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.
The Fire Nation is one of the world's four major nations. Geographically, the continent is located on the planet's equator in the western hemisphere. Regardless of previous boundaries, the military of the Fire Nation was recently engaged in an imperialistic century long war with the other three nations. The Fire Nation is also home to almost all Firebenders.
Re: The Fire Nation « Reply #1 on Aug 6, 2008, 1:22pm »
Government and Political System
Government System: Absolute Monarchy Head of State: Fire Lord Religious Authority: Great Sage & Council of Fire Sages
The Fire Nation is ruled with an iron fist by the latest in a long line of Firebenders, with the most recent leader being Fire Lord Zuko. The Fire Nation's political system is an absolute monarchy that has been waging a century-long imperialist war against the other three nations of the world; the stated goal of which is to create a planet wide empire. They are not above employing genocide to accomplish this goal, having already eliminated the entire nation of Air Nomads, and driven the Southern Water Tribe to the brink of extinction.
However, the Fire Nation was not always the tyrannical, militaristic embodiment it is today. A millenia ago, in its earliest years, a council of sages led the Fire Nation who, among several other national interests, were heavily invested in philosophy and spirituality, much like that of the monastic Air Nomad race. The lead sage was known as the "Fire Lord" due to his high level Firebending powers as well as his deep spiritual affinity with the element. Over the years, one lead sage chose to sever ties with the remaining sages and sought to be the sole ruler of the Fire Nation. Now led by the Great Sage, the sages were regulated primarily to spiritual matters but nonetheless still retained some political power over the Nation, with tensions between the two sects increasing with every generation.
The dispute finally reached a state of equilibrium during the course of Sozin's rise to the throne and reign. When still alive during Sozin's rule, the sages remained loyal to Avatar Roku and kept watch over his sanctuary. But following the death of the Avatar, the sages were, after three generations, finally submitted under the Fire Lord's rule and were forced to serve only him, counseling him on spiritual affairs.
Now under the servitude of Fire Lord Zuko, the current Fire Sages are the last of their kind, aging remnants of an era long past when spiritual matters were placed in high importance over military ambition.
Military The Fire Nation military is the strongest of the four nations.
Army The Fire Nation Army is comprised of both normal foot soldiers, who normally wield spears, swords, and shields, and Firebenders. The majority of Firebending soldiers wear white faceplates shaped like abstract skulls, while ranking officers do not. Both have spiky fire crests on the front of their helmets. Normal soldiers wear cone shaped helmets without masks. However, as seen in the episode "The Northern Air Temple", there are Firebenders in the army who do not wear the masked helmet, but instead use the conical variety. These seem to be relegated towards manning the army's tanks. It is a possibility that a soldier's skull mask is also used for psychological warfare due to their frightening appearances. For practicality, the faceplates can be removed from the helmets. Elite Firebenders who serve as the Fire Lord's Royal Procession wear red armor all over.
Their cavalry ride Komodo Rhinos. These creatures are a mix between a large rhinoceros and a komodo dragon, and have three horns like a Triceratops and a long whip-like tail. Outfitted with heavy armor around the face, they're used for pulling carts and carrying people, both for war and civilian purposes. Fire Nation soldiers mount these frightening beasts to terrorize their enemies.
As first seen in the episode "The Northern Air Temple," the Fire Nation also has units of metal tanks. These tanks are heavily armored and equipped with fire ports (to allow the crew to fire projectiles, ranging from fireballs produced by Firebending to giant grappling hooks). They are built with the main body separated from the tracks with a complicated hydraulic suspension which enables them to right themselves if flipped over, but leaves them vulnerable to Waterbending.
