(http://i.imgur.com/qamS1eO.png)
CHARACTER
Name: Avery LeBlanc
Age: 20, 4 Niege 55 A.C.
Species and Gender: Human, Male
Symbol: -
Occupation: Third-Year Atlas Student, Duelist
Physical Characteristics:
General Body - Avery stands at 5'10" and weighs in at 165lbs. He has a somewhat slim frame, but his various hobbies and activities has allowed his build to be athletic. Avery's skin is a fair pale, reminiscent of a light cream but not as smooth. [ █ ]
Hair and Face - Avery's hair is fairly long, it's longest strands being able to nearly reach the base of his neck. His hair is naturally spiked to his right in a mild fashion, and it's color and feel similar to the innards of a vanilla cake. There are a few locks of his bangs that sit idly on the front of his face, their lengths barely short enough to prevent the obstruction of his calculating, ash-grey eyes. The structure of his face is fairly defined, its shape colloquially known as a heart, and his nose is somewhat pointed with a very slight upward tilt. [ █ █ ]
General Attire - Avery's casual attire is similar to his brothers': a rather fashionable, dark-grey hooded windbreaker of average length over a white polo/white undershirt combo, simple dark-khaki jeans, and black urban sneakers with white bases. On his right wrist is a cheap, upper-class watch, and while he does have both his ears pierced, he generally wears a single metal stud earring at a time, switching ears just often enough to prevent their closings. [ █ █ █ █ █ ]
Student Uniform - 100% standard Atlas uniform.
Duelist Uniform - Avery's dueling uniform is simple yet respectable to the sport. He dons an ivory-white dueling coat with a single strap running from his left shoulder to right hip and the tail extending to his lower thighs. Underneath, he wears a slate-grey silk vest and dress shirt, adding in a tie when he doesn't intend to fight in it. On his lower body, he is dressed in black, form-fitting trousers and black, strapped leather boots that reach up to his min-shins. On his left hand is a ivory-white leather glove. [ █ █ █ ]
History: Avery was born in Atlas, last of a quadruplet, to an upper-middle class family. As the youngest of the four, he was by default the designated driver of the group as the others ran freely. Feigning good integrity, Avery and his brothers would often go around causing mischief, and it was him with the good public grace that was always the one to pull everyone else out of the fire, usually. Despite having not been chosen as the leader of their band, these traits shifted him naturally toward the position of leader, though a more accurate term would be string-puller.
Given his family's position as a declining power, he was fortunate enough to take advantage of whatever reputation they had left. When we wasn't bailing out his brothers whenever they messed up, Avery decided to build up his public image with activities that he enjoyed. One-on-one sword dueling was his primary source for reputation-building, amusement, and training which he knew he would eventually need. As he continued to rise, his skill couldn't quite keep up and he was forced to rely on his cunning mind as his opponents grew stronger alongside him. However, a strong mind could only carry him so much, and there comes a point where it can no longer overcome sheer skill; Avery was never able to win a world-class title, only ever having a single finals appearance where he was crushed and a decent amount top-eight appearances in his career. Although he did participate in many lesser tournaments and did win a few championships among them, they've never been able to truly satisfy him.
While dueling covered the base for refined combat, he still needed to work on his sense of refined culture, and for that he chose the viola, an instrument typically overlooked by even the Atlas public as it sat in the shadow of the violin. Avery only belonged to one ensemble and that was his student ensemble when we was still learning to play. After he completed his training, he became more of a free lance musician, typically doing work for his friends if they needed him. Alongside the viola, he also learned the cello. Although he is not as proficient with it as he is with the viola, Avery can still play it fairly well and considers it his secondary instrument.
Eventually, Avery and his brothers enrolled into the lower combat academy of Atlas, and it was there that he designed a weapon that synergized much more with his semblance than his dueling sword had. Aside from this, nothing significant happened from the time of his enrollment to present day.
Personality: On the surface, Avery holds a positive reputation among public perception. He is diligent in furthering his crafts and studies, and while he doesn't usually go out and volunteer his time, he enjoys helping those given the immediate opportunity to. He is humble, quick to judge his own weaknesses, and respectful towards his elders and those be considers to be superior to him. He is warm, friendly, and socialable, always trying to leave a positive impression on those that he meets.
Beneath his surface, Avery is manipulative. On a micro level, he subconsciously and subtly tries to steer things and people his way little by little, generally through his wording and body language. On a macro level, he actively tries to shape his reputation through his activities and surface personality. It is somewhat difficult to manage his reputation because of his association with his brothers and their shenanigans, but he makes due being perceived as the good guy hanging with the wrong crowd. He is devious, though not terribly or visibly, and tries to make decisions that benefit him and his brothers (but primarily him) first and foremost when circumstances allow for it. He also has a habit of identifying the weakest links in groups, structures, and plans, and this skill has become second nature due it being a necessity since the establishment of the band of misfits.
