princeinexile | ZUKO @ MILLIWAYS

Zuko at Milliways is very close to his canon counterpart. He dresses as a prince should, in black, gold and red, and is currently Bound. The below notes apply to Milliways Zuko.

DISABLED:
Zuko has a large burn scar that centers over his left eye and spreas across that side of his head in a narrow, concentrated burn to the ruined shell of his ear, and ends just behind it. It is dark, angry, char -- having no had the chance to fade and heal with time. A recent enough wound, it is extremely unpleasant to look at, not to mention manages to make his expression almost always forboding, since the eyelid is now fairly immobile and only can partially open and close, leaving that eye in near perpetual glare. In short, it's ugly, and it doesn't make him seem very approachable.

What with having a scarred eye and ear on his left side, it should come as no surprise that Zuko's hearing and vision has been affected. He /can/ see, though his range of vision is somewhat dimished due to being unable to really /open/ that eye very wide on the right side, cutting his left side vision down to about 75% of what it should be. His hearing, as well, is about 50% affective on that side, and he is more likely to be blindsided by attacks to his left them on his right.

COMPENSATION

Instead of using hearing and sight, Zuko attempts to compensate for his poor vision and hearing with Firebending in a sort of 'awareness' of heat. However, this is very difficult and he doesn't always stay 'locked on' to a target.

This also not only compesates for his disability, but helps him be a better night fighter.

FIREBENDER
Zuko has been raised in the proud traditions of the Fire Nation, which involves kicking a lot of ass. They're a conquering people, and it shows. Their combat, which includes extensions of Zuko's firebending (See Powers, Firebender). Their combat is - well, it's an Asian hand to hand form that has similarities to a number of martial arts. Zuko is very adept in it, as well as it's firebending applications; he could easily be considered a black belt, though he is not an expert killer or soldier. There are some things you can learn in the dojo; other things you have to learn via experience.

The world from which Zuko hails is divided into four distinct peoples, each associated with an element: fire, earth, water and air. In each nation, a small number of people have the innate ability, called Bending, to control their element in certain fashions.

Zuko is a mid-level Firebender, and capable of creating and controlling fire with considerable power, though fine precision is still a factor he is working on. To create flame, a Firebender channels his/her internal energy (his Uncle Iroh, also his Firebending Master and Teacher, tends to describe it as "breath"), and sends it from the hands, feet, mouth or nose, where it forms fireballs of varying size and power. Additionally, a Firebender can control outside sources of heat and energy, whether altering the heights of candle flames or, if one is particularly skilled, redirecting a lightning strike. (Zuko at this time is not capable of such a feat; he'd probably get electrocuted and be very unhappy.) Zuko's volatile teenage emotional state often influences his ability to 'bend, and thus when angry, often lacks fine precision (traded up in power or size of flame) while he is off balance, upset, or emotionally invested in whatever he's doing. He's learning to master that under Iroh's tutelage, but he still has a ways to go.

There are non-violent uses to the ability, (Firebenders make excellent smiths, for example, and the Fire Nation is notable for its strong, elegant metalwork; Zuko is fond of using it to heat water to precisely the right temperature for bathing or tea-making) but the bulk of a Firebender's training is martial, combining fire with a fast, powerful style of kicks and punches to create a potent fighting style. The Firebending technique is the most aggressive and intense of the Bending Arts, in part because outside of physically blocking and ducking, there are no defensive moves. Instead, a Firebender aims for overwhelming force, leaving no time for an opponent to capitalize on his/her own vulnerabilities.

THE COMET'S BLESSING

One hundred years ago, Fire Lord Sozen did a ritual as a comet streaked across the sky and empowered the Fire Nation with incredible strength -- they went on their conquest shortly after. This is very real strength -- and is very obvious in how tough and unnaturally enduring Prince Zuko is. Blow him up, dip him in arctic waters, beat him up -- if the sun rises, so will he. He is most obviously strongest during the day, but he is all around, harder to kill then a cockroach.

BLUE SPIRIT
Well, Zuko isn't a ninja in the classical (or even the Naruto) sense. Trained in the arts of stealth and deadly combat -- climbing, shadowing, hiding, and using local items as improvisional weaponry -- Zuko adds to his repoirtoire of dangerous skills. With the proper equipment, he is quiet dangerous, especially by night. Many of these skills require situational assistance (he can't hide in plain sight) or equipment (black clothing, etc) but he's still capable on the fly for some things (wilderness stealth and survival).

LIQUOR
People that run at insane temperatures and dehydrate like crazy shouldn't drink; for Zuko, booze means massive hangovers and very little actual drunkness as his system processes it to fast. He can stand two Smirnoff's, get a mild buzz -- anything heavier or harder is just going to overtax his hearted system and make him sick later. Also, Zuko is highly flammable-- him and liquor just don't mix. Good thing he's only sixteen, eh?