Tenzin: Wake Application

[airtempered]

Personal Information
Name: Tsa
Age: 24
Personal Journal: thepreciousthing
Email / AIM / MSN / Plurk: thepreciousthing
Current Character(s): Clover, Kyubey, Danny Fenton

Character Information
Character Name: Tenzin
Fandom: The Legend of Korra
Source: http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Tenzin

Character History: Tenzin is the son of Avatar Aang and Master Katara, two of the strongest Benders in the world. Out of their three children, however, only Tenzin inherited the power of airbending from his father -- making him one of the only two airbenders in existence. Tenzin's course in life was more or less decided for him, as it was up to him and him alone to master the art of airbending and keep the tradition alive after his father's passing. Tenzin was taught airbender life, traditions and culture, eventually earning the body tattoos that mark him as a Master Airbender.

However, life was not all training all the time. In his youth, Tenzin also found room for romance. He had a romantic interest in his childhood friend Lin Beifong, but it didn't last. Their romance was tainted by differing goals in life, and the two began to grow apart. Around this time, a younger woman named Pema approached Tenzin and confessed her feelings for him. Tenzin ended his relationship with Lin and pursued a romance with Pema, eventually marrying and settling down with her on Air Temple Island just outside of Republic City. There, Tenzin served on the City Council, representing the budding Airbending community made up of his family and the Air Acolytes who shared the temple with them.

Tenzin and Pema had four children: Daughters Jinora and Ikki, and sons Meelo and Rohan. Pema was still pregnant with Rohan when Tenzin was called to the South Pole for a very important mission: Avatar Korra, Aang's reincarnation and successor, was to begin her Airbending training. However, the situation in Republic City was becoming tense; Relations between Benders and Non-Benders were straining more and more as accusations of oppression and privilege were being thrown around. Tenzin met with his mother, Katara, and Avatar Korra, regretfully informing them his stay would be short; He had to tend to the situation in Republic City before focusing on Korra's training.

However, that was not to be, as headstrong Korra took matters into her own hands and traveled to Republic City herself... and promptly got thrown in jail. Tenzin was quick to bail her out and reprimand her, planning to send her back to the South Pole the next day. However, he soon came to realize that Korra's training and full realization as the Avatar was just as important to upholding his father's legacy as maintaining peace in Republic City, if not more so. Arrangements were made for Korra to move into Tenzin's home on Air Temple Island, and her training began.

Unfortunately, Airbending is an inherently spiritual art, something that went against Korra's very nature. Training her was difficult, to say the least -- he headstrong, straight-forward way of doing things simply did not prepare her for the intricacies of Airbending -- and that wasn't the only issue that caused the two of them to butt heads. A new sport had risen in Republic City, a battle sport called Pro Bending, and the very traditional-minded Tenzin was wholly disgusted at such a mockery of ancient arts. He forbade Korra from attending a match, thinking it would distract her from her training, not realizing just how wrong he was. When Korra attended a match against his wishes, and subsequently got roped into participating, she finally found a practical application for the more reactive, "leaf in the wind" methods that had so eluded her during Airbending training. It was here that Tenzin and Korra managed to find some common ground, and restart her Avatar training on a more... cooperative note.

It was a good thing, too, because the unrest in Republic City did not vanish simply because of the Avatar's presence. Amon, the leader of the Anti-Bending Revolution, was an ever-encroaching presence on the well-being of Republic City -- and far more dangerous than Tenzin had ever realized. When he learned that Amon was capable of taking people's Bending away, he was horrified. Tenzin knew in that moment that the Anti-Bending revolt was far more dangerous than ever.

Tenzin's fellow councilmen could see this, as well. Unfortunately, his fellow councilmen -- particularly the waterbender Tarrlok -- thought that the only answer to nip this threat in the bud was more aggressive, oppressive tactics. Tarrlok opted to take the offensive, assembling an elite task force to take down Equalist training camps before they could become a threat. Tenzin voted against this option, but he was overruled by the council, and so Tarrlok's task force was go -- and he manipulated Korra into heading it alongside him.

Regardless, the Equalist threat escalated further still. Amon publicly threatened the Pro Bending Tournament, the biggest celebration of Bending of the year. The council was so shaken by the threat that even Tarrlok voted to keep the arena closed, but it remained open at the request of Korra and her team.

That played right into Amon's hands. In the wake of the final match, Amon orchestrated a massive attack on the arena, taking down the entire police force and nearly destroying the building. The attack was both a physical and symbolic blow; The Police Force was captured and humiliated, while the confidence of Benders all over Republic City was shaken and irrevocably damaged. Tenzin realized then that Republic City was at war.

The tactics of the Republic City council grew only more aggressive then, as Tarrlok encouraged targeting and imprisoning non-benders as potential Equalists with little to no evidence or due process. With the new police chief, Chief Saikon, in Tarrlok's pocket, not even Tenzin could bail out those who were imprisoned.

