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Damned-Institute: App
Character: Korra
Age: 17
Sex/Gender: Female
Canon Role: Main protagonist
"Real" Name: Janet Varney
Please give us a personal history of your character's life and explain to us in detail how they grow and develop over the course of their canon:
Korra was born to her parents Tonrag and Senna in the year 153 ASC (ASC=After Sozin'a Comet, the day the Airbender Genocide began) immediately upon the death of Avatar Aang. Her early life was similar to other young Water Tribe girls until she was four, when she proved that she was not only a waterbender, but also a fire and earthbender as well. The Order of the White Lotus was called to her house, and it was proven. Korra is the next Avatar. She was a prodigy, having considerable control over three of the four elements at a very young age. Her formal training began soon after, and she was very strictly supervised by the Order to ensure her safety. She was rather cut off from social life, spending her days in a special compound on the South Pole training. Her best (and most likely only) friend was a polarbear-dog she tamed herself by the name of Naga. She passed her waterbending and and earthbending tests by the time she was a teen, mastering firebending and passing that test at 17. She easily controlled the sparring for her final exam, but her teachers agreed that she lacked restraint and a sense of spirituality. Katara, however, pointed out that Tenzin, who was to be Korra's airbending teacher, could teach her what she needed to know. The White Lotus members begrudgingly agreed, and Korra passed.
Tenzin's arrival in the South Pole brought bad news. There was unrest stirring in Republic City, murmurs of revolution against the predominantly bending government. Because of Tenzin's important political position in the City, he couldn't permanently move to the South Pole to train Korra. Korra was angry at this decision and decided to take matters in her own hands. Saying goodbye to her family and taking Naga with her, she stowed away on a cargo ship headed for Republic City. Upon her arrival, the long-sheltered Korra was overwhelmed by the city's condition. She had never met a homeless person. She had no idea that the streets were under the constant threat of gang violence. While making her way through the park, Korra came across an Equalist protester trying to recruit non-benders to the movement. Korra was outraged, shouting that bending was "the coolest thing in the world." She threatened the man, and he used her threats as an example of benders' "oppressive nature." A frustrated Korra continued on her way through Republic City, at one point taking out three gang members who were bullying a shop owner. She also, however, caused massive amounts of collateral damage and was arrested by the metalbending police force. While at the police station, she was interrogated by a very not-impressed Lin Beifong, police chief and daughter of Toph Beifong. The chief couldn't have cared less that Korra was the Avatar. She wasn't special in Lin's eyes. Having learned the Korra had been arrested, Tenzin arrived at the station and convinced Lin to drop the charges, saying that he would pay for the damage. After a lot of arguing on Korra's part, she convinced Tenzin to let her stay in Republic City on the grounds that Republic City needs the Avatar. She took up residence with Tenzin and his family on Air Temple Island in the bay of Republic City and began her airbending training.
The training proved to be far more difficult than any of the other elements Korra had already mastered. Her brutish and stubborn personality was ill-suited to the circular, flowing style of the airbenders. She became angry easily, since the other elements had come to her with such ease. She continued to try to force herself to airbend, taking the straightest path rather than the path of least resistance. Tenzin's young children were more successful in meditation than she was. Korra would distract herself listening to Pro-Bending matches on the radio. Pro-Bending is a three-on-three boxing-like sport, each team with one bender of water, earth, and fire. Tenzin greatly disapproved, but she would still sneak out at night to listen. One night, she decided she was sick of being trapped on the island and left entirely, bending herself across the bay to the Pro-Bending arena to see a match. She got caught snooping around, but Bolin, a 16 year old pro-bender, was able to get her out of trouble by saying that she was "with him." He brought her to the locker room, where she met Bolin's brother Mako. Mako was uninterested and arguably cold towards Korra, dismissing her as another one of Bolin's "crazy fangirls." Korra, however, was thoroughly impressed by his performance in the area, scoring a hat trick knockout and winning the fight in the last round. Even after learning that she was the Avatar, Mako remained uninterested. Bolin, however, took a liking to her. He brought her back to the gym where they would train, showing her some of his earthbending moves. The style was very different from the traditional earthbending Korra was used to, but she proved herself to be a natural.
Back at Air Temple Island, though, she was making no progress. Throwing a tantrum like an angry child, Korra ended up destroying an ancient training tool. She turned her anger and frustration on Tenzin, accusing him of being a terrible teacher and running off back to the arena. Mako and Bolin's team, the Fire Ferrets, were qualified for the championship. But their waterbender, Hasook, who had had a hotheaded argument with Mako after the last match, didn't show up. Korra eagerly took his place, Mako only agreeing to it because they had no other options. Her inexperience and lack of knowledge of the rules was quickly obvious. She committed two fouls off the bat, almost costing the Fire Ferrets the match. During a break from the match, Tenzin showed up and confronted her, once again telling her how he disapproved of pro-bending and demanding that she return to Air Temple Island. Korra argued once again, saying that as the Avatar, she needed to learn modern forms of bending. Tenzin relented, allowing her to continue the match. When the fight was down to the wire, something clicked in Korra: A basic airbending move that Tenzin had been trying to drill in her from the start. Her dodges flowed together in graceful circular motions as she evaded an onslaught of opponents' attacks. The technique won the Fire Ferrets the match. It was decided that Korra would permanently replace Hasook as the team's waterbender.
Korra was training with Tenzin's two daughters, Ikki and Jinora, when Mako arrived at Air Temple Island looking for Bolin. Korra insisted that she help, and the two searched the city all day with no luck. They were able to get a lead that Bolin had made a deal with the Triple Threat Triad, one of the gangs in the area. (The team needed money to enter the championship.) They arrived at the gang's headquarters with only enough time to see Bolin bound and gagged and being driven off in an Equalist truck. Naga helped in chasing it down, but the two weren't able to catch Bolin. They were attacked by chi-blockers, non-benders who knew how to strike in precise places that would temporarily block bending. They took their next lead at the station of the protester Korra had met on her first day in the city. While they waited for him to arrive, Mako explained to Korra that Bolin was the only family he had, since a firebender had mugged and killed his parents when he was eight. Korra felt genuinely bad for him, but didn't really understand what it was like, realizing that she herself had always had people taking care of her. The Equalist man arrived the next morning. After roughing him up a bit, they were able to procure a map leading to the meeting place for a rally to be held that night. They sneaked in, seeing the Equalist leader Amon reveal that he had the power to completely take away someone's bending. Just before Bolin was subjected to Amon's abilities, Korra was able to scatter the room with steam and the three of them fought their way out of the building.
Encountering Amon terrified Korra, a girl who had never had anything to fear in her life. She considered bending to be everything, having grown up in an environment where it was the constant center of her life. She refused to admit her fear, despite having nightmares and not being able to function at 100% during the day. When she was approached by Tarrlok, a councilman for Republic City, about joining a specialized task force to arrest Amon, she refused, giving a half-hearted excuse that she needed to continue her air training. Tarrlok, however, showered her with gifts and even threw a gala in her honor. She was subsequently expected to speak at the gala, and she was bombarded with questions about why she had refused to join Tarrlok's force. Korra buckled, joining the task force to prove to herself and others that she wasn't afraid. She assisted in the capture of many Equalists, but got cocky in her over-eagerness, and challenged Amon to a midnight one-on-one duel. Obviously, Amon didn't come alone. Korra was easily overpowered by chi-blockers, and she would have had her bending taken completely if Amon hadn't decided that it wouldn't be to his political advantage to make the Avatar a martyr. She was knocked unconscious, where she had her first flashbacks through Aang's eyes of Sokka, Toph, and a strange man who appeared to be in court. Upon awakening, Tenzin was there for her, and she finally admitted that she had been terrified that entire time. That this was something too big for her.
While at a banquet held in her honor, Mako introduced Korra to Asami, his girlfriend. Korra was visibly annoyed despite Asami's friendly demeanor. She made it a point to mention that Mako had "never mentioned [her]." Korra continued in this nature as the tournament approached, rolling her eyes and scoffing jealously at Asami's less-than-subtle displays of affection with Mako. All the while, Bolin was trying to spend more time with Korra. She was uninterested. Frustrated, she decided to return to the island to continue her air training. While there, Pema overheard her talking about how she didn't know how to get through to Mako. Pema suggested that she just be completely open and honest. After that night's match, she confessed that she thought she and Mako should be together in a jumbled awkward mess of words. He refused, saying that he was with Asami and that his feelings weren't returned. Bolin saw that Korra was hurt and invited her out for the night. Despite his adamant denials, Mako looked annoyed when Korra accepted the invitation. Korra and Bolin had a great night; Korra was more at-ease and having fun than she had ever been since arriving in Republic City. They laughed, goofed off, and in general just had fun. But when she returned to the arena the following night, Mako confronted her and accused her of going out with Bolin just to "get back at him." Korra accused him of being jealous, and the petty argument nearly cost them the night's match. After the slim win, Korra confronted Mako, and he admitted that he had feelings for her, but that he also liked Asami. Korra, impulsive and self-centered as always, kissed Mako. He returned the kiss. Bolin, carrying flowers for Korra, walked in at the wrong moment and ran off at the sight of them kissing. Mako and Korra bickered. Again. He accused her of "breaking Bolin's heart." They fired the blame back and forth even though it was clear that they were both at fault. The tension carried over to the next match as well, and Korra was only able to secure the victory with a rare triple knock-out that put them into the next round. The three agreed to put the issues of romance behind them. Asami, still ignorant of the problems, congratulated Korra for an amazing performance. Korra thanked Asami for her father's financial assistance to the Fire Ferrets, the first kind words she had ever uttered to the other girl.
