Edited again, for great justice!
...Yes, I'm tired. Stfu, yo!
Name: De Le, pronounced "Dee Lee".
Nationality: Fire Nation; fugitive.
Age: Twenty-six.
Bender: He is a Firebender, but is particularly unskilled; He's much more likely to blow
himself up than anything else.
Appearance: Despite being fully grown, De still appears very child-like. Due to a wretched thing called "precocious puberty", an unknown condition in this world, De began "maturing" at a much younger age than normal. This left him at a height much smaller than most adult men (at 5'4", he's actually shorter than many women), and a somewhat babyish face. He also has trouble keeping a healthy weight, and is even skinnier than usual now that he doesn't have a steady diet.
De's skin is naturally pale, and doesn't take very well to excessive sunlight (despite his heritage). His hair is a contrast to this, as it's a dark enough shade of brown to be mistaken for black (though again, sunlight helps to bleach it a little). It's become rather shaggy during his travels, and it's unevenly cut, with the longest part being bangs that reach down slightly below his nose (but rarely covers his eyes). He takes care of it though, as attested by the fact that there are rarely very many tangles.
His eyes are one of the few things he has going for him, since his face is more "cute" than "handsome". Said eyes are an odd mix of ashy gray and deep amber; The latter centers around his pupils, and gradually bleeds into the former until it reaches the edges of his irises. This unusual trait is hereditary, and was a small pride within his family.
Peppered all over his body are an assortment of old burns, though every one of them can easily be hidden beneath his usual clothing. Most of these he gained through his own failed attempts at Firebending, though a few of them can be attributed to some badly timed scuffles with other more skilled practicers of the art. To add to his collection of disfigurements, he's also missing his ring and little fingers from his left hand.
In order to cover some of these outstanding marks, he usually wears garments that are too large for him. He's just not comfortable unless his sleeves come at least two inches past his fingers; Never mind the difficulty that presents when Firebending. His current ensemble consists of a dark green tunic that comes down just above his knees; the sleeves of which dangle four inches past the tips of his fingers, a pair of loose-fitting gray pants, and some rather beaten straw sandals. To top it all off, he wears a conical-shaped straw hat to help protect from the sun (and sometimes wears it just because he likes it).
Personality: De is quirky to an extreme. He's hyperactive, immature, mischievous, moody, overly friendly, and he smiles a great deal too much. His mood-swings are, if not bipolar, very close to it. He can switch between mischievous and murderous, and back again, in ten seconds flat - but his nature is already so chaotic that most people probably wouldn't notice these changes right away.
His uncontrollable emotions also contribute to his problems with Firebending: He has trouble controlling what he feels, and also has trouble focusing, so whatever flames he conjures tend to go wild.
Despite all of that, he's inordinately adaptable and resourceful - he's had to be in order to simply
live. Over the years, he's managed to turn his unpredictability into a sort of advantage. His usually unfortunate clumsiness can even come in handy at times.
One more odd, though rarely realized part of his personality, is the cunning side of his mind. This side is quite different from his usual bubbly persona, and makes him perfectly capable of deviousness. It's the trickster's demeanor that's present in everything he does, which is usually manifested in more innocent ways, put to different uses. In some instances, it can even make him seem like a completely different person.
In conclusion, please keep in mind that, while De is certainly an oddball, he's not downright insane. His sense of judgment hasn't truly faltered since his initial defection. He gets himself into trouble a lot, but never does anything that will put him in a situation that he can't get himself back out of. He lives his life for the moment, for the fun of it, and anything that would contradict that doesn't even cross his mind.
Background:
Born in the heart of the Fire Nation, to parents of good but not excellent social standing, De had a fairly normal childhood. His parents cared for him, and expected a great deal from him; The same as most parents in their positions. His father held a fairly high rank within the military, as was the long-running tradition within their family, and his mother was a caring soul who tried to be as active in their community as she could as she raised her children. De was the third and last child in the bunch, and his parents were strict - on all of them, equally, and expected equal greatness.
