General RP Info

Alignment: Neutral Good

Nicknames: Pretty Eyes (his childhood crush called him that), Spoken Reason (“A title of respect won at a poetry slam in Chang-Ye”)

Gender: Male

Bender or Non-Bender: Bender (“awakened” Airbender)

Nationality: Earth Kingdom (Father-shopowner; mother-healer and “bonesetter”)

Occupation (Avatar the Last Airbender): Budding scholar/historian

Occupation (Legend of Korra): “Awakened” Airbender, underground reporter in Republic City ("The Third Eye"), graphic artist

 

 

 

Roles In Other Settings

Generic modern-day superhero: Unaligned metahuman underground reporter

 

 

 

Personality

Minoru's an incurable optimist, but befitting any good scholar, he’s highly intelligent and knows how the world works. His cleverness isn't that of a long-range mastermind like Amon or a natural genius like Asami Sato, but patient cunning, a finely-honed sense of opportunism, and an ability to easily adapt to new circumstances. This ability to look at things from unexpected angles has been both a virtue (inspiring him to use his Airbending gifts in his graphic novels) and a detriment (he’s forbidden from “experimenting” in the kitchen). Genuinely empathetic, the scholar often finds himself in the role of mediator because he's the guy that understands where everybody's coming from, even when they can only see the world from their own positions. Beyond just his childhood love of uncovering hidden secrets, at Minoru's core is a refusal to accept second-best in searching for truth. He shows a deep enjoyment in his life’s mission, and is surprisingly playful: Dry amusement, wry statements, quiet irony and normally gentle snark (though it can be razor-sharp when pushed or he feels someone's being willfully ignorant) are the routes he usually goes. He’s neither a class clown like Bolin nor a wiseass like Toph or Korra, but the Airbender’s definitely far from dull.

 

A self-perfectionist always trying to better himself in some way, Minoru can get so focused on his goals he’ll willingly endanger himself if he feels the benefits are worth it. (As he fully believes and often says, "We grow by learning, and we learn by daring.") If that requires exploring dangerous locales (spending a year on the appropriately-named Tempest Island to truly understand his Airbending), or pushing his body to its limits to emulate a great sage who obtained enlightenment, so be it. Given his profession and goal is educating and revealing truths, he is no fan of deceiving others and is usually the first person to speak up if he feels something isn't right. He'll usually do this out of the public eye if he can help it; while he isn't some obnoxious loudmouth, he won't lie to a friend. This stems from his general distaste for deception; while tact is softened truth in his eyes (and thus a positive), sincerity is a falsehood to disguise one's true feelings. (When he calls someone sincere, that's Minoru-speak for lying duplicitous asshole.)

 

 

 

Motivation

Simply put, it's the desire to help people rise that drives Minoru. Whether it be physically, intellectually or spiritually, he is a grower (*snicker*) who feels the quest for self-perfection never ends. When he sees people brought low through no fault of their own, it sparks a need for the man to try and help, to see them rise above their circumstances. Some gratefully accept assistance, while others view him as a fit nosy or a fraud looking to cheat them somehow. While not a warrior or fighter, he views his reporting as "The Third Eye" as a critical tool to revealing present truths and maintaining transparency between the leaders of Republic City and the people. (No rabble-rouser is this one, as he's learned a bitter lesson.) Likewise, his graphic novels about myths are intended to inspire the next generation, to have them draw strength from the past legends to spur their present circumstances and ensure future legacies. (This hasn’t stopped more conservative types from sneering at the novels, convinced they’re bastardizing ancient philosophies to make them more palatable to the masses. They often ignore the painstaking research Minoru puts into each comic, going so far as to use his ability of exploring the Spirit World to speak directly to some of those bygone figures.)

 

While he once had a mild jealousy towards Benders, his own journey has seen him realize how self-defeating such an attitude is. Jealousy and envy of others allows one to justify not trying. (As a bouncer and former small-time thug told him, “Life ain’t fair; doesn’t mean you still can't win.”) Just as he himself grew from a position of comparative weakness to better the world in his own way, Minoru urges others to do the same; what one man does can indeed affect others. (While many responded with scorn at his appeals, a few truly understood and got it, proving his “optimistic naïveté” is neither foolish nor unfounded.) His charm isn’t so much a silver tongue or good looks as it is the sincere clarity--rather than extremism or zealotry--with which he follows his path. Minoru has the ability to draw others in with his enthusiasm: Even during his months in prison, some of his fellow prisoners listened to him because he spoke to them, dared them to think and—above all—treated them like they were capable of doing so.

Tropes: Voice of the Resistance, Intrepid Reporter, Nerves of Steel, Magnetic Hero (to a fair degree)

 

 

 

Airbending

While he's always been a highly observant young man, his awakened Airbending and the sheer dedication he's put into understanding it has magnified this trait. It fits his personal philosophy of wind. Fire, earth and water can be manipulated into a desired direction; wind cannot. To this end, the reporter is very patient and evasive, decoding the opponent's fighting style through observation and experience so he can better predict their next move. Likewise, one can't hit the wind: By watching the other opponent, he gauges the angle of an incoming attack and leans/slides with it so it won't hurt (or a lot).

 

A combination of the Airbending ethos of peace over turmoil and his own personal philosophy, Minoru largely subscribes to a belief of nonviolent resistance and defense. While he's highly skilled at evading, countering or redirecting strikes, it's rare that he will lash out first, as that goes against his general nature of discovery and revelation; even then, he’ll do only as much damage as needed to end the conflict. He will never launch the first strike, and will usually only respond with a carefully measured response after taking time to decode his opponent’s technique. Even as quick as he thinks, this can be a detriment when facing someone who catches him off-guard and doesn't let up on the offense. On a scale of 1 to 10, Minoru would rank between a 6.5-7: He’s a good cut above the average Air Nomad in offensive skill—much more so in defense—but still a fair way from the overall completeness of Zaheer, Jinora or Tenzin.