On the day of the pro-bending championship match, Amon made a public radio broadcast that there would be severe consequences if the arena wasn't shut down and the match canceled. With the help of Chief Beifong, the Fire Ferrets were able to convince the council to keep the arena open. When Korra tried to thank Lin, she was met with further coldness. It was only after speaking with Tenzin on the matter that she figured out that Lin and Tenzin had once been together. In a rather hypocritical display, Korra called Tenzin "Mr. Heartbreaker" when he turned to leave the conversation with frustration. The Fire Ferrets faced the White Falls Wolfbats in the finals, led by their arrogant leader Tahno. The referees had been paid off and were letting fouls and obvious infractions slip. The Wolfbats won the match because of this. True to his word, Amon showed up with countless Equalist reinforcements who had been hiding in plain sight in the crowd. Korra was still in the pool under the ring after her defeat, and was electrocuted along with Mako and Bolin by the Equalists. She fell unconscious, waking up tied up to one of the ring's support pillars. Bolin's pet Fire Ferret was able to chew them loose, and Korra sprung into action. She was able to launch herself up through the arena's ceiling where the Equalists were escaping, and she beat down several Equalists but was unable to catch Amon. The strain of the fight on the glass ceiling was too much, and Korra fell through only to be caught by Lin's metal cables in a death-defying show of Lin's metalbending abilities.
The arena, which had also served as Mako and Bolin's home, was too damaged to remain open. Korra got permission from Tenzin to let the boys stay on the island, but when she arrived to see the boys packing, they informed her that they would be staying with Asami and her father. Asami, must to Korra's obvious annoyance, was also there. She made up an excuse to leave, but not before Asami invited her to the estate. Once again, Korra made up and excuse, saying that she had to do "Avatar stuff." Bolin was able to convince her to come. Upon Korra's arrival, she made uninterested remarks about doing makeovers and playing dressup. But Asami interjected that she had something more exciting in mind. She took the group outback to her father Hiroshi's test track. Hiroshi is the inventor of the automobile (called Satomobiles) in the Avatar verse, and Asami has a love for the cars and races them often. She offers to "take [Korra] for a spin," displaying her superior skills behind the wheel. After this display of her abilities, Korra was finally impressed with Asami. She admitted that she had thought of Mako's girlfriend as "prissy." Asami said that it was fine, showing no issue with Korra. Once back at the mansion, thought, Korra overheard Hiroshi having a suspicious phone conversation about some sort of attack. She gleaned from this that Hiroshi was involved with the Equalists. Tenzin and Lin arrived to question Hiroshi, and he gave permission for them to search all of his factories. Not a single scrap of evidence was found. They did, however, receive a tip-off from one of Hiroshi's workers about a secret lab beneath the Sato Estate. Asami was furious at the implications that her father was tied to the radical group, and insisted that he was innocent. Mako sided with her, firing accusations at Korra for starting the mess to begin with. But Korra's impulsiveness paid off. In a risky raid, Lin raided the estate and discovered a secret tunnel beneath Hiroshi's workshop. Underground, they found a factory dedicated to building mechanized weapons for the Equalists' use. Korra, Tenzin, and Lin were trapped, ambushed, and knocked out by Hiroshi and his thugs thanks to his machines. Mako and Bolin were able to get down there, but were also quickly caught. Hiroshi was especially resentful towards Mako, ranting about how much it pained him to see his daughter prancing about with a street rat bender. When all hope seemed lost, Asami showed up, distracting her father. He was shocked, never having wanted Asami to discover his Equalist ties. He invited her to join him, siting the death of her mother at the hands of benders as a motive. Asami took the taser-like device from her father, told her he loved him, and to everyone's shock, she electrocuted him and took out the remaining chi-blockers. Korra, still limp from the energy-blocking attacks, was stunned. On the way back to Air Temple Island, Korra told Mako that he, Bolin, and Asami were all welcome to stay with the airbenders. She insisted that after all that had happened with her father that Asami was going to need Mako by her side.
Once the Sato incident had settled, Korra and Tenzin confronted Tarrlok about his radically anti-non-bender measures. He claimed his actions were necessary, and even asked that Korra rejoin his task force. She refused. Tarrlok made underhanded comments about Korra's lack of progress in airbending, and it affected her greatly. She spoke with Tenzin about her issues with spirituality and airbending, as well as the visions of Aang she had been having. He advised her that she meditate on the visions. Later, Korra sat on a cliff overlooking the bay and an enormous statue of Avatar Aang, whose shadow she could not fill. The tension of her self-prescribed "failure" of an Avatar broke, and she cried. That was when her friends found her, convincing her that she wasn't alone, that even Aang had had the help of his friends. Despite the team's success, Tarrlok grew angry and told them to stay out of his way. However, they did not. Upon arriving to break up what was supposedly an Equalist rally, Team Avatar 2.0 discovered that the entire neighborhood's power had been shut down. It was no rally- Tarrlok had instituted a curfew for non-benders, and had shut off the electricity for the entire block. The furious citizens retaliated, a crowd forming behind barriers set up by the police. They called upon Korra, saying that "she was their Avatar, too." This was the deal breaker for Korra. When the people were being rounded up by the cops, she set them free. An angry Tarrlok arrested Korra's friends. Korra took Tenzin with her to the police headquarters to try to get them released, but the new police chief refused. Korra took up the matter with Tarrlok alone. An argument ensued, and she told him that he was just like Amon. This sent Tarrlok into a rage and the two fought. Once it seemed that Korra had won the battle, Tarrlok bloodbent her (the ultimate form of waterbending in which a powerful waterbender can control another person completely) and knocked her out. She was brought far away from Republic City, into the mountains.
Korra experienced another vision involving the same man when she was unconscious. Upon waking, she discovered that she was sitting in a cramped metal box in the basement of a strange cabin in the mountains. After angry and futilely trying to escape, she took Tenzin's advice and meditated on the visions of the strange man who could apparently bloodbend. She pressed Tarrlok for the truth, and he eventually admitted that the man in her visions was his father, Yakone. He had been stripped of his bending by Aang shortly after the trial. The prison was soon invaded by Equalists, led by Amon himself. Korra could hear Tarrlok being stripped of his bending, and when the Equalists came down into the cellar, they electrocuted the box to knock Korra out. Thinking quickly, though, she managed to hang from the grated ceiling by one of her arm bands and avoid the shock. When the door was opened, she fought her way through, briefly coming face to face with Amon before sliding down a large, snow-covered hill. It was Naga who found her, having tracked her all the way from Republic City. She carried her home. Team Avatar, along with Lin and Tenzin, found the two roaming the streets. Mako was fiercely protective, carrying Korra away from the others and demanding that they give her space. Korra was relieved and happy to be with Mako again. Throughout her recovery from the ordeal, Mako stayed by her side, even holding her hand while she slept. (He was still "with" Asami, who was catching on.) Once Korra was starting to feel more like herself again, she explained what had happened to Tenzin, and he was worried by Amon's bold tactics and warned the group that Amon was approaching his "endgame."
The attacks began the very next day. The remaining council members, with the exception of Tenzin, were all captured. It was thanks to Team Avatar's efforts that Tenzin was saved, but Equalist airships had made their way to Air Temple Island. Rushing back there, they fought off the attackers and Tenzin told Korra and her friends to go into hiding for the time being. She had a difficult time with this, but eventually accepted that now was not the time to fight. It took some persuading from Mako for Korra to completely turn her back on Air Temple Island, the last airbenders' fates yet unknown to her. They hid in the sewers, finding a place to stay thanks to a homeless man Korra had met on her first day in Republic City. While in hiding, Korra and Mako stole Equalist uniforms and infiltrated the group to keep up on information. The more time they spent in hiding, the more frustrated Korra became with being a "coward." She was completely clueless to Asami's frustration with Korra and Mako spending so much time together. (She heard about the kiss from Bolin.) That night when they were both having trouble sleeping, Korra and Mako sat together by Naga, Mako suddenly telling Korra that he "couldn't imagine his life without her." He went on, saying that she was the most "loyal, brave, and selfless person he had ever known." They moved almost as if to kiss, but Korra cut it off with saying that they needed some sleep.
