✤ ─── (〝 𝚃𝙾 𝚃𝙾𝚄𝙲𝙷 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚂 !! 〞) ➝ ᴀ:ᴛʟᴀ

[harbinger]

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── 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒, 𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐄! ──
congratulations! this is your formal invitation to the twelfth ann
ual republic city pro-bending recruitment camp. our officers we
re very impressed by your bending prowess, and we believe you
have what it takes to be a successful pro-bender. with just a litt
le bit of additional training and guidance, we can get you there!
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for the uninitiated, the pbrc is a twelve week program dedicate
d to discovering and refining the most promising young talent w
ithin the bending world. we are endorsed by the official pro-be
nding tournament league and schedule our camp during their of
f-season, which allows real coaches and players to volunteer th
eir time to help make our camp the most educational and thrill
ing of its kind. at the end of the twelve weeks, three aspiring p
ro-benders will be selected to form a team of their own, spons
ored by this year's generous partner, cabbage corp! but remem
ber: there are real players and coaches in attendance, and the
y have sharp eyes for raw talent. promising attendees may also
be drafted into existing pro-bending teams, so it is in your best
interest to work harder than you ever have before. if you give i
t your all, your dreams could come true in a matter of months!
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───── 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍! ─────
every year, twelve benders—three of each element—are selecte
d to attend the republic city pro-bending recruitment camp, or
pbrc. recruitment officers locate these benders through a varie
ty of methods, including (but not limited to) watching amateur
tournaments, hosting official tryout games, and receiving reco
mmendation letters from reliable sources. once chosen, the be
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the first few weeks are spent frequently shuffling teams, allowi
ng the benders to get to know one another, so as to determine
which trios have the best chemistry. after that, teams will be l
ocked in for the remaining duration of the camp, and the train
ing will shift to emphasize the development of skills involving t
eamwork and communication. the three benders selected at th
e end of the twelve weeks do not, however, have to be from th
e same assigned team, though relationships and chemistry are
certainly considered. the camp includes a number of activities,
including individual bending training, scrimmage games, team-
building exercises, and enough down time in between for plent
y of rivalries, relationships, and (of course) drama to blossom.
a mini tournament is held at the end of the camp so that the b
enders can showcase all that they've learned and all the ways i
n which they've improved. a lot of pressure rides on this last p
erformance, but keep in mind: they're watched from day one.
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───── 𝐑𝐄𝐆𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒! ─────
please be sure to post all forms on the discussion thread. i will
send a discord invitation when i accept your reservation, and w
hile i won't require that you join it, i'd highly recommend doing
so, as it makes communication and planning easier and quicker.
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pm me all your reservations; they last for 48 hours unless you r
equest more time. .✤. you may have up to 2 characters. .✤. i
don't have a strict word count expectation. i'd rather you post a
short post than nothing at all, because i'd like to keep things ac
tive. just do what you can! .✤. on that note, please don't join
just to disappear. i'll be fairly lenient as long as you keep me in
formed, but if i feel like it's not working out, i may contact you
about re-opening your slot(s). .✤. please only use animanga fc
s. .✤. and, of course, let me know if you have any questions/
concerns/etc.! i want to make sure everybody is having fun c:
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────────────────────
YURA .✤. 18
───── THE BIG NAME ─────

the younger sibling of a very wi
dely known pro-bender, the big
name has a lot of eyes on them.
they got in on their sibling's rec
ommendation, leaving them fee
ling the need to prove themself
to those who fought for a spot.

────── bing cherry ──────
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KESUK .✤. 20
───── THE TRICKSTER ─────

sly and arrogant, the trickster s
till has a lot to learn about spor
tsmanship and teamwork. they
take cheap shots and use dirty
tricks, even illegal moves such
as using a bit of ice (but only i
f the ref looks the other way).

────── amithethird ──────
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TSUKASA .✤. 20
─────── THE GLUE ───────

always one to look out for other
s, the glue can hold a team tog
ether. they are compassionate a
nd try really hard to ensure eve
ryone gets along. it's a hard job
but someone has to do it, accor
ding to them. gives great hugs.

