Post by Shizuka on Sept 8, 2014 16:30:47 GMT -5
Name: Shizuka
Age: 29
Gender: Female
Nation: Fire Nation
Physical Appearance: Shizuka happens to have somewhat of a 'masculine' body type, while it is clear she is a woman her broad shoulders and height are uncommon for her gender. At 5'11 she is lucky that she does not appear gangly but muscular and sure-footed. Her skin is golden brown with minimal scarring though she does boast a few around her legs and arms from childhood. Her eyes and hair are both brown, though her hair happens to be a darker shade. She keeps her hair fairly short, shorter in front where it barely goes pass her ears and in the back it is just above the nape of her neck, it is shaggy because she usually cuts it herself.
She prefers clothes of dull or dilute colors, she favors a short tunic-robe style where her shirt is primarily a dusty red color that has faded over time. It is held together with a wide black belt with a simple bronze clasp with dark brown pants that are underneath the tunic, not tucked in. She doesn't like having sleeves over her arms so she cuts them off leaving most of her outfits with threadbare shoulders.
Equipment: Shizuka owns a simply made sword and dagger, both were made at similar times and are about ten years old with simple leather bound hilts. She keeps them in as prime condition as possible with whetstones she buys. She also has standard armor, a leather jerkin which can be fit under her clothes though it can be hot and bulky. She keeps thin leather gloves for sword fighting though she only wears them strictly for combat.
Lastly she own a bag that she can carry over her back, she uses this bag for travel essentials like food, water canteen, and changes of clothes. She keeps what money she has in a coinpurse inside the bag.
Combat Skills: Shizuka is a firebender who learned the basics as a soldier. She is far from advanced but specifically she has developed her bending style to be used at long range which may lower the intensity of the flames is good for keeping opponents away.
At closer range is when she uses her sword and dagger, usually wielding them both at once she is better at sword fighting than at Firebending using the sword as primary offensive and the dagger as either a last resort or crossing the blades as a way of defense. She has learned most of her sword fighting by practicing through what the Fire Nation military has taught her but she has begun to hone her skills in her travels.
Talents: She can play an instrument called Pipa[Similar to the lute] very well, she knows plenty of song and will often sing as she plays. Her playing skills are exceptional and her singing is decent enough that she can make some coin to keep her going.
Shizuka has a good deal endurance from wondering the hilly terrain of her home, years as a soldier, and now from the time spent traveling around, she can walk for hours and rarely worries about getting winded.
Flaws: One of Shizuka's biggest flaws is that she suffers from being claustrophobic, she can't stand being in dark closed in places. She has less of a problem if she is in a space that is lit though it can still be a problem for her if there is no sign of sunlight. Often her fear will have her thinking she is suffocating, nausea, shaking and other signs of a panic attack.
Due to her muscular physique she isn't very light on her feet making it difficult for her to fight faster opponents especially at close range, she relies on heavy hitting. This also makes her not suitable for being stealthy.
History: Shizuka was born in the Fire Nation in a coastal city where they flourished off of mining and exporting seafood, it was small but undoubtedly wealthy and saw many merchants and their families went in and out often. Her father was one of the local blacksmiths trained by generations of his family. Her mother was nearly a polar opposite, she was a woman who moved to the city to set up a florist shop. The two had a simple romance, they got married, built their shops close to each other along with a house and a few years later they had Shizuka, their first born.
Her childhood was easygoing, her family was financially stable and her parents were kind, they even leaned towards spoiling their only child. She got along well with her parents up until her early teens, while it was clear she was going through simple adolescent drama there was much more to it than that.
The tension began as she grew bored with her life, her father wanted her to take on the honor of the family business of blacksmithing but she wanted none of it. Her father was disappointed but tolerant thinking that a young woman like her might have been more interest in taking her mother's trade. That was not the case either, for a few years she pretended to take an interest in helping both her father and mother with their work but as she neared eighteen she told them her plan to leave. The idea depressed her mother and infuriated her father, for months she and her father argued bitterly about either taking a job in the city or leaving. The two never got along after than while Shizuka and her mother barely spoke, instead her mother started to ignore her no matter what she said so she began to ignore her back.