When reinforcements arrived to Republic City, Team Avatar made its move. They went to the docks to welcome General Iroh II's army, but the Equalists had intercepted Tenzin's call for reinforcements. With Hiroshi Sato on their side, they had built airplanes that easily devastated Iroh's forces. Korra was able to rescue Iroh, bringing him back to their hideout underground. Wounds treated, Iroh sent another wire for further reinforcements. The group was able to figure out the location of the Equalists' airfield, and Iroh decided to set out with Bolin and Asami to take it out, seeing that the reinforcements would never be able to make it into the harbor while being bombed. Mako and Korra would set off to continue their undercover work with the Equalists. Korra and Bolin hugged goodbye and the the two groups went their separate ways.
Hoping to ambush Amon, Korra and Mako went to Air Temple Island. But they found Tarrlok locked up there, instead. He explained to Korra and Mako that he and Amon were brothers, and that Amon's power to take bending away came from his incredible bloodbending abilities. Now knowing this, Korra realized that a direct ambush on such a powerful bender would be impossible. She offered to free Tarrlok, but the councilman refused, knowing that it would tip off Amon. Korra and Mako impulsively charged into an Equalist rally, planning to expose Amon as a bloodbender without even considering how impossible it was to prove. She simply announced that Amon was a bloodbender to all of his supporters. Amon took off his mask, showing the audience his "scars" that went along with the story that a firebender had attacked his family when he was young. Chi-blockers moved in on Korra and Mako, but Amon told them to wait. He wanted the Avatar to watch as he took the bending of Tenzin and his family, the last airbenders, whom he had managed to capture. A fight ensued, in which Korra and Mako managed to free the airbenders and flee the stage. Amon tracked down Korra and Mako, and after a suspenseful moment of hiding, Amon was able to find them and take Korra's bending. Mako beat him down ferociously with fire and lightning. He scooped up Korra and ran out of there. Weak and only partially conscious, Korra mumbled about how she had lost her bending. Amon was able to follow them, attacking Mako once again and knocking him several times against the wall with bloodbending. On the pure instinct of protecting Mako, Korra was able to miraculously blast Amon with air, knocking him clear out a window and into the harbor. Faced with either drowning or exposing himself, Amon bent himself out of the water, exposing himself to the public as a waterbender. Korra and Mako stood and watched, holding onto each other.
After Amon fled and the uprising was crushed, Korra and her allies made their way to the Southern Water Tribe where they hoped that Katara would be able to restore her other three elements. It did not work, and Korra was completely crushed. She made her way out on her own, curling up by the ocean and crying for both her failure and her loss. Mako initially tried to follow her when she left, telling her that he loved her even if she wasn't the Avatar. Korra told him to go home and leave her alone and ran off. Being the Avatar was the most important identity she could fulfill, and she had failed at that. Bending was her life, and because of her personality, being the Avatar was all about being the best bender. She had already accepted that she was a spiritual failure, but she had never considered spirituality to be of great importance, anyway. Korra was at her lowest. This was when Aang finally appeared to her, along with all of her other past lives. He told her that being at her lowest point was what opened her up to the most spiritual growth. Aang used his abilities as the Avatar to restore Korra's bending. She also gained the knowledge and control necessary to attain the Avatar State, the ability to call upon the power of her past lives' knowledge and power all at once. This was when Mako showed up, having followed her out to the beach. All thoughts of failure gone, she ran to him and kissed him, telling him that she loved him in return. They went back to the healing house, where Korra restored Lin's stolen bending by using the Avatar State. Tenzin took her aside, addressing her as "Avatar Korra" for the first time, and telling her how proud he was.
What point in time are you taking your character from when he/she appears at Landel's and why?:
I am taking Korra from the end of season one, the most current canon that is available. Even though she was relatively static throughout canon, there were some key components that did change that I want to be able to include, such as her improving social skills and her experience of true fear. She has a lot more to think about, and has seen so much more of the world than her pre-canon self. The seeds of deeper insight have been planted in her head, she just needs to let them grow. It would be far more tedious to take her from the beginning of canon, where she was even more closed-off from the rest of the world than she is now.
Please give us a detailed description of your character's personality:
Korra is a young woman who has grown up in a place where she is the center of attention. An entire compound was built simply to house and protect her during her years of training as the Avatar. She has the notion that being the Avatar makes her highly important and above the rules, and this leads her to have a lack of respect for authority, more often for worse than for better. She is rude to Lin, making excuses for the damage she caused in the city on her first day. When she grows frustrated, she blames her inadequacy on someone else. This upbringing also makes her believe that being the Avatar is the most important thing she could possibly ever be. Being the best bender is everything. She claims that her personality makes it impossible for her to connect with the spiritual side of being the Avatar, but doesn't make much honest effort to amend that. Even when she attains spirituality, it was not through her own efforts. One major thing that she still needs to grow out of is that the world does not revolve around her, even though in her world, while living in the compound, it did- for better or for worse. Her immature stubbornness that should technically have gotten her into trouble several times just ended up helping her get her way: When Tenzin said that he had to help in Republic City rather than teach Korra, she ran off after him despite his objections. Tenzin ended up letting her stay. When she was arrested for causing massive damages to public and private property, Tenzin let her off and agreed to pay for the damages. When she openly disrespected Asami and Mako's relationship by making repeated advances toward Mako, Asami directed none of her anger at Korra and Korra ended up with Mako anyway. When she recklessly ran in on Amon and ended up with her bending taken away, it was restored quickly by power that wasn't even her own. Korra has never faced a true consequence in her life, and this makes her completely fearless in an unhealthy way. The only exception to this is her attachment to her bending and her duty (or at least her slightly warped for of it) as the Avatar. This is why Amon terrified her so much. Again, her bending is her everything.
Korra's lack of fear also gives her a sense of independence that isn't as true as she thinks. When she dashes off to Republic City, she is shocked to realize that she can't just take food from a vendor. She often goes off on her own, with varying levels of success. She is obviously very impulsive, this being drawn partially from her sense of self-centeredness as well as from her nature. She doesn't pay attention to the feelings of others, and will often speak and act without thinking. Her actions have put both herself and others at risk, but again, because her actions never had any lasting ill effects, she never learns to be more careful. Korra is never afraid to speak her mind, even if her words would be impulsive or tactless, or even sometimes hypocritical. If she has a problem with something, she'll let everyone know. She lacks a speech filter. This can be both good and bad, but is yet another flaw that has never truly worked against her favor.
Korra's view of being the Avatar is very different from Aang's, or even Tenzin's. It is shaped by her own strengths and weaknesses. Water, earth, and firebending all came naturally to her, so she thinks them to be important. She struggles with airbending and her spirituality, and becomes angry when Tenzin mentions that she needs to practice. At once point, she flairs up and claims that maybe she's struggling with them so much because they're old-fashioned and that the Avatar doesn't need them anymore. That being said, she considers it the utmost importance that she maintains the image of the Avatar she thinks she should be. She uses her incredible physical prowess to her advantage, sometimes nearing the point of being a bully. Korra is quick to pick a fight and to prove herself as a strong Avatar to be taken seriously. When her strength is questioned, she is quick to act to dispell that idea. For example, when she turned down a position on Tarrlok's task force, the media exploded, asking her why she had refused. Korra knew, deep inside, that it was because she was afraid of Amon. Because of this (again, ego-centrism!) she assumes that everyone else will think she turned down the offer out of fear. So she joined the task force anyway, going one step further and impulsively challenging Amon. She had to convince not only to everyone else, but also to herself that she wasn't afraid of him. When this failed, she broke down completely in Tenzin's arms, because she had never truly experienced fear in her life. Amon represents her absolute greatest fear- the loss of her bending and thus the loss of her definition of what the Avatar needs to be. She needs to be the best. She always has to win, to get her way.
Korra has a very clear-cut view of what is strong and what is weak. If you can fight, you have her respect. Essentially, the traditional view of what is "masculine" is what Korra sees as respectable. Upon meeting Asami, Korra quickly judged her as weak and "prissy." This was not only fueled by jealousy over Mako, but also by the fact that Asami is very "girly." She keeps up her appearance, wears makeup, and is an all-around "girly" person. It is only after Asami shows Korra her skills as a driver that Korra respects her. But even in her admittance to Asami that she had had her pegged wrong, Asami still had only earned respect because of her skills. The Avatar's actual views of strength never changed, as was obvious in the wording of her apology to Asami. Girly always means "bad," and it's going to take a lot to convince Korra otherwise. Asami is considered more of an anomaly than anything else.
Despite Korra's many flaws brought on by both her natural personality and her upbringing, she is a very outgoing and passionate young woman in everything that she does. When she becomes invested in something, she will stick to it and put in 110% effort, though she becomes discouraged and upset when something doesn't come naturally to her. She is eager to make friends, seeing that she considered her best one for years to be a polarbear-dog. She has a sense of optimism brought on by her incredibly high self confidence. (The same self-confidence that brings about all of her flaws) She is very comfortable with how she is, and wouldn't want to change a thing, especially now that her spiritual block is broken and that she has figured out how to airbend. What she considers her only two "weaknesses" are broken.
