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: Spring Rulers: 52nd Earth King, Kuei. Canon Characters From or Relating to: Click Here for a List
The Earth Kingdom is one of the world's four major nations. A massive continent taking up most of the planet's eastern hemisphere; the Earth Kingdom is roughly analogous to Eurasia in our world. The Earth Kingdom is home to most of the world's Earthbenders, some of which occasionally serve as major antagonists in the series, such as Long Feng and the Dai Li.
The Earth Kingdom has long withstood encroachments on their borders in the Fire Nation's century-long imperialist war. Though the Water Tribes aid the Earth Kingdom in the war, the conflict continues to progress poorly. Other than the Avatar, the Earth Kingdom was the only real obstacle between the Fire Nation and complete world domination, as the Water Tribes have thus far demonstrated that they can only defend their own lands, the poles. However, by the end of "The Crossroads of Destiny", the Fire Nation princess, Azula, was firmly in control of the Earth Kingdom capital city, Ba Sing Se. By the following summer, it is firmly occupied by Fire Nation forces.
During the arrival of Sozin's Comet at the very end of the summer, Ba Sing Se was liberated from Fire Nation control by the Order of the White Lotus, effectively ending the Fire Nation occupation of the city.
Re: The Earth Kingdom « Reply #1 on Aug 6, 2008, 12:46pm »
Government and Political System
Government System: Confederate Monarchy Head of State: Earth King
The Earth Kingdom is a large nation divided into provinces (as mentioned in "Zuko Alone") and major cities (such as Omashu, among others) which are subdivided into smaller townships or separate towns. The capital of the Earth Kingdom is Ba Sing Se. While there is a central ruler of the entire Earth Kingdom, known as the Earth King, who lives in Ba Sing Se, some cities, such as Omashu, have kings of their own, but officially the king of Ba Sing Se is the ruler of the Earth Kingdom. At one time, proud warrior-kings ruled their lands personally and often brutally, but over the generations, the Earth Kings ceded more and more control over the day-to-day operations of their city to the Byzantine governmental structure that sprang up around them. The Earth King now is little more than a figurehead who lives a lavish lifestyle surrounded by courtesans and sycophants, lending one of his royal seals to whatever decrees and laws his advisor's suggest. After the Fire Nation conquered Ba Sing Se, the position was abolished after the 52nd Earth King fled with the Avatar.
In "City of Walls and Secrets", it is revealed that the Earth King has little true power, and while is greatly revered (possibly even worshiped), most of the governmental power in Ba Sing Se is trusted to various advisers and counsels such as Long Feng, the Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se & Head of the Dai Li. It is also implied that the Ba Sing Se government has (or uses) little power beyond its own fortified city, which perhaps explains the dire situation in much of the Earth Kingdom.
Also, the government in Ba Sing Se appears to be incredibly oppressive, similar to a system of fascism. All of the power is focused on a single dictator (Long Feng), and the level of control exhibited on the population ranges from severe economic and social regimentation, feelings of superiority over others, the idea of a utopia, and forcible elimination of opposition by methods such as brainwashing. The government of Ba Sing Se may also be incredibly bureaucratic, since it would take at least 6-8 weeks to process a request to meet with the king.
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Military Since the Earth Kingdom is geographically the largest of the four nations, it possesses a large variety of combat organizations and personnel.
Like the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom armies consist of benders and normal foot soldiers. Soldiers, both benders and non-benders, carry a wide variety of weapons, from spears, swords, and other various pole arms, to more unusual weapons such as hammers, axes, and sickles. Soldiers typically wear a helmet that's a mix of a Conical straw hat and a spinning top. Non-bending soldiers also wear a headdress underneath, appear to be more armored, and wear boots. Earthbenders' helmets are pointed and are decorated with the Earth Kingdom emblem. They are also barefooted, as called for by a principle of Earthbending. Officers wear yellow armor in place of the regular green armor.
Earth Kingdom soldiers in various parts of the Earth Kingdom wear slightly different colored uniforms from others; for example, the guards at the gates of Omashu wore slightly different uniforms than other Earthbenders in other parts of the Earth Kingdom. The Earthbenders who kidnapped Uncle Iroh in "Winter Solstice Part 1: The Spirit World" wore yellow and light brown. General Fong's soldiers in "The Avatar State" wore light green, the ferry guards wore brown on tan uniforms, and the guards of the Bei Fong family wore a cream colored uniform. The non-bending soldiers of Omashu wear leaf-green colors, while other non-bending soldiers across the Earth Kingdom wear an olive drab green. At Ba Sing Se the soldiers on the walls have more diverse uniforms with black and yellow colors.
The cavalry consists of Ostrich Horses, which can vertically climb short distances and run at high speeds. They are also used as transports.
