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Description
Well, I just recently learned about the existence of an Avatar OC (Original Character) Club here on DA, so I'm filling out a proper character profile to submit for Karu.

Karu | Enlai | Nunataq | Sinaaq

Cresent kick pose based on this [link] stock photo.

"Avatar: The Last Airbender" is © Michael DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, and Nickelodeon.
Karu has been accepted at *Avatar-OC-club : [link]

Character Profile
Name: Karu (Japanese "to hunt")
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Height: 5'10"
Hair Color: Dark brown
Eye Color: Gold
Scars/Distinctions: None
Appearance: Karu is a bit on the tall side with limbs that are just a bit too long to allow for her to ever look graceful. With an average-looking face almost constantly set in a stern expression, she doesn't stand out within the Fire Nation village where she was born. Karu is mostly wiry muscle and a lean build due to her training and family life (see character history).
Clothing: Because she is in training for the Fire Navy/Army when I start the audience in on her story, Karu's clothing is based on the uniform for Fire Nation soldiers mixed with what she typically would've worn before enlisting. She has the boots and bracers (forearm guards) that are standard issue for Fire Nation soldiers, and the grey pants and shirt are what (as best I can tell) is worn beneath the Fire Nation armor. Her red over-tunic is something very simple and made of a durable homespun fabric; it is something she would've typically worn on the farm where she grew up.
Personality: Karu is a very serious-minded individual, whose primary focus for her entire life has been her family. She is kind and caring towards young children especially, but she has little patience for irresponsible behavior. She is not naturally exceptionally talented or graceful at anything. However, her serious mindset causes her work twice as hard to make up for the lack of natural ability. She is generally quiet, and prefers to act rather than talk, leading her to become fidgety and nervous when she doesn't have something to do. She was raised to believe that the greatest strength of the Fire Nation people was their sense of honor and strong wills, and she tries to exude that ideal in how she lives her life. Karu is, in that way, very stuck in traditional conceptions of what it is to be a member of the Fire Nation and has trouble dealing with or accepting things that do not fit into her ideals. She is generally slow to anger, being used to dealing with the arguments and disagreements that arise in a home with 7 children, but she tends to lose her temper quickly when things related to her reason for leaving the Fire Nation are brought up.

Other character development deviations:
01. [link] <- introduction
02. [link] <- meeting a ghost
03. [link] <- Bust image and Musings on why I created the character
04. [link] <- in the FireBender Soldier Uniform
05. [link] <- Practicing Flips
06. [link] <- Karu & ALL of her siblings
07. [link] <- Karu & her Brothers: Hanta, Tekkou, & Enkou
08. [link] <- Karu's Sister - Suisei
09. [link] <- Meet in Ba Sing Se (Rough Outline)
10. [link] <- Meet in Ba Sing Se (Final pg. 1)
11. [link] <- Character set interaction sketches 01
12. [link] <- Character set interaction sketches 02
13. [link] <- Sketches from ~secondlina (LiveJournal.com)

Character Skills
Profession: Not regularly Employed Right Now
Arts: None. Karu didn't have time to refine skills in instruments, singing, or painting because there was always work to be done around the family farm. Her elder brothers and grandmother were always the ones to tell fireside stories, so she never developed that talent either.
Fighting Skills: She didn't start out particularly strong, but years working on a farm put wiry muscles on her lanky frame. When she enlisted for the Fire Nation Navy/Army, she trained extra hours in both fighting practice and strength building in order to keep up with the naturally gifted trainees. While she doesn't win every fight or practice match, she can usually hold her own against even so-called "genius fighters" in a one on one.
Weapons: Karu is uncomfortable using melee weapons, and generally sticks with hand-to-hand fighting. She did have some basic training with pole arms as a required part of her soldier's training and could use one if absolutely necessary. She can use a bow and arrow well enough to hunt, but has never (and probably never will) turned an arrow on a human target.
Bending Skills: Airbending(see character history), but not particularly strong or skilled with it (at this point at least). Maybe once she starts dealing with it better conceptually, she'll be able to use it effectively. Her bending is only used as a last resort and takes a lot out of her due to a lack of practice. It's mostly only useful for the shock factor, one powerful blow, or small defensive actions.
Other Skills: Karu is quite good at repairing most tools or pieces of very simple machinery, because she usually handled things when the family farming tools broke or wore out. She is also skilled at the kind of work that is typically done around a farm from repairs to tilling fields.