Another positive trait is that she devotes her entire self to a role she feels she must fulfill. The most obvious role is as the Avatar, or at least her definition of what the Avatar ought to be. In addition to this, she takes her position as the Fire Ferrets' waterbender very seriously, and puts in considerable time and effort to train. When people are counting on her, she makes it a personal duty not to let anybody down. Korra puts her entire being into her duties. She expects only the best from herself. Because of this, she is also a very devoted friend. This can waver slightly, when she allows her self-centered tendencies to kick in, but for the most part she is a good friend, and tries to do everything she can to be helpful and caring, even if sometimes she doesn't know what the best thing to do truly is. This social awkwardness is obviously due to her having grown up in a very isolated place, and she is starting to overcome it a little bit.
Please give us a physical description of your character:
Korra is about 5'7" and has a broad, masculine build despite her slightly curvy frame. Constant training has made her very toned and muscled for a woman, something she takes great pride in. Her hair is brown and straight, long enough to reach her upper back. It is typically pulled back in some manner. Like most members of the Water Tribe, she has medium-brown skin and bright blue eyes.
What kinds of otherwordly abilities does your character have, if any?:
Korra comes from a universe where people can bend. This ability combines magic with martial arts and comes in four fighting style, one for each traditional "element." As the Avatar, Korra can bend all four: water, earth, fire, and air. In canon, her bending is very powerful. She can lift and hurl giant slabs of rock, propel herself hundreds of feet into the air with a water tornado, defy gravity with firebending-powered rockets, and blast enemies through glass with air. Her abilities in water, earth, and firebending are far more developed than her airbending, and she typically prefers using fire over her other elements, as it is the most deadly and she can create it from thin air. Korra also has a spiritual connection with all of her past lives. Using the Avatar State, she becomes extremely powerful, but vulnerable. If she is killed in this state, the cycle of the reincarnation of the Avatar will be permanently broken. In her typical Korra self, though, she takes advantage of it often, using it as an extra boost rather than a last resort, as seen in new footage of her using it to win a race with a couple of children.
If present, how do you plan to tweak these powers to make your character appropriately hindered in the setting of Landel's?:
A powerful fire, water, or air based attack will last only a second. She can only move earth light enough for her to lift on her own; she won't be picking up massive slabs of concrete. The weaker the usage of her bending, the longer it will last at a time. For example, holding a fire in her hand big enough to light her bedroom would last about 10 seconds. She would be able to use airbending as a boost for her agility, but only briefly, for things like popping quickly up from the ground. She can use her bending four times a night in total.
Does your character have any non-otherworldly abilities/training that surpass the norm?:
Bending, being a combination of martial arts as well as magic, has given Korra superior agility and physical strength. Even without bending (though it would be very difficult for her to get used to fighting without shoot something) she is very strong, having been trained in highly varying forms of martial arts, since each element must be bent differently.
What do you see your character doing in the scope of the game and how do you plan to use the setting of Landel's Institute to develop them and affect their psychology in a unique, interesting way?:
Damned will give Korra the opportunity to grow as a character in ways that her canon failed to pull through. Despite many wide open spaces for character development, Korra never learned the basics of being the independent woman she thinks she is. She doesn't know the danger of acting without thinking in a perilous situation. Here, her actions will have severe consequences. She still doesn't know that she can't always have things her way. In Damned, I hope to have Korra grow up a bit. Canon taught her how to be a team player, but not to have humility. This is an environment where she isn't automatically the best. Nobody knows what the Avatar is. She's not special. I want to play that up; I want it to teach her a thing or two about what it means to truly be the Avatar, and that she can't be the great Avatar she wants to be until she learns to tone down her pride. Seeing that these negative virtues have been implanted in her all her life, (man, did the Order of the White Lotus screw up) it will be very difficult for her to break them. It's going to take a lot of effort on her part, and a lot of just sucking it up and swallowing her pride.
Given that this RP takes place in an unsettling and outright horrific environment, how do you justify your character as being appropriate in both body and mind for this kind of setting?:
Although the Avatar/Legend of Korra canons never show direct violence because they are aired on a kid's station, I would assume that Korra has seen more than her fair share of violence throughout the Equalist revolution. She herself can easily become violent, and given her repeated raids on Equalists and common use of firebending, she has most likely injured or maybe even killed a few along the way. She in general has a very aggressive and strong spirit, and would not be cripplingly hindered by the disturbing events at Landel's. She's a fighter at heart, and won't let the environment in Damned get to her head easily.
Third-Person Sample:
One moment, she had been lying in her bed, finally home at the South Pole, and the next she was sitting bolt upright in a darkened room. Korra gave a shout, as if she was waking from a bad dream. This bed felt wrong. The sheets weren't her usual furs. She wasn't in her pajamas.
"Naga?" Calling the name of her beloved polarbear-dog was her immediate instinct. When nothing responded, she kicked out of bed with a brief lift of air and bent a torch into her hand. It lit up the room, revealing another bed, as well as three doors, and various other simple things one would find in a bedroom. But the styling was completely different than anything she had seen before. It was simpler, almost strangely futuristic...
But it wasn't long, ten seconds, perhaps, before the light in her hand flickered and died.
"What?" Korra snapped, glaring at her hand as she lit it once again. There. It was just a fluke. She opened the nearest door with her free hand. A closet. There was little inside it of interest. She moved on to the next door, which seemed to lead out to a hallway. This was outright bizarre. Had she been kidnapped? That was the only explanation that came to mind. But why would they have just dropped her in a bed? Before she even finished the thought, her fire flickered out again.
"Come on." She lit her hand a third time, continuing down the hallway with a slight pout. There was nothing but doors. Upon opening each, she found that they were all identical to her own. It was like some kind of boarding house... Or a hospital... It certainly didn't look like a prison. Korra grumbled under her breath when her hand extinguished itself again. And this time, it wasn't coming back on. She must have been chi-blocked. That was the only thing that made sense. Had the Equalists come all the way to the South Pole? How did they even have those resources anymore, they had no leader, Asami's dad had been arrested so they had no more technology... Was this the work of over-dedicated leftovers? Or something else entirely?
First, she had to figure out where she was. Korra bolted down the hallway in the dark, quietly cursing her lack of bending. She was certain it would only be temporary, and kept trying to relight her hand as she moved. Each hallway looked exactly the same as the last, doors upon doors upon doors until she reached one that led to... surprise, another hallway. But this one had other people in it!
"Hey!" she called down at a guy who seemed to be carrying a light of some sort. "Where am I? What's going on?" She lowered the tone of her voice as she approached the man with her eyebrows drawn. He was considerably taller than she, and could have easily been Water Tribe if not for his eyes. They were brighter red than any Fire Nationer she'd seen. And that scar! Big Guy had seen some action! She met his scowl with a disgruntled pout of her own.
"This is Landel's Institute. You've been taken from your home world, and you cannot get out. They pretend that this is some kind of hospital during the day, but at night..." as Big Scary Guy continued to explain, Korra wasn't sure if the situation made more sense, or less sense. You couldn't just stop bending! Sure, Amon could, but... he was gone.
Right?
"Hang on, big fella." That earned her another scowl. "You can't just pull someone out of their... world. There're two worlds. The human one, and the Spirit- Hang on, you're not a spirit, are you?"
Big Guy rolled his eyes.
"I am not a spirit. You most likely come from an entirely different world than my own. There are many, not only two like you say." He was quiet for a moment as Korra stared at him like he was a three-headed wolfbat. "I had trouble believing it, as well."
It was a dream. A crazy, crazy dream. That was the only thing that made sense!
"Fine. Then suppose that I did come from this other world..." It was obvious in her tone that she didn't believe him. "What do I do, now? Bust out?"
"Nobody has ever succeeded, as far as I am aware. There's a manipulative madman at the top of all of this, collecting us and playing with us like lab rats."
"Yeah, well, we'll see about that," Korra said with a smirk. If any of this was indeed real, she'd find her way out in no time. They couldn't keep her bending dimmed forever. And when it wore off... Well, the "madman" would have something to worry about. Korra was going to make sure of that. "Mind if I come with? I've got no light, now that my bending won't work."
"That would be fine."
"Perfect! I'm Korra, by the way."
"Scar."
She raised an eyebrow, smirking up at the brutish man.
"Right. Really, what is it?"
"Scar. Take it or leave it."
"Fine, fine..." she said with a wave of her hand. "Grumpy, much..." she muttered under her breath, giving 'Scar' another look as she kept pace with him down the main hallway. Whatever this "institute" had to throw at her, she could take it.
First-Person Sample:
Styled like a Bulletin Board post:
I keep hearing that there's some interesting stuff going on in the basement. So if anybody's looking for a little muscle, I'm your girl. My name's Korra, and I've got some abilities you might like on your side. I'm pretty good with... elemental things, and I've heard that's an issue, down there.
PS: If... any of you have heard of the Avatar, or Republic City, or... anything like that- I'd like to talk to you.
