Application for El Nysa

[bentbloodline]

OOC

Handle: Lex
Contact: plurk - FightingSpirit or pm this journal
Over 18? Yes
Characters Played: n/a, but also apping in Kale this round

THE CHARACTER

Character Name: Tarrlok
Series: Legend of Korra
Canon Point: Episode 9, right before Amon takes his bending away
Character Age: 37, mentally and physically an adult.
Background: here

Personality:

Although he is extremely good at concealing it, Tarrlok's childhood has played a tremendous role in shaping the man he's become. Because his father Yakone was a criminal and treated him horribly, Tarrlok has strived to be the complete antithesis. Rather than intimidate, he prefers to use other means of persuasion - logic, flattery, bribery, and manipulation, to name a few. He wants to gain fame as a saviour instead of infamy as one who terrorizes others. The desire to be different from his father isn't the only way his childhood has impacted him. Tarrlok is a perfectionist. He holds himself to high standards, because he grew up being compared to a prodigy and being threatened with punishments like being left outside in the cold overnight if he didn't perform a technique to his father's exacting standards. Not meeting expectations means being worthless and weak. His upbringing has affected his self-worth, and how he defines his value as a human being. Being rejected by his brother Noatak and Noatak running away from home has also shaped Tarrlok, and made him hesitant to form close bonds with others.

Tarrlok is an ambitious man, and he is willing to go to extremes to get what he wants. He will put in long and gruelling hours at work, staying long after everyone else has gone home. He will volunteer for risky projects where others would hesitate. Tarrlok has a number of flaws, but laziness isn't one of them. His perfectionist streak simply won't allow him to slack off. To that end, he's sacrificed personal relationships for the sake of advancing his own career. Tarrlok is the sort of person who has many friendly acquaintances, but no real close friends. This is both an issue of not making time for friends, and not trusting others enough to form close relationships. He knows how to socially network, and how to speak to others with manners and confidence. Tarrlok is all too aware of the power of a first impression, and he ensures that he is well-dressed and well-spoken, with a dab of cologne to ensure that he smells pleasant, too. He does everything in his power to ensure that people's impressions of him are positive. While he does come across as a smarmy man with an agenda to the more observant and less easily persuaded by flattery, Tarrlok is careful not to say or do anything that would garner any significant criticism. He will place himself at risk of physical harm and leads by example, but he will not risk his reputation. When it comes to risky decisions with a lot of potential public fallout, he will go on the side of caution unless someone else is willing to take responsibility.

Unfortunately, Tarrlok's willingness to go to extremes to get what he wants means that he isn't one for taking "no" for an answer. To him, "no" is "not yet" or "maybe", and he'll persist until he convinces someone to do things his way. Tarrlok does make well-reasoned arguments, and he has a fair amount of charisma, but ultimately it's his determination that makes him get what he wants so often. Tarrlok knows how to appeal to both emotional and logical sides, and how to take advantage of uncertainties. Tarrlok has a solid understanding of what makes people tick, and he's opportunistic enough to watch for just the right moment to get what he wants. Tarrlok is incredibly stubborn. He has somewhat of a "you're either with me or against me" mentality, but he first takes the stance that if people aren't going to join with him and support him that they can be convinced to later, and if they can’t, they need to stay out of his way. If they don't get out of his way, then they're against him and they've become an obstacle that needs to be removed. Tarrlok is quite Machiavellian. To him, the ends do justify the means. His preference might be to do things non-violently, but he will use force against established threats to the community he’s aligned himself with rather than aiming for peaceful negotiation.

Tarrlok has a very long fuse. Though persistent, he is patient about what he wants. He isn't easily baited into losing his temper, typically expressing his anger through snide remarks or snubs that will get under the other person's skin. The one exception to this is accusing him of being just like Amon or Yakone. There is no bigger berserker button for him. Everything to do with Yakone is a gigantic trigger for him, but after he's spent his life trying not to be his father, that kind of accusation will set him off. Then the smooth, calm, composed side of Tarrlok disappears and he becomes quite violent and dangerous. Underneath Tarrlok's confidence (even arrogance) is some extremely fragile self-esteem and this is at the root of it.

Hard as it may be to see underneath all of Tarrlok's more negative traits, Tarrlok is a man with a conscience. He's opposed to animal cruelty, and he'd rather not harm other people if it's avoidable. He regards his dangerous bloodbending ability as a last resort, only using it when he’s backed into a corner and outclassed and/or outnumbered. He wants to do the right thing, even if it doesn’t always turn out that way. He prefers to operate within the law, and to make changes from within the system. Though there's no small amount of denial when it comes to justifying his methods to himself, Tarrlok ultimately does have enough self-awareness to eventually realize when he has crossed a line. He is capable of self-reflection and genuine remorse. His tendency to go to extremes also means that he'll do whatever it takes to atone - even if it means his life.


Powers/Abilities:

-Waterbending - Manipulation of all forms of water (ice, vapor, regular water), and liquid that is comprised at least partially of water (such as ink, paint, or even sweat). Tarrlok can form a defensive shield with it while simultaneously attacking, and is a proficient user of the element. It is also possible to cut metal with the element, by manipulating it similarly to a waterjet cutter machine. His main limitation is that he needs to have a water source present and cannot manifest it from nothing. He is also not able to manipulate vast amounts of water - he could manipulate the water from a small waterfall, or a water tank attached to a truck, but would not be able to manipulate all of the water in a lake at once. His power is at its strongest during the full moon.

-Bloodbending - Unlike most waterbenders, Tarrlok is able to manipulate the bloodstream of living beings and control them like puppets. Rarer still, he is able to do this without the full moon, and use his ability on multiple targets at once. He can also use it to render people unconscious. It’s not an ability he’s particularly comfortable with, and doesn’t use it unless he’s desperate.

Power Nerfs (if applicable): N/A

Inventory: The clothes on his back and a set of satomobile keys (satomobile is the name of a car in his canon)

Incentives: New powers, monetary benefit, political advancement, the guaranteed safety of his brother, and their willingness to deliver a handwritten apology to people he wronged would all be incentives for him. He’ll be fairly cooperative while looking for the best ways to get ahead.

SAMPLES

here and here