bolin at acatalepsy

[lavabend]

OOC INFO;

NAME: caps
AGE: 25
CONTACT: disemboweled
CHARACTERS IN GAME: none

IC INFO;

CHARACTER NAME: Bolin
AGE: 20
CANON Legend of Korra
CANON POINT Book 4 Episode 8
HISTORY: Here's a wiki.

PERSONALITY:

Traditionally, Earthbenders are known to be a tough kind of people, standing their ground against adversary and moving rocks by the strength of their own wills. Bolin, despite his stocky appearance, is pretty much the opposite of this stereotype when it comes to personality. It doesn't take long to get a sense of what kind of person he is. He's light-hearted, fun-loving, sweet and open - the kind of guy able to befriend just about anyone - but he's also flighty and very easy to intimidate. He pretty much takes that stereotype and flips it on end, behaving more like a free-spirited Airbender than the Earthbender he was born as.

The first thing anyone will notice about Bolin is his enthusiastic friendliness. He's the sort of guy who will talk to pretty much anyone, friend or enemy alike. He seems to have a natural affinity for people, always trying to strike up a conversation with those around him, even if they may not be receptive. While captured by enemies who had just tried to kill him, Bolin still found it in him to ask them about their lives. That conversation was so casual, it looked like one between two pals; he even made his captor smile. Bolin's a people-person at his core. He doesn't have to try very hard when it comes to making friends. It's as natural to him as breathing. He's upbeat and lively on the constant, considerate about how others may feel (when not being obtuse, anyway) and just seems to be at his happiest when around people. On the flip side, when left out of something or left alone, he seems to withdraw into himself, his usually chipper disposition waning.

Not only is Bolin friendly, but he's also genuinely kind. He's the sort of person who can't quite walk away from a call for help. This bleeding compassion of his often seems to get him into trouble, especially when his need to follow his heart leads to making potentially dangerous decisions (which happens very, very often). As a kid, for example, he became invested in the safety of one fire ferret he chanced upon. This lead Bolin to sneak into a pet store to steal it, almost losing his life to a pythonaconda in the process. It's thanks to Mako that he survived (and gained a new furry friend in the process), but if his brother hadn't been there to pull Bolin out of trouble, he might not be alive today. Bolin's got such a big heart, in fact, that he practically throws his compassion at others, especially if they appear to be in helpless situations. Telling Bolin you grew up an orphan and have no home is a surefire way to make him take you in as his family, whether or not you're up for the sudden attachment or not. He also seems to throw his affection at others too, often the one pulling everyone into a big hug or giving a reassuring pat. He's a guy with a lot of affection to give, and that's just something anyone he cares about will have to deal with.

With compassion, comes an easy-going, forgiving spirit. Though many may have hurt Bolin in the past, he's never been seen holding a grudge, often living in the moment without dwelling on what's happened. His forgiveness, in fact, can sometimes be an immediate thing. After it was clear that Varrick, his new friend, was the one who had betrayed them and got Mako thrown in jail, Bolin didn't seem to hold any hostility toward the man, even lamenting in one instance that he missed having him around. It may have looked like Bolin wasn't taking the situation seriously, but he was actually just living in the moment: Mako managed to get free, so everything worked out, and Varrick was still the fun guy who spent time with him when everyone else left him alone. His feelings on the other man hadn't changed. There's another instance where Bolin's forgiving nature shone through. Though it was obvious Kai had tricked them, even taking the brothers on a wild chase around Ba Sing Se and getting them stranded in the lower ring, Bolin still forgave him immediately, pulling the young boy in for a loving hug.

It's true that his life is far from ideal, but Bolin's never complained about it. One of his most underappreciated traits is his ability to adapt. At only 20, his life has gone through more changes than most adults; he went from being a street rat, to being in a gang, to fighting in a pro-bending ring, to being a street performer, to assisting the Avatar, to assisting the Avatar and being a movie star, to being a soldier ... He's the sort of guy who rolls with whatever seems to hit him, always trying to make the best out of it no matter how difficult things may be. Having grown up in poverty, he's been exposed to some of the worst conditions, knowing what it's like to sleep in trash or go days without eating. This might be why no matter what life throws at him, he doesn't complain. A clear example of this attitude would be the time he was fed street gruel by a kind homeless man. While the gruel, which was essentially different kinds of food waste boiled into a stew - almost made Asami throw up, Bolin was delighted at the taste, calling it the 'best street gruel I've ever had'. He was honestly just happy someone was nice enough to give them food. Bolin also seems to take a casual attitude toward his tough childhood, sometimes bringing it up without realising it may make the conversation awkward. To him, that was just a part of his life that's over, and he doesn't dwell on it.