Things only got worse from there. In the middle of the night, Korra secretly paid a visit to Tarrlok to try and get him to release her friends from jail. Tenzin didn't hear about it until the next morning... when he discovered Korra had been kidnapped.

Character Personality: Tenzin is very focused and serious, though despite this he is far from unkind. As the (former) Last Airbender and the only Airbending master alive, Tenzin is well aware of the huge responsibility resting on his shoulders. Preserving the Airbending Legacy is one of his first and foremost priorities, and he treats it with utmost care and respect. Tenzin's Air Nomad teachings combined with his diverse roots and upbringing give him a very broad perspective on society as a whole, and he'll often try to look at a situation from every angle possible before coming to a conclusive decision. In conjunction with his open-mindedness, however, comes his innate stubbornness; It's an excellent combination for a politician like him. When Tenzin firmly believes in something he will stand tall and defend it to the end. He can be reasoned with, and even change his mind if presented with a solid argument, but Tenzin absolutely will not be intimidated or bribed into submission on any issue.

Just as he refuses to be intimidated, so too does he refuse to use intimidation to get what he wants. Tenzin will take the kind and gentle approach whenever possible, preferring to use logic and reason over force and bribery. However, when provoked, Tenzin is a master fighter and is not afraid to defend himself or his loved ones if they're threatened.

Tenzin is a very patient man. In true Airbender fashion, he has a gift for rolling with the punches, both physically and figuratively. Still, he's not without his limits. He's no stranger to exasperation or frustration, and when his guard is down and the right buttons are pushed, he can flare up with quite the temper. He does not take kindly to threats or insults against his family or his culture, and injustice can quickly set him off as well. However, Tenzin's anger never manifests as violence, and he's a quick burner who calms easily.

However, Tenzin's most prominent feature is his kindness and his love for those around him. As a father of three, soon to be four, Tenzin's paternal instincts are on overdrive. His relationship with Korra has been close for a while now, it seems, long before he took her in as his student. After taking her in under his wing to train her, he immediately took on a fatherly role in her life. He guided, comforted, and even disciplined Korra as he saw fit, treating her as if she were his own. Tenzin is descended from Air Nomad culture, where biological ties were not nearly as strong as emotional ones, and the patchwork family that his father built over his lifetime further reinforced the idea that family was far more than a bloodline, so it comes as no surprise how he took Korra under his wing without a second thought. Even outside of family, though, Tenzin sees potential and value in every life, and treats it all with utmost care and respect.

Powers and Abilities: Tenzin is a master airbender, meaning he has the power to manipulate the air around him very precisely. It is an art nearly lost to the sands of time, as without proper training the power of Air can be chaotic and difficult to control. It's based on the martial art of Circle Walking, meaning that even without the power of airbending behind it, the movements themselves can still be applied offensively and defensively.

Samples
Network: [The screen opens with Tenzin looking perplexed. He doesn't focus on the transmission; It's clear he's not aware the device is on at all. He seems to be talking to someone offscreen]

Now how am I supposed to... this is ridiculous. None of these symbols make sense until you put them together! Why would you even -- ?

[He then notices the little red light and goes pale. Tenzin coughs, taking a moment to compose himself before speaking once more.]

My... apologies for this intrusion. I've been trying to familiarize myself with the communicator a bit more, and it seems I've discovered the button to broadcast as you all do. Carry on.

[He fiddles with the device a bit more.]

...someone may have to help me with this.

Third Person:

For all his life, Airbending had been a part of him. It was an extra sense, a muscle to be exercised, an ability as effortless as breathing or walking. To suddenly be so completely without it was disconcerting to say the least. From the very beginning, far earlier than he could remember, Tenzin knew that Airbending was an integral part of his daily life but until he came to Nautilus he hadn't realized just how much he used it for every little thing. Small inconveniences became greater obstacles now that he could no longer glide across distances, air scooter his way around, or even blow dust or debris from his path. Still, those could be circumvented with a little extra effort. He could walk, and he could watch his steps. But nothing could circumvent the terrible, empty feeling of simply being without the one thing that defined who he was.

He could focus his qi, feel it flow within him as it always did. But no matter how expert and practiced his movements, not a breath of air was manipulated by his Bending. Distressing didn't even begin to describe it; Despite being able-bodied in nearly every other way, Tenzin felt helpless, physically and spiritually unbalanced in a way no amount of meditation could calm. A part of himself simply wasn't there.

Here, however, his Bending could be returned. With training and concentration and an understanding of this plane's rules of Bending, the part of himself that Tenzin had lost could be revived. He had trained before; He could do it again. Such was the nature of this place. Not only could he re-learn his own Airbending, but he could pass the legacy and teachings along to students who might never have been able to learn it back home. A long as he stayed in Nautilus, his father's legacy -- his history, his entire culture -- could never truly be lost. Here in Nautilus, there was hope; Amon couldn't touch him, or Korra, or anyone else.

Where there was tumoil and uncertainty back home, here in Nautilus, he had hope.