Aura and Semblance:
Ivory White
Terre à Terre - Avery casts a debuff on whomever or whatever he chooses in his vicinity. The target is able to move normally until they are no longer touching the ground at which point a heavy force proportional to the target's mass is applied on them in the same direction as gravity. Because it is not constantly active, it is difficult to get used to and more likely to lead to mistakes than a straight, constant debuff, but that also means that opponents can plan around its conditions are discovered. When casted upon the average human and similarly massive or powerful targets, aura costs are negligible. When cast upon large or powerful targets, the aura cost becomes small but significant and the cost is proportional to the targets size and power.
The initial cast range is 50 feet and it has a leash range of 100 feet. Currently, Avery can only maintain a maximum of five simultaneous instances.
There is no visual effect for Terre à Terre.
Combat Behavior: When dueling, Avery has a reactive fighting style. When he is reading his opponent's style, he is defensive, simply dodging or blocking any incoming attacks during this time. It is during this period that aggressive fighters have a significant edge on him: needing to put much focus on defending disrupts the analysis of his opponents, delaying or even stopping the process entirely if the opponent is hyper-aggressive. Still, if he is able to defend long enough against such styles, that can give him enough of the information he needs through raw experience alone. With that, he can better counter such styles. The trouble again comes in with opponents who are either able to adapt quickly or able to use multiple fighting styles. If Avery has to constantly analyze his opponents, he runs a greater risk of making mistakes, and if he puts all his focus into fighting, he runs the risk of his opponent not being able to ever gain the upper hand. Avery has a much easier time fighting those he already has information on, but he still needs to confirm the information in the fight. He is also able to fight with non-reactive styles, but means any mental advantage that he may have is reduced, and that is his greatest strength.
Otherwise when he is fighting, he uses his polearm Philou. Again, he fights reactively but in a different fashion than when dueling. Avery, taking advantage of his weapon's length, tries to keep his opponents at a distance. Typically, he will remain on the defensive, waiting until his opponents make a mistake to give him a decent opening; his semblance aids him in this regard. Against lesser opponents when he doesn't have to be as weary, Avery feels much more comfortable going on the offensive immediately. With his attacks, if not able to easily get in hits, he will instead use his attacks to force open opportunities and create mistakes.
MAIN WEAPON
Name: Philou
Primary Form: Philou's primary form is that of a steel staff, its length just greater than Avery's height at 6'. There are two slider switches that move up and down and then to the same direction (up-left, down-left for example) near where he typically grips the staff during combat. These switches activate two different functions: one brings out the partizan spearhead out from one end of the staff, and the other acts as a trigger for the rifle portion of the weapon on the other end. The rifle function of the weapon is able to utilize normal and Dust rounds and is able to shoot five times before needing to be reloaded.
Secondary Form: By pressing and holding a small, black button in the middle of the body, the staff transforms into a 2' baton. It retains the functions of the primary form, but this form is generally used for storage purposes or easy handling.
Dust Functions: Philou is able to use fire, ice, and lightening Dust rounds.
History: Avery designed this weapon with his public image and semblance in mind. Philou's staff form makes him appear relatively non-threatening while the partizan form gives him an aura nobility while retaining fighting functionality, and its long reach helps his attempts to destabilize his targets.
DUELING WEAPON 1
Name: (none)
Primary Form: An simple and standard 2.5' steel backsword similar to Viriti.
Dust Functions: None.
History: Avery's first sword after his transition from a smaller sword to one that suited his full-grown stature. Because he never intended to keep it intact for as long as he did, it was relatively cheap yet still sturdily built, and it's survival Avery chalks up to sheer luck. Mainly used for training and "dirty-work".
DUELING WEAPON 2
Name: Viriti
Primary Form: An elegant, 2.5' steel backsword with a polishing handguard, engraved hilt and pummel, delicately wrapped leather handle, and a clean blade. Aside from formal duels, Viriti is mostly for show.
Dust Functions: None.
History: Paid for with the prize money gained from various dueling tournaments, Avery had Viriti crafted by one of the finest metalworkers in Atlas (that wasn't already ridiculously booked up). Despite never having won a world-class tournament, Viriti serves as his pride and joy in the art of dueling. One day, he hopes to give her a sister blade. Mainly used for dueling tournaments or establishing his status.