Earthbenders use stones shaped like the Earth Kingdom emblem as artillery and catapult projectiles. These person-sized round coins are invaluable weapons to the Earthbenders. The coins can be lined up side by side to make a defensive (and mobile) wall, or stacked to make an impromptu lookout tower. Skilled Earthbenders can use these coins as a vehicle and "ride" in the hole in the middle of the coins.
During the events of "The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion", Earth Kingdom forces assisted in the invasion of the Fire Nation, bringing with them tanks assembled by the Mechanist. These tanks are operated by four Earthbenders using their earthbending for mobility, and they can carry multiple troops into battle. These tanks have incredibly strong armor and their segmented design allows them to cross any terrain as well as to crush elevated targets. Finally, they have side flaps that open up to allow Earthbenders to fire their rock projectiles.
Dai Li The Dai Li are the cultural enforcers of Ba Sing Se. They were under the direct command of Long Feng, the culture minister, and function as a sort of secret police; arresting and re-educating anyone who breaks regulations concerning mention of the war. In addition to distinct uniforms, they are notable for sporting stone gloves and shoes, which can be used to great effect as weapons through Earthbending.
The Navy Not much is known about the Earth Navy, save that it is likely inferior to that of the Fire Nation. The Earth Kingdom's General Fong explicitly stated that invading the Fire Nation with its ships would be suicidal. At the beginning of The Earth King, three junk ships, presumed to be carrying Dai Li Agents, were seen sailing the waters of Lake Laogai. Additionally, given that Earthbenders require a physical connection to the earth to bend, being on a wooden or metal boat would render the Earthbenders almost totally powerless (unless the ships carried earthen projectiles). Without benders, the Earth Kingdom navy would be at a severe disadvantage in terms of naval combat compared with the Fire Nation or the Water Tribes.
Kyoshi Warriors The Kyoshi Warriors are an all-female group of fighters led by Suki on Kyoshi Island. Their fighting style and clothing mimic those of their founder, Avatar Kyoshi, although the most current fighters do not implement any of the bending arts in their physical movements. Clad in ornate, green armor and Kabuki-like makeup, designed to intimidate opponents, Kyoshi Island Warriors use metal fans as their main weapons. It was later revealed the warriors also utilize katanas and wrist shields. Holding the fans like extensions of their own arms, they aim to turn the strength of their opponents against them, a principle also hinged upon in Waterbending. The female warriors do not take kindly to training outsiders, let alone men, in these unique methods. Traditionally, only women are trained as Kyoshi Warriors, however there have been exceptions over the years.
Council of Five The Council of Five is a group of five high-ranking Earth Kingdom Generals, including Generals How and Sung, who decide the best use of their armies fighting outside the walls of Ba Sing Se. It is the Council of Five who designs and implements any war plans, which includes the best means of protecting the capital city as well as the proposed invasion of the Fire Nation. In addition to this, the Council also controls the Kings Guards, an elite force of guards who protect the king. The Council of Five has been together for as long as there has been a king of Ba Sing Se, and up until Long Feng came into power, it has always worked hand in hand with the Earth King to ensure the city's well being.
Royal Earthbender Guards The Royal Earthbender Guards of Ba Sing Se are affiliated with neither the Dai Li nor the military, and instead serve as personal protectors of the Earth King. There seem to be hundreds of them guarding the Royal Palace. They have also been seen as the gate keepers of the outer and inner walls of Ba Sing Se. The guards use specialized surface-to-surface rocks against invaders approaching on foot, but the projectiles are displayed to be able to also serve as surface-to-air rocks against airborne intruders. They sport dark green armor with a green feather at the top of the helmet.
Terra Team The Terra Team are an elite platoon of Earthbenders under the command of General Sung. They are considered by him a capable group. Their uniform differs slightly from regular Earth Kingdom soldiers. During their short appearance when called to stop the Fire Nation drill, they were shown to act in a cohesive way, coordinating their attacks. Despite this, they were disabled by Mai and Ty Lee.
Specifics Earthbending is generally based on the Hung Gar style of Kung Fu, which features heavily rooted stances and strong kicks and punches that evoke the mass and power of earth. The martial art is based on the movements of animals, including the tiger, which is utilized when intiating hard blows, and the crane, which is used to land gently back on the Earth. There are exceptions to this rule -- the blind Earthbender, Toph's, style is based on Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu. Unlike other bending disciplines, earthbending maintains a balance between offensive and defensive capabilities
Earthbending uses a balance of strength and defense to overwhelm opponents. Common attacks involve levitating nearby earth and stone, and propelling them at foes by way of a punch or kicking motion. A levitated slab of rock can also double as a shield when positioned in front of a Bender. Striking the ground with feet, fists, or hammers creates localized earthquakes or fissures to throw opponents off-balance. Earthbending Masters can turn the ground to quicksand to immobilize an enemy, or catapault into the air and soften the earth and ensure a safe landing. Some can tunnel through the earth to out-maneuver their foes. They are typically barefoot, to increase their connection with the earth. Earthbenders have been known to use hammers (males) and fans (females) to augment their bending, and it has been stated that the Chinese great sword Da Dao (heavy war sword, or literally "big knife") would also be best suited for a strong Earthbender. Aang has also demonstrated Earthbending by wielding his Glider Staff. Master Earthbenders, such as Toph, can also create armor out of Earth. Avatar Level Earthbenders can move hill size statues at will and even fracture landmasses, as demonstrated by Avatar Kyoshi in the episodes "The Avatar State" and "Avatar Day."