When she was finally old enough and had enough money she slowly made her way to the capital to enlist in the Fire Nation army, where she would spend the next eight years. During this time the military wasn't very strict but still up to military standards and it was a good way for someone to make a name for themselves not to mention decent, reliable pay which was all something she looked forward too. She knew she was capable of Firebending from helping her father in the forge but she didn't know many skills of control until she began training. She trained for about a month with other Firebending soldiers until the higher ranks decided she would never be anything more than an amateur and thought her knowledge of weapons were better suited for being a footsoldier. For a while this aggravated her to no end so she trained furiously until she tired herself out leaving her sick and useless the nest day.
Because of this she as threatened multiple times of being kicked out and with that fear she set to her tasks of learning to be a normal soldier. For eight years she served in the military, training in swords and occasionally working on her bending though in all those years she never saw any real combat. Occasionally she and a small group would go to take care of criminals, runaways, mostly it was grunt work and like in her childhood she was beginning to get bored. There was nothing to do, she wasn't going to get promoted for there were no great fights or battles, she wasn't reckless enough to go hunt down a dragon and most of all she was getting lonely. The friends she had made were getting as old as she was and starting families with different careers, a good number of woman soldiers that she knew were already having children which was something she did not want herself but she also didn't want to remain cooped up doing nothing but friendly spars and border patrols all of her.
Before her twenty-sixth birthday she left. To leave the army one had to do a good deal of paperwork, get forms signs from too many important people and to her that was too much of a hassle and she ended up simply waking up one morning and abandoning her camp. She knows the risk of unofficially leaving, she be heavily fined, jailed or a worst case scenario severely hurt or killed. Shizuka doesn't worry too much though, she doesn't believe anyone would actually be searching for her and she spends plenty of time traveling. She has been roaming the Fire Nation for three years, spending times in crowded cities and isolated villages alike. Recently, she has come up with enough money to start going to the Earth Kingdom, her biggest goal is being able to see Ba Sing Se.
Personality: Shizuka is surprisingly calm and level headed for a former Fire Nation soldier, she doesn't like to get angry or even start fist fights but instead prefers to socialize and have a good time with others. She enjoys parties and people though she doesn't fancy sophisticated upperclass parties, not that she would ever get into one but she doesn't seem to understand the concept of a get together if it can't be loud and obnoxious.
However, she does have the tendency to get into arguments specially if someone challenges how she lives her life, she will fiercely defend herself then hold a grudge over anyone who has a different opinion than her. Forgiveness doesn't come easy to her, especially among people her own age or older.
She could even be considered kind hearted, she doesn't intentionally like to go out and harm people and often she will try to help others if she is available as both her parents taught her to do so though with that knowledge she can be a bit greedy and expects rewards or help back from someone.
This does not affect how she fights though, while somewhat inexperience years of practice and building up of muscle have made her incredibly focused and serious. One thing she learned in her times as a soldier was to never hold back for it could be the difference between life and death.
Some other details on her is that she does not like animals. She finds them nothing but a nuisance that needs to be taken care of and that all animals are dirty if not completely foul. Part of her dislike for them may be her laziness towards anything that needs monotonous care but she truly can't stand the smell, sound, or presence of most creatures.
Pet: N/A
Writing Sample:
The weather was cool as soft breezes blew from the ocean to the beaches and hills of a growing city. A young woman was slowly making her way up a rocky hill, pebbles rolled down as she carefully made every step. Not only would slipping be very painful but then she would have to go back down to the plains to get more water from the well and refill the two buckets she carried in each hand. It felt like every day Shizuka went to fetch fresh water. Her father needed water to cool metal in the forge, her mother needed it to keep the plants from dying and of course they all needed it to drink and to bathe. She hated going up and down, up and down though, it was great exercise but tiring and boring. It left her with little energy to go out and actually have fun with her friends or to even make any decent friends.
She had just finished taking that last step before the ground even out and she was finally treading on flat ground when she heard a voice call out to her.
"Shizuka! Hey!" She turned in time to see a young man waving, smiling with a group of two others following after them.
She smiled wanly at him, unable to wave back she just nodded her head politely as he got into proper talking distance.
"Me and some friends are heading down to the beach to camp out for the night, you wanna come? We really need someone to bring food." He grinned broadly but all she could do was shake her head and sigh.
"I really can't, I have to get home and if I have to hold these buckets any longer my arms are gonna fall off." She apologized as she watched his smile fall and as she walked away to her home she could hear them all mumbling behind her. Her heart sank as she started to feel nervous, it’s not like she had any other choice, once she got home the only thing she would be wanting to do was eat then sleep.
She set one bucket out by her father forge then one by the door before she entered, the house was warm from her mother's cooking and as the warm breeze flooded her face she closed her eyes. This wasn't going to be home for long.