Character History
Hailed From: Fire Nation (A small village in the Southern countryside.)
Current Residence: Wandering the Earth Kingdom, doing odd jobs, trying to avoid trouble mostly.
Family: Karu comes from a fairly large, tightly knit farming family in the Southern region of the Fire Nation. Her family consists of her Grandmother (father's side), Father, Mother, and six siblings. The siblings are 2 older brothers, 1 older sister, 2 younger brothers, and 1 younger sister. Having a large family helps them to run the farm without outside assistance, but it also means a lot of mouths to feed. With four other females in the house, Karu was usually out with her brothers, working the fields in the growing seasons and hunting in the winter seasons. This lifestyle led to her wiry build and serious personality. After she turned 21 with no marriage prospects, she decided to enlist in the Fire Nation army/navy in order to be able to contribute more to the family finances.

Other History: Please see this [link] in order to read the narrative (emotion-based) version of the below events. This version has more details/facts, but doesn't give Karu's thoughts and reactions.

Karu joined a Fire Nation training camp relatively near her home village, and quickly learned that the strength she had been able to use to keep up with her brothers on the farm was not nearly enough there and spent all of her free hours in strength training or begging extra lessons from Sifu Teoh, the lead fighting instructor. She slowly gained the skills to be on even ground with every other trainee. Her hard-working nature won her the approval of Sifu Teoh and many friends among the trainees, despite her usually stern expression.

Around 10 months into her training, Firebending instructors came to the camp to take the soldiers' training up to the next level. During the evaluations, Karu was told that her chi flow was right to be able to bend. It wasn't a particularly strong bending gift, but it was worth training it for use. Thusly, she began begging extra lessons from the Firebending Masters during off hours as well. Despite the long hours and extra effort, while her fighting skills continually improved and she started mixing Firebending motions into her regular fighting style, she never once bended. The Firebending Masters said it was likely some forgotten childhood trauma kept her from bending, and not to be concerned because it was not an uncommon situation.

Then, near the end of her two years of training to become a Fire Nation soldier, Karu bent for the first time. But in the practice match between herself and Sifu Teoh before the Firebending Masters, what Karu bent was not fire, but air. Karu was immediately confined to the barracks and messengers were sent to her home and the Fire Nation capital. One week after the incident, Karu's Grandmother arrived, with disturbing news. Karu was able to bend air because there was Air Nomad blood in her family history. Her Grandmother made a deal with Sifu Teoh, and Karu was smuggled to the Earth Kingdom to live as a refugee.

Description
Well, I just recently learned about the existence of an Avatar OC (Original Character) Club here on DA, so I'm filling out a proper character profile to submit for Karu.

Karu | Enlai | Nunataq | Sinaaq

Cresent kick pose based on this [link] stock photo.

"Avatar: The Last Airbender" is © Michael DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, and Nickelodeon.
Karu has been accepted at *Avatar-OC-club : [link]

Character Profile
Name: Karu (Japanese "to hunt")
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Height: 5'10"
Hair Color: Dark brown
Eye Color: Gold
Scars/Distinctions: None
Appearance: Karu is a bit on the tall side with limbs that are just a bit too long to allow for her to ever look graceful. With an average-looking face almost constantly set in a stern expression, she doesn't stand out within the Fire Nation village where she was born. Karu is mostly wiry muscle and a lean build due to her training and family life (see character history).
Clothing: Because she is in training for the Fire Navy/Army when I start the audience in on her story, Karu's clothing is based on the uniform for Fire Nation soldiers mixed with what she typically would've worn before enlisting. She has the boots and bracers (forearm guards) that are standard issue for Fire Nation soldiers, and the grey pants and shirt are what (as best I can tell) is worn beneath the Fire Nation armor. Her red over-tunic is something very simple and made of a durable homespun fabric; it is something she would've typically worn on the farm where she grew up.
Personality: Karu is a very serious-minded individual, whose primary focus for her entire life has been her family. She is kind and caring towards young children especially, but she has little patience for irresponsible behavior. She is not naturally exceptionally talented or graceful at anything. However, her serious mindset causes her work twice as hard to make up for the lack of natural ability. She is generally quiet, and prefers to act rather than talk, leading her to become fidgety and nervous when she doesn't have something to do. She was raised to believe that the greatest strength of the Fire Nation people was their sense of honor and strong wills, and she tries to exude that ideal in how she lives her life. Karu is, in that way, very stuck in traditional conceptions of what it is to be a member of the Fire Nation and has trouble dealing with or accepting things that do not fit into her ideals. She is generally slow to anger, being used to dealing with the arguments and disagreements that arise in a home with 7 children, but she tends to lose her temper quickly when things related to her reason for leaving the Fire Nation are brought up.