Age: 17
Sex/Gender: Female
Canon Role: Main protagonist
"Real" Name: Janet Varney
Please give us a personal history of your character's life and explain to us in detail how they grow and develop over the course of their canon:
Korra was born to her parents Tonrag and Senna in the year 153 ASC (ASC=After Sozin'a Comet, the day the Airbender Genocide began) immediately upon the death of Avatar Aang. Her early life was similar to other young Water Tribe girls until she was four, when she proved that she was not only a waterbender, but also a fire and earthbender as well. The Order of the White Lotus was called to her house, and it was proven. Korra is the next Avatar. She was a prodigy, having considerable control over three of the four elements at a very young age. Her formal training began soon after, and she was very strictly supervised by the Order to ensure her safety. She was rather cut off from social life, spending her days in a special compound on the South Pole training. Her best (and most likely only) friend was a polarbear-dog she tamed herself by the name of Naga. She passed her waterbending and and earthbending tests by the time she was a teen, mastering firebending and passing that test at 17. She easily controlled the sparring for her final exam, but her teachers agreed that she lacked restraint and a sense of spirituality. Katara, however, pointed out that Tenzin, who was to be Korra's airbending teacher, could teach her what she needed to know. The White Lotus members begrudgingly agreed, and Korra passed.
Tenzin's arrival in the South Pole brought bad news. There was unrest stirring in Republic City, murmurs of revolution against the predominantly bending government. Because of Tenzin's important political position in the City, he couldn't permanently move to the South Pole to train Korra. Korra was angry at this decision and decided to take matters in her own hands. Saying goodbye to her family and taking Naga with her, she stowed away on a cargo ship headed for Republic City. Upon her arrival, the long-sheltered Korra was overwhelmed by the city's condition. She had never met a homeless person. She had no idea that the streets were under the constant threat of gang violence. While making her way through the park, Korra came across an Equalist protester trying to recruit non-benders to the movement. Korra was outraged, shouting that bending was "the coolest thing in the world." She threatened the man, and he used her threats as an example of benders' "oppressive nature." A frustrated Korra continued on her way through Republic City, at one point taking out three gang members who were bullying a shop owner. She also, however, caused massive amounts of collateral damage and was arrested by the metalbending police force. While at the police station, she was interrogated by a very not-impressed Lin Beifong, police chief and daughter of Toph Beifong. The chief couldn't have cared less that Korra was the Avatar. She wasn't special in Lin's eyes. Having learned the Korra had been arrested, Tenzin arrived at the station and convinced Lin to drop the charges, saying that he would pay for the damage. After a lot of arguing on Korra's part, she convinced Tenzin to let her stay in Republic City on the grounds that Republic City needs the Avatar. She took up residence with Tenzin and his family on Air Temple Island in the bay of Republic City and began her airbending training.
The training proved to be far more difficult than any of the other elements Korra had already mastered. Her brutish and stubborn personality was ill-suited to the circular, flowing style of the airbenders. She became angry easily, since the other elements had come to her with such ease. She continued to try to force herself to airbend, taking the straightest path rather than the path of least resistance. Tenzin's young children were more successful in meditation than she was. Korra would distract herself listening to Pro-Bending matches on the radio. Pro-Bending is a three-on-three boxing-like sport, each team with one bender of water, earth, and fire. Tenzin greatly disapproved, but she would still sneak out at night to listen. One night, she decided she was sick of being trapped on the island and left entirely, bending herself across the bay to the Pro-Bending arena to see a match. She got caught snooping around, but Bolin, a 16 year old pro-bender, was able to get her out of trouble by saying that she was "with him." He brought her to the locker room, where she met Bolin's brother Mako. Mako was uninterested and arguably cold towards Korra, dismissing her as another one of Bolin's "crazy fangirls." Korra, however, was thoroughly impressed by his performance in the area, scoring a hat trick knockout and winning the fight in the last round. Even after learning that she was the Avatar, Mako remained uninterested. Bolin, however, took a liking to her. He brought her back to the gym where they would train, showing her some of his earthbending moves. The style was very different from the traditional earthbending Korra was used to, but she proved herself to be a natural.
Back at Air Temple Island, though, she was making no progress. Throwing a tantrum like an angry child, Korra ended up destroying an ancient training tool. She turned her anger and frustration on Tenzin, accusing him of being a terrible teacher and running off back to the arena. Mako and Bolin's team, the Fire Ferrets, were qualified for the championship. But their waterbender, Hasook, who had had a hotheaded argument with Mako after the last match, didn't show up. Korra eagerly took his place, Mako only agreeing to it because they had no other options. Her inexperience and lack of knowledge of the rules was quickly obvious. She committed two fouls off the bat, almost costing the Fire Ferrets the match. During a break from the match, Tenzin showed up and confronted her, once again telling her how he disapproved of pro-bending and demanding that she return to Air Temple Island. Korra argued once again, saying that as the Avatar, she needed to learn modern forms of bending. Tenzin relented, allowing her to continue the match. When the fight was down to the wire, something clicked in Korra: A basic airbending move that Tenzin had been trying to drill in her from the start. Her dodges flowed together in graceful circular motions as she evaded an onslaught of opponents' attacks. The technique won the Fire Ferrets the match. It was decided that Korra would permanently replace Hasook as the team's waterbender.
Korra was training with Tenzin's two daughters, Ikki and Jinora, when Mako arrived at Air Temple Island looking for Bolin. Korra insisted that she help, and the two searched the city all day with no luck. They were able to get a lead that Bolin had made a deal with the Triple Threat Triad, one of the gangs in the area. (The team needed money to enter the championship.) They arrived at the gang's headquarters with only enough time to see Bolin bound and gagged and being driven off in an Equalist truck. Naga helped in chasing it down, but the two weren't able to catch Bolin. They were attacked by chi-blockers, non-benders who knew how to strike in precise places that would temporarily block bending. They took their next lead at the station of the protester Korra had met on her first day in the city. While they waited for him to arrive, Mako explained to Korra that Bolin was the only family he had, since a firebender had mugged and killed his parents when he was eight. Korra felt genuinely bad for him, but didn't really understand what it was like, realizing that she herself had always had people taking care of her. The Equalist man arrived the next morning. After roughing him up a bit, they were able to procure a map leading to the meeting place for a rally to be held that night. They sneaked in, seeing the Equalist leader Amon reveal that he had the power to completely take away someone's bending. Just before Bolin was subjected to Amon's abilities, Korra was able to scatter the room with steam and the three of them fought their way out of the building.
Encountering Amon terrified Korra, a girl who had never had anything to fear in her life. She considered bending to be everything, having grown up in an environment where it was the constant center of her life. She refused to admit her fear, despite having nightmares and not being able to function at 100% during the day. When she was approached by Tarrlok, a councilman for Republic City, about joining a specialized task force to arrest Amon, she refused, giving a half-hearted excuse that she needed to continue her air training. Tarrlok, however, showered her with gifts and even threw a gala in her honor. She was subsequently expected to speak at the gala, and she was bombarded with questions about why she had refused to join Tarrlok's force. Korra buckled, joining the task force to prove to herself and others that she wasn't afraid. She assisted in the capture of many Equalists, but got cocky in her over-eagerness, and challenged Amon to a midnight one-on-one duel. Obviously, Amon didn't come alone. Korra was easily overpowered by chi-blockers, and she would have had her bending taken completely if Amon hadn't decided that it wouldn't be to his political advantage to make the Avatar a martyr. She was knocked unconscious, where she had her first flashbacks through Aang's eyes of Sokka, Toph, and a strange man who appeared to be in court. Upon awakening, Tenzin was there for her, and she finally admitted that she had been terrified that entire time. That this was something too big for her.
While at a banquet held in her honor, Mako introduced Korra to Asami, his girlfriend. Korra was visibly annoyed despite Asami's friendly demeanor. She made it a point to mention that Mako had "never mentioned [her]." Korra continued in this nature as the tournament approached, rolling her eyes and scoffing jealously at Asami's less-than-subtle displays of affection with Mako. All the while, Bolin was trying to spend more time with Korra. She was uninterested. Frustrated, she decided to return to the island to continue her air training. While there, Pema overheard her talking about how she didn't know how to get through to Mako. Pema suggested that she just be completely open and honest. After that night's match, she confessed that she thought she and Mako should be together in a jumbled awkward mess of words. He refused, saying that he was with Asami and that his feelings weren't returned. Bolin saw that Korra was hurt and invited her out for the night. Despite his adamant denials, Mako looked annoyed when Korra accepted the invitation. Korra and Bolin had a great night; Korra was more at-ease and having fun than she had ever been since arriving in Republic City. They laughed, goofed off, and in general just had fun. But when she returned to the arena the following night, Mako confronted her and accused her of going out with Bolin just to "get back at him." Korra accused him of being jealous, and the petty argument nearly cost them the night's match. After the slim win, Korra confronted Mako, and he admitted that he had feelings for her, but that he also liked Asami. Korra, impulsive and self-centered as always, kissed Mako. He returned the kiss. Bolin, carrying flowers for Korra, walked in at the wrong moment and ran off at the sight of them kissing. Mako and Korra bickered. Again. He accused her of "breaking Bolin's heart." They fired the blame back and forth even though it was clear that they were both at fault. The tension carried over to the next match as well, and Korra was only able to secure the victory with a rare triple knock-out that put them into the next round. The three agreed to put the issues of romance behind them. Asami, still ignorant of the problems, congratulated Korra for an amazing performance. Korra thanked Asami for her father's financial assistance to the Fire Ferrets, the first kind words she had ever uttered to the other girl.
