Post by Kaikuro on Jul 4, 2012 18:11:50 GMT -5
Kaikuro Rao
name: Kaikuro Rao
gender: Male
age: 28
element: He is from the Fire Nation, though he is a non-bender.
animal companion: He doesn’t have one.
::looking pretty good[/font]
hair color: Black
eye color:Brown
skin color: Unusually pale
overall appearance:
Even the unobservant would find it hard not to notice just how unhealthy this pallid little man is. He is shorter than average, and much thinner. He’s built of more bone than flesh, with twig-thin limbs, a concave abdomen, and a chest that seems shrink-wrapped around his ribs. The ridges of his spine run down his back in waves. He has long, spidery fingers and toes with knuckles and tendons that might as well be on the outside of his skin. He isn't simply skinny, he's very unhealthy, and appears as though he would blow away in a strong breeze. He stands at a whopping 5'4'' and weighs an incredible 90 pounds.
His face is gaunt and his dull-brown eye is sunken and red around the edges. His eyebrows are thin. His hair is black, somewhat oily, and although shoulder-length it is a bit thinned out. A well-trimmed beard adorns his face, meticulously kept at a rather short, pleasant length. When he smiles, his teeth are naturally imperfect. There is an obvious gap between his two front teeth, and some crookedness in some of them others. He has a long nose with a very thin, prominent bridge that angles to a bit of a point at the end. It can be described as a hawk's beak. Besides this, the right side of his face is scarred with a spattering of slice wounds over his ear, cheek and eye. He isn’t exactly what one would describe as an attractive or ideal man, yet he isn’t particularly ugly either.
When idle, Kaikuro usually slouches and his body language tends to be inward, such as hugging his arms to his chest or crossing his legs. His stride is careful, and he walks slower than most people. Whether it is because he is being careful, or if he is simply too weak to walk quickly, is unknown. He tends to take shorter steps than most people. He seems somewhat stiff and tight-jointed in his movements. The man is very alert of his surroundings and is in constant observation of the ever-changing world around him.
He prefers to dress practically, though he usually compliments his outfit with a scarf of some kind. He is typically wearing clothes of no particular significance, favoring simple tunics and vests. It could perhaps be noted that Kaikuro hates wearing short pants. He will never be seen wearing anything that doesn’t touch his ankles. His clothes typically seem too big for him, draping loosely over his skeletal frame, and he oftentimes selects somewhat uncomfortable materials. He doesn’t seem to mind them, but if anyone else chose to wear his clothes for any reason, they might find them somewhat itchy and coarse.
It can be noted that he doesn’t dress in any particular nation's garb, specifically something that is notably Fire Nation. He tends to pick and choose from what’s available in Republic City.
He is much too weak and sickly to fight well; he is by no means a warrior and is completely vulnerable to attack.
Reference: th02.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2012/182/9/5/kaikuro__s_reference_by_aeolianmode-d559scj.jpg
(That was drawn for a different version of the character, thus, he doesn’t wear that style of eyepatch. And yes, I am Aeolian, aeolianmode.deviantart.com )
::what I'm thinking[/font]
likes: Autumn, catlike animals, sunsets, honey, painting and sketching, playing his harp, brief nature walks, cool weather, gardening, birdwatching, debating
dislikes: Snakelike animals, heat, socks, crowds, spicy food, alcohol, spiders, caves, mushrooms, the dark, himself
sexuality: Heterosexual
overall personality:
Kaikuro is, by and large, an ISFJ. (Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, Judging.)
Words to describe him would be: Self-Sacrificing, Gentle, Patient (with people), Neurotic, Depressing, Insightful, and Uptight.
His primary motivation that defines his character is redemption.
He takes morality very seriously.
Kaikuro is incredibly kind-hearted, gentle, and patient. He is always willing to help others and blatantly disregards any sense of self-preservation. He tends to be rather quiet most of the time, making a much better listener than a conversationalist. He pays very close attention to things he is told and things he observes, and although he sometimes doesn't seem like it, he is incredibly wise.