It is revealed in "The Southern Raiders", that the unit that had been involved in the raid that killed Sokka and Katara's mother, Kya, were called The Southern Raiders. The Southern Raider symbol was an image of a sea raven, as it is on the flags on their ships. The helmets have red eye shields that extend to the sides with two spikes on each side in the resemblance of flames or wings and the armor is all black except for red outlining along the edges. The commander has a more intricate helmet in that he has no eye shield but has three red spikes extending outward, a curved red spike outlining the eyes, a black nose guard that extends down, spikes near the mouth, and finally spikes on the arm guards. It might be that the soldiers in this unit were trained differently than normal Firebender soldiers because they hold their arms pointed to the ground while charging their Firebending to attack.
In "Zuko Alone," the act of dressing up prisoners of war as faux soldiers to provide fodder was a tactic used by the ancient Mongolians and some Chinese warlords. In "The Storm," one of the generals suggests sacrificing a novice division of troops to provide a distraction, an act used by various military leaders (from both the West and the East) throughout history. The Yu Yan Archers The Yu Yan Archers are Colonel Shinu's highly skilled unit of archers, and are, according to Zhao, "capable of pinning a fly to a tree from 100 yards away without killing it." They are so skilled that they succeeded in overwhelming and capturing Aang, the Avatar, though he subsequently escaped from custody.
The Navy The Fire Nation's navy comprises coal-powered ironclad warships. In addition to its sturdy properties, the Fire Nation's use of metallurgy to remove impurities from the metal ensures that Earthbenders cannot damage their ships with their powers. These vessels serve many purposes, from ferrying and disembarking troops to providing bombardment with their catapults to creating blockades.
In one particular episode, captured Earthbenders were forced into labor to work on a mid-ocean shipyard, and knowing that they couldn't bend the metal of the rig, many of the captured Earthbenders lost their will to fight.
The Fire Nation's navy is very large; Admiral Zhao laid siege on the Northern Water Tribe with hundreds of ships, and the Fire Nation certainly has many more. However, almost all of that fleet was destroyed during Siege of the North, Part II when Aang became the physical incarnation of the ocean spirit, leaving only a few survivors to retreat.
The Southern Raiders The Southern Raiders are comprised of an elite force of vessels and soldiers tasked with launching the numerous raids on the Southern Water Tribe. Their insignia is a Sea Raven and their uniforms are slightly different from conventional Fire Nation armor, as they are mostly black and consist of a helmet with bird-like ornaments. As seen in "The Southern Raiders", their flagship is fairly advanced, with an unusually large conning tower. The goal of the Southern Raiders is to eliminate all Waterbenders from the Southern Water Tribe, as well as stealing supplies for the Fire Nation. These raiders are presumably the soldiers who captured all of the Waterbenders prior to the show's beginning.
These soldiers are directly responsible for the death of Katara and Sokka's mother, Kya. Their goal was to kill the one remaining waterbender left in the Southern Water Tribe, which happened to be Katara. However, Kya turned herself in as the last waterbender in a desperate attempt to save her daughter's life.
Air Force Towards the end of the episode "The Northern Air Temple", the Fire Nation acquired a War Balloon, a hot air balloon designed by The Mechanist, an Earth Kingdom inventor who the Fire Nation had pressed into service designing weapons and technology. As stated by War Minister Qin, "This defeat is the gateway to many victories." In "The Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse", it was revealed that the Fire Nation had constructed many more War Balloons which are now fueled by Firebenders, as well as several massive metal airships. These airships float using large fuel cells on the the bottom of the hull, and have dozens of small platforms from which Firebenders launch fire at enemies.
Re: The Fire Nation « Reply #2 on Aug 6, 2008, 1:27pm »
Cultural Customs & Education
Education The Fire Nation expresses a formal education system which overall is quite similar to real-life school systems. High class public schools can be found on the outer islands, which equate to the upper class suburbs of the Fire Nation. Students in certain schools begin the educational process as soon as they begin Firebending, or for non-benders, as soon as they begin walking. Subjects including history, music, etiquette, warfare, and Firebending are taught to the students by various teachers. However, the educational system works also as a "mind-molding" process, causing students to develop a strong sense of nationality and loyalty to the Fire Lord. Teachers maintain rigid discipline and order and refuse to teach the students the art of dance or any form of self-expression. In addition, censorship and propaganda can be found in articles within history books (e.g. the genocide of the Air Nomads).