──────── saturn ────────
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────────────────── 𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐇! ──────────────────
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────────────────────
NAOYUKI .✤. 19
────── THE QUIET ──────

picked up from an amateur tou
rnament, the quiet was part of
a team with the outgoing. they
're used to letting others take c
harge, and they're a little worri
ed about being split up. a bit in
secure, and they favor defense.

───────── syb ─────────
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HAYATO .✤. 19
───── THE REFORMED ─────

they were a bit of a bully in the
ir youth, but found that pro-ben
ding was a great outlet for their
anger issues. still rather hothea
ded, the reformed isn't one to b
e crossed, and their passion for
the sport is near overwhelming.

──────── hera ────────
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HARUKI .✤. 18
───── THE PRODIGY ─────

being surrounded by so much pa
ssion is somewhat off-putting for
the prodigy. they've always been
an incredible bender, but they're
not sure if this is truly what they
want to do with their life. they'r
e hoping to find an answer here.

───────── syb ─────────
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────────────────────
AKIHO .✤. 20
────── THE LEADER ──────

bossy and dominant, the leader
strives to earn the respect of ot
hers so that they will willingly b
e followed. they do have good i
deas, but they also need to lear
n to listen to others. they are l
evelheaded, and strong-willed.

─────── katniss ───────
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KAZUHIRO .✤. 19
─── THE COLD-BLOODED ───

winning is all that matters to th
e cold-blooded, and they're pre
pared to do so at any cost. hars
h and decisive, they aren't know
n to hold back. they make every
thing into a competition and wil
l not stop until they are on top.

──────── kalo ────────
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TATSUYA .✤. 19
────── THE FLASHY ──────

charismatic and electric, the fl
ashy is very much a people per
son. they love to put on a good
show and often play to the cro
wd. they can be flirty, with a f
earlessness that can lead them
into their fair share of trouble.

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────────────────────
YORI .✤. 19
───── THE OUTGOING ─────

originally from a team with the
quiet, the outgoing is optimisti
c and excited about new oppor
tunities. they don't dwell on th
e past, instead preferring to lo
ok to the future. they are fun-
loving and known to tell jokes.

───────── jen ─────────
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────────────────────
JUN .✤. 20
────── THE REBEL ──────

pro-bending was not the life th
eir parents wanted for them, b
ut the rebel doesn't care. in fac
t, they don't care much about w
hat anyone thinks. they follow t
heir heart and rarely think twic
e before they speak their mind.

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SONG .✤. 20
───── THE STUDIOUS ─────

after dedicating years of their l
ife to studying all styles of bend
ing, the studious feels well-equ
ipped for any encounter. they ar
e cold and calm both in and out
of the arena, and have a mind g
eared towards strategy/analysis.

────── amithethird ──────
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[harbinger]

x

𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐮 + 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐢 + 𝐭𝐮𝐥𝐨𝐤 ;;
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
xxxxxxxrole.. (. npcs .) ........ tagged.. (. all .) ........ mentioned.. (. all .) ........ wc.. (. 646 .)



xxxxxxit was day one. the doors opened at nine in the morning. as each bender arrived, they were shown to the dormitory to deposit their belongings and instructed to head to the gymnasium afterwards. "orientation starts at ten," natsumi had reminded each of them, in a tone that sounded more like a warning. "you're free to look around until then, but do not be late."

xxxxxxthus, when the hour rolled around, all twelve benders (hopefully) found themselves seated in the bleachers next to the arena. it wasn't as impressive as the big one used by the league in the heart of republic city; it lacked the inherent dramatic touch that came with being suspended a hundred feet over a dark pool of water. this one was raised a mere ten feet instead, and those who were knocked out would be caught by thick, padded mats instead of water. the seating, too, was less extensive, only being present on one side of the arena as opposed to wrapping around it entirely. a large screen stretched across the wall on the other side of the arena, blank for the time being.

xxxxxxthe three main instructors entered at ten am sharp, walking over to the edge of the arena, where a small platform lifted them up, allowing them to stand in the ring itself as they faced the twelve benders. most of the orientation went off without a hitch. basic comments like "you were all chosen for a reason" and "these next twelve weeks will be some of the hardest, most rewarding of your lives" and "we can't wait to see how each of you grow and develop" padded the space in between other bits of basic information, until finally, renshu clapped his hands together with a sense of finality and stepped forward, grinning broadly.

