UPDATE 16/11/09 (9:00 AM EST):
Kyatto here! Working super hard to make everything all nice and ~dazzley~ again!
First up to bat - Jury Duty! If you got notified that it's your time to fly, what are you sittin' around for? Move your tuchus! (If you have it, you need to review the canons ASAP!)
We also have some new staff amongst us! Nandireya and Kyatto join the ranks to help keep the forum running smoothly! And remember Dinky? She's now been promoted to Security!
And then there's… Zombie MONTH! which started on October 25th! Come on guys, where's the Zombie love? :( Did they already eat your brains?
The Plague looks like it's finally starting to die down! But don't think that means you still can't catch it if you're lurking around Ba Sing Se!
#LulasCouch chat night is now on Sunday. We can't handle typing and watching Glee at the same time. 8'D In place of the short lived Wednesday chat night, we now have Glee Skype Night. Every Wednesday at 8:30 PM EST. Add "eevachu" to your Skype contacts to join in.
#LulasCouch chat night is now on Sunday. We can't handle typing and watching Glee at the same time. 8'D In place of the short lived Wednesday chat night, we now have Glee Skype Night. Every Wednesday at 8:30 PM EST. Add "eevachu" to your Skype contacts to join in.
And last, but certainly not least, Braaaaaaainz... I mean, Zombie Week starts on October 25th! Thus marking the first HT "Special Event"! It's so important it gets its own forum! Why am I shouting!?
~ Eeva Out!
UPDATE 25/09/09 (10:28 PM EST):
Hola cats and kittens! If you haven't noticed yet, HT has got a bucket full of cannon characters up for adoption.
The application process is super-easy now, so if you'd like to take a metaphorical stab at some great characters like Hakoda, Haru, Pakku, and KUEI (HINT HINT ;) ... I miss my lil' nerd honey), just make a post to the cannon app board. If you have questions, just snag a mod and they can help!
Smoochies, Masu
UPDATE 08/09/09 (5:13 AM EST):
You may have noticed by the new colour coordination, but HODAMN. Hou Tian is under new management now with 76% more pugs and porn!
So yes, other than Luck and I now being your co-lords and masters, some of the staff positions have been re-organized. Nothing really big, just a bit of colour-coordinating.
Underground Ba Sing Se is now a roleplayable part of the board. Why, I have no clue. ._.;
Since we gettin' all democratic up in here, there' gonna be Hou Tian-style Jury Duty. Jury Duty "is a Canon-Approval team of regular members that will switch out per every three canons you evaluate from time to time. Members will be chosen at random depending on seniority and posts counted." The current list of reviewer is here. NOW GO READ ABOUT IT MORE.
Season: Winter Rulers: Chief Arnook (north), Gran Gran Kanna (south), Hakoda (south), Huu (Swamp Tribe) Canon Characters From or Relating to: Katara, Sokka, Hakoda, Kanna, Kya (Deceased), Bato, Hamma, Ummi, Avatar Kuruk (Deceased), Princess Yue (Deceased), Chief Arnook, Pakku, Yugoda, Hahn, Sangok, Huu, Tho, Due
The Water Tribe is a collective term for a nation of people who practice Waterbending. One of the series' "Four Nations," the Water Tribe is divided into two nation-states: the Southern Water Tribe, which inhabits the South Pole, and the Northern Water Tribe, which inhabits the North Pole. There is also a small population of Waterbenders located in the swamps of the Earth Kingdom. The Water Tribe is home to an order of men and women who practice Waterbending, the mystical art of Hydrokinesis.
Re: The Water Tribes « Reply #1 on Aug 6, 2008, 11:06am »
THE NORTHERN WATER TRIBE
History Unlike the obliterated Air Nomads and their southerly sister tribe, the Northern Water Tribe has survived a century of war with the Fire Nation, due to the defenses their icy terrain provides. Resting on the shores of the Northern Sea, behind high walls of ice and an ice gate and canal lock system passable only by the use of Waterbending, there lies a large and bustling monarchic nation-state. Ruled by Chief Arnook, the capital city features a palace, an army, and many skilled warriors, Healers, Waterbenders, and a hidden oasis which houses Tui and La, the Moon and Ocean Spirits. Flanked by icy sidewalks, the city roadways are canals, which people travel by gondola.