His siblings and he grew peacefully, competing with each-other in as much of a good nature as siblings can, until De reached the age of six. At that time, De reached a sudden growth spurt, and excelled past his siblings both physically and mentally. His parents were dumbfounded, but proud, and continued to teach, train, and nurture him. He watched his older siblings - a brother and sister - enter school, and he felt curious instead of jealous. Contrary to what one might expect, his parents began focusing on supporting their eldest children just a little bit more, instead of the other way around. It was understandable though. The eldest children were the ones who represented their family's prestige, and the burden of the family's future rested on their shoulders. They had to be excellent, as had been the case for the past few generations, and anything less would be a failure in the eyes of their peers. As the youngest child, De simply could not surpass his siblings, but he was still expected to be above average. Since he was already "above average" in his age group, and had done it naturally, his parents simply decided that their time and effort would be put to better use elsewhere.
The educational assignments De was given gradually became more and more monotonous, and he started growing bored of them. The only subject he didn't do well at was Firebending, an art that frustrated him horribly. Whenever he seemed to grasp the key to controlling the flames, it would slip right back away from him, and it would backfire. He had to be treated for burns, both minor and severe, more times than he could count. He hated the element for it's unpredictability, and himself for not being able to subdue it. A small comfort came from the fact that his parents forgave him for his inability; They were exceptionally understanding people, and supposed that his other advancements helped lessen the sting of failure.
In his boredom and frustration, De started to distract himself by playing pranks on others. He would devise elaborate schemes to embarrass his brother and sister, and even resorted to such simple things as leaving frogs in his sister's dresser drawers (of course, this typically meant that part of the house would smell like burnt frogs for a day or two, but he supposed that the entertainment was worth it). His parents became worried at this habit, but since the pranks were only small annoyances, they did not punish him too harshly. They held the hope that it was only a phase, and that he would grow out of it once he entered school.
Things only worsened when De began formal schooling. He didn't seem interested in his lessons, as he would often space out in class, despite the teachers' best efforts to get him to pay attention. He pulled pranks more frequently and more daringly than ever before, and even managed to get several of his friends to help him. He also made friends quickly and easily, but provided a rather bad example. His parents were alerted when it became a disciplinary problem, and in their worry for his wellbeing, punished him more severely when he misbehaved. They also tightened their rules, hoping that a more "structured" environment would cure the problem.
De responded badly to the changes. While he practiced his pranks less often, he developed other problems. His temperament became sour more often, and his relationships with the other students faltered. His grades fell slightly, noticeably, but never quite fell out of the realm of
average. Confused, and at a loss for what to do, his parents simply
hoped (yet again) that he would fair better once he entered the military. After all, they had groomed him from birth for such a career, and were not about to let the effort go to waste.
After graduating (which he accomplished with non-phenomenal grades, but accomplished it nonetheless), he joined the military at the usual age. Here is where he took a turn for the worse. The rigid regimen had bad effects on his psyche, and training wore him down to no end. Unable to pull a single prank, his state of mind only deteriorated.
At one point, during training, he was matched against a fully-fledged Firebender. During the spar, his opponent (a fellow known for bringing up touchy subjects unknowingly) mentioned De's lack of skill in their country's signature art. Because of it, he attempted to go easy on De, and even tried to help him with it a little, but unfortunately, he did it in such a way that it only seemed annoying and condescending. Already in an irritated state of mind, and now highly irked, De tried to do something very stupid: He concentrated as much energy as he could into one point, forming a fairly powerful ball of flame, and attempting to fling it at his sparring partner. The attack immediately backfired, and flame engulfed his left arm. He ended up with a bad third degree burn over his hand and part of his arm, and two of his fingers became infected because of it. Said fingers had to be amputated before the infection could spread, and he was left with a very mangled left hand. It became a mark of shame, and he took to wearing longer sleeves to avoid the embarrassment it caused him.
After a time, he was sent on an assignment in the Earth Kingdom. His first experiences in the area were not pleasant. For one, they were sent to subdue many villages that were not themselves militant (though they did pose a threat, surely). He witnessed a few things that he would have preferred not to, and also had to take them in stride. He started becoming depressed more often, making his comrades worry. One of his comrades in particular showed a great deal of concern; A man that had been his commanding officer on several occasions. He started showing a peculiar interest in De, which De was oblivious to for the longest time. He continued on unaware of it for the longest time, until the man made him aware of it rather
forcefully. Obviously, De had not been expecting it. He was shocked, yet due to the fact that it was
his superior, he felt that he could not deny it. It was yet another thing to weigh on his mind, deprive him of sleep, and curb his already faint appetite. His chaotic nature turned completely inward, and caused his first real, overwhelming lapse in judgment.
