BOLIN

As far as qualifications go, I am a decently good roleplayer; I've been roleplaying for over a decade, seven years of which (just about) have included TARP. I love changing the tone in which I write to match the character I'm writing as, which I think really brings out the quirkier characters like Bolin - they have a certain bubbly, unquenchable spirit to their voice, which I think is incredibly important to portraying a character well. I have also played Sokka relatively well in the past, even if only for a short time; I also won the Year-End Award for both 'Best Canon Portrayal' and 'Most Comedic Portrayal' as Sokka. I'm always open to taking writing / roleplaying advice, and would not be adverse to critique in fine-tuning my performance. Bolin is also my favourite character, and I have wanted to play him since his first appearance in the original SDCC season one trailer back in 2010.

Bolin is, without a doubt, a sweetheart. Despite his sad childhood, he has remained bubbly and trusting, always quick to give people the benefit of the doubt. He is strong, masculine, but not stereotypically so; he doesn't pay much heed to how a boy "should" or "should not" behave. Bolin wears his emotions on his sleeve, whether he's sobbing his eyes out over seaweed noodles due to a broken heart, happily bouncing around because of a new and exciting experience, or slack-jawed in awe at the prowess of the City's best earthbender. Even though Bolin is a relatively lighthearted character, he is not shallow or one-dimensional. There are times where he has his doubts, times where he is scared or confused; even so, Bolin's emotional strength comes from being able to process his emotions openly and figuring out how to move on.

He is loyal to his brother, Mako, but not blindly so; he tries to do what he thinks is right, and not necessarily what Mako would like - whether it was:

SPOILER: Click to show

asking Korra out, or telling Asami that Korra and Mako kissed

Bolin ultimately did what he judged to be right. His relationship with Mako can get a little complicated; it can get under Bolin's skin that he's always second to his brother - second in age. In fighting ability. In getting girls to notice him. All that said, Bolin loves his brother, and the two are close, even if Mako often tries to shield him from any heartbreak or harsh realities.

Bolin is a peacekeeper; even though his element is earth, he isn't always a stereotypical earthbender. Many times, he is non-confrontational, trying to think of a better angle to approach a situation rather than rushing in headlong (even if he doesn't always think it through completely). Even so, he is quick to rise to the challenge if he is needed, becoming a fierce and aggressive fighter when the people he cares for are in danger.

Bolin also seems to be a little bit more comfortable as a follower rather than a leader, a quality that likely has a lot to do with Mako taking on the protector role in their childhood.

Not much is known about Bolin's childhood; he lost his pareents to a Firebender mugger when he was six, depending heavily on his the older Mako to survive. Sometime after the death of their parents Bolin and Mako worked with the Triple Threat Triad (though without participating in anything illicit). Somewhere along the way, he found a fire ferret, which he later named Pabu, digging for food in the garbage; they became fast friends and often would play pranks on his elder brother.

Sometime after this, he joined Mako and Hasook in forming the Fire Ferrets.

(Present-day history under the cut)

SPOILER: Click to show

Bolin was the first person outside of the Air Temple to spend any prolonged period of time with Avatar korra, meeting her (without realising who she was) when she snuck into the Probending Arena's training area via ocean-facing window. Bolin showed her the sights, invited her to stay for the match, and --after his jaw scraping the floor at realising she was the Avatar-- taught her a few earthbending moves to fuel her probending interest.

Bolin was also the one who agreed to let Korra join the team when Hasook didn't show up, much to his brother's initial chagrin and annoyance.

More recently, Bolin was kidnapped by Equalists. Needing money to get into the Probending Championships, he decided to perform on the streets with Pabu, where he was approached by a certain Shady Shin of the Triple Threat Triads. Shin offered him all the money they'd need for the championship pot if he would work security of the gang, and Bolin agreed — which lead him, along with Shin, Lightning Bolt Zolt, and some other Triad members to be captured.

