His waterbending manifested when he was five years old, and struggled to reach a koi from a nearby pond outside his house. An outcry pulled his mother from her momentary negligence, only for her to find her boy miserable, drenching wet with a panicked fish flopping around on his lap. It surprised his mother and father somewhat, since neither of them knew of any waterbenders in family history, but the waterbending lessons he was soon enrolled under served as a fine way to burn off his excess energy. The sifu was a former probender who, to Renshu’s chagrin, seemed to stir curiosity in the boy about the sport of probending. Renshu would thus begin taking his son to probending matches from time to time, even though Yahto was the only one of the pair who was even remotely interested in the sport. At the very least, Yahto was encouraged by the sport to keep on track during his lessons, lest his attention stray elsewhere – which as almost everyone knew, was alarmingly easy to do. As was probably true of most young bender children, Yahto aspired to one day be in that arena, the crowd cheering for him.
Hefty young Yahto was anything but an athletic child, and was usually among those tired out most by the time his waterbending lessons were done for the day. This made it more and more obvious to him, as years went by, that to be a probender meant he had to put much more of an effort into gaining the kind of endurance and nimbleness he thought he needed to make it in the athletic world. Finding the very idea of intense training tiring at best, he had to let reality sink in and drown his “lifelong” dream. All before he was ten years old, too! Schoolwork and waterbending training were just about all he could handle, in his dramatic and easily overwhelmed young mind.
Yahto mellowed out over his preteen years, but noticing his friends getting more affectionate with those of the opposite sex made him downright somber sometimes. There were few girls he actually liked, and even then he couldn’t get into the swing of such silly things as holding hands, passing notes, or declaring himself to be any girl’s boyfriend. He was more attracted to other boys anyway, but his most subtle hints this way were either completely ignored or met with disgust. He, at age fifteen, finally managed to start a covert relationship with an acquaintance named Sangwon, but he found the initial awkwardness never really went away. Despite them sharing their first kiss together, Sangwon was always visibly uncomfortable whenever they were affectionate with each other in private. Yahto was simply too impatient to wait for Sangwon to ease away from his anxieties, and after a few months he called it quits.
There were still a respectable number of other youngsters who weren’t so keen on romance after that, but Yahto ignored these potential friendships and grew to appreciate the idea of independence more. Since his waterbending lessons had already ended, as he didn’t see any real point in pursuing more advanced techniques, he became something of a loner with all his newfound free time. Where some may withdraw themselves out of self-pity, though, Yahto did so out of egotism – he clearly thought he was so much better than his peers for not following stupid, sappy things. Spending more time at home around his parents reminded him of how boring they were, and he wound up arguing with them almost every day.
As he approached adulthood, the somewhat unrealistic visions of independence he had imagined seemed more within reach than ever. Once school was over, Yahto kept turning down his father’s offers to land him a cushy job using his connections, because he wanted to prove he could succeed on his own. Renshu even went so far as to buy his son a spiffy new motorcycle to sway him in his favor (which was soon after given its current egotistical moniker), but this backfired horribly when it gave Yahto a reason to waste time driving around the city. His once high expectations wavered the more his parents pressured him, and eventually he settled for work at the first employer who gave him a chance – a pawn shop in Dragon Flats. His parents were horrified when their son announced he would be working and living in such an unseemly district of town, but once they put up with Yahto’s lengthy rant about what he really wanted in life, Renshu convinced Kanti to respect the young man’s wishes.
Yahto moved into a tiny studio apartment where most everything was too small for him, though this was because his crafty landlord had rented him a garage outfitted with most necessary appliances. Somehow, the rollup door didn’t register as unusual with him. It was all he could afford, though, since being almost eighteen years old and having never appreciated the value of a yuan meant his money was a vanishing resource. On top of that, his job and newfound friends exposed him to violence and corruption like he’d never seen before – and he loved it. It put a new spin on life for him, even though his naivety was preyed upon like crazy. Perhaps easing the transition a bit was when he and his coworker Shirong fell for one another. Yahto was enthralled for weeks afterward, where almost every night he and Shirong would spend time together, whether it meant going out or staying in. Shirong even introduced Yahto to The Stronghold, a bar where men who preferred the company of other men seemed to be the standard, much to his surprise.
Unfortunately, it happened almost a year afterward that Yahto discovered that Shirong had been seeing another man, which led to a rather violent breakup wherein he was wrestled down the stairs and earned that nasty scar on his nose. After quitting his job the next day and sulking for little less than a week afterward, Yahto contacted his parents for the first time since moving out. They of course learned about his sexual preferences, but his mother surprised him with a secret of her own – that Renshu was not his father by blood, and that Yahto was the result of his Kanti attending a string of somewhat scandalous upper-crust parties in her young adulthood. She and Renshu, a childhood friend, simply rushed to marry after she discovered her pregnancy, claiming their courtship was in secret and hoping nobody in the family suspected. Suddenly, Yahto gained a new kind of respect for his parents, but not enough for him to forsake his independence. Thankfully, despite seeing how life in Dragon Flats was affecting him, they understood.
After a few hopeless attempts at finding work, Yahto was at The Stronghold when a drunken firebender became rather violent and clearly dangerous to those around him. Caring more about the situation than the cause (or possible danger), Yahto quickly sprung over and almost effortlessly wrestled the man to the ground, using his considerable bulk to subdue him. Impressed, the bartender Hanyu (who happened to be the owner as well) approached and offered Yahto a job as a bouncer, a position that had gone untaken in the establishment for almost a month – much too long, given the locale. Yahto accepted immediately without question, though afterwards he had to accept that his ex was a regular patron. That’s never stopped him from loving his job, though.