Other character development deviations:
01. [link] <- introduction
02. [link] <- meeting a ghost
03. [link] <- Bust image and Musings on why I created the character
04. [link] <- in the FireBender Soldier Uniform
05. [link] <- Practicing Flips
06. [link] <- Karu & ALL of her siblings
07. [link] <- Karu & her Brothers: Hanta, Tekkou, & Enkou
08. [link] <- Karu's Sister - Suisei
09. [link] <- Meet in Ba Sing Se (Rough Outline)
10. [link] <- Meet in Ba Sing Se (Final pg. 1)
11. [link] <- Character set interaction sketches 01
12. [link] <- Character set interaction sketches 02
13. [link] <- Sketches from ~secondlina (LiveJournal.com)

Character Skills
Profession: Not regularly Employed Right Now
Arts: None. Karu didn't have time to refine skills in instruments, singing, or painting because there was always work to be done around the family farm. Her elder brothers and grandmother were always the ones to tell fireside stories, so she never developed that talent either.
Fighting Skills: She didn't start out particularly strong, but years working on a farm put wiry muscles on her lanky frame. When she enlisted for the Fire Nation Navy/Army, she trained extra hours in both fighting practice and strength building in order to keep up with the naturally gifted trainees. While she doesn't win every fight or practice match, she can usually hold her own against even so-called "genius fighters" in a one on one.
Weapons: Karu is uncomfortable using melee weapons, and generally sticks with hand-to-hand fighting. She did have some basic training with pole arms as a required part of her soldier's training and could use one if absolutely necessary. She can use a bow and arrow well enough to hunt, but has never (and probably never will) turned an arrow on a human target.
Bending Skills: Airbending(see character history), but not particularly strong or skilled with it (at this point at least). Maybe once she starts dealing with it better conceptually, she'll be able to use it effectively. Her bending is only used as a last resort and takes a lot out of her due to a lack of practice. It's mostly only useful for the shock factor, one powerful blow, or small defensive actions.
Other Skills: Karu is quite good at repairing most tools or pieces of very simple machinery, because she usually handled things when the family farming tools broke or wore out. She is also skilled at the kind of work that is typically done around a farm from repairs to tilling fields.

Character History
Hailed From: Fire Nation (A small village in the Southern countryside.)
Current Residence: Wandering the Earth Kingdom, doing odd jobs, trying to avoid trouble mostly.
Family: Karu comes from a fairly large, tightly knit farming family in the Southern region of the Fire Nation. Her family consists of her Grandmother (father's side), Father, Mother, and six siblings. The siblings are 2 older brothers, 1 older sister, 2 younger brothers, and 1 younger sister. Having a large family helps them to run the farm without outside assistance, but it also means a lot of mouths to feed. With four other females in the house, Karu was usually out with her brothers, working the fields in the growing seasons and hunting in the winter seasons. This lifestyle led to her wiry build and serious personality. After she turned 21 with no marriage prospects, she decided to enlist in the Fire Nation army/navy in order to be able to contribute more to the family finances.

Other History: Please see this [link] in order to read the narrative (emotion-based) version of the below events. This version has more details/facts, but doesn't give Karu's thoughts and reactions.

Karu joined a Fire Nation training camp relatively near her home village, and quickly learned that the strength she had been able to use to keep up with her brothers on the farm was not nearly enough there and spent all of her free hours in strength training or begging extra lessons from Sifu Teoh, the lead fighting instructor. She slowly gained the skills to be on even ground with every other trainee. Her hard-working nature won her the approval of Sifu Teoh and many friends among the trainees, despite her usually stern expression.

Around 10 months into her training, Firebending instructors came to the camp to take the soldiers' training up to the next level. During the evaluations, Karu was told that her chi flow was right to be able to bend. It wasn't a particularly strong bending gift, but it was worth training it for use. Thusly, she began begging extra lessons from the Firebending Masters during off hours as well. Despite the long hours and extra effort, while her fighting skills continually improved and she started mixing Firebending motions into her regular fighting style, she never once bended. The Firebending Masters said it was likely some forgotten childhood trauma kept her from bending, and not to be concerned because it was not an uncommon situation.

Then, near the end of her two years of training to become a Fire Nation soldier, Karu bent for the first time. But in the practice match between herself and Sifu Teoh before the Firebending Masters, what Karu bent was not fire, but air. Karu was immediately confined to the barracks and messengers were sent to her home and the Fire Nation capital. One week after the incident, Karu's Grandmother arrived, with disturbing news. Karu was able to bend air because there was Air Nomad blood in her family history. Her Grandmother made a deal with Sifu Teoh, and Karu was smuggled to the Earth Kingdom to live as a refugee.