Avatar Roleplay Wiki:Miscellaneous

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Drugs
Cactus Juice (Psychedelic)-Desert Cacti are known for their infamous liquids that cause powerful hallucinogenic effects. They only grow naturally in the Si Wong Desert, but many people who enjoy the hallucinations have begun growing the plant all over the Earth Republic. Once the government decided to ban it, organized crime cells made grossly large profits producing and selling the cactuses. Aside from hallucinations, the juice also causes erratic behavior and the effects leave a lingering effect on the user’s decision making and reasoning skills for at least a week.

Mind Freeze (Depressant) - Created by herbalists in the Northern Water Tribe seeking methods on how to sedate and calm down the human mind, the pill slows down the mind and was made to take care of mental patients. But once some therapists got the idea to sell the product illegally, it became a recreational drug in the North but quickly caught on in the Earth Republic and United Republic as well. The effects of Mind Freeze are calming and rather euphoric, described as giving clarity to a person’s thoughts. They can make a person’s perception of time to slow, increase their appetite and cause their senses of pain to somewhat numb. Heavy Freeze users are typically seen as very lazy, calm and unintelligent people due to long term effects.

Watchman’s Brew (Stimulant) - Watchman’s Brew was developed by the Earth Republic Military to keep soldiers awake about 70 years ago when Wastelander raids were still quite new. The country hadn’t experienced such war in so long time that soldiers had a hard time withstanding long campaigns and sleepless nights. So made from several herbs was a drug that enhanced wakefulness, attention, stamina in small doses. Allowing soldiers to remain awake and alert for days.

Watchman’s Brew had been quite useful but it was quickly abused due to the euphoria and pleasure it granted users. Heavy usage had resulted in higher levels of aggression, impulsive behavior and sometimes even sex drive. Watchman’s addiction had been the cause of soldiers lashing out against one another and engaging in erratic and promiscuous behavior. Hence why the military had ceased all use of it, but some soldiers had even went AWOL after stealing supplies of Watchman’s ordered to be destroyed and began reproducing it with relative ease since the recipe wasn’t hard to mass produce. Watchman’s Brew is a liquid that can be drunk or injected for more intense results.

Venom (Psychedelic)- The Fire Nation had of course placed some very harsh laws against drugs once they caught word of drugs like Freeze and Watchman’s being created and used recreationally. The government had of course outlawed these drugs and tried their best to make it difficult to gather the herbs necessary to make it. A group of Northern Water Tribe college dropouts ended up moving to the Fire Nation to find themselves unable to continue getting high off Freeze or Cactus Juice anymore. So they began looking for other methods to get high rather than from plants. Cane toad snakes were poisonous animals and their bites were said to make victims hallucinate and freak out from paranoid before dying of an accelerated heart rate while other reportings spoke of victims trying to seduce others, or even try curing themselves through stupid methods like dancing, burning the bite wound or even amputating bitten limbs. Even though most of these bite victims had died, the former academics were desperate for a fix.

They began collecting the cane toad snakes and experimented with them. Dissecting them and finding their poisonous glands. After a month of study they realized that leaving smoking paper in cane toad venom to soak in the sun and dry and rolling it up with intend to smoke it would result in the creation of a very volatile party drug. It wasn’t even deadly since the act of drying it in the sun removed the venom’s lethal potential. Once they began producing enough to sell, the former academics had begun distributing the drug for good profit. It was quickly called Venom and it was a hit.

Local law enforcement had managed to track down the creators but the technique for making Venom was already public knowledge and it let to Earth Republic criminals collecting cane toad snakes in the Fire Nation and breeding them back home so they could use their venom to make more Venom and sell it all over. Smoking Venom had caused rather random effects unlike other drugs. Constant effects were decreased appetite, dry mouth, drug craving and sleeplessness. What made the drug so unpredictable was it’s effects on the mood. It would induce things such as intense paranoia, depression, poor sense of judgement, risk taking or some odd mix of multiple effects. Teenagers all over would have fun smoking Venom with friends out of addictions and watching their fellow partygoers suffer from the effects or act foolishly.