Located at the North Pole, the Northern Water Tribe is a huge, multi-tiered city built into the icy landscape. Looming over the city are giant ice cliffs from which it was originally built. The city rests on the shores of the Northern Sea and behind it is an enormous frozen tundra.
Ages ago, Waterbenders built the city as a way to unite all the various Northern Tribes in one place. The Waterbenders used the ice and water to create the various temples, villages, and canals that comprise the city. Important to the city's transportation and defense are the canals. The canals are a series of interconnected waterways that spiral through the city. Boats, powered by Waterbenders, use these waterways to transport people and things. To get into the city from the ocean, boats enter a series of water-locking chambers. Once in, Waterbenders raise the water levels, lifting the boats until the vessel finally reaches the waterways of the Northern Water Tribe. This special entrance ensures that no unwanted ships can make it into the city. Because of these special security features and the city's location, the Northern Water Tribe has been able to fend of numerous Fire Nation attacks.
In the aftermath of the Fire Nation's siege of the North Pole, select benders and healers from the Northern Tribe left for the South Pole, in an effort to rebuild their ravaged sister tribe.
===
Government System: Patriarchal Monarchy Head of State & Government: Chief
The Northern Tribe is a patriarchal monarchy but has the aspects of a tribal group because the Chief is the Head of State. Labor division is dependent on gender: men serve as hunters, fishermen and warriors, and women serve as homemakers.
Customs Marriages are arranged when tribe members turn sixteen, with the bride in particular having no say in the matter. Engaged women wear "betrothal necklaces:" navy blue chokers bearing blue stone pendants carved by their husband-to-be. Female Waterbenders are further marginalized, forbidden by custom from learning Waterbending for fighting purposes. Instead, they are trained as Healers, able to use bending to heal wounds. While the Southern Water Tribe seems to have similar traditional roles, they are apparently much more strict in the North, as Katara, who was raised in the South, expresses surprise and anger when she is initially denied equal treatment in Waterbending training. Bato, a Southern Tribe Male and a friend of Katara's father, showed no signs of disapproval when observing Katara's Waterbending skills.
Re: The Water Tribes « Reply #2 on Aug 6, 2008, 11:15am »
THE SOUTHERN WATER TRIBE
History Originally, the Water Tribe existed as one solely in the North Pole, however, following civil unrest, a group of warriors, benders, and healers journeyed to the South Pole to engender a new tribe. Due to the division, the two sects evolved quite differently. The Southern Water Tribe was once a beautiful city filled with Waterbenders, like the Northern Water Tribe, but was destroyed following the attack from the Fire Nation. The Firebenders came and started to capture as many Waterbenders as they could. The Waterbenders put up a good fight, like trapping a ship in ice creating The Shipwreck. Apparently their fight wasn't good enough, eventually Hama was the only waterbender left, and she too was taken.
Contact between the two Tribes were severed and the Southern Tribe was split into smaller groups and scattered across the Pole, its natives reduced to dwelling within simple sealskin tents and small igloos.
Six years ago, the Southern Water Tribe was attacked by the Southern Raiders, an elite Fire Nation naval force assigned to raid the South Pole when ordered to. They learned that there was one remaining Waterbender in the South Pole, and were assigned to kill her. This turned out to be young Katara. The Water Tribe warriors, led by Chief Hakoda, fought off the attackers bravely, but the leader managed to infiltrate the village. He captured Katara's mother, Kya, and demanded to know who was the Waterbender. Fearing for Katara's life, Kya said she was the last Waterbender, and was consequently murdered. Katara escaped undiscovered, but her and her family were forever changed by this incident. This is the most recent raid conducted by the Southern Raiders.
With the end of the war, the Southern Water Tribe can now start to rebuild their nation.