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Culture Many names of Fire Nation citizens utilize harsh consonants and letter "Z," including Zuko, Ozai, Azula, Sozin, Zhao, Azulon, Kuzon, etc.
The Fire Nation is located on an archipelago of tropical islands. Few travel to the Fire Nation, and no nation has ever mounted an invasion against it (although in the War's later years, the Earth Kingdom planned to do so on the Day of Black Sun, but was stopped by the Fire Nation beforehand due to the fall of Ba Sing Se).
The geography of the Fire Nation consists of many volcanoes, many still active. It is also very lush and green, and the weather is warm. Little villages and towns dot the landscape, with a large capital city on the biggest island, situated inside the crater of a large volcano. There are also lots of industrial places where weapons, tanks and warships are built to support the war effort.
The appearance of the Fire Nation is based on fire, naturally. Like the other nations, it is based on its elemental color, in this case, red. The majority of the buildings are made of stone. They also have red pagoda-style roofs favored by the Fire Nation. Fire Nation symbols are often put on important or nice buildings for decoration and inside it is common for a picture of Fire Lord Ozai to be kept in an important, visible place. Roads are well-built, neat ones, mostly straight, heading towards the destination. They hardly ever have bumps in and are made of neat stone slotted in place. All citizens wear clothes that are in different shades of red, orange, yellow or pink and topknots in the color of red, yellow or orange, often with rings, the Fire Nation sign or a small flame.
The population of the Fire Nation seems to be distributed in small towns and villages throughout the Fire Nation. Only Fire Nation nobles are allowed to live in the Capital City, or enter it for that matter. In fact, the population consists of average citizens, the nobles, and prisoners.
The culture in the Fire Nation revolves around the Fire Lord and the Royal Family, suggesting a cult of personality. Children are taught that the Fire Nation is the greatest civilization that has ever existed. They hero worship the Fire Lord. It also values respect a lot; should you be honored enough to be in the presence of a member of the Royal Family, the person needs to prostrate themselves in respect or risk being challenged to an Agni Kai to avenge the disrespected Royal's honor. Upon coming into contact with an elder or superior, it is polite to bow down. Unlike in other parts of the world, this bow consists in placing a hand in a straight fashion with the other placed underneath it vertically. This represents the superior standing with one below him, bowing. Also when receiving an order in the Fire Nation by a superior it is common to not bow, but make the hand symbol. Bowing is required upon greeting to one, when something nice has happened, after business, and leaving.
The "Fire Days Festival" is a traveling street fair in Fire Nation towns and villages, including those situated in former Earth Kingdom territory. Its participants wear stylized hand-carved wooden masks similar to that of Kabuki theater masks, and merchants vendor a wide variety of trinkets and local snacks. The festival's attractions include puppet shows, fireworks, Firebending jugglers and magicians, and overall displays of individual or group bending prowess. As illustrated in its cultural festivals, the Fire Nation employs propaganda to indoctrinate a sense of nationalism and loyalty to the Fire Lord (cult of personality) in its citizens from the earliest age possible. (A popular attraction cast Ozai as a hero in a children's puppet show.)
During the summer months around August, numerous Fire Lily Festivals spring up around the Fire Nation to celebrate the flower's blooms, famed as a symbol of fiery passion, and persist throughout their short blooming season.
Re: The Fire Nation « Reply #3 on Aug 6, 2008, 1:29pm »
Natives
Members of the Fire Nation tend to have black or brown hair, amber/gold (possible indicating Firebending ability), brown, or gray eyes, and pale skin, though exceptions such as Piandao and Shoji are not uncommon.