Mania Berries (Stimulant)- Mania Berries were natural fruits that grew in the Southern Air Temple one day. They were distinguished by their blood red color and strong alluring aroma. It would first seem the berries are completely normal, but they possess a very potent delayed reaction. Aside from a boost of energy and immense feeling of confidence and superiority, users would face dramatic increases of anger, fearlessness and lack of remorse. Also they’d remain completely unresponsive to even lethal amounts of pain. Cases of users going on cannibalistic warpaths and only being stopped by a killing blow were sadly common. Eating too many berries would often result in death, making Mania Berries the easiest drug to die from overdosing off of. Nomads who had eaten it were compelled to slaughter one another.

They would’ve destroyed every trace of the Mania berries if it weren’t for the wastelander attacks. Nomads had decided to let them steal crates of the berries and bring them back home. Seeing as how peaceful nomads were driven mad by it’s effects, wastelanders were even worse. Wanting revenge on the Air Nomads who had tricked them, they began eating the berries before their raids on the Southern Temple. Which made Wastelander raids even more deadly than they originally were. Fortunately their supply was finite. Since Air Nomads had no interest in using or selling the berries, it’s usage didn’t spread as far the other drugs. Making them the rarest and most dangerous drug on the market since Earth Republic crime families went as far as to sneak into the temples looking for the berries after hearing stories of it’s effects. Even rampant drug users fear consuming Mania Berries.

Laws
Aside from it’s bans on illegal weaponry/forms of bending, Republic City has a number of laws regarding the lives of it’s citizens. The city forbids use of recreational drugs such as cactus juice and Watchman’s Brew and drinking of alcohol by citizens known to be under the age of 17. Obviously atrocities such as murder, rape, theft, prostitution and destruction are illegal acts, it is also a crime to have sex with a person below the age of 17.

Illegal forms of bending are typically banned across the world but some countries have found use in them. The Fire Nation use limited numbers of combustionbenders in their military to fight off wastelander raids while Air Nomads use the art of soundbending for the same purpose in the Southern Air Temple. While the Earth Republic strictly forbids use of lavabending in their military out of fear of use of the art becoming more widespread, they decide to allow nonbenders in the armed forces to use things like electric weapons and explosives in battle.

Acts of hunting rare and legally protected animals such as Sky Bison and dragons are quite illegal since they threaten their population. Participation in brutal fight rings where nonbenders or animals are beaten to half death, production of illegal weaponry and recreational drugs are also reasons for people to be arrested. The Northern Water Tribe forbids violations of their precious caste system.

But most of the nations agree that it should forbidden to harbor Wastelanders since they’re considered immensely dangerous. Accusing people of being a Wastelander is a serious accusation since it would negate all of their legal rights and subject them to permanent detainment. The Earth Republic is especially aggressive about anti-Wastelanders laws while the Fire Nation fears the scenario of Wastelander tribes setting foot on their soil. The Northern, Western and Eastern temples are incredibly terrified of the same happening as the Southern imprisons the raiders and has them transported to infamous Earth Republic prisons. The Northern Water Tribe remains disgusted by their savage, uneducated ways while resenting them for their disrespect of the spirits. The United Republic is the only nation they can live in legally aside from their homeland.

Religion
When the story of Raava and Vaatu became common knowledge throughout the world, the former was a widely worshipped figure. People began praying to Raava in order to bring order and peace to their lives. While other deviants strove to worship of her antithesis Vaatu. Wanting to believe in their apparent right to spread chaos and freedom. Though Raava is the more respected deity and worshipping Vaatu is considered amoral and demonic. Temples dedicated to her worship can be found sporadically throughout all the nations save the Wastes. Vaatu worshippers often form dark, underground cults since celebrating him as a powerful deity is even illegal in more religious areas (Northern Water Tribe and Air Temples).

In smaller villages, local spirits are often worshipped and paid tribute to out of respect. Though this is more common in the Fire Nation rather than the Earth Republic or the United Republic of Nations, since the latter nations are more chaotic and see less point in worshipping spirits. Naturally the Air Temples and Northern Water Tribe find it important to respect the spirits while the Southern Wasteland completely disregards them.

Art & Entertainment
Entertainment had been present in the world for ages. Art forms such as song and dance can be seen in several different nations, even Wastelanders have a few songs about rape and murder they love to sing. Instruments found in the world are ones found in real life asian and inuit culture. Such as erhus, dizis and gubans. Folk stories and tall tales are also common in smaller, more rural areas.