He is very hard-working, and tends to get singularly focused on a particular task until it is accomplished. He is also incredibly observant of other people, picking up the tiniest of details and remembering them clearly. He is perceptive of other people's emotional state and is remarkably good at reading between the lines. Alongside this he is extremely trustworthy and a perfect source to confide in.
Because of his gentleness and willingness to do whatever anyone asks of him, Kaikuro tends to overburden himself and can sometimes become stressed and feel helpless. He has terrible self-esteem and often believes he is useless. In stressful, dangerous situations he can teeter between being utterly terrified, jittery and useless, to foolhardy, headstrong and stupid. He acts without thinking, and because he cares little for his own wellbeing he often puts himself in situations that are much worse than when he started.
His meek character and gentle attitude make him a pleasant, reliable friend. However, he is jittery and hard to deal with in stressful situations and his disregard for his own wellbeing can make him annoying and challenging to have around. He oftentimes hurts himself more often than is necessary and causes a burden upon others, despite the fact that this is the last thing he wants. Still, he is genuine, caring, and helpful, and makes a good friend for most people.
ALIGNMENT:
Based on things Kai announces and the way he addresses people, he seems as though he is not afraid to speak his mind. He seems to enjoy philosophical arguments and debates, yet he always maintains a civil and respectful air. He is an intelligent man based on his word usage and character, a philosopher who overthinks nearly every aspect of life. He is not at all simple.
He has a strong sense of morality, of right and wrong and good and evil. However, he has personal motivations for doing what he deems as "good"- a quest for personal redemption, which he believes he can achieve if he does nothing but save lives and offer himself as a sacrifice time and time again.
If one would categorize Kaikuro based on the Dungeons and Dragons alignment system, he would most closely fit into the category Chaotic Good or Neutral Good or somewhere between them, if it weren't for his extremely strong standards of Good and Evil. Kaikuro is deeply committed to doing what he believes is "good" morality.
Kaikuro does what he defines as 'good' for the purpose of achieving a personal redemption. Even so, none of it ever satisfies him, and he never feels like he has truly achieved redemption. Still, he's very self-sacrificing and despite his motives, he still does almost exclusively good things. He teeters mostly in the category of Chaotic Good.
In short...
Morally speaking, Kaikuro does exclusively good things for arguably selfish reasons about 50 percent of the time. At other times, his motives for doing good things are out of a genuine desire to help people.
Of course, none of that applies 100 percent of the time. He's... extremely hard to categorize with one big 'stamp' so I'm going to go ahead and say that, all-in-all, Kaikuro's chaotic good.
MORALITY:
Views on Good and Evil
Kaikuro believes that morality is stamped on the hearts of every being with a soul. They know what is "bad" and what is "good". Kaikuro completely disagrees with the belief that "good" and "evil" are simply labels you put on people's behaviors and they aren't really significant. He doesn't believe in an absolute gray.
He believes that when confronted with a moral case, people know that one is "bad" and one is "good", and the very fact that such a distinction exists to begin with emphasizes his belief that morality has absolutes, and that there is black and white.
He doesn't, however, deny that there is no gray. He believes that there are some morally gray decisions, but for the state of someone's being as for who they are, he does not believe in gray.
To further muddy the water, Kaikuro also believes that every single being on the planet has done moral evil at one point or another, and this is enough to define that person as twisted and corrupt. He has recognized that it is absolutely impossible to be perfectly good and do what is right and pure at all times. He believes that no one has any right to believe of themselves as wholly good or pure, for he finds them to think of their righteousness too highly and are too often blind to their own shortcomings.
Kaikuro believes that it is impossible to be completely good- so he often wonders if that means everyone is evil. He does not usually like to think of the state of someone's soul as morally gray. He is more comfortable lumping people in the categories of "good" or "evil." Although he won't admit it, he's extremely judgmental.