An unexpected attack by Earth Kingdom agents one night sent De's camp into chaos. The watchmen were slain quietly, before the alarm could be sounded, and many soldiers were subsequently killed in their sleep. The attack was precise, and by the time the surviving men awoke, it was obvious that nothing could really be done. Nevertheless, they fought. De was with his commanding officer all through the attack, and during the battle, watching the people he had known and the people he had killed, something in his mind clicked (though most would say it
snapped). De turned and attacked his superior, who was fighting an Earthbender at the time, though in the end it was unclear whether it had been De or the Earthbender who struck the final blow. Shocked, the Earthbender let De escape into the confusion. While fleeing, he was attacked by his former comrades who had witnessed his betrayal, as well as the Earth Nation soldiers. Yet he managed to make it out alive, though very heavily wounded.
After defecting, De shed his Fire Nation garb, and forced himself to walk to the nearest Earth Kingdom village when he would have preferred to stop and rest (for if he had, he would have died). He was taken in at the village, and received medical treatment and clothing. He was assumed to be a refugee, and De built an elaborate story around that idea. He even took on an new name, the first part of which he stole from a neighborhood pet, the second part being a very common name in general. That is how he got the name "De Le".
De spent some time recuperating in that village, but was very aware that he would have to leave soon. Since it was so close to a battle site, it was inevitable that soldiers would come seeking retribution. The inhabitants were moving away gradually, and De decided to go with them. He traveled with the family that had sheltered him for a while, before deciding that his status as a wanted criminal made it too dangerous to travel with one group of people or stay in one place for too long. So he started wandering, going wherever seemed the most fun or interesting.
So far, he's traveled through Ba Sing Se, creating some havoc there, and even managed to get through Omashu without being killed. He's been lucky enough to avoid death for the years after his defection, and now that the war has ended, not much has changed. He still wanders, never staying in one place for more than a few weeks, and his wandering has led him to Mai Lei. Perhaps here, he can live in peace for a while, without having to worry about being captured and executed too much.
Note: Alright, to clear things up: No, De cannot Firebend without hurting himself. What happens when he tries is similar to what happened to Zuko when he tried to create lightning. His emotional instability prevents him from controlling the flames adequately enough to cause any sort of damage to another person, unless it's accidental. And by now De knows better than to even try it outside of private training, because it never does him any good. Now to compensate for this, he does know some martial arts (what kind I don't know, since he's a very new character - probably something akin to Long Fist, which is what Firebending is based on), because no soldier would survive one day without having some sort of skill. However, he never utilizes these skills for anything besides escape - he won't even strike his attacker if he can help it. Please also keep in mind that all of this would be under
life threatening circumstances; if he's not going to be killed, and he can't run from the attack, he'll take the beating. He doesn't want his history to become public knowledge, so displays of martial prowess are automatically
bad. Granted, he's good with traps and stealth - things he would normally use in a prank or practical joke. This just isn't a combat-based character.
Now, on his appearance: De actually prefers to be clean. He looks bad right now because he's a poor traveler - he just can't afford to do more than occasionally wash off in the odd rivers, springs and such that he passes, and comb his fingers through his hair. Also, his hair is uneven not because he doesn't care about it - it's because he has to cut it himself, without the aid of a mirror, using an old knife. Trust me, I know what it looks like when somebody does that.
On his personality: I tried to make De's problems as realistic as possible. Just for reference, he suffers from ADHD, PTSD, OCD, and Bipolar Disorder. None of them are severe enough to make him a threat to society, however. If you're bored enough, you can read up on some basic points here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADHDen.wikipedia.org/wiki/PTSDen.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCDen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipolar_disorder(I have a few other links in ye olde bookmarks, but I figured Wikipedia would be the easiest to read over. Yay, Wiki!)
On his history: A'aight, I filled in a bit more information while still leaving it as vague as I possibly could. Hope that answers a few more questions. Oh, and about the traps and stealth - Those are things that he was naturally good with from the start, because he'd been pulling pranks and avoiding the punishment for so long. When he was sent out to war, those abilities were adapted to become more deadly. I meant to work that into his history when I edited it, but it was such a small detail that it slipped my mind.
EDITED! Hope that clears some things up. Gawd, I need to stop making such over-complicated characters.