Lai Bu Wan

Novice Posts : 8 Age : 26 Join date : 2012-06-28

|BASICS|

Name: Lai Bu Wan

Age: 16

Birthplace: Ba Sing Se

Current Residence: Earth Kingdom, anywhere his feet can take him (he's a pilgrim and wanderer)

Rank: Bender

Occupation: Pilgrim, Wanderer, Performer of Odd Jobs

Element: Earth

Weapons: Lai carries around with him a short jian, or a double-edged blade with a crossguard that is scarcely wider than the blade itself. The jian is simple, with its most ornate feature being the carvings in its hilt and scabbard. Lai often carves both the scabbard and hilt when he is bored--it is a form of artistic doodling for him.

|APPEARANCE|

Hair: Lai wears his black hair in a small topknot, although he is not too neat about it. Often careless with his appearance, his topknot is often a bit lopsided, or there are a few strands of hair that escape and hang down. When he lets his hair down, it reaches a little below his neck.

Eyes: Lai has the characteristic green Earthbender eyes. They are always alive, and darting every which way.

Height: 5'6"

Clothes: Lai wear's traveler's clothing--minimalist, practical, and durable. he interchanges between two canvas tunics--both are white, wraparound tops (think the top of a judo gi). He frequently wears a dark, forest green jacket over his tunics--it has a straight, flat, round collar, and two rows of yellow buttons running down the center (you know what I'm talking about--the classic Chinese shirt). He wears canvas pants as well--white, but travel-stained. He wears no shoes or gloves--instead, he has dark green handwraps and footwraps, preferring to let his feet callus, and to have perpetual contact with the earth.

Skin: Lai has tanned skin, from much travel. Rough and weather-beaten, he's picked up a few scars on his arms from blocking, and has a single narrow scar running along the left side of his neck.

Body Type: He is wiry and fit, but not overly muscled or strong. He is in great cardiovascular shape, seeing as he spends most of his time walking, running and swimming (usually away from people he's angered!).

[size=18]|CHARACTERISTICS|

Personality: Lai is happy and go-lucky, without a care in the world. He has a tendency to be careless, and he has no qualms about causing grudges--after all, he likes to be on the move, and if there is any trouble, he can just walk away. He is effortlessly calm, and often a bit goofy. For someone like an Earthbender, someone who's meant to be solid and grounded, Lai often has his head in the clouds.

Personal Strengths:

1. Calm--while not necessarily cool and collected, Lai panics about as much as he's not smiling. And he is ALWAYS smiling.

2. Earthbending--Lai is talented when it comes to Earthbending. He's always loved making things, and creating art--his Earthbending tends more to cleaner and more precise constructions rather than hurling boulders (you know those coin-with-a-square-hole thingies Earthbenders are always using? He loves those). A skilled martial artist, Lai is agile, swift, and clever at fighting.

3. Creative--Lai is one creative little bugger. He likes making things, and figuring out puzzles. He thinks out of the box so often he's forgotten where the box actually is. As a pilgrim, he's had many opportunities to talk, fight, and just plain old outwit his way out of trouble.

Personal Weaknesses:

1. Careless--Lai has the tendency to let things sneak up on him. He's pretty bad when it comes to seeing trouble coming, and he often blunders right into danger.

2. Naive--Lai has a belief in the fundamental goodness of people. As he's never stayed in one place for too long, he has the mistaken belief that no matter what he does or who he infuriates, they will "get over it." This leads him into being easily manipulated or surprised.

3. Earthbending--while he is very precise and very talented, Lai isn't that all-around-powerful. In fact, he's rather weak. While his spry and clever use of what powers he does have makes him a formidable opponent, he's not going to be one of those people who slugs around boulders like they're snowballs. Causing earthquakes, moving mountains, and the overly-powerful levels of earthbending enjoyed by others is a little bit over the top for him.

Hamartia He has no particular weakness that stands out, the same way that he has no particular strengths that stand out.

Personal Hero: Whoever gives him his next hot meal.

Dreams and Ambitions: Making it to that next town without dying of thirst.

Likes:

1. Sculptures (he's artistic, and often uses Earthbending to create statues and sculptures)

2. Water (he seems to be always thirsty. You'd be surprised how much water means to a guy like Lai)

3. Temples (he's a pilgrim, remember? Visiting temples is what he does)

4. Solid Land (he's an earthbender. So duh, he likes keeping his feet grounded)

5. Practical Jokes (or impractical ones. This trait has gotten him into a load of trouble before)

Dislikes:

1. Ocean (he likes solid land. Oceans, where no earth is easily accessible, are a no-no)

2. Desert (he once got caught in a sandstorm, without water or food. He made his way out of the desert, but now he HATES them)

3. Cacti (he tried some cactus juice when he was caught in the sandstorm. It pricked him AND gave him hallucinations)

4. Beaches (GASP! It's like the Desert and the Ocean COMBINED)

5. Prisons (most people dislike prisons, but he hates 'em. Bad experiences with them. Oddly enough, he's not claustrophobic--he has no problem with enclosed spaces...so long as he knows that at any moment, he can get out)

Brief History:

Born in the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se, the city of walls and secrets, Lai lived there with his extensive family. From the first days of his life he was always swaddled with brothers and sisters, older and younger, and cousins upon cousins upon cousins.

In total, he had four siblings, and fourteen cousins (he had a lot of uncles and aunts). His father was not a bender, but his eldest uncle was. His eldest uncle taught him, along with his older brother and cousins, the art of earthbending. Lai learned quickly, but soon became distracted in his own arts and constructions rather than learning the more advanced and more powerful techniques.

He became adept at manipulation of earth, and learned complex maneuvers easily. He seemed to have been gifted with a lot of endurance, but he was not endowed with outright power or strength. His uncle, eventually fed up with his nephew's distractedness, sent him off at the age of fourteen on a pilgrimage of the temples of the Earth Kingdom, and to test out his bending and learn himself. His uncle had made Lai promise to return when he was fifteen, but Lai got a bit sidetracked...and life on the open road was just a bit too much fun...and he never returned, instead choosing to spend his time on the highway life.

Subject: Re: Lai Bu Wan Thu Jun 28, 2012 5:19 pm

Approved.

Novice Posts : 8 Age : 26 Join date : 2012-06-28

That was fast! Thanks!