===
Customs The Tribe has a unique rite of passage called "Ice Dodging." This is a coming-of-age rite that serves as a young boy's first step in being realized as a true warrior of his tribe. When a male tribe member turns fourteen, he is taken out on a boat with his father, and challenged to guide it through iceberg-studded waters. If and when the boy succeeds, he receives a mark on his forehead symbolizing his defining trait, and is declared a full member of the tribe. The mark of the wise is awarded for leadership quality and making decisions under pressure. The mark of the brave is given for inspirational displays of courage. Finally, the mark of the trust is bestowed upon outsiders who prove themselves worthy of the trust of others.
Certain Southern Tribe members are more than willing to liberally adapt the ritual to new situations. In one instance, tribe member Bato took the fifteen-year-old Sokka, his younger sister Katara, and Aang, a twelve-year-old Airbender, on an "ice dodging" expedition in the rocky waters of the Earth Kingdom. When all cooperated in the ritual, he marked and declared them all full members of his tribe.
Children of the Tribe play a game called penguin sledding which consists of catching a penguin, and riding its back as a makeshift sled.
Gender Equality The Southern Water Tribe has been noted to be less segregated than the north, which has specific societal roles for men and women. Though the Northern Tribe forbids women from learning Waterbending in anything except a healers capacity, it is stated on Nick.com's Avatar Information that Katara's father recognized her bending ability and searched for a master to teach her. Overall, the Southern Water Tribe live a more simple, open-minded kind of life. They allow girls and women to enter waterbending training and do not force women to enter into arranged marriages. Instead, they are free to marry whomever they see fit.
However, the Southern Tribe still retains elements of gender dominated society, as Sokka possessed a minor sexist attitude throughout the beginning of the series.
Re: The Water Tribes « Reply #3 on Aug 6, 2008, 11:20am »
FOGGY SWAMP TRIBE
History The Foggy Swamp Tribe is a Waterbending Tribe who live in a mystical swamp in the Earth Kingdom. The swamp itself actually consists, in large part, of a single, massive swamp tree, at least several hundred feet tall, whose roots and tree limbs have spread out for miles to form the foundation of the swamp. Though the Foggy Swamp tribe Waterbenders share the skill of Waterbending, they were completely unknown to their polar cousins and vice versa, until Katara, Sokka, and Aang stumbled across the tribe. They speak with a Mississippi River Delta accent, with whom they share much of their stereotypes. Though technologically unsophisticated, they are powerful Waterbenders. They can use Waterbending to propel their river crafts to very high speeds. Members of the Swamp Tribe have also discovered how to bend swamp plants by controlling the water within them. Their diet consists of small game and giant insects, and they keep alligator-catfish as pets. The Foggy Swamp Tribe is also very in tune to their natural surroundings and have a keen understanding of the workings of the natural world and a belief that all life is connected and is reliant on each other, a philosophy which they teach Aang, who quickly accepts the concept. Though it's unknown whether they share the same political system as their ancestors (or if the even have one), Huu appears to hold some authority over the other members of the tribe.
The Foggy Swamp Tribe's ancestry lies in the Southern Water Tribe. Thousands of years ago, a group migrated from the Southern Tribe and found the Swamp. Feeling comfortable because of the large amount of water, they decided to stay. This information, however, has been lost to both tribes' history, resulting in neither of the two knowing the other exists.
===
Unique Appearance Though they wear green as opposed to blue, it could be pointed out that the water in their area is green and they are thus consistent with the other cultures of the Avatar world in using their element as a primary color motif. The tribe members wear a giant leaf hat, loin-cloths, arm bands, and wrappings around their shins and fore-arms. The tribe members do not wear shoes or sandals.
Bending Style The Foggy Swamp Tribe's Waterbenders have a different style of bending from their polar cousins. While the North and South pole Benders flow with the water, Foggy Swamp Tribe seems more rigid and straight. This can especially be seen when they are moving their boats using a much more straight backed style then when Northern benders move their gondolas.