They were bound and gagged, and transported in the back of a truck to a secret location, were they found themselves on stage in front of a large crowd. Bolin was terrified as Amon revealed his presence, and his power, sealing away the man's bending. Bolin was about to be next, had it not been for Korra's timely interruption via steam explosion, allowing for Mako to rescue him. After a few more interruptions, they managed to get away, Bolin carted off like a baby cat in Naga's mouth (much to his very vocal displeasure).

After his rescue, Bolin gave Korra a single rose and a cherry-topped cupcake as a "thank you" for saving him... and a little hint at his budding affections to her, even going so far as to reveal a little jealousy when Korra is approached by Tarrlok's page with gifts.

Lately, Bolin has been throwing himself into Probending practice with Mako, even if Korra has been a little busy with the Taskforce to show up.

If I played Bolin, I would like to explore the less happy-go-lucky side of him a little more. We know that he is actually bothered by Mako's popularity and "firsts", even if he doesn't actually begrudge his brother for them, so I would like to go through that just a bit more so we can see how he processes through negative emotion.

(Also, Icons are made by me from screenshots from ASN & Avatar Wiki)

Punch left!

An earthen disc zipped through the air, hitting the net with a dull thp sound.

Dodge, and jab right!

Another disc followed the first, falling on top of it with a clatter.

Now, kick right!

A third disc went flying, arcing left before landing in the net with the other three.

And Jab left, jab right, left, right, now slide, slide...

"♫♪...And spin around and clap and sli-—"

A loud harumph suddenly reminded him he wasn't alone. Sheepishly, Bolin stopped dancing and scratched the back of his head, offering the groundskeeper a wide, embarrassed grin. "So~o~o~o~orry," he called after the grumbling man's retreating back. He seemed to annoy Toza more often than not lately, but there just seemed to be no helping it. He kicked one of the stacked discs into the net in frustration before flumping down on some bean-filled sacks with a sigh.

Mako was late coming to practice from work, which was a little unusual for him. Korra was, ONCE AGAIN, no where to be found. Bolin sighed again. That DUMB Tarrlok with his DUMB Taskfroce taking up all Korra's time. They had the CHAMPIONSHIPS coming up! How were they supposed to train and win as a group if a third of the team was consistantly a practice no-show? "WE CAN'T!" he shouted the answer to an empty room, then cringed as Toza harumphed even louder from an adjacent training area.

"_{So~o~o~orry~...}" he sing-songed in a whisper. A chittering sound suddenly filled his ear, and the earthbender just about toppled over in surprise.

"Pabu!" he exclaimed, struggling to right himself, swiping at the little fire ferret. "You scared me!" he told the red-furred little creature. Pabu didn't seem to care, instead turning around in Bolin's lap and rolling over for a belly rub. With a mock-exasperated sigh, the young (strapping, handsome) man obliged.

Even if Mako showed up soon, practice would still be no fun if Korra didn't show up. Who knew how they managed before she joined the team? Practices seemed pointless and dull without her around.

He sighed again, probably setting some sort of record for most-sighs-in-a-row (unless Mako already did that, too. He wouldn't be surprised). The Taskforce was, admittedly, important work. Amon was a REALLY BAD GUY.

Even though it was a pleasant temperature in the Probending Arena, Bolin shivered. He tried to play it off, but he hadn't been kidding when he told Korra he couldn't sleep well. He saw Zolt's face when Amon took away his bending. He'd known Zolt for years, knew he had earned the nickname "Lightning Bolt"; to see a man like him with that look of terror on his face was completely soiled-pants-making. He saw the exact moment when Zolt realised what Amon was doing to him, saw his eyes widen, his feeble attempts to even produce a puff of smoke after Amon let go.

And he had been next.

He shivered again, then jumped up suddenly. Pabu screeched, chattering in reprimand as Bolin jumped up and down, flailing his arms to try and get rid of the bad thoughts. He needed to keep his head in the game. Amon or not. Korra or not.

He punched a few more discs into the net before checking the wall clock again. Mako was thirty minutes late. What was keeping him?