On the day of the pro-bending championship match, Amon made a public radio broadcast that there would be severe consequences if the arena wasn't shut down and the match canceled. With the help of Chief Beifong, the Fire Ferrets were able to convince the council to keep the arena open. When Korra tried to thank Lin, she was met with further coldness. It was only after speaking with Tenzin on the matter that she figured out that Lin and Tenzin had once been together. In a rather hypocritical display, Korra called Tenzin "Mr. Heartbreaker" when he turned to leave the conversation with frustration. The Fire Ferrets faced the White Falls Wolfbats in the finals, led by their arrogant leader Tahno. The referees had been paid off and were letting fouls and obvious infractions slip. The Wolfbats won the match because of this. True to his word, Amon showed up with countless Equalist reinforcements who had been hiding in plain sight in the crowd. Korra was still in the pool under the ring after her defeat, and was electrocuted along with Mako and Bolin by the Equalists. She fell unconscious, waking up tied up to one of the ring's support pillars. Bolin's pet Fire Ferret was able to chew them loose, and Korra sprung into action. She was able to launch herself up through the arena's ceiling where the Equalists were escaping, and she beat down several Equalists but was unable to catch Amon. The strain of the fight on the glass ceiling was too much, and Korra fell through only to be caught by Lin's metal cables in a death-defying show of Lin's metalbending abilities.
The arena, which had also served as Mako and Bolin's home, was too damaged to remain open. Korra got permission from Tenzin to let the boys stay on the island, but when she arrived to see the boys packing, they informed her that they would be staying with Asami and her father. Asami, must to Korra's obvious annoyance, was also there. She made up an excuse to leave, but not before Asami invited her to the estate. Once again, Korra made up and excuse, saying that she had to do "Avatar stuff." Bolin was able to convince her to come. Upon Korra's arrival, she made uninterested remarks about doing makeovers and playing dressup. But Asami interjected that she had something more exciting in mind. She took the group outback to her father Hiroshi's test track. Hiroshi is the inventor of the automobile (called Satomobiles) in the Avatar verse, and Asami has a love for the cars and races them often. She offers to "take [Korra] for a spin," displaying her superior skills behind the wheel. After this display of her abilities, Korra was finally impressed with Asami. She admitted that she had thought of Mako's girlfriend as "prissy." Asami said that it was fine, showing no issue with Korra. Once back at the mansion, thought, Korra overheard Hiroshi having a suspicious phone conversation about some sort of attack. She gleaned from this that Hiroshi was involved with the Equalists. Tenzin and Lin arrived to question Hiroshi, and he gave permission for them to search all of his factories. Not a single scrap of evidence was found. They did, however, receive a tip-off from one of Hiroshi's workers about a secret lab beneath the Sato Estate. Asami was furious at the implications that her father was tied to the radical group, and insisted that he was innocent. Mako sided with her, firing accusations at Korra for starting the mess to begin with. But Korra's impulsiveness paid off. In a risky raid, Lin raided the estate and discovered a secret tunnel beneath Hiroshi's workshop. Underground, they found a factory dedicated to building mechanized weapons for the Equalists' use. Korra, Tenzin, and Lin were trapped, ambushed, and knocked out by Hiroshi and his thugs thanks to his machines. Mako and Bolin were able to get down there, but were also quickly caught. Hiroshi was especially resentful towards Mako, ranting about how much it pained him to see his daughter prancing about with a street rat bender. When all hope seemed lost, Asami showed up, distracting her father. He was shocked, never having wanted Asami to discover his Equalist ties. He invited her to join him, siting the death of her mother at the hands of benders as a motive. Asami took the taser-like device from her father, told her he loved him, and to everyone's shock, she electrocuted him and took out the remaining chi-blockers. Korra, still limp from the energy-blocking attacks, was stunned. On the way back to Air Temple Island, Korra told Mako that he, Bolin, and Asami were all welcome to stay with the airbenders. She insisted that after all that had happened with her father that Asami was going to need Mako by her side.
Once the Sato incident had settled, Korra and Tenzin confronted Tarrlok about his radically anti-non-bender measures. He claimed his actions were necessary, and even asked that Korra rejoin his task force. She refused. Tarrlok made underhanded comments about Korra's lack of progress in airbending, and it affected her greatly. She spoke with Tenzin about her issues with spirituality and airbending, as well as the visions of Aang she had been having. He advised her that she meditate on the visions. Later, Korra sat on a cliff overlooking the bay and an enormous statue of Avatar Aang, whose shadow she could not fill. The tension of her self-prescribed "failure" of an Avatar broke, and she cried. That was when her friends found her, convincing her that she wasn't alone, that even Aang had had the help of his friends. Despite the team's success, Tarrlok grew angry and told them to stay out of his way. However, they did not. Upon arriving to break up what was supposedly an Equalist rally, Team Avatar 2.0 discovered that the entire neighborhood's power had been shut down. It was no rally- Tarrlok had instituted a curfew for non-benders, and had shut off the electricity for the entire block. The furious citizens retaliated, a crowd forming behind barriers set up by the police. They called upon Korra, saying that "she was their Avatar, too." This was the deal breaker for Korra. When the people were being rounded up by the cops, she set them free. An angry Tarrlok arrested Korra's friends. Korra took Tenzin with her to the police headquarters to try to get them released, but the new police chief refused. Korra took up the matter with Tarrlok alone. An argument ensued, and she told him that he was just like Amon. This sent Tarrlok into a rage and the two fought. Once it seemed that Korra had won the battle, Tarrlok bloodbent her (the ultimate form of waterbending in which a powerful waterbender can control another person completely) and knocked her out. She was brought far away from Republic City, into the mountains.
Korra experienced another vision involving the same man when she was unconscious. Upon waking, she discovered that she was sitting in a cramped metal box in the basement of a strange cabin in the mountains. After angry and futilely trying to escape, she took Tenzin's advice and meditated on the visions of the strange man who could apparently bloodbend. She pressed Tarrlok for the truth, and he eventually admitted that the man in her visions was his father, Yakone. He had been stripped of his bending by Aang shortly after the trial. The prison was soon invaded by Equalists, led by Amon himself. Korra could hear Tarrlok being stripped of his bending, and when the Equalists came down into the cellar, they electrocuted the box to knock Korra out. Thinking quickly, though, she managed to hang from the grated ceiling by one of her arm bands and avoid the shock. When the door was opened, she fought her way through, briefly coming face to face with Amon before sliding down a large, snow-covered hill. It was Naga who found her, having tracked her all the way from Republic City. She carried her home. Team Avatar, along with Lin and Tenzin, found the two roaming the streets. Mako was fiercely protective, carrying Korra away from the others and demanding that they give her space. Korra was relieved and happy to be with Mako again. Throughout her recovery from the ordeal, Mako stayed by her side, even holding her hand while she slept. (He was still "with" Asami, who was catching on.) Once Korra was starting to feel more like herself again, she explained what had happened to Tenzin, and he was worried by Amon's bold tactics and warned the group that Amon was approaching his "endgame."
The attacks began the very next day. The remaining council members, with the exception of Tenzin, were all captured. It was thanks to Team Avatar's efforts that Tenzin was saved, but Equalist airships had made their way to Air Temple Island. Rushing back there, they fought off the attackers and Tenzin told Korra and her friends to go into hiding for the time being. She had a difficult time with this, but eventually accepted that now was not the time to fight. It took some persuading from Mako for Korra to completely turn her back on Air Temple Island, the last airbenders' fates yet unknown to her. They hid in the sewers, finding a place to stay thanks to a homeless man Korra had met on her first day in Republic City. While in hiding, Korra and Mako stole Equalist uniforms and infiltrated the group to keep up on information. The more time they spent in hiding, the more frustrated Korra became with being a "coward." She was completely clueless to Asami's frustration with Korra and Mako spending so much time together. (She heard about the kiss from Bolin.) That night when they were both having trouble sleeping, Korra and Mako sat together by Naga, Mako suddenly telling Korra that he "couldn't imagine his life without her." He went on, saying that she was the most "loyal, brave, and selfless person he had ever known." They moved almost as if to kiss, but Korra cut it off with saying that they needed some sleep.