Re: The Water Tribes « Reply #4 on Aug 6, 2008, 11:25am »
AS A PEOPLE...
Appearance Ethnically homogeneous, members of all tribes typically have light or deep brown hair, blue eyes and light brown/tan skintone. Northern and Southern Water Tribe clothing is typically a set of blue anorak and trousers lined and trimmed with white fur, and worn with mittens and mukluks. Men may wear their hair long and half-up or in short ponytails (also known as "warrior's wolf tails.") Also noted on Kataras and Kyas outfits once or twice that it has a type of moon on it. Possibly stating the degree of the bender. Women plait and braid their hair in various styles, sometimes with accent beads, and many sport "hair loopies" in various styles. In the Northern Water Tribe, males appear to wear a darker blue than those of the Southern Water Tribe.
Military As a result of the strong customary theme expressed by the two major sects, the Water Tribes militia is considerably less sophisticated than that of the recently industrialized Earth Kingdom or the highly industrialized Fire Nation. Nevertheless, the tribes also exhibit deep pride and willpower typical of a warrior race.
All adult male tribe members are fully-trained warriors. Their weaponry includes clubs, bladed boomerangs, spears made of bone (also used in spearfishing), scimitars, and machetes laced with whale teeth on the dull side of the blade. Water Tribe warriors typically wear black and white warpaint on their full face before going into battle. Waterbending warriors of the Northern Tribe are all masters of their element and wear face masks to cover their mouths and hoods. When the Fire Nation attacked the Northern Water Tribe, Chief Arnook called for warriors to volunteer for a dangerous mission. When the approached, Arnook marked three red lines on their foreheads with red paint.
The more organized Northern Water Tribe makes use of armories located on the warrior training grounds which serve as weapons storage and war planning rooms where orders are distributed. Their Waterbenders engender and utilize a countless amount of iceberg spikes scattered across the ocean just outside the city as a first line of defense against Fire Nation ships. The spikes are capable of ripping through solid metal and sinking even the largest ships. The currents in the iceberg fields are known to be extremely dangerous, but are easily traversed by Water Tribe vessels. The iceberg spikes themselves are also used as cover for warriors to hide behind, enabling to easily ambush any unwanted visitors.
While its sister tribe had been the victim of raids, thanks to a mixture of strong, man-made defenses and imposing, natural icy landscape, the Northern Water Tribe has sufficiently been able to stave off the Fire Nation for over eighty-five years.
Two years before the Avatar returned, all the men of the Southern Water Tribe were sent to fight in the war, leaving their villages defenseless. In the "The Guru," the warriors are finally seen again, protecting the shores of Chameleon Bay, the single inlet leading directly to the outskirts of Ba Sing Se. The warriors had apparently achieved this so far with the use of "tangle mines," buoyant, terrible smelling make-shift mines of Hakoda's invention, which he affectionately nicknames the "stink n' sink." The tangle mines are constructed with a bamboo frame and covered with dried animal skin, while the inside is filled with stinkfish and seaweed. These mines float in the water and detonate when a ship hits them. When the mines detonate, they erupt seaweed, which tangles around the propeller of the ship, incapacitating it, and stinkfish, which terrible smell forces people to abandon ship. Though a very unusual type of mine, they had apparently been quite effective.
The ships of the Southern Tribe seem to be cutter sailing ships, containing wooden hulls and utilizing the wind for propulsion. The boats are shown to be operated by at least two people, one to maintain the main sail and one to control the jib, a smaller sail at the rear. The ships appear to be designed more for use as a transport vessel than combat.
The Northern Water Tribe's most common ship is a double-hulled vessel powered by Waterbending. Though its small, compact size enables it to be used for a variety of applications, including transporting civilians across the canals within the city, its main purpose is to be used for short, open ocean trips. Even though its not necessarily designed for long voyages, it is capable of being used to travel over a thousand miles and withstanding the harshest ocean conditions. Warriors use this ship to patrol and protect the waters just outside the Northern Water Tribe.