In a lot of ways, Bolin is very childlike. Despite growing up in poverty, he developed a personality contradictory to that. Mako grew up to be serious, practical and fairly suspicious of others - a sensible development given all he had to go through - but Bolin kept his sunny optimism and trusting nature, almost clinging on to his need to see the best in others. Whenever the situation gets difficult, it's usually Bolin who tries to point out the silver lining, sometimes to the annoyance of his friends. That whole time they were chasing Kai through the streets of Ba Sing Se, Bolin constantly made excuses for the boy, trying to quell Mako's irritation at him. Despite the fact that Kai had clearly been using them, he still wanted to believe that Kai was the little brother Bolin had ... basically proclaimed him to be. A lot of what has kept him so innocent is the sheltered life he's had, despite growing up homeless. For most of their lives, Mako has been taking care of Bolin. He would make all the difficult decisions for them both because they had no guiding adult presence in their lives, he would protect him from the dangers of the street, he would make sure he's fed ... Bolin rarely ever had to think for himself, because he always had Mako making the calls. This dynamic of theirs resulted in Mako growing up naturally cynical, and Bolin growing up to be trusting of anyone who's even remotely nice to him. Unfortunately, this makes him very, very easy to take advantage of, and Mako usually has to clean up the mess afterward.

While he isn't exactly stupid, being an accomplished bender and martial artist, Bolin has a simple outlook in life. He often takes things as they seem, rarely thinking too deeply or too hard about things. Certain concepts may also confuse him. When he does try to think up strategies, they're often silly ones, involving bird calls or making Pabu do tricks, and they always seem to get shot down immediately by his peers. Consistent with his childish personality, Bolin has an overactive imagination and a tendency to blurt out whatever's on his mind. Unfortunately, this often makes it hard for people to take him seriously. Despite being a naturally friendly guy, Bolin never quite developed the ability to read people or situations very well. This is a fact that he's aware of also, and it's gotten him into trouble. As a kid, Bolin once got into trouble with the gang he was working for when he carelessly blurted out that he was the one who had jeopardized all their money-making plans. Naturally, this lead to him and his brother being attacked, and he's lucky it somehow worked out. His inability to read people actually got him engaged against his will once too, when he made the mistake of flirting with a girl who was clearly an overbearing slave-driver and somehow ended up as her suffering boyfriend for a few weeks. Bolin usually just needs something spelled out clearly to him before he registers it. Otherwise, a lot of things go right over his head.

He is, in his own words, a 'natural assistant'. A follower, rather than leader. Having spent so many years in Mako's shadow, essentially doing as Mako tells him to, Bolin rarely makes important decisions on his own, often defaulting to Mako or the other members of the group. In fact, when not being told what to do, he's sometimes left without direction, lacking a clear purpose for himself. After their trip to the Southern Water Tribe, the team returned to Republic City with many different goals, going their own ways to pursue them. Bolin was left behind, unsure what he was to do, and when he asked for some direction, Mako callously told him to 'figure it out'. This left him downcast, a little hurt, and he still lacked direction until Varrick stepped in and offered him company. Varrick later also offered him something to do, giving him the lead role in a film, and Bolin was thrilled by the attention and purpose that came with it. One reason he stayed such good friends with Varrick despite the other man's betrayal is the fact that in that moment, he offered Bolin two things he craved more than anything else: purpose and companionship. Since joining Kuvira's army and being away from Mako for an extended time (a first for the both of them, who have always stuck together), Bolin's come out just a little more mature. While he still defaults to following others when his friends are around, he has started to show the capacity to make good calls while alone.

Despite his looks, Bolin is a softie at heart, choosing to avoid conflict if he can help it. Outside of the pro-bending ring, he really only fights in self-defense or in a bid to help others. He never instigates an altercation on his own. Even when it comes to interpersonal relations, Bolin is a very non-confrontational person. Being assertive doesn't come easily to him at all. It's rare for him to speak firmly or stand his own ground - that only happens when he feels really, really strongly about something, or he's finally lost his patience - and it's impossible for him to impose his will onto others. When it comes to conflicts, Bolin usually skirts around an issue or tries to bring it up in a gentle way. For most of the series, he was a pushover like that, easily intimidated by strong, overbearing personalities. We saw this in his short relationship with Eska, where he allowed her to walk all over and demean him and couldn't seem to stand his own ground for long enough to break things off. Up to now, he's still scared of his terrifying ex-girlfriend. While it's hard to anger Bolin, he's still a human being. He does get stressed and frustrated like everyone else. It's usually the people very close to him like Mako and, more recently, Varrick, that see the Bolin actually capable of annoyance and sarcasm.