Age: 29
Gender: Female
Nation: Fire Nation
Physical Appearance: Shizuka happens to have somewhat of a 'masculine' body type, while it is clear she is a woman her broad shoulders and height are uncommon for her gender. At 5'11 she is lucky that she does not appear gangly but muscular and sure-footed. Her skin is golden brown with minimal scarring though she does boast a few around her legs and arms from childhood. Her eyes and hair are both brown, though her hair happens to be a darker shade. She keeps her hair fairly short, shorter in front where it barely goes pass her ears and in the back it is just above the nape of her neck, it is shaggy because she usually cuts it herself.
She prefers clothes of dull or dilute colors, she favors a short tunic-robe style where her shirt is primarily a dusty red color that has faded over time. It is held together with a wide black belt with a simple bronze clasp with dark brown pants that are underneath the tunic, not tucked in. She doesn't like having sleeves over her arms so she cuts them off leaving most of her outfits with threadbare shoulders.
Equipment: Shizuka owns a simply made sword and dagger, both were made at similar times and are about ten years old with simple leather bound hilts. She keeps them in as prime condition as possible with whetstones she buys. She also has standard armor, a leather jerkin which can be fit under her clothes though it can be hot and bulky. She keeps thin leather gloves for sword fighting though she only wears them strictly for combat.
Lastly she own a bag that she can carry over her back, she uses this bag for travel essentials like food, water canteen, and changes of clothes. She keeps what money she has in a coinpurse inside the bag.
Combat Skills: Shizuka is a firebender who learned the basics as a soldier. She is far from advanced but specifically she has developed her bending style to be used at long range which may lower the intensity of the flames is good for keeping opponents away.
At closer range is when she uses her sword and dagger, usually wielding them both at once she is better at sword fighting than at Firebending using the sword as primary offensive and the dagger as either a last resort or crossing the blades as a way of defense. She has learned most of her sword fighting by practicing through what the Fire Nation military has taught her but she has begun to hone her skills in her travels.
Talents: She can play an instrument called Pipa[Similar to the lute] very well, she knows plenty of song and will often sing as she plays. Her playing skills are exceptional and her singing is decent enough that she can make some coin to keep her going.
Shizuka has a good deal endurance from wondering the hilly terrain of her home, years as a soldier, and now from the time spent traveling around, she can walk for hours and rarely worries about getting winded.
Flaws: One of Shizuka's biggest flaws is that she suffers from being claustrophobic, she can't stand being in dark closed in places. She has less of a problem if she is in a space that is lit though it can still be a problem for her if there is no sign of sunlight. Often her fear will have her thinking she is suffocating, nausea, shaking and other signs of a panic attack.
Due to her muscular physique she isn't very light on her feet making it difficult for her to fight faster opponents especially at close range, she relies on heavy hitting. This also makes her not suitable for being stealthy.
History: Shizuka was born in the Fire Nation in a coastal city where they flourished off of mining and exporting seafood, it was small but undoubtedly wealthy and saw many merchants and their families went in and out often. Her father was one of the local blacksmiths trained by generations of his family. Her mother was nearly a polar opposite, she was a woman who moved to the city to set up a florist shop. The two had a simple romance, they got married, built their shops close to each other along with a house and a few years later they had Shizuka, their first born.
Her childhood was easygoing, her family was financially stable and her parents were kind, they even leaned towards spoiling their only child. She got along well with her parents up until her early teens, while it was clear she was going through simple adolescent drama there was much more to it than that.
The tension began as she grew bored with her life, her father wanted her to take on the honor of the family business of blacksmithing but she wanted none of it. Her father was disappointed but tolerant thinking that a young woman like her might have been more interest in taking her mother's trade. That was not the case either, for a few years she pretended to take an interest in helping both her father and mother with their work but as she neared eighteen she told them her plan to leave. The idea depressed her mother and infuriated her father, for months she and her father argued bitterly about either taking a job in the city or leaving. The two never got along after than while Shizuka and her mother barely spoke, instead her mother started to ignore her no matter what she said so she began to ignore her back.
When she was finally old enough and had enough money she slowly made her way to the capital to enlist in the Fire Nation army, where she would spend the next eight years. During this time the military wasn't very strict but still up to military standards and it was a good way for someone to make a name for themselves not to mention decent, reliable pay which was all something she looked forward too. She knew she was capable of Firebending from helping her father in the forge but she didn't know many skills of control until she began training. She trained for about a month with other Firebending soldiers until the higher ranks decided she would never be anything more than an amateur and thought her knowledge of weapons were better suited for being a footsoldier. For a while this aggravated her to no end so she trained furiously until she tired herself out leaving her sick and useless the nest day.