Older men tend to sport large beards, mustaches, and sideburns, while younger men are usually clean-shaven, or wear small mustaches and goatees. Women usually wear their hair back, though for special occasions it may be piled on top of the head, or wrapped around a support. Female members of the aristocracy also tend to have long, pointed, well-manicured finger nails. Almost all citizens wear topknots, often held by a decorative topknot piece indicating rank. Nobles and politicians tend to ornament their hair with a two pronged, flame-styled piece; the Fire Lord wears a gold, five-pronged flame.
Members of the army wear red and black uniforms that may have gold trim or emblems on them. Traditional colors worn throughout the nation range from deep reds to darker browns, grays, and blacks, with occasional white, or pink. Many citizens wear shoulder spikes, the amount designating social standing (ordinary civilians wear one, nobles wear two, and the Fire Lord wears three, though there are exceptions to these rules). Their clothing and architecture seem to reflect Chinese influences.
Re: The Fire Nation « Reply #4 on Aug 6, 2008, 1:32pm »
Fire Bending
Information from Wikipedia
Known as: Pyrokinesis (ability to create and control fire) and Electrokensis (ability to create and control lightning) Main Source of Power: The sun Fighting Style: Northern Shaolin and several techniques from Northern Seven Star Praying Mantis
Specifics Firebending is based mainly the style of Northern Shaolin, but with a few techniques from Northern Seven Star Praying Mantis. These martial arts feature quick, successive, ferocious attacks that evoke the uncompromising danger of fire. Unlike other bending disciplines, firebending has few defensive moves aside from blocking and dodging, although master firebenders are able to create walls of fire to absorb incoming attacks.
Firebending uses concentrated barrages of fire to overwhelm opponents before striking a fatal blow. Swift, whirling kicks and punches generate diverse shapes for offensive attacks. Jabs and punches produce miniature fireballs and missiles of flame, and spinning kicks create blazing rings and arcs. Other moves include shooting jets of fire from the fingertips, creating daggers of flame, fiery lashes, and creating whirling disks of flame. Firebenders can also control the size of their flame. Firebenders use their internal body heat as a source of their bending to create fire. This facet of Firebending is in sharp contrast to the other bending arts, which manipulate already present representations of their element.
Firebenders can control the intensity of their Firebending, reflected in the color of the flames. Master Firebenders are skilled enough to create highly-efficient flames that look blue or light blue, with red and orange flames representing lesser forms of Firebending. So far, only Azula has demonstrated blue and light blue Firebending (not to be confused with lightning).After contact with flammable items, blue fire reverts to a less intense state and changes to a red and orange color as it begins to cool down and burn normally. Blue fire also seems to possess more physical force and produce a concussive effect not seen with normal fire.
Avatar Level Firebenders are capable of erupting volcanos at will and manipulating lava and magma flows.
Firebending is the most aggressive of the four bending arts. It is enhanced during the day, due to its solar sympathy. With Sozin's comet, Firebending is apparently greatly enhanced.
Firebending is the opposing bending art to Waterbending. Like all of the bending arts, Firebending 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.
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Styles The fictional art of firebending overall draws heir from three ancient martial arts, each with their own seperate moves and varying results Xing Yi - The style blends strikes from the classic "Seven Stars": hands, feet, elbows, hips, knees, shoulders, and crown. Southern Dragon Claw - Mirroring a dragon swooping down on it prey, the form contains close-range techniques for seizing and holding.
Northern Shaolin - This can be any number of fighting styles related to Long Fist boxing.
Weapons
Firebenders sometimes incorporate weapons into Firebending, as shown by Zuko's utilization of Firebending in conjunction with his broad swords. It is unknown what, if any, other weapons can be used with firebending. (if you concider making a fire gun, jump in a cold shower right now)
Lightning Each of the four bending disciplines contain a special sub-skill unique only to certain members of each element. Also known as "the cold-blooded fire", certain powerful Firebenders are able to generate and manipulate lightning. Mentally, it involves a complete absence of emotion and peace of mind, and physically it requires separating the energies of yin and yang (also an interpretation of positive and negative electric charge). When the forces collide, the bender guides, rather than controls, the lightning's direction. Because of this complexity, a lightning attack takes much longer to initiate than standard fire attacks.