xxxxxx"anyway, that's enough of that," he said. "no time to waste! boring you to death on the first day isn't going to get you anywhere. let's pick up the pace!"

xxxxxxnatsumi stepped forward beside him, arms crossed. "we're going to start with a one-v-one tournament. the pairs have already been randomly decided. one round each, single elimination style, until we get to the top three; we'll switch to double elimination for them to keep the number of fights as fair as possible."

xxxxxx"pro-bending is a team game," renshu continued, "but most of you don't know each other yet. we could throw you into teams right now, but doing it this way gives you a chance to watch each other first. get a sense of fighting styles, of what you'll be up against--and what you'll be working with."

xxxxxx"don't waste this opportunity. you won't remember everything about everyone, but it's in your best interest to analyze what you can. learning about each other will help you synergize later, in the case of teammates, and identify weaknesses, in the case of opponents." natsumi flicked a few strands of hair over her shoulder. "both are important. in a real match, you might have to do it on the fly, so consider this a courtesy."

xxxxxxrenshu nodded. "way more fun than a standard icebreaker, right? besides, draws in pro-bending are decided by one-v-one matches. this is an important type of fight to know how to take, too. if you're chosen for a tiebreaker, your team will be depending on you." he grinned again. "but teamwork will come later. for now, just show us what you've got!"

xxxxxxfinally, the third instructor, tulok, joined the other two. he held a small tablet, and after renshu finished speaking, he swept his hand across the tablet's surface. the much larger screen on the wall behind them glowed to life, revealing the outline of a tournament bracket. with another tap from tulok, the first two portraits faded into view on the screen.

xxxxxx"the first match will be between akiho and jun," he announced.

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[hellb0und]

♛ ★x────────────────xxＡＫＩＨＯxx──────
NAME. akiho (秋炎) katsumi (勝美) ` POWER. firebender ` ROLE. the leader ` TAG(S). all in gym?

xxxxxxxx𝐈'𝐋𝐋 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐀 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐒 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄.

xxxxxxxxnine am sharp. akiho had been standing outside since 8:30 am. perfection was a must and that included being on time. when the doors did open, she and the others who cared to show up at 9 am were ushered inside the building. one by one they were dropped off into their rooms and instructed to be at orientation by 10. aki took the time to unpack her belongings, putting sheets and a blanket on the bed, laptop on the desk adjacent to the bed, books stacked on top of one another neatly and placed on the bedside table. she slipped her clothes into the drawers then and started on the bathroom. unpacking everything took 55 mins with 5 minutes to spare. 5 minutes?! she panicked briefly before flying out of her dorm, fiddling with the key she was given to lock it then. she made it at 9:59 exactly. impressive, if she weren't basically late.
xxxxxxxxthe blonde took a seat on the bleachers, surveying the gymnasium in the meantime. it wasn't even comparable to the real thing but a decent compromise. instead of water they had mats and the platform was much, much shorter in height. disappointing but all the more motivation to come out on top and make it into the league. their instructors were right on time, yet again, and man was the firebending teacher a sight for akiho's sore eyes. she didn't need to worry about not having her attention because she had all of it. an ear-splitting grin fixed its way onto her face when she started speaking. much to akiho's chagrin she was interrupted by another one of the coaches. she sat up straighter and listened. one round each, randomly paired, single elimination... easy enough. she wouldn't go underestimating anyone quite yet but she was most definitely confident in her abilities.
xxxxxxxxthe screen came to life and not long after her image besides an unfamiliar but beautiful woman was shown. akiho stood, long legs carrying her down the stairs that parted the bleachers and presenting herself.

[kalo.]