Yahto’s job has expanded to include bartending in the four years up till the present, alternating between that and bouncer duties depending on the night. He’s had a few brief flings since Shirong thanks to his association with The Stronghold, but a completely unrelated chance encounter with a fellow named Hyojin on his CB radio has led to a burgeoning romance over the airwaves. The two have yet to meet in person thanks to their scheduled dates failing for one reason for another, but Yahto still keeps hope alive in this case. He still lives in the same dinky apartment, having grown oddly attached to the place despite it being so cramped, and having to keep the Yahtocycle in the front section. The Yahtocycle itself has undergone an absurd number of repairs since he’s moved out, though luckily he’s learned to be resourceful and make most of the slipshod repairs the monstrosity now bears. It’s been rare for him to contact his parents except on special occasions, since they usually try to convince him to move back to Silver Glade, though despite wanting to avoid that pressure he’s been known to come whining to them if and when he’s dangerously low on funds. Somewhat peculiarly, he believes he’s achieved the sense of independence he longed for in his youth, and feels perfectly content with his place in the world right now.
Sample RP: He was almost home.
The rush of the probending match he’d watched that night had yet to wear off, too. It was the Bau Ling Buzzard Wasps versus the Kolau Komodo Rhinos, and boy, what an event it was! Yahto may have decided to root for the latter of the two teams this night (mainly because the firebender on their team caught his eye even from a distance), but either one fought back from the brink of defeat enough times that it added layers of excitement to the game. Layers of excitement that he would describe to a special someone over the radio, sparing no small details. Well, there might be a little detail spared, being that his memory wasn’t all that reliable.
Yahto may have gone alone, but his presence in the bleachers could have taken up three sets – if not the whole row! He was the type of fan who quieter, but no less avid supporters of the game, generally hated. Yahto would loudly cheer every time his favored team did well, scorn the opposing team each time they succeeded, and accuse the referee of misdeeds every time he thought he saw one – which most of the time, turned out to be his imagination. Given the chance, he might even have attended the game shirtless, his team’s colors and logo painted across his chest and belly. He’d enjoy it even more if he were among a group of other guys doing the same, though that would be for a slightly different reason.
Fog was already starting to form that night, though it was less noticeable on the busier street mere turns away from that which held his apartment. There, lights from Satomobiles blended with the glowing streetlights to keep the drivers safe – even the lone motorcyclist Yahto, who peered at the traffic to his front and side with anticipation. Tightening his lips to the point where he was biting them from behind, he saw his opportunity and swiftly turned onto another street.
There, the thickening mist was more obvious, with far fewer lights to guide his way. He couldn’t even see the next turn he had to make! He didn’t let himself fret over things like these, though, and even if he did Yahto had something else on his mind. Indeed, he was in a hurry. He may even have been going a little faster than the law would approve, but there was nobody visible around to tell him otherwise – only his conscience, which was taking a proverbial backseat right now anyway.
Once he witnessed a thin film of moisture blurring the lenses of his goggles, he merely gave a subtle tilt to his head and shoulder, thus sliding it right away. He was no master of waterbending, but clearing a few droplets of water like that was nothing spectacular when it came to bending without using ones’ hands. He knew the mist would collect the same in a few more minutes, but he kept at his previous speed nonetheless. He simply couldn’t get home soon enough.
The next turn in the road showed itself through the mist once he neared it, and he felt another jolt of excitement in his nerves. As he turned, though, that excitement was interrupted by a rather loud crash coming from his right. It sounded like something had fallen into a cluster of garbage cans, but he almost felt like it was a burden to turn and look. Did he want to get involved? Not really, but it seemed like out of common courtesy, he slowed down considerably anyway.
Idling down the empty street, Yahto turned his head down to look at his handlebars, closing his eyes longer than it may have been wise to do. His mind was still running a mile a minute, but he could at least focus on one idea; that whatever made that sound, it wasn’t his responsibility. Suddenly, he felt free again! Then, straightening his head upward, he left that little detail in the dust.
Before he knew it, he had rounded the corner to his apartment. He left the Yahtocycle idling while it was parked while he hopped off to open the rolling metal door, walking it inside to safety before turning it off for the night. It would rest in the middle of his living room area, on a filthy oil-stained rug, until morning.
The room was dimly lit, with the only light he left on was in the back, amidst the pair of cabinets, stove, and refrigerator he considered his kitchen. Despite the lack of light, he had other things on his mind. Nearby was his ratty green couch, perpendicular to the front door, and he cast his leather jacket on the back of it (atop a pile of other clothes). He plopped himself on the cushion farthest from the door, as nearby was the end table where his CB radio was located. As he took off his biking helmet and revealed his mass of disheveled hair, he turned on the device and listened to the static on the other end.
Taking a deep breath, Yahto brought the microphone to his mouth. One last look told him the frequency he selected was the right one. “This is Yahtocycle, over.” Apparently he wasn’t very creative with nicknames.
That jolt of excitement returned when he heard the voice on the other end. “This is Landshark, over.” Landshark. It was Hyojin’s CB handle! Yahto almost squealed with glee. Hopefully the night would go just like he expected.
Great! Despite the impracticality, they could now drop CB trends like they normally did, just to set the right mood. “Hey. How’s your night?”
“Just fine,” Hyojin chuckled. “Just fine.”
And Yahto smiled.