Generating lightning involves a circular motion with the arms. Only a select few have this power; so far the only Firebenders in the series who have demonstrated the ability to actively generate lightning are Azula and Iroh. Iroh, in a technique developed after observing the energy re-directing techniques of Waterbending, is able to redirect the course of lightning strikes by absorbing it through one arm, guiding it through his stomach, and out his other arm. Zuko has expressed a desire to learn these abilities, but his emotional turmoil is preventing him from successfully creating lightning.
Re-directing lightning was first demonstrated by Iroh in "The Storm." Creating Lightning was first demonstrated by Azula in "The Avatar State." In "Bitter Work", Iroh teaches Zuko how to redirect lightning, but he refuses to let Zuko practice this technique with real lightning.
Weaknesses It is said that true Firebending power comes not from physical size nor strength, but rather from the very control of one's breath. Firebender discipline stresses self-control and breath control as a means of directing and containing the fire manifested. Poor breath control means dangerously poor control of any fire generated. For this reason, breathing exercises are one of the most critical first steps for beginning Firebenders.
The main weaknesses behind the art of Firebending are its confrontational nature and its connection to the sun. Due to its aggressive nature, it traditionally lacks defensive techiques, which can leave a bender considerably vunerable to attacks. Its connection to the sun results in a lessening of strength during the night, and a complete loss of Firebending ability during a solar eclipse (see below). Additionally, Firebenders require stability and balance in their lower body, and are vulnerable to attacks when off-balance, which Zuko demonstrated by breaking Admiral Zhao's root while fighting. Other circumstances that can damper a Firebender's power include darkness, a full moon, being underwater, and being in the rain.
Spirituality and Firebending Approximately 100 years before the start of the series, Fire Lord Sozin launched a genocidal attack on the Air Nomads, succeeding in part due to the power granted him by a mystical comet. Over the course of a century, the war has continued, and under the rule of Sozin's grandson, Fire Lord Ozai, the Fire Nation will see the return of "Sozin's Comet." As prophesied, this comet's immense energy will grant Ozai the power to conquer the entire world. The only threat to Ozai's campaign is the current Avatar, Aang. If Aang fails to master all four elements and stop Ozai before Sozin's Comet returns, the Fire Lord will be unstoppable regardless of the Avatar's power.
The Fire Nation's religious clerics, the Fire Sages, who once served Avatar Roku now tacitly endorse the imperialist war. Shyu is shown as the only Fire Sage to remain true to his allegiance to the Avatar, a trait he inherits from his father and grandfather.
A Firebender's powers seem to increase during the day in the presence of the sun. Because of this solar sympathy, their powers are weakened at night and, as revealed in "The Library", a solar eclipse can temporarily negate their powers entirely, much like Waterbenders' powers are negated during a lunar eclipse. Aside from their main power source, the sun, firebenders also draw their energy from other heat sources, including volcanic activity, lightning, and passing comets. A firebender's power is intensified in warmer climates and is at its peak when situated near their native equatorial homelands during the summer.
Agni Kai Among Firebenders, or at least those of the upper-class, disputes of honor are settled by a challenge to an Agni Kai, or "fire duel." Such a duel is conducted in an open-air arena, and may be witnessed by spectators. Combatants fight bare-chested (at least those of the male variety), and barefooted. The goal in these duels is to knock an opponent off-balance, and incapacitate (fatally or otherwise) with a final blow. The favored finishing move seems to be a direct fireblast to the face.
The word Agni Kai was created by using two already existing words. Agni is the Hindu god of fire. Kai is the japanese word for meeting (usually business, but it can also mean a general meeting of two or more people).
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