──( 一浩 )──────────── 𝐎𝐊𝐀𝐃𝐎 𝐊𝐀𝐙𝐔𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐎
xxxxxxxxxxxxx( cold-blooded fire bender ) ( mood; disinterested ) ( tags; na ) ( mentions; group ) ( 866 )
xxx

indentThe early morning rays peeking through the thick forest signalled the start of a new day. The fog that lay thick on the forest path started to stir as a shirtless figure made his way through the forest. Heavy breathing and heavy footsteps disturbed the peace of the quiet forest. The birds and small creatures becoming silent. The presence of the jogger threatening those around him. Nothing dared to walk out infront of the male-his aura thick and full of unjust rage. His eyes narrow and void off emotion. Blankly staring as he continued the, rather fast, jog through the peaceful forest. His mind clouded with the events of the day. On a normal day he'd continue his jog for another two miles, making an even six. But today was no ordinary day. No. He had places to be. Important places.

indentIt didn't take long for Kaz to get cleaned up and ready for the day. It would've gone faster if it wasn't for his mother staring him down. Her turquoise eyes watching his every move. He had to actually stop and think about his movements. He could very easily tick his mother off with one simple action-but he didn't do that. Not on a day like today. He had more important issues to worry about. So after twenty painful minutes, mostly of the red-head making sly comments towards her son-the fire bender was packed and out of his house. His blank expression never changing once. It was something he inherited from his mother. He lacked outward expressions. Unless it was rage or fury. That was the one emotion that never failed to reveal itself. It was easy.

indentA soft breeze brushed Kaz's two tones hair fluffed up before falling down flat in his face-covering the tops of his eyes. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his vision. It only worked for a few moments before the wind came back. He let out an agitated grunt before shoving past some of the other bends at the door. He didn't have time for these lower benders around him. He had to rise to the top and get onto a pro-bending team. He didn't want to think about what would happen if he didn't. He shook the thought off as the older benders before him gave them instructions on what to do. Go to the dorms, put your stuff away, and be back to the main gym by ten. Kaz simply let out a huff before making his way to the dorms. An expressionless face but his eyes. There was constantly a swirling storm in them. One that was dark and deep. It was a drastic change to his face. His face was soft, often with a scowl on it, but his eyes held another level of emotion to them.

indentThe room was small, but it was bigger than his room at home. It held the essentials-a bed, desk, dresser, and a closet. He let out scoff before simply dropping his two bags-a black backpack and a duffle bag, onto the floor near his bed. He had time to unpack and get his stuff out-but he didn't bother. He didn't know what the day had in store for him and he couldn't risk unpacking and losing focus. So the only thing he did was get out the clothes he had prepared for today. They were simple. Tight workout clothes. A white long-sleeved shirt, black leggings, and his bending shoes. Without batting an eye the fire bender left his dorm and stormed his way down the hallway and to the large room. It was nothing prepared to the real thing. It lacked the same, pizazz, as the real stadium. Kaz rolled his eyes before sitting down farther up in the stands-only a few seats up-and letting his feet rest on the seats below him.

indentIt didn't take long for the rest of the students to file in. Then finally as the clock struck ten three benders came in. They were their mentors. Kaz watched as the three came walking to the students-his eyes following the last of the three. Judging by his apparel and overall look he could guess he was a water bender. He let out a soft smirk before listening to what the other two, rather chatty, mentors had to say. A 1v1 tournament? That would be good. It would be a nice way to show off their individual skills. It would definitely allow for Kaz to pummel his opponent and show everyone just how strong he was. His thoughts dispersed as the water-bender mentor Kaz had been watching earlier spoke up. With a flick of his wrist, a screen flew up and displayed the randomized matchups. The fire bender found his name second-against someone named Tatsuya. He raised a brow as the name didn't sound familiar. He took a moment to see if his dual-colored eyes could pick up on his opponent. But, as he predicted, he couldn't find anything. So he reverted his attention to a female that stood up and started to make her way to the field. He quirked an eyebrow before crossing his arms and letting himself lean back.

[rex.]

x

[amithethird]

________________________

◐ Kesuk
⬤ waterbender - the trickster
◑ location: training arena
〇 tagged: yori
____________________________

This shouldn't be that big of a deal.

They've fought in so many tournaments in their life - some of which were far more brutal than any pro-bending match has ever gotten - and whether they make it or not in this bootcamp for champion-wannabes probably doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Could they make more money as a pro-bender than an illegal street fighter? Yes. But are they making it ok as is? Also yes. If they fail here, the only thing they'll be losing is some anonymity and the chance to send extra money their mom's way.

