When our powers combine, we summon the internet's greatest champion, Captain Procrastination!Well, I guess it was inevitable after the suggestion was put forward...I drew the JN gang as benders from the Avatarverse!
The "story" (if there was one, LOL) would take place back during the time of Avatar Kyoshi, when the Earth Kingdom was the one being the warmongering douchebag. So ya. Centuries earlier than in the show.
Anyway, heeeeeeeeeeeeere they are:
Jimmy (Earth Kingdom, not a bender)
Jimmy is like the Sokka of the group - except, well, more of an eccentric genius (he even has the crazy hair!). He was born into an extremely impoverished Earth Kingdom village to struggling parents, but that was never really much of a problem for him. After all, the guy could take freaking mud and make it into an explosive.
Unfortunately, his reputation as a weapons prodigy piqued the interest of Chin the Conqueror and his army of colossal douches, and they promptly requested his help in designing a myriad of dangerous toys with which to crush the opposition. Jimmy, of course, only liked inventing stuff for the sake of science (and explosions. Don't forget them), and so he flat out refused to help them. Now, Chin and his lackeys didn't take kindly to being turned down, and so they declared him a traitor to the Earth Kingdom. And, just to add salt to the wound, they ended up getting their hands on a bunch of his weapons designs anyway, which they then used to kill many, many people.
Plagued by guilt, Jimmy leaves home and strikes out on his own, intent on finding a way to thwart his own weapons and restore the balance of power. And there you have it. Poof! Instant plot.
(side note: He's got on a lab apron, but hilariously it looks like that blood guard Dexter Morgan wears when he's in serial killer mode. LAWL)
Carl (Earthbender)
Carl, Carl, Carl. Even in the avatarverse, the guy has no luck. Carl grew up in a prominent Earth Kingdom city, his home only a few blocks away from a large EK army training camp. His parents were both respected earthbending sculptors/potters (a rather dull job, but one that requires a considerable amount of skill nonetheless). Unfortunately, Carl didn't exactly inherit his parents' abilities - from a very young age, he had to work twice as hard as all the other kids in his earthbending class, with half the result. He was picked on relentlessly by his peers for having "no backbone" - after all, isn't earthbending supposed to be about holding your ground and 'showing that rock who's boss'? His gentle, unsure demeanor made him a complete misfit.
Anyway, Jimmy is quite literally the first person to show him genuine kindness after the two meet up by chance on the outskirts of the army camp. Jimmy, being somewhat naive, lets Carl in on the whole story and requests his help in retrieving a scroll that contains the schematics for a grenade-like weapon. ...From - you guessed it - the army camp. Imbued with confidence for the first time in years, Carl surprises himself (and Jimmy) by completely owning the guard outside the weapons tent. Things after that don't necessarily go as planned
, but by the end, the two become friends, and Carl decides to accompany Jimmy on his journey and *hopefully* improve his skills along the way. ...Earthbending kids just love running away from home, apparently. LOL. (Also, I just noticed that the rock in the lowermost left hand corner totally looks like Texas haha)
Cindy (Firebender)
Cindy was born into a wealthy, well-connected fire nation family living in an Earth Kingdom outpost. As a child, she received intensive training in firebending, politics, and social etiquette - only the best of the best for a very talented and clever young lady. As a result she became, for lack of a better term, kind of a stuck-up biotch.
Unfortunately, things turned sour for her family once the Earth Kingdom went on the offensive. 3 months prior to the start of the story, Cindy and her folks were on a day trip into the mountains, when they encountered a marauding band of Earth Kingdom discontents. One thing led to another, and the interaction turned into a fight. Normally, she would have been able to handle herself, but the troops had a devastating new explosive, which they happily tested on Cindy and her family. Cindy's mom lost an arm, and Cindy's beloved childhood nurse was killed. Cindy herself sustained wounds on both her hands - she now wears gloves to cover the scars. After this traumatizing event, she became increasingly destructive and eventually left home to go cause as much mayhem as possible.
She first meets up with the boys in a random EK marketplace, where she happens to overhear Carl talking to Jimmy about one of his inventions (they really don't show much discretion about where they discuss potentially sensitive information). The parts of the conversation she catches aren't exactly flattering to Jimmy - basically, she discovers that he's the one responsible for the Earth Kingdom's nasty new bombs. Needless to say, she is PISSED. Dead-set on getting revenge, she follows the two boys to their camp and waits until sundown, when she...err... commandeers their campfire and freaks the hell out of both of them. Revealing herself at last, she threatens to kill Jimmy unless he can find a way to explain himself, and fast.