It's hard to feel like you're that great when you grow up with someone like Mako, who seems to have the whole package. Mako was always the smarter of the two, the leader, the better bender ... Though he often tries to cover up his insecurities with nonsensical chatter or a smug act, Bolin lacks confidence. His main insecurity is over his inability to Metalbend, and with how much he looks up to Toph - the first Metalbender in the world - this shortcoming has always made him feel disappointed in himself. His revered hero Toph would have faced a shortcoming by forcing her way through until she overcame it. Bolin isn't quite like that. He was embarrassed by his inability to Metalbend, dancing around the issue when it was clear to everyone he really wanted to learn - pretending he wasn't interested - and after trying too many times he seemed to stop trying. It's an unfortunate cycle for him; he knows from trying that he can't seem to do it, and this preconceived notion dampens his drive, pushing him further from his goal. While he still can't Metalbend, his Earthbending skills are actually top-notch, but he doesn't seem to realise this. Bolin possesses some very good aim, able to snipe down a small target with a rock from a good distance away. He didn't seem to register the value of this skill until Mako had basically thrown him into a situation where he had to use it. Since discovering his Lavabending, Bolin seems to have gained much more confidence, at least.

There's nothing that Bolin wants more than a family. He didn't get to spend much time with his parents before they were taken from him, and for most of his life, Mako was really all he had. As a result of that, he seems to be enamored by the thought of having those kinds of close ties with other people, once deciding from the get-go that someone he had just met was now his new 'little brother'. All he really wants is a stable, loving home to go back to, and if it's filled with noisy, fun people that's always a bonus. Bolin readily accepted the offer to stay with Tenzin and his family on Air Temple Island, and while there, he seemed to love being a part of their kooky, slightly dysfunctional dynamic. One of his primary goals while in Ba Sing Se was also to find his own extended family, the ones he had never met. Once he did find them, Bolin was ready to accept those people into his life immediately, even if he knew virtually nothing about them. He just seemed so elated to actually have a family. It's rare that Bolin has moments of wisdom, but throughout the years he's developed just enough maturity to know that no matter where he is, he'll always be right at home as long as he's with his family.

Though he can sometimes be afraid and is a bit of a nervous personality, Bolin can show remarkable resolve when the situation calls for it. His love for his friends and family will always outweigh everything else - not that that was ever up to question given how often he shows it - and he will lay down his life without a moment's thought to save theirs. The discovery of his Lavabending occurred in such a moment. While he and his friends were at a dead-end, and seconds from being killed by flowing lava, Bolin - unsure if he would even be able to accomplish the feat - took a chance at bending it, putting himself at risk of dying in an excruciating way. He's really just a guy who's good from the inside out, and there's nothing he won't do for the ones he cares about.

CANON POWERS:
Earthbending: Much like many others in the Avatar world, Bolin was born with the ability to manipulate a certain element. His element is Earth. This means that when he moves in a certain way, he can move portions of the ground or other objects containing earth and use them to fight with. It's a lot like martial arts, only a martial arts style that helps you punt people with rocks. Bolin is a pretty good Earthbender. He's got considerable strength, able to move large boulders or put up huge walls of Earth. He's also very precise in his bending; he's been seen sniping down a small target with his earth with great accuracy from a good distance away. All Earthbenders have the potential to Metalbend, but Bolin has never been able to.

Lavabending: Lavabending is a rare subset of Earthbending that only 4 benders (Bolin inclusive) have ever been seen using. Bolin has the ability to manipulate molten earth, pushing it around like a waterbender manipulates liquids or solidifying it. He's also able to summon Lava from the ground.

OTHER: N/A

GAME INFO;

MAGIC ABILITY: Air Manipulation. With specific movements of his body, he'll be able to control the wind. He won't be able to fly on his own, but if he has some device that can help him glide, he can sail through the air. (Basically, Airbending.)
ANY WEAPONS/MAGICAL ITEMS?: N/A
ANY PETS?: Pabu, the fire ferret. Besides being adorable, there's nothing that special about him.

SAMPLE;

LINKED SAMPLE: Here, here and here.