This shouldn't be that big of a deal.

And yet, they can't help but feel the tiniest bit nervous as they arrive at the arena that's going to be their home for the next several weeks.

For one thing, everyone else around them seems much more...clean. Not literally, of course, but clean in the sense that no one else seems to give off that sense of roughness they've grown used to, running with crowds in Republic City's underworld. Maybe some of them are good at hiding it, but regardless, Kesuk can't help but think they might be alone in that respect. They wonder if it's obvious to the others that they don't really belong here, but almost as soon as the thought surfaces, they push it back down. What does it matter if they stand out or not? It's not like they came here to make friends.

They don't pay the others much mind as they make their way to their dorm. The room is small, but nicer than they were expecting. Given all the strange, often unpalatable places they've slept over the years, they'd have to be a complete idiot to complain about these particular accommodations. Besides, how much are they actually going to be here when there's so much to do during the day? Speaking of which.

They drop their coat and scarf on the bed and look through their things for something more suited for sparring. They can't imagine they'll be doing anything else in the gym of all places, even if it's just warm-ups or some other simple exercise. Whatever it is, they hope it's not too slow. Otherwise this'll get really boring really fast.

Kesuk briefly debates about whether or not to cover up their tattoos - would those send a positive or negative first impression to the instructors, whose opinions will likely factor heavily into whether or not they get chosen for a pro-bending team? - but in the end they decide they don't care. They huff quietly to themself as they pull on a tank top. Only been here a few hours and already they're worrying about pro-bender politics.

Didn't you already tell yourself that you weren't going to worry about that crap?

They head down to the gym and file in with the rest of the competitors, taking in the modest sized arena as they find a seat in near the top of the bleachers. The place is certainly cleaner than the rings they're used to fighting in - literally this time. There's a lot more open space and better lighting. That might take some getting used to, but it's not anything they can't handle. They pause their train of thought to listen to the instructors' opening speeches. 1v1 tournie right off the bat, huh. This'll be interesting.

Their eyes flick over to the board where the faces of the first two contestants are projected, followed by a smaller list of the other match-ups. They find their name near the bottom. 'Kesuk vs Yori.'

Yori...That name is familiar. Why is that familiar?

They frown as they remember. Oh. Right. Yori.

Can't be the same Yori, though. There's thousands of people in this city. There's got to be a few Yoris running around, right?

Even so, their curiosity is piqued, and they start scanning the crowd, ignoring the blonde girl, Aki, as she struts to the front, obviously not worried about losing this particular match. There are plenty of unfamiliar faces among the group of twelve, but they do spot one that they recognize directly in front of them. It's been four years since they last saw each other, but Kesuk would recognize that dye job anywhere.

They slide quietly from their spot in the back down to the next set of bleachers and fall into place next to Yori.

"Didn't think I'd see you here, Breezy."

_________________________

⫸ Song
⫸ airbender - the studious
⫸ location: training arena
⫸ tagged: open
_________________________

This bootcamp couldn't be off to a better start in Song's opinion. The decision to start off with 1v1 matches is the perfect opportunity to study her competition, and she looks forward to seeing what the others are capable of, especially since there are so many new faces around her. She's never met any of these people, though she has heard of a few of them. The girl she'll be up against, for one, seems familiar. If she remembers correctly, she has a family member who's already a regular in the pro-bending scene. That'll be interesting, especially if the skill runs in the family. She's been itching for a good match. It's been so long since she's had the chance to spar with someone, and in all her years airbending, she's never had the chance to spar against a professional. Sure, none of her fellow competitors are professionals, persay, but she's fairly sure they know more about the sport of pro-bending than any of her cousins. These people have to know what they're doing on some level, otherwise they wouldn't be here.

She takes off her glasses and puts them in their case, glad that she thought to bring her goggles with her to the gym. No sense giving her opponent an easy advantage by leaving her regular glasses on where they could easily be knocked off her face. Whether she wins or loses her match, she wants to give everyone a solid first impression of her capabilities, and that doesn't mean being rendered blind within the first few seconds of the match.