Re: The Water Tribes « Reply #5 on Aug 6, 2008, 11:25am »
WATERBENDING
Information by wikipedia.com
Known as: Hydrokenesis Sorce of Power: The Moon Fighting Style: Tai Chi
Specifics Waterbending is based on the style of Tai Chi, which is a martial art that features slow movements and elegant forms that evoke the feel of flowing water. Waterbending's strength is its defensive capabilities. Unlike some other bending disciplines, Waterbending's defensive maneuvers focus on control through turning an opponent's own strength against him, rather than directly harming the opponent. There are three known styles of Waterbending that have been shown in the series to date: Northern, Southern, and Foggy Swamp style.
According to Iroh, water is the element of change. Waterbending provides a versatility of experience. The extent of the Waterbenders' power ranges from creating small, lashing whips and waves to massive tsunamis and walls of water. Waterbenders seemingly possess thermokinetic abilities regarding their element, meaning that they can freeze, melt, evaporate or condense the water they manipulate at will. Changing the phase state of water allows for multiple techniques in the course of a battle, from encasing an opponent in ice to hiding behind a wall of mist. Waterbenders can also manipulate water pressure. This allows for techniques like grabbing things and cutting through objects.
=== Forms A waterbender bending the water in the swamp vines named forms within Waterbending include the Octopus form, the Single Water Whip, the Water Drill, and Streaming the Water (developed by Katara).
A member of the Foggy Swamp Tribe, Huu, has shown that Waterbenders can manipulate the vines and roots of plants by bending the water within them.
Sub-Skills & Special Attributes Each of the four bending disciplines contain a special sub-skill unique only to certain members of each element. Waterbenders in particular possess the ability to heal wounds by redirecting energy paths (or chi) throughout the body, using water as a catalyst. Physically, this draws on the restorative properties of water to organisms such as human beings that are primarily composed of it. Though powerful, Waterbending healing cannot heal every ailment---for example, Jet's wound in "Lake Laogai" or the complications associated with Princess Yue's birth. In the Northern Water Tribe, this ability is the only aspect of Waterbending taught to female Waterbenders, due to the traditionally patriarchal culture of the tribe. It is not known to what extent the Northern Water Tribe teaches healing to men; no male Waterbender has been shown using this ability in the series so far. In rare cases, a waterbender may develop this ability without training.
Another special - yet powerful technique - is Bloodbending.
Since the human body is roughly 70% water, Bloodbending does not necessarily bend blood, but the fluids in one’s body, allowing the user to manipulate a body's muscles to move as they wish or to stop movement completely. Potentially, a Bloodbender could stop a victim's heart or crush his/her internal organs, though this has not been stated. Bloodbending is said to only be performed during the night when there is a full moon, when waterbenders experience a significant increase in their powers. Though some people believe Katara used Bloodbending without a full moon in the Southern Raiders, this is incorrect, due to the moon being full during the episode, which barely spanned three days, while moon phases last a week.
Only two people, Katara and Hama, have mastered this technique. Despite having lived in the Fire Nation now, Hama originated from the Southern Water Tribe. She discovered this technique during her long imprisonment by the Fire Nation. She first figured out how to do it by bending the water inside the prison rats when her power was enhanced during a full moon. She then manipulated the prison guards forcing them to open her cage and prevent them from following her. Hama later used it to kidnap Fire Nation civilians, making them literally walk into her clutches and imprison them, but she was later found and arrested.
Bloodbending is considered to be quite a sinister art since it forces the bender's will over the victim's will. Katara was forced by Hama to learn this technique in order to stop Hama from making Sokka and Aang kill each other. Weaknesses A Waterbender's weakness is his or her need for an external source of water, though a skilled Waterbender can concentrate the natural moisture in the air or on the ground into a usable form. As a result, travelling Waterbenders carry a water skin with them at all times. A second vulnerability, however, lies within the use of one's arms as a primary means of Waterbending. This leaves the Waterbender vulnerable when he or she is bound at the hands or has had the flow of chi blocked in the arms. As of yet, there have been few instances in the series where Waterbending was performed with the lower body — such as when Katara anchored her feet in ice during her fight with Master Pakku, or when she created a piece of ice to use as a surfboard when fighting a giant sea serpent — but another lower body technique is outlined on the Waterbending scroll stolen by Katara, from which both she and Aang learned a technique named the Water Whip. However, Katara used her feet when she fought the guards Earthbenders, in the Royal Palace, in the episode The Earth King, performing a larger than normal water whip.