When reinforcements arrived to Republic City, Team Avatar made its move. They went to the docks to welcome General Iroh II's army, but the Equalists had intercepted Tenzin's call for reinforcements. With Hiroshi Sato on their side, they had built airplanes that easily devastated Iroh's forces. Korra was able to rescue Iroh, bringing him back to their hideout underground. Wounds treated, Iroh sent another wire for further reinforcements. The group was able to figure out the location of the Equalists' airfield, and Iroh decided to set out with Bolin and Asami to take it out, seeing that the reinforcements would never be able to make it into the harbor while being bombed. Mako and Korra would set off to continue their undercover work with the Equalists. Korra and Bolin hugged goodbye and the the two groups went their separate ways.
Hoping to ambush Amon, Korra and Mako went to Air Temple Island. But they found Tarrlok locked up there, instead. He explained to Korra and Mako that he and Amon were brothers, and that Amon's power to take bending away came from his incredible bloodbending abilities. Now knowing this, Korra realized that a direct ambush on such a powerful bender would be impossible. She offered to free Tarrlok, but the councilman refused, knowing that it would tip off Amon. Korra and Mako impulsively charged into an Equalist rally, planning to expose Amon as a bloodbender without even considering how impossible it was to prove. She simply announced that Amon was a bloodbender to all of his supporters. Amon took off his mask, showing the audience his "scars" that went along with the story that a firebender had attacked his family when he was young. Chi-blockers moved in on Korra and Mako, but Amon told them to wait. He wanted the Avatar to watch as he took the bending of Tenzin and his family, the last airbenders, whom he had managed to capture. A fight ensued, in which Korra and Mako managed to free the airbenders and flee the stage. Amon tracked down Korra and Mako, and after a suspenseful moment of hiding, Amon was able to find them and take Korra's bending. Mako beat him down ferociously with fire and lightning. He scooped up Korra and ran out of there. Weak and only partially conscious, Korra mumbled about how she had lost her bending. Amon was able to follow them, attacking Mako once again and knocking him several times against the wall with bloodbending. On the pure instinct of protecting Mako, Korra was able to miraculously blast Amon with air, knocking him clear out a window and into the harbor. Faced with either drowning or exposing himself, Amon bent himself out of the water, exposing himself to the public as a waterbender. Korra and Mako stood and watched, holding onto each other.
After Amon fled and the uprising was crushed, Korra and her allies made their way to the Southern Water Tribe where they hoped that Katara would be able to restore her other three elements. It did not work, and Korra was completely crushed. She made her way out on her own, curling up by the ocean and crying for both her failure and her loss. Mako initially tried to follow her when she left, telling her that he loved her even if she wasn't the Avatar. Korra told him to go home and leave her alone and ran off. Being the Avatar was the most important identity she could fulfill, and she had failed at that. Bending was her life, and because of her personality, being the Avatar was all about being the best bender. She had already accepted that she was a spiritual failure, but she had never considered spirituality to be of great importance, anyway. Korra was at her lowest. This was when Aang finally appeared to her, along with all of her other past lives. He told her that being at her lowest point was what opened her up to the most spiritual growth. Aang used his abilities as the Avatar to restore Korra's bending. She also gained the knowledge and control necessary to attain the Avatar State, the ability to call upon the power of her past lives' knowledge and power all at once. This was when Mako showed up, having followed her out to the beach. All thoughts of failure gone, she ran to him and kissed him, telling him that she loved him in return. They went back to the healing house, where Korra restored Lin's stolen bending by using the Avatar State. Tenzin took her aside, addressing her as "Avatar Korra" for the first time, and telling her how proud he was.
What point in time are you taking your character from when he/she appears at Landel's and why?:
I am taking Korra from the end of season one, the most current canon that is available. Even though she was relatively static throughout canon, there were some key components that did change that I want to be able to include, such as her improving social skills and her experience of true fear. She has a lot more to think about, and has seen so much more of the world than her pre-canon self. The seeds of deeper insight have been planted in her head, she just needs to let them grow. It would be far more tedious to take her from the beginning of canon, where she was even more closed-off from the rest of the world than she is now.
Please give us a detailed description of your character's personality:
Korra is a young woman who has grown up in a place where she is the center of attention. An entire compound was built simply to house and protect her during her years of training as the Avatar. She has the notion that being the Avatar makes her highly important and above the rules, and this leads her to have a lack of respect for authority, more often for worse than for better. She is rude to Lin, making excuses for the damage she caused in the city on her first day. When she grows frustrated, she blames her inadequacy on someone else. This upbringing also makes her believe that being the Avatar is the most important thing she could possibly ever be. Being the best bender is everything. She claims that her personality makes it impossible for her to connect with the spiritual side of being the Avatar, but doesn't make much honest effort to amend that. Even when she attains spirituality, it was not through her own efforts. One major thing that she still needs to grow out of is that the world does not revolve around her, even though in her world, while living in the compound, it did- for better or for worse. Her immature stubbornness that should technically have gotten her into trouble several times just ended up helping her get her way: When Tenzin said that he had to help in Republic City rather than teach Korra, she ran off after him despite his objections. Tenzin ended up letting her stay. When she was arrested for causing massive damages to public and private property, Tenzin let her off and agreed to pay for the damages. When she openly disrespected Asami and Mako's relationship by making repeated advances toward Mako, Asami directed none of her anger at Korra and Korra ended up with Mako anyway. When she recklessly ran in on Amon and ended up with her bending taken away, it was restored quickly by power that wasn't even her own. Korra has never faced a true consequence in her life, and this makes her completely fearless in an unhealthy way. The only exception to this is her attachment to her bending and her duty (or at least her slightly warped for of it) as the Avatar. This is why Amon terrified her so much. Again, her bending is her everything.
Korra's lack of fear also gives her a sense of independence that isn't as true as she thinks. When she dashes off to Republic City, she is shocked to realize that she can't just take food from a vendor. She often goes off on her own, with varying levels of success. She is obviously very impulsive, this being drawn partially from her sense of self-centeredness as well as from her nature. She doesn't pay attention to the feelings of others, and will often speak and act without thinking. Her actions have put both herself and others at risk, but again, because her actions never had any lasting ill effects, she never learns to be more careful. Korra is never afraid to speak her mind, even if her words would be impulsive or tactless, or even sometimes hypocritical. If she has a problem with something, she'll let everyone know. She lacks a speech filter. This can be both good and bad, but is yet another flaw that has never truly worked against her favor.
Korra's view of being the Avatar is very different from Aang's, or even Tenzin's. It is shaped by her own strengths and weaknesses. Water, earth, and firebending all came naturally to her, so she thinks them to be important. She struggles with airbending and her spirituality, and becomes angry when Tenzin mentions that she needs to practice. At once point, she flairs up and claims that maybe she's struggling with them so much because they're old-fashioned and that the Avatar doesn't need them anymore. That being said, she considers it the utmost importance that she maintains the image of the Avatar she thinks she should be. She uses her incredible physical prowess to her advantage, sometimes nearing the point of being a bully. Korra is quick to pick a fight and to prove herself as a strong Avatar to be taken seriously. When her strength is questioned, she is quick to act to dispell that idea. For example, when she turned down a position on Tarrlok's task force, the media exploded, asking her why she had refused. Korra knew, deep inside, that it was because she was afraid of Amon. Because of this (again, ego-centrism!) she assumes that everyone else will think she turned down the offer out of fear. So she joined the task force anyway, going one step further and impulsively challenging Amon. She had to convince not only to everyone else, but also to herself that she wasn't afraid of him. When this failed, she broke down completely in Tenzin's arms, because she had never truly experienced fear in her life. Amon represents her absolute greatest fear- the loss of her bending and thus the loss of her definition of what the Avatar needs to be. She needs to be the best. She always has to win, to get her way.
Korra has a very clear-cut view of what is strong and what is weak. If you can fight, you have her respect. Essentially, the traditional view of what is "masculine" is what Korra sees as respectable. Upon meeting Asami, Korra quickly judged her as weak and "prissy." This was not only fueled by jealousy over Mako, but also by the fact that Asami is very "girly." She keeps up her appearance, wears makeup, and is an all-around "girly" person. It is only after Asami shows Korra her skills as a driver that Korra respects her. But even in her admittance to Asami that she had had her pegged wrong, Asami still had only earned respect because of her skills. The Avatar's actual views of strength never changed, as was obvious in the wording of her apology to Asami. Girly always means "bad," and it's going to take a lot to convince Korra otherwise. Asami is considered more of an anomaly than anything else.
Despite Korra's many flaws brought on by both her natural personality and her upbringing, she is a very outgoing and passionate young woman in everything that she does. When she becomes invested in something, she will stick to it and put in 110% effort, though she becomes discouraged and upset when something doesn't come naturally to her. She is eager to make friends, seeing that she considered her best one for years to be a polarbear-dog. She has a sense of optimism brought on by her incredibly high self confidence. (The same self-confidence that brings about all of her flaws) She is very comfortable with how she is, and wouldn't want to change a thing, especially now that her spiritual block is broken and that she has figured out how to airbend. What she considers her only two "weaknesses" are broken.
