☼ APPLICATION ☼
Player Name: Bert
Player LJ: bertarded
Player Instant Messenger Type and Handle: AIM/bertarded
Player Email: bertarded@yahoo.com
Player is over 16 years of age, Y/N? Yes (10/12/1985)
Character: Zuko
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Personality: Though Zuko has yet to discover the cause of the conflict within himself, he is someone that struggles everyday with his personal identity. Since his father, Fire Lord Ozai, had banished him, it has been his personal goal to restore his honor and win back his father's approval by capturing the Avatar. Constantly made to choose between right or wrong, what he wants, and what he should do, he has made many mistakes in his past, but he is someone that feels a greater empathy than he admits to, and someone that seeks to rectify the wrongs he has previously committed.
Zuko possesses a strong dislike of himself due to his banishment, but also due to a long festering inferiority complex. He has many self doubts, fears a great deal, and would sooner beat himself down when stuck between a rock and a hard place, but he also never gives up. If one thing can be said about the banished Prince of the Fire Nation, it is that he is stubborn to the core, and that somewhere deep down he knows that he is worth it, that he deserves all he has been working so hard to achieve. Sadly, even though he has come such a long way to get this far, there is still much for him to learn, as a great anger plagues him, one he has not yet come to terms with.
His mother, Ursa, favored him over Azula, his sister. She saw within him a great desire to learn, and a deep sense of compassion. Within Azula lived something fierce and beyond her control. Zuko's bond with Ursa was one that would remain unbreakable, even after she had disappeared. She was someone he would go on missing and longing to see again his whole life. Azula is another story. His sister is conniving and heartless, and much to Zuko's dismay, a greater liar than even he gives her credit for at times. She has told him terrible stories, and she has betrayed him more times than he can remember. He holds no love for Azula, but at the same time... she is his sister. She is family. And it infuriates him that her lust for power would have her forget that. His father, Ozai, is someone Zuko struggles to gain the approval of. Having once raised question against his father when he was younger and sitting in on a tactics meeting, Zuko was severely punished and banished from the Fire Nation kingdom... but even then he convinced himself that his father still loved him, still wanted him, was simply waiting for him to earn back his honor and rightful place by his side. Finally, his uncle and mentor, Iroh... someone that means more to Zuko than he even realizes, yet. Iroh has always been there for him, and has taught him everything that he knows. More importantly, he has been the father figure that Ozai never was, and has unconditionally loved Zuko, even through Zuko's intolerable rages and tantrums.
Zuko's greatest fears are rejection and failure. When he was little, Azula was always the prodigy in the family. She excelled at everything, and he trailed behind in her blazing shadow. He fears sometimes that the nasty things she used to tell him are all true. That his father would kill him, that he'll never be good enough, that he's pathetic, and that he'll never capture the Avatar and restore his honor. He fears the terrible state his nation is in, and he fears being unable to do anything productive to help change that. Most of all, because he is not the heartless monster he is often made out to be, he really fears being feared. It isn't what he wants most, after all.
When it boils right down to it, all that he wants is very easy to sum up. Family, restoration of his honor, peace of mind, and happiness. He firmly believes that none of this is possible without capturing Aang, the Avatar, but this could be because he has been blinded by hatred and desperation for so long. He is impatient, and he is weary of struggling through life the way that he has been forced to for years. Zuko would gladly take the easy way out if there were no repercussions, like those of Azula backstabbing him, but he is unfortunately not granted such luxury. He'll carry on however long it takes, as that is his nature. If there is one thing he is good at, it is never giving up, even when things seem bleak and hopeless.
Zuko is someone that does not care to have good luck because he believes he is someone that can control his own fate. Creative, clever, and yet also quick to anger, he is of the opinion the world is against him, and so often he is against the world. His plans are usually spontaneous and are rarely thought through as well as they should be, but sometimes his ingenuity can be most surprising. He is still wise for his young age, and unimaginably strong and resourceful. He is also not someone that can find comfort or peace in molding himself to fit the expectations of others. Because of this, Zuko's fight to discover who he is and what he truly wants is a long way from being won.
History: It is important to note that, should I be accepted, the point in which I will be bringing Zuko into World's End from is the earlier portion of season/book two, end of episode/chapter seven, start of episode eight (respectively titled "Zuko Alone" and "The Chase"), when he is in pursuit of Azula and Aang.
Everything in extensive detail regarding his past, up to the point he will be brought in from, is detailed here: http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Zuko
A link to an image of the character: An image here and icons here.
Sample log entry: The forest was dark and unfamiliar, unlike the last place that Zuko could remember he had been, in plains that were open and fresh and full of life. Here the differences were vast. The trees were twisted upward toward a sky he could not see, and the path he followed was nearly overgrown and shrouded with dead brambles. There was no golden sunlight, and there were no crisp and towering snow-capped mountains. Worst of all was the silence. It came from every direction at once, boxing him in. It made his footsteps, usually so precise as to be inaudible, seem like echoes in a great canyon.
Careful to mind the twigs, pine needles, and shriveled up leaves on the forest floor, he continued to march forward. He kept telling himself that wherever he was, there was a way out, a way back to where he had come from. He would find Azula's trail again, the earth cleaved apart by Fire Nation war units, and when he found her, he would find the Avatar.
It won't be long now, he thought determinedly. I'll restore my honor, and soon... father will welcome me home, where I belong.
He shifted the weight of his small sack upon his shoulder. It didn't contain much, merely the mask of the Blue Spirit, some Fire Nation silver coins, his canteen, and a couple scraps of food spared from the small village he'd last set out from, likely stale by now. By the looks of his surroundings, however, every last item would be needed. Most important of all, however, he was not without his dual broadswords.
