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euphoria

taking me in full bloom

Created on 2007-10-31 22:33:42 (#14154038), last updated 2008-06-30

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5 Journal Entries, 3 Tags, 0 Memories, 0 Virtual Gifts, 15 Userpics

Basic Info

Name:	Katara
Location:	Navarre, Tartarus

Bio

Player Name: Tobu Ishi (aka Arijan)
Character Name: Katara
Series: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Age: 14

Physical Description:

Although a good half a head shorter than her elder brother, Sokka, Katara is still reasonably tall at an even 5'6", with the same bright blue eyes and an unruly tumble of wavy chestnut hair that falls all the way to her waist when unbound. For obvious reasons, she keeps it twisted back in a braid most of the time, out of her way. Katara matured early, physically as well as mentally, and has a pleasantly girlish figure. Between her curves and her sweet, heart-shaped face, nobody would guess at a first glance that they cover a layer of lean muscle built up over a lifetime of surviving in the harsh conditions of southern Tartarus.

Her clothing, like her brother's, is mostly simple stuff dyed with cheap indigo, which luckily happens to be her favorite color. (Her wardrobe, of course, runs more towards skirts and leggings than Sokka's does.) Honestly, she'll very happily go swimming in her cotton skivvies--or nothing, on occasion--if given the chance. She does, however, still own a few lovely old gowns left to her by her mother, as well as an old straw hat or two. Sadly, there really isn't anywhere for a simple commoner to wear them, so they just fend off the moths from the inside of an old chest...in theory.

Personality:

Katara is an optimist, an idealist, a wide-eyed, soft-hearted dreamer, and has the genuine moral fiber and kindness to back up those ideals. Her grief over the death of her mother has been largely channeled into becoming a mother figure herself, both to her older brother and to anyone else who seems like they could do with a little TLC. There are very few things in this world she wouldn't tear off herself to give another in genuine need; in this respect, she's lucky to have her brother to look after her, or she'd have been sucked dry long ago by the greedier denizens of Tartarus. She's not a complete pushover, though, by any means; get Katara fired up about a goal, and she will stick it through till the end with every ounce of her enthusiasm and belief, in spite of any opposition; get her angry, and find yourself at the mercy of a startling blast of temper. More than one skeezy Tartan type has been shocked by a flash of blue fire in the eyes of the sweet-faced girl he was trying to bilk, pickpocket, scam, or seduce--often right before a full bucket of water or a boot introduces itself cordially to his face.

Abilities/Strengths/Weaponry:

Katara is first and foremost a talented healer. Taught half by her grandmother, partly through trial and error of her own, and partly from just soaking up every bit of healing knowledge that's trickled her way, she's emerged as a very capable and knowledgeable young doctor, with skills ranging from tending scraped knees, to relocating joints and setting broken bones, to delivering babies, to making curative inroads on the blacklung of her miner neighbors. She's also an excellent listening ear and shoulder to cry on, and occasionally gives surprisingly good advice, especially in matters of the mind and heart. She's in her element when "fixing" others, and her ability to improvise and adapt old techniques to new ills is one of her greatest strengths.

Physically, Katara has the basic skill set developed by any young woman trying to live and let live in Tartarus: sprinting for escape, sneaking to get around a brawl or away from a dangerous situation, basic freeform hand-to-hand for self-defense, swimming to stave off the chance of drowning, enough acrobatics to get herself out of a tight spot. However, she's made a few unorthodox additions to the set, like lockpicking and stealth, and an unusually serious study of the assorted fragments of martial arts she's come across, especially those that involve turning your opponent's strength against them (a good skill for a teenage girl). All this is applied with great enthusiasm during her escapades as her alter ego.

Although she doesn't technically carry a weapon, she does typically carry at least one length of knotted rope on her person whenever she's out sneaking around, which she can swing around with her trademark innovation to use for everything from grappling up a wall, to tying up a defeated opponent, to knocking the spectacles from a man's face at ten paces.

Weaknesses:

Although she's a relatively gentle, diplomatic, reconciling type, Katara has a nasty streak of temper, and it can cause her to lash out and do things she regrets terribly later. Her sense of pride feeds this; Katara is the sort of idealist who believes steadfastly in her own righteousness, sometimes past the point of absurdity, common sense, or even safety. Often it's impossible to convince her she's wrong until whatever she's doing proves it by blowing up in her face. And, finally, her powerful desire to Help Others and Save The World often translates to her simply being a total sucker for a sad face. Sokka has had to stop her more than once from giving away things they "didn't need" to some new sob story case washed up on their doorstep.

History:

Katara comes from a very loving family, but a broken one all the same. Her parents are vague memories; her mother died in the early purges of eight years ago, in uncertain circumstances that her grandmother doesn't like to discuss, and her father left home not long after and has hardly been back since. Although she loves her father from what she remembers of him, Katara feels a certain amount of frustration with him for what she can't help seeing as his running away from his pain to sail the skies.

Essentially raised by her grandmother, Katara grew up very close to her only brother Sokka, in an eye-rolling, teasing, nudging, picking-at-each-other sibling way. Her childhood, before and after the loss of her parents, was largely spent exploring the woods and beaches of Tartarus, mostly oblivious to her own poverty, except for the periods when food inevitably ran short. Although the three of them made a cozy little family, Kanna was getting a bit old to be feeding two increasingly hungry mouths; a few years ago, Katara and Sokka decided to ease the burden from her shoulders by striking out on their own.

For a couple of teenagers eking out a living in Tartarus, they've done pretty well for themselves, keeping more or less above the survival line for years. While her brother brings in the real money, Katara keeps their ramshackle wooden hut on the outskirts of Navarre tidy and clean, attends to general housekeeping and cooking duties, forages and bargains for their food and daily sundries, and runs her own very piecemeal clinic for anyone who needs help. The rafters of the hut are festooned with drying herbs and peculiar bits of things for Katara's work; as for the healer herself, she's as likely to accept a basket of eggs or a bit of ribbon as a good silver bit, and just as likely to shrug off the debt entirely if you've got something wrong and nothing to offer. (This, of course, drives her pragmatic brother absolutely mad.)

A final, important side note: from about ten until about eight years ago, a mistress thief known by the nickname "the Painted Lady" blazed a trail of chaotic justice through Tartarus, stalking the streets of the big cities by night, stealing food and money from the richer, corrupted denizens of the island and distributing it to the poor. She was listed as wanted by the government, and vanished entirely during the purges. However, in the last few months, the spitting image of the same woman seems to have reappeared, wearing the same silk noblewoman's gowns and broad straw hat, with her face streaked with ochre to hide her identity...committing the same vigilante crime spree all over again...

Katara, of course, knows nothing about any of this. Or at least no more than the next person. But she assures you that her mother's old wardrobe is locked safely in its box, and she advises you not to look inside the hollow tree several paces into the woods behind their shack...there are catowls nesting in it. Very nasty bites they can give, catowls. She's treated more than a few. Believe her.

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