Another positive trait is that she devotes her entire self to a role she feels she must fulfill. The most obvious role is as the Avatar, or at least her definition of what the Avatar ought to be. In addition to this, she takes her position as the Fire Ferrets' waterbender very seriously, and puts in considerable time and effort to train. When people are counting on her, she makes it a personal duty not to let anybody down. Korra puts her entire being into her duties. She expects only the best from herself. Because of this, she is also a very devoted friend. This can waver slightly, when she allows her self-centered tendencies to kick in, but for the most part she is a good friend, and tries to do everything she can to be helpful and caring, even if sometimes she doesn't know what the best thing to do truly is. This social awkwardness is obviously due to her having grown up in a very isolated place, and she is starting to overcome it a little bit.
Please give us a physical description of your character:
Korra is about 5'7" and has a broad, masculine build despite her slightly curvy frame. Constant training has made her very toned and muscled for a woman, something she takes great pride in. Her hair is brown and straight, long enough to reach her upper back. It is typically pulled back in some manner. Like most members of the Water Tribe, she has medium-brown skin and bright blue eyes.
What kinds of otherwordly abilities does your character have, if any?:
Korra comes from a universe where people can bend. This ability combines magic with martial arts and comes in four fighting style, one for each traditional "element." As the Avatar, Korra can bend all four: water, earth, fire, and air. In canon, her bending is very powerful. She can lift and hurl giant slabs of rock, propel herself hundreds of feet into the air with a water tornado, defy gravity with firebending-powered rockets, and blast enemies through glass with air. Her abilities in water, earth, and firebending are far more developed than her airbending, and she typically prefers using fire over her other elements, as it is the most deadly and she can create it from thin air. Korra also has a spiritual connection with all of her past lives. Using the Avatar State, she becomes extremely powerful, but vulnerable. If she is killed in this state, the cycle of the reincarnation of the Avatar will be permanently broken. In her typical Korra self, though, she takes advantage of it often, using it as an extra boost rather than a last resort, as seen in new footage of her using it to win a race with a couple of children.
If present, how do you plan to tweak these powers to make your character appropriately hindered in the setting of Landel's?:
A powerful fire, water, or air based attack will last only a second. She can only move earth light enough for her to lift on her own; she won't be picking up massive slabs of concrete. The weaker the usage of her bending, the longer it will last at a time. For example, holding a fire in her hand big enough to light her bedroom would last about 10 seconds. She would be able to use airbending as a boost for her agility, but only briefly, for things like popping quickly up from the ground. She can use her bending four times a night in total.
Does your character have any non-otherworldly abilities/training that surpass the norm?:
Bending, being a combination of martial arts as well as magic, has given Korra superior agility and physical strength. Even without bending (though it would be very difficult for her to get used to fighting without shoot something) she is very strong, having been trained in highly varying forms of martial arts, since each element must be bent differently.
What do you see your character doing in the scope of the game and how do you plan to use the setting of Landel's Institute to develop them and affect their psychology in a unique, interesting way?:
Damned will give Korra the opportunity to grow as a character in ways that her canon failed to pull through. Despite many wide open spaces for character development, Korra never learned the basics of being the independent woman she thinks she is. She doesn't know the danger of acting without thinking in a perilous situation. Here, her actions will have severe consequences. She still doesn't know that she can't always have things her way. In Damned, I hope to have Korra grow up a bit. Canon taught her how to be a team player, but not to have humility. This is an environment where she isn't automatically the best. Nobody knows what the Avatar is. She's not special. I want to play that up; I want it to teach her a thing or two about what it means to truly be the Avatar, and that she can't be the great Avatar she wants to be until she learns to tone down her pride. Seeing that these negative virtues have been implanted in her all her life, (man, did the Order of the White Lotus screw up) it will be very difficult for her to break them. It's going to take a lot of effort on her part, and a lot of just sucking it up and swallowing her pride.
Given that this RP takes place in an unsettling and outright horrific environment, how do you justify your character as being appropriate in both body and mind for this kind of setting?:
Although the Avatar/Legend of Korra canons never show direct violence because they are aired on a kid's station, I would assume that Korra has seen more than her fair share of violence throughout the Equalist revolution. She herself can easily become violent, and given her repeated raids on Equalists and common use of firebending, she has most likely injured or maybe even killed a few along the way. She in general has a very aggressive and strong spirit, and would not be cripplingly hindered by the disturbing events at Landel's. She's a fighter at heart, and won't let the environment in Damned get to her head easily.
Third-Person Sample:
One moment, she had been lying in her bed, finally home at the South Pole, and the next she was sitting bolt upright in a darkened room. Korra gave a shout, as if she was waking from a bad dream. This bed felt wrong. The sheets weren't her usual furs. She wasn't in her pajamas.
"Naga?" Calling the name of her beloved polarbear-dog was her immediate instinct. When nothing responded, she kicked out of bed with a brief lift of air and bent a torch into her hand. It lit up the room, revealing another bed, as well as three doors, and various other simple things one would find in a bedroom. But the styling was completely different than anything she had seen before. It was simpler, almost strangely futuristic...
But it wasn't long, ten seconds, perhaps, before the light in her hand flickered and died.
"What?" Korra snapped, glaring at her hand as she lit it once again. There. It was just a fluke. She opened the nearest door with her free hand. A closet. There was little inside it of interest. She moved on to the next door, which seemed to lead out to a hallway. This was outright bizarre. Had she been kidnapped? That was the only explanation that came to mind. But why would they have just dropped her in a bed? Before she even finished the thought, her fire flickered out again.
"Come on." She lit her hand a third time, continuing down the hallway with a slight pout. There was nothing but doors. Upon opening each, she found that they were all identical to her own. It was like some kind of boarding house... Or a hospital... It certainly didn't look like a prison. Korra grumbled under her breath when her hand extinguished itself again. And this time, it wasn't coming back on. She must have been chi-blocked. That was the only thing that made sense. Had the Equalists come all the way to the South Pole? How did they even have those resources anymore, they had no leader, Asami's dad had been arrested so they had no more technology... Was this the work of over-dedicated leftovers? Or something else entirely?
First, she had to figure out where she was. Korra bolted down the hallway in the dark, quietly cursing her lack of bending. She was certain it would only be temporary, and kept trying to relight her hand as she moved. Each hallway looked exactly the same as the last, doors upon doors upon doors until she reached one that led to... surprise, another hallway. But this one had other people in it!
"Hey!" she called down at a guy who seemed to be carrying a light of some sort. "Where am I? What's going on?" She lowered the tone of her voice as she approached the man with her eyebrows drawn. He was considerably taller than she, and could have easily been Water Tribe if not for his eyes. They were brighter red than any Fire Nationer she'd seen. And that scar! Big Guy had seen some action! She met his scowl with a disgruntled pout of her own.
"This is Landel's Institute. You've been taken from your home world, and you cannot get out. They pretend that this is some kind of hospital during the day, but at night..." as Big Scary Guy continued to explain, Korra wasn't sure if the situation made more sense, or less sense. You couldn't just stop bending! Sure, Amon could, but... he was gone.
Right?
"Hang on, big fella." That earned her another scowl. "You can't just pull someone out of their... world. There're two worlds. The human one, and the Spirit- Hang on, you're not a spirit, are you?"
Big Guy rolled his eyes.
"I am not a spirit. You most likely come from an entirely different world than my own. There are many, not only two like you say." He was quiet for a moment as Korra stared at him like he was a three-headed wolfbat. "I had trouble believing it, as well."
It was a dream. A crazy, crazy dream. That was the only thing that made sense!
"Fine. Then suppose that I did come from this other world..." It was obvious in her tone that she didn't believe him. "What do I do, now? Bust out?"
"Nobody has ever succeeded, as far as I am aware. There's a manipulative madman at the top of all of this, collecting us and playing with us like lab rats."
"Yeah, well, we'll see about that," Korra said with a smirk. If any of this was indeed real, she'd find her way out in no time. They couldn't keep her bending dimmed forever. And when it wore off... Well, the "madman" would have something to worry about. Korra was going to make sure of that. "Mind if I come with? I've got no light, now that my bending won't work."
"That would be fine."
"Perfect! I'm Korra, by the way."
"Scar."
She raised an eyebrow, smirking up at the brutish man.
"Right. Really, what is it?"
"Scar. Take it or leave it."
"Fine, fine..." she said with a wave of her hand. "Grumpy, much..." she muttered under her breath, giving 'Scar' another look as she kept pace with him down the main hallway. Whatever this "institute" had to throw at her, she could take it.
First-Person Sample:
Styled like a Bulletin Board post:
I keep hearing that there's some interesting stuff going on in the basement. So if anybody's looking for a little muscle, I'm your girl. My name's Korra, and I've got some abilities you might like on your side. I'm pretty good with... elemental things, and I've heard that's an issue, down there.
PS: If... any of you have heard of the Avatar, or Republic City, or... anything like that- I'd like to talk to you.