Plays are primarily enjoyed within the Fire Nation but the concept of it had caught on in other nations. Movers were a widely successful business before the Rebellion had taken place. Though the industry fell off during the Rebellion, cinema has made a powerful return to the world. Books and comics have become popular in the Northern Water Tribe due to their writing and literature schools. Bending has made a powerful impact on art since benders of earth and water often use their power to craft amazing sculptures and wonderful paintings.

Food
In the world, food is obviously made from the strange fruits and even stranger hybrid animals that can be found. All food items seen in the canon can be found and countless other dishes have been made over time. Like instruments, these meals reflect Asian and Inuit Culture. (must include link to food page from Avatar Wiki). Most creatures are farmed and slaughtered for their meat. Though farms are harder to maintain in the Earth Republic due to raids from bandits and possible manipulation from crime families. So hunger and starvation are uncommon, yet present issues in the country. Air Nomads still remain eating plants though the Northern Temple has the easiest time doing this due to plantbenders able to widely grow the food. Southern Air Nomads struggle to maintain their farms due to the raids and must take Sky Bison to journey into the Earth Republic to gather food there or from other temples. The United Republic has far less bandits and the Northern Water Tribe and Fire Nation are certainly peaceful enough to provide food for their people. Of course the Northern Water Tribe supplies amazing culinary schools due to their priority of education and the Fire Nation makes widespread farms and large chains of supermarkets and restaurants due to their taste for big business.

Disease
Over the years, the art of healing was the main method of curing various sickness and ailments across the world. When waterbender healers could be found in most places in the world, this became even more true. But diseases had grew and evolved to the point where healing could only cure certain symptoms or decrease the advancement of the virus in the human body. Northern Water Tribe colleges had worked tirelessly studying herbs and creating different drugs that could offer cures. The North was more than happy to show off their intellect by selling their medicine for somewhat cheap prizes. Northern Water Tribe medicine had spread all over, Wastelanders even stole it to nurse their own ailments. Though Terminal diseases had still existed and the possibility of widespread viruses were quite possible. The Water Tribe Bureau of Disease Control worked tirelessly to prevent the outbreak of any diseases that could be responsible for widespread death. They already saved Fire Nation and Earth Republic villages from being wiped out by plagues. The Bureau had considered trying to wipe out Wastelanders with diseased food and supplies, but this was decided against since they feared starting the worldwide epidemic they feared so much.

Diseases that could be found are pretty much anything from the real world predating the 1930’s, like hay fever, malaria and gonorrhea. Though unlike the real world, the various plants and herbs allowed for the creation of more cures and medicine to treat ailments. Also the Water Tribe invented the process of vaccinations and condoms to prevent spread of sexual diseases. Their scientists are also responsible for creating other birth control methods such as spermicide.

Sports
Bending had become a large part of recreational physical activity which all started with probending. Close quarters fights which had benders of various elements fighting it out in the rings. Some of the other nations had begun to emulate this and start up their own probending leagues. The Fire Nation saw this as a lucrative business and the Earth Republic had hoped focus on a sport would decrease crime and boost legitimate business. Even the Northern Water Tribe and the Air Temples caught interest in the sport. Probending had allowed talented benders to travel the world, make large amounts of money and meet new people.

Though Probending arenas sponsored by the Earth Republic government were sometimes robbed or even attacked by terrorists who saw the highly populated areas had good targets. Meanwhile in the Fire Nation nobles had begun using their connections to bribe players to lose matches so they could win bets. Northern Water Tribe players who often retire early after winning big scholarships they could attend the best universities. Air Nomads would be turned off from violent accidents that occurred even with the strict regulations against life threatening techniques.

Drug usage was also a common issue in the leagues. So the sport of probending isn’t as big and successful as it once was, but it still remains strong and endearing due to a strong fanbase and opportunities it grants players. Successful players would also be recommended for military service and law enforcement positions due to their bending prowess.

Though other singular sports exist but aren’t nearly as successful and widespread as probending such as Air Ball. In the underworld, bloodsport involving humans or predatory animals certainly exists in the Earth Republic and United Republic of Nations. Underground fight clubs exist that predominantly host nonbenders fighting (since seeing benders fight was made popular by probending, watching nonbenders punish each other in more brutal fights was new and entertaining) while Wastelanders challenge one another to gladiatorial matches to test their strength before raids. Many small tribes establish leadership based on matches like these. Though a battle for leadership will often result in the loser’s death.

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