Tropes: Blow You Away, Badass Bookworm, Minored in Ass Kicking

 

 

 

Other Skills

Observation: Minoru’s mother is as clever as she is caring, often chastised as too curious and inquisitive for one of her lowborn station. His father has the quick wits needed to maintain a comfortable living as a merchant. So it’s no surprise a boy having such a pedigree loves to uncover hidden truths and is frighteningly good at it, a tendency that’s garnered him a few enemies. Having an excellent eye for detail, he can easily pick up--and more importantly, recall--the subtle hints and nuances that others might overlook or simply dismiss altogether. This is especially true in regard to people: Minoru has a keen eye for the small details of other people that might otherwise be hidden or shrouded. A comment, a reaction, a bit of body language…it's those things that he is especially quick to pick up on. It's extremely difficult to lie to him and think you're getting away with it.

 

Spirituality/history: "Those who fail to remember the past are condemned to repeat it." A lesson that has been taught over and over again, and one Minoru has taken to heart. Beyond being a general student of history and current events, he has formed a considerable knowledge base on the Spirit World and beliefs of the Earth Kingdom, Water Tribes and Fire Nation. (His home contains many scrolls and books about such things, and he will often spend hours at a library pouring over a legendary figure, using his visits to the Spirit World to get the real facts.) While he's definitely not sifu-level now, with a few more years of study and learning...who knows?

 

Drawing: A very capable one, at that. The guy writes graphic novels on the beliefs systems of each and prides himself on the depth and accuracy of his work; every panel, it’s said, has a hidden secret or meaning to students of spirituality.

 

Detection: One aspect of Airbending that Minoru took to with ease was reading the air around him. When in tune with himself, he uses the wind to reveal any “oddities” blocking or diverting the breeze as an early warning system. Interruptions in the air flow alert him to hidden figures and ambushes, and both sound and scent can be carried on the breeze as well. His time on Tempest Island has also allowed him considerable skill in “feeling out” the weather around him, listening to nature rather than being in his own head all the time. (That he has a fairly sensitive nose only adds to this heightened awareness.) Though he himself isn’t much for skulking in the shadows, it takes an exceptionally silent and skilled individual to get the drop on Minoru when he’s on point.

 

 

 

 

Brief Excerpt From Minoru's Past: A Conversation With a Spirit...He Hopes (to this day, he isn’t sure)

 

Determined to forge his own path and seek enlightenment his way, rather than relying on the words or paths of the past. After all, Minoru had traveled far to the same place the great Guru Hokushin claimed to reach understanding in ancient days, sought the same meditation, refusing to eat or drink until he tapped into that stream of wisdom. Even when he was about to pass out, vision blurry and body weakened, he ignored the old woman’s urgings and her daughter’s pleas. Strangely, the old man had remained silent. Every second, he pressed on, convinced that would be the awakening. After what may have been a second, a minute, one hour or several, a vision slowly formed before the delirious young man. With all of his remaining strength, he focused on the sight, finally hoping that destiny would reward his patience and effort.

 

Nothing.

 

That was what he saw. Nothing. He had risked his life, followed the path, did everything prescribed for this enlightenment, and all for…nothing.

 

“W…why?” Minoru had croaked in a feverish vision, convinced he was still on that stone platform. (In reality, he was barely able to lift his head from the bed he was strapped down onto.) “What…do I lack? I did everything…”

 

He heard a vague reply, but it was if his ears were stuffed with cotton, blurring together in his mind. “Did you do everything?” The response boomed around him. A dry ancient hollowly sighed, a thin trace of disappointment in its tones. “Or did you do nothing?”

 

Weariness gave way to indignation at the claim, in no mood for riddles and games.

“N-nothing?! I travelled hard and long to get to this place, read all about the journey Hokushin took until I could recite it in my sleep! I purified myself in those waterfalls as he did, crawled through those thistles as he did, proved my dedication to that old man—” Even that display was draining, the hot fury fading away as the darkness beckoned him.

 

“As he did?” the voice finished. “You indeed followed Hokushin’s path, young scholar. Indeed, you’ve proven yourself dedicated of mind and spirit. So having dedicated yourself to walking his path, you have earned this wisdom.”

 

“What wisdom?!” Truly he had crossed over into full-on insanity, these being the last fleeting moments of lucidity before total madness gripped him. “This? I’ve learned…nothing!”

 

From all around him, a knowing—or was it sympathetic?—laugh filled the air as the young scholar sank into darkness. “Oh, you have learned something, young master. But perhaps you need a long sleep before it truly sinks in…”

 

***********************

 

It took several days for the scholar to even leave the bed, and during that time the boy had little to do but think. And somewhere between the third and fourth day, it clicked. That was the message. He had followed the path of Hokushin, not the path of Minoru. And in doing so, all he had done was replicate the guru’s way, rather than find his own understanding through his own means. That was why he saw nothing…for in truth, he’d done nothing. What reward did he expect—or deserve—for blindly following in the shadows of great men and women before him?

 

To this day, he isn’t sure whether that was a brilliant insight or a vision brought on by severe weakness and a brief foray into enlightened madness. (Even if it was the latter, he knows how faith can grant its own meaning to things.) But it did instill a personal pledge in Minoru: From that day forth, he would make his own path to obtain wisdom, rather than mirror the paths and philosophies of others. There were countless roads to enlightenment, and he would walk his no matter where it led.

 

And in doing so, he had taken the second step: Kill your teacher.