A Waterbender's power comes from the internal life energy chi. Due to this, a Waterbender's power is connected to his or her present emotional state. If an inexperienced Waterbender were to lose his or her temper, their waterbending force is intensified, but in turn, control is lost. This was demonstrated twice by Katara. Although this has the potential to be quite dangerous, it also serve as a boone to a bender with proper training and experience, as well as balance over their emotions.
Another Waterbending weakness is its dependence on the moon (see below). Although Waterbenders gain power from the moon (with Waterbending at its zenith during full moons), the moons absence results in a complete loss of Waterbending ability (As seen in the Siege of the North). It is theorized that a lunar eclipse would also negate a Waterbenders power. Other Waterbending Waterbending at its highest skill contains the most powerful technique among all the Bending Arts. At close range, expert Waterbenders literally uses an opponents body against them by harnessing the ample amount of water within the human body to control their opponent like a puppet master (To use this, you need to be a master at bending. You cannot be a powerplaying newbie.)
So far, the only times a weapon has been used with Waterbending is when Avatar Kyoshi uses her fans to create a wave in "Avatar Day," and in "The Earth King," when Aang used his staff to freeze water. It has been stated that, given their almost "Samurai-like" cutting techniques, a katana or a cane sword would be the best weapon suited for a Waterbender.
Waterbending is the opposing bending art to Firebending. Like all the bending arts, Waterbending is balanced out as to not be more or less powerful than the other arts. The series has repeatedly illustrated that it's the skill and prowess of the user that determines victory.
Spirituality and Waterbending "The legends say the moon was the first Waterbender. Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves... Our strength comes from the Spirit of the Moon, our life comes from the Spirit of the Ocean. They work together to keep balance"
Like the moon controlling the tides, Waterbenders move water using their chi to mimic gravitational pull by choosing how to direct their energy utilizing two jings, which in term work to push and pull the water being controlled. Because of this lunar sympathy, a Waterbender's power is stronger at night, at their absolute zenith during a full moon, and lost during a lunar eclipse. A Waterbender's power is also enhanced during the rain. This is most likely due to the fact that rainwater is nothing more than moisture from the Ocean that has condense into the clouds and precipitates back to the earth. Futhermore, a Waterbender's power is strongest when he or she is situated in colder climates, during the winter, or near their native polar homelands.
Legend further elaborates that Tui (meaning "push") the Moon Spirit, and its symbiotic partner La (meaning "pull"), the Ocean Spirit, gave up their immortality to be a part of the mortal world. In fact, these spirits exist in the physical forms of two koi fish eternally circling one another in a pond, in the highly spiritual oasis, in the capital city of the Northern Water Tribe.
The "push and pull" relationship between the moon's gravity and the water's inertia is represented by Yin and Yang. The Moon Spirit koi is white, with a black forehead marking, and the Ocean Spirit koi is black, with a white forehead marking, mimicking the two primal forces.
Without the equilibrium of these two spiritual aspects, Waterbenders lose their powers. This was illustrated when Tui's mortal form was killed by Admiral Zhao during the Fire Nation's siege of the North Pole in "Siege of the North, Part II". The moon disappeared from the sky, the balance of the world was upset, and the Waterbenders defending the North Pole were rendered powerless.
The Fire Nation's invading fleet was subsequently defeated when the Avatar, Aang, acted as a literal avatar of La and combined to form a gigantic water creature that swept the Fire Nation forces out to sea. Balance was restored when Princess Yue, who had received a part of Tui's life force at birth to prevent her immediate death, returned that force and sacrificed herself so that Tui might live
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