Luckily, he manages to do so, and Cindy cuts him some slack. Seeing as they have a common goal (preventing further casualties), she agrees to join their little band. As they spend more time together, she finds herself reluctantly admiring his dogged determination and resourcefulness - plus, let's face it, he's kind of a babe
For his part, Jimmy is captivated by Cindy's competitive personality and her ability to produce fiery explosions out of thin air. ...Can anyone say "pyro"? Libby (Waterbender)
Libby grew up in the Southern Water Tribe (you know, back when there actually WAS a Southern Water Tribe, with a thriving culture and a role on the world stage). Her father was the head of a troupe which traveled around performing traditional water tribe arts, music, and dances, while her mother stayed at home and taught healing lessons. While not a particularly gifted waterbender, Libby had always shown a high degree of aptitude when it came to healing. So, when Libby's older cousin went north to study medicine in the Earth Kingdom, Libby begged her parents to let her go along. Her father, being a seasoned traveler himself, had no problem granting her request. Before she knew it, she was ON A BOAT (Lonely Island reference durrhurrhurr).
Naturally, life in a cosmopolitan city was a total shock to a girl who had spent her entire childhood living in an igloo
Things got truly overwhelming, however, as the war started to get worse. Before long, there were so many wounded, and the doctors were so short-handed, that they began to ask students to help treat the victims. Forced to confront the horrors of wartime head on, Libby resolved to DO something about the atrocities - whatever that something might be. Adaptable and practical (like all good water tribe peeps), Libby asked some of the more politically-inclined students at the university if they knew of any anti-war groups.Finally, having no luck with this approach, Libby did something kind of ridiculous: she basically took out a personals ad asking for information on any groups trying to curb the spread of the new weapons. She figured that if she came under suspicion, she could just say that she had made the ad with intention of exposing the rebellion - not the best plan, but actually rather effective in its audaciousness. Cindy, amused by this direct approach and interested in recruiting another girl for their group (after all, being with Carl and Jimmy all the time could be...well, frustrating), gets in touch with Libby using the contact information she provided.
Cindy and Libby hit it off right away, and once Libby learns of the extent of Jimmy's involvement in the whole affair, she pledges her full support. Unfortunately, Libby's personals-ad tactic comes back to bite her in the butt, and she ends up being sought for questioning by some very scary people who aren't interested in her excuses. Fearing for her safety and the safety of her cousin, Libby flees from the university and joins Jimmy and co on a full-time basis.
Sheen (Airbender)
(Still not happy with this pic. His head looks like it was photoshopped on after the fact, and his pose? STUPID FORESHORTENING. Grrr
)In every group, there's always that one guy who's just in it for the LULZ. In this story, that guy is Sheen.
Sheen was raised at the Southern Air Temple, where he spent a disproportionate amount of his time goofing off. Despite his natural airbending talent, his lack of discipline resulted in poor relationships with his teachers and fellow students. He was obsessed by stories about far-away places and exciting adventures, and at age 12, he and his sky bison hit the road, Jack, and didn't come back no more no more. 
Released at last from the endless drudgery of lessons, he wandered from place to place, visiting the Fire Nation and the Northern Water Tribe before backtracking to the Earth Kingdom. Unfortunately, conflicts broke out soon afterward. This didn't stop Sheen from acting in his usual care-free, spirited manner, and before long his behavior landed him in serious trouble. One summer afternoon, he fell asleep within a stone's throw of a top-secret meeting between two Earth Kingdom Generals. Naturally, when they discovered him, they assumed he was a spy and took him prisoner.
Luckily for Sheen, Jimmy and co pull a Big Damn Heroes moment and rescue him from the General in charge of transporting him into the city for further questioning. Libby heals his minor injuries, and Sheen hangs with them until he recovers fully. Fascinated by the intrigue and excited about the possibility of wacky hi-jinks, Sheen decides to stay with the group for good (plus, let's face it, he had the hots for Libby since day one). Despite his apparent lack of seriousness, he actually becomes quite committed to their cause, and his aerial capabilities help give the gang a serious edge in their struggle.
...Of course, Avatar Kyoshi later ends up killing Chin the conqueror, effectively ending the war and fixing the problem for them. But that's a moot point LOL
~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =
P.S. It took me like 3 hours to type this up, so a response would be appreciated