Kaikuro will also never refuse to offer sacrificial assistance to anyone, regardless of what he perceives to be their moral state.
The key point to how he behaves is this: He believes that it is not his place to decide whether or not someone deserves to live or die, to be aided or ignored. Whether he thinks a character is good or evil, he's going to help them. Even if they're an active threat. (In another RP world, Kaikuro has been known to sacrificially aid his enemies while still on the battlefield. He has also been known to bail out hostile characters out of prison.)
He DOES, however, mentally lump people into categories of "good" or "evil"- never gray. He will claim that "it's only up to the gods to determine the state of our soul, whether we are good or evil. It is not our place to decide." However, he still mentally labels people under one or the other, and does think of them differently. He is unlikely to admit it at this time.
Views on Redemption
Kaikuro believes that he, himself, is morally evil. He has murdered and stolen and lied and cheated and done the whole shebang in his history, and although he has given up such things, he does not believe he has achieved redemption.
Kaikuro's definition of "redemption" teeters. Sometimes, he believes it is impossible, since in his opinion, no one can be completely good and everyone does SOMETHING he considers to be "evil", even if they are trying not to and are trying to change their life. So, he believes that by this definition, redemption is actually impossible. He normally starts believing this when he's depressed, which can lead him to attempt suicide.
However, if he shifts his focus outward, towards other beings, he actually believes that redemption is possible. He believes that someone who has committed great sins can be turned from their evil ways and focus on trying to become a better person. He believes that someone can, in fact, alter their moral state by making a conscious effort to improve. When he helps others, especially his enemies, he is trying to extend this belief to them: that they can change, better themselves, and take upon a new life.
Kaikuro is happiest within himself when he can extend this philosophy to others. It helps him take this outward focus and apply it to himself, as well- that he is redeeming himself, or has redeemed himself, and that he is doing good and is a better person. When he thinks of it in terms of someone else's life, Kaikuro firmly believes redemption is possible, and that others can attain it... and if he has the confidence to apply that concept to himself, he can believe that he's redeemed.
::a past to remember[/font]
Kaikuro's early childhood was rather uneventful. His father was a miner and his mother was a woodworker. However, things became a bit more complicated when his mother died of disease when he was ten. His father became alcoholic as a result. Kaikuro's experiences in childhood formed him into a rash, unruly, violent-tempered boy, taking after the actions of his father. After some time of living with his oftentimes drunk father, he distanced himself from him. His father was a bender, and he was not. This led to a lot of tension between the two of them, until Kaikuro came to despise Benders- to the point of murdering them.
For various reasons at age 22, he killed about six people ranging from men, women, and children. In an attempt to capture him, the police in the Fire Nation located him hiding in the outskirts of town, bringing him down and taking him into custody. He sustained various deep cuts in his face, back, and shoulder. After he was captured and sentenced to execution, his father sacrificed his life to ensure Kaikuro’s safe escape from prison.
The incident completely changed him and how he viewed his father and he is no longer an Anti-Bender. He just wants to live an honest life now… but it seems any amount of honesty is impossible, if he wants to keep living.
He escaped and is currently living illegally in Republic City, avoiding warrants for his arrest. Due to his escape from execution, he has to be vigilant and stay on the move, sometimes he can’t live in one place for too long. Currently, he makes money preforming odd jobs wherever he is at. He has no particular talent besides his musically-inclined nature. If he could make a living off of his music, he would, but unfortunately the venture proves to be more difficult than he would like. The sorts of jobs he has found himself preforming as a minstrel in various pubs or working with the odd medical case.
He has since changed his ways, driven by severe guilt and shame, and believes himself unworthy to live. Occasionally suicidal, Kaikuro suffers daily from his actions and wishes nothing more than to do what is right, and atone for his sins. If he is unable to atone by living, he wishes to atone by dying. He oftentimes considers turning himself in. The only reason why he doesn't is because he wishes to respect his father's sacrifice. Only time will tell if this mentality will last.
.