Because of this she as threatened multiple times of being kicked out and with that fear she set to her tasks of learning to be a normal soldier. For eight years she served in the military, training in swords and occasionally working on her bending though in all those years she never saw any real combat. Occasionally she and a small group would go to take care of criminals, runaways, mostly it was grunt work and like in her childhood she was beginning to get bored. There was nothing to do, she wasn't going to get promoted for there were no great fights or battles, she wasn't reckless enough to go hunt down a dragon and most of all she was getting lonely. The friends she had made were getting as old as she was and starting families with different careers, a good number of woman soldiers that she knew were already having children which was something she did not want herself but she also didn't want to remain cooped up doing nothing but friendly spars and border patrols all of her.
Before her twenty-sixth birthday she left. To leave the army one had to do a good deal of paperwork, get forms signs from too many important people and to her that was too much of a hassle and she ended up simply waking up one morning and abandoning her camp. She knows the risk of unofficially leaving, she be heavily fined, jailed or a worst case scenario severely hurt or killed. Shizuka doesn't worry too much though, she doesn't believe anyone would actually be searching for her and she spends plenty of time traveling. She has been roaming the Fire Nation for three years, spending times in crowded cities and isolated villages alike. Recently, she has come up with enough money to start going to the Earth Kingdom, her biggest goal is being able to see Ba Sing Se.
Personality: Shizuka is surprisingly calm and level headed for a former Fire Nation soldier, she doesn't like to get angry or even start fist fights but instead prefers to socialize and have a good time with others. She enjoys parties and people though she doesn't fancy sophisticated upperclass parties, not that she would ever get into one but she doesn't seem to understand the concept of a get together if it can't be loud and obnoxious.
However, she does have the tendency to get into arguments specially if someone challenges how she lives her life, she will fiercely defend herself then hold a grudge over anyone who has a different opinion than her. Forgiveness doesn't come easy to her, especially among people her own age or older.
She could even be considered kind hearted, she doesn't intentionally like to go out and harm people and often she will try to help others if she is available as both her parents taught her to do so though with that knowledge she can be a bit greedy and expects rewards or help back from someone.
This does not affect how she fights though, while somewhat inexperience years of practice and building up of muscle have made her incredibly focused and serious. One thing she learned in her times as a soldier was to never hold back for it could be the difference between life and death.
Some other details on her is that she does not like animals. She finds them nothing but a nuisance that needs to be taken care of and that all animals are dirty if not completely foul. Part of her dislike for them may be her laziness towards anything that needs monotonous care but she truly can't stand the smell, sound, or presence of most creatures.
Pet: N/A
Writing Sample:
The weather was cool as soft breezes blew from the ocean to the beaches and hills of a growing city. A young woman was slowly making her way up a rocky hill, pebbles rolled down as she carefully made every step. Not only would slipping be very painful but then she would have to go back down to the plains to get more water from the well and refill the two buckets she carried in each hand. It felt like every day Shizuka went to fetch fresh water. Her father needed water to cool metal in the forge, her mother needed it to keep the plants from dying and of course they all needed it to drink and to bathe. She hated going up and down, up and down though, it was great exercise but tiring and boring. It left her with little energy to go out and actually have fun with her friends or to even make any decent friends.
She had just finished taking that last step before the ground even out and she was finally treading on flat ground when she heard a voice call out to her.
"Shizuka! Hey!" She turned in time to see a young man waving, smiling with a group of two others following after them.
She smiled wanly at him, unable to wave back she just nodded her head politely as he got into proper talking distance.
"Me and some friends are heading down to the beach to camp out for the night, you wanna come? We really need someone to bring food." He grinned broadly but all she could do was shake her head and sigh.
"I really can't, I have to get home and if I have to hold these buckets any longer my arms are gonna fall off." She apologized as she watched his smile fall and as she walked away to her home she could hear them all mumbling behind her. Her heart sank as she started to feel nervous, it’s not like she had any other choice, once she got home the only thing she would be wanting to do was eat then sleep.
She set one bucket out by her father forge then one by the door before she entered, the house was warm from her mother's cooking and as the warm breeze flooded her face she closed her eyes. This wasn't going to be home for long.