The principle of Jing is the essence of battle strategy, with a total of 85 possible actions. Positive Jing occurs when one chooses to fight while negative Jing is when one chooses to evade. The Earthbending discipline stresses Neutral Jing, which involves listening, waiting, and attacking at the right moment. King Bumi stresses this in his tactics against the Fire Nation.
Earthbending is not limited to rock or soil alone. A powerful Earthbender can also manipulate coal (and possibley other fossilised materials), gems, crystals, and other earth-based material. Earthbenders also possess limited magnetic capabilities, allowing them to grasp vertical surfaces and cling unsupported to earthen structures.Furthermore, Earthbenders with an especially strong awareness for earth, such as Toph, can also bend metal, as it still contains minute amounts of some unrefined earth. Her "sight" enables her to locate and target the small earth fragments that would go undetectable to even the best Earthbenders.
Earthbending is the opposing bending art to Airbending. When first learning to Earthbend, the pupil must first learn confrontational tactics and familiarity with the brute strength necessary to work with earth. This contrasts with the emphasis of Airbenders on mobility and evasion.
Like all of the bending arts, Earthbending is balanced so as not to 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.
Magnetism Each of the four bending disciplines contain a special sub-skill unique only to certain members of the element. Earthbenders in particular possess limited magnetic capabilities, allowing them to grasp vertical surfaces and even cling unsupported to the ceilings of earthen structures. Skilled Earthbenders are also able to magnetize fragments of earth to their body serve as crude body armor, enhance physical attacks, or be utilized for retractable long-ranged techniques as displayed several times being utilized by Dai Li agents, usually in conjunction with their stone gloves. It has been revealed that the original concept was that most Earthbenders could use some form of magnetism, but it has since been altered to be a higher level elemental sub-skill technique that only a few can perform.
Sandbending Sandbenders are Earthbenders who have adapted to live in the Si Wong Desert. They use Earthbending in a specialized style, which emphasizes the manipulation of sand. They move quickly in the desert on specialized wooden catamaran sailers that are propelled by bending miniature, localized sandstorms behind their sails. Because sand is sediment which travels in flows, their style resembles air and waterbending more than earthbending. It is displayed that most, if not all, Earthbenders are capable of easily bending sand, the Sandbenders of the Desert are simply especially proefficient with it due to their particular habitat.
Metalbending Metalbending was first hinted at by Aang in the episode The Drill when he sarcastically states "What I'd give to be a Metalbender," as he tries to make an indentation in a giant drill with Waterbending. The inability to bend metal was first demonstrated in Imprisoned where Earthbender prisoners, taken captive by the Fire Nation, were brought to a completely metal rig in the middle of the ocean. The Earthbenders' helplessness due to their situation was stressed several times in the episode.
Metalbending is a skill that, as of the end of Book 2: Earth, only Toph possesses. Most Earthbenders are unable to affect processed metals. Usually, the trace amount of earth still present in metal is so minute that it goes undetected even to the best Earthbenders. However, due to her ability to "see" earth, Toph is able to locate the small fragments of earth in metal, target them, and utilize them to "bend" the metal portion.
In the episode The Earth King, Toph was captured in a metal cage by Xin Fu and her former teacher, Master Yu. During the next episode, The Guru, she tries desperately to break the cage until one of her captors berated that even if she was the best Earthbender alive it was impossible to bend metal. It was at the exact moment that Guru Pathik was explaining to Aang about the light chakra and how it is blocked by illusion. He went on to explain that it is an illusion that the four nations are different or that air is any different from earth and also how even metal ultimately is simply just earth that has been purified and refined. Toph realizes this herself and starts meditating on her cage trying to feel the vibrations of the trace amounts of earth in the metal. She then utilizes these traces of earth to escape and entrap her captors in it.
Weaknesses An earthbender's powers are firmly rooted to the ground they stand on. Removing them any substantial distance from the earth, such as on the ocean, strips them of their powers. Additionally, because of their inability to bend processed metals, the bending abilities of an Earthbender can be negated by securing them within a metallic barrier, separating them from any contact with the earth (with the exception of Toph, see above).
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