The weedy path he walked carried on for a way. At the end there was a dim light, but at least it was something to follow, better than being directionless. The silence still unremitting, Zuko found himself recalling important combat lessons he had learned during his childhood years in school.
Birds gather.
It is empty.
They call out at night.
They are afraid.
Warily he observed the trees and undergrowth around him. Nothing stirred but for that which stood in his way. He knew with his training that this could mean one of two things.
Firstly, it could mean that this place was deserted (unlikely when there was no wildlife gathered, and moreover because he'd found that strange device), or secondly, it could mean that something had scared away anyone or anything living in the immediate area (the more plausible explanation). It was easier to want the first to be true, but more realistic to be prepared for the second. Due to this, Zuko found himself unsheathing his swords. He would firebend... but there was a possibility he was still in enemy territory, and even if he was proud of who he was, until he found out what had happened, he wasn't going to take unnecessary chances unless he ran out of other options.
Without incident he made it to the edge of the woodland. The trees thinned, and a hill sloped down toward a grim looking town divided in two by a broad river. He spent a few moments examining this new place for life, but before he could spot anything worthwhile he heard something coming at him from the left with swift alacrity.
The moment he turned he saw it, an enormous wolf-like creature, salivating at the jaw, eyes ravenous. Were it not for his swords at the ready and his quick reflexes, Zuko was sure the first swipe would have knocked him onto his back. As it were, he managed to deflect the beast's great claws and circle around, never giving his back for a moment.
There was no pause, nevertheless. The wolf rounded again, a cloud of dirt and shredded brambles flying up behind it as it lunged. As ready as he would ever be for the launch of a second attack, Zuko crouched low and prepared to counter the deadly swipes that came once more. There was no time to run, not yet at least. The best he could hope for was to avoid that snapping maw and those powerful paws, but each time he deflected the blows, the wolf came back at him not a heartbeat later. He was getting weary of this dance, but the last thing he wanted to do was kill this creature. He had no knowledge of whether it was protecting a nearby pack or not, or whether it had starving cubs in a den not far from there. To kill without just cause was not his way. He would do what he had to, but would prefer not to do that if there was something - anything else - that he might do instead...
With nobody around to see him, or so he hoped, it seemed his last alternative was his firebending. His first glimpse of the town had been fairly brief, and he hadn't seen anyone, but it was too late to worry. It was now or never. He could make a break for the buildings, use them as cover. He had to get away if he didn't want to end this animal's life...
Once more the wolf came at him. Zuko stood firmly his ground and ducked at the last second, pressing himself as flat as he could to the earthy floor as the beast dove overhead. The wolf's sharp claws cut into his arm, but as it landed, skidding to stop itself from crashing into the trees, it gave Zuko all the time he needed to put a wall of fire between himself and the massive creature. It rose high, spitting embers upward into the night. Zuko was able to breathe again, relieved, but he would not yet bask in his victory until he found a safe shelter as far away from the forest as he could.
"I'm not ready to give up my place at the top of the food chain," he muttered bitterly to the wolf. It howled behind him savagely, but Zuko had already broke into a run for the town. Hopefully it wouldn't follow him there.
Sample journal entry: [One can hear a clipped thump as something hard tumbles and hits the communicator, triggering a video broadcast. Whatever has struck appears to be some sort of dark rock and it completely obstructs the view of the lens. There is very little light eclipsing the edges, but if one looks closely enough they might see that the rock is of igneous origins, very old and from some sort of mountainous region. It is covered in dirt and clumps of long and lush green grass... grass that is notably not from around here.
From somewhere beyond the foreign rock a few muttered curses sound off. They begin to grow closer, and louder, quite quickly. The voice belongs to that of a young man, conflicted and angry at finding himself elsewhere than he intended to be. His boots can be heard kicking at the earth in vain, the airborn dirt flying this way or that, only frustrating him further when it does nothing to satisfy his aggression.]
"I had them... they were right there in my sights, and I had them! How could I let this happen?!"
[For a moment there is silence... but only for a moment. With a loud, angry yell, the quiet passes and the young man kicks at some more of the tiny, earthy obstructions in his way. Dirt and dead grass alike, as well as the stone in front of the camera, go pitching through the air on an unfriendly looking corkscrew of fire. The accumulated debris strikes a tree and falls, glowing a brilliant red in the dark of the forest around him, illuminating his face briefly before that light fades.
He is as young as he sounds, but there is a burdened expression upon his features, within his narrowed, golden eyes. Covering short stubs of black hair is a straw hat that is fastened beneath his chin. His other raiment are those resembling the farmer social class, dark and uncomplicated. The rest of his body cannot yet be seen... but what is most unforgettable is the fire shaped crimson scar that mars the left side of his face, swallowing his eye in red, streaming back into his hairline.]
"I don't even know where I am now, or how I... What - what is that?"
[Holding out his hand, the young man conjures an orb of flickering flames in the center of his palm that lights his way. He wanders nearer to the communicator, and then stops, standing above it, frowning. After only a few seconds of deliberation he hooks the toe of his boot beneath the device, then kicks it up into the air and catches it with his free hand. He is thoughtful, gazing around himself, almost as if expecting an ambush. When all remains still, a tiny smirk tugs at the right side of his lips, but it does not meet his eyes.]
"How strange, a contraption like this out in the middle of nowhere. Or perhaps I'm not as far from civilization as I thought."
[The last thing seen before the device times out is a glimpse of the forest as the boy stuffs the communicator into the front of his shirt. It appears he has a way to walk before he gets out of the cluster of trees, but at the end of the way... there is definitely a dim light waiting for him.]