Name: Kanan Hanri
Title: Prince(ss) of the Earth Kingdom
Age: 23
Pronouns: He/She/They
Birthday: March 18th
Nationality: Earth Kingdom
Personality: Once barely known by the kingdom and considered the shyest Hanri to the few who did know them, Kanan has comfortably grown into the steps their father left for them. While still easy to fluster, and generally the quieter one between the two Hanri heirs, Kanan is kind, extremely empathetic, and notably passionate about his hobbies; such hobbies include drawing, reading every book in the palace, carving figures, and, most importantly, tending to the terrarium created from his own design, which contains the beetles and butterflies he so dearly loves. All one has to do is ask him anything about his hobbies and he’ll go from almost mute to talking about it as much as you’d like. He believes that there is good in most people and wants the best for everyone in his kingdom.
Strengths: Kanan is incredibly creative and has an overwhelming amount of passion for the art she creates. She is a gentle soul who finds herself more in tune to others’ emotions as the years go by. She approaches problems with much tact and caution, making sure to keep the peace before making any further steps. Despite the struggle to reach education before she was taken in by Habien Hanri, she is notably intelligent and adapted quickly to reading, taking up almost every book in the estate. Kanan responds strongly to positive encouragement, and if she starts something, she will always be determined to finish it.
Weakness: Growing older doesn’t mean anxiety just disappears. While Kanan has figured out better coping mechanisms as an adult, there are times where they can grow overwhelmed and feel almost paralyzed if the situation they’re in becomes too stressful, or spirals out of their immediate control. Additionally, their bending skills are very poor; they are able to bend sand at an average level (although they are unsure why they were able to pick it up so fast…) but when it comes to earth bending, Kanan finds strain in picking up or throwing even large rocks. They also have a garbage immune system.
Likes: Quiet Places ✿ Reading ✿ Bangu Crystal Lilies ✿ Beaches ✿ Bugs
Dislikes: Lizards ✿ Live music ✿ Physical touch (from non-family) ✿ Sweaters
Appearance: Kanan is a tall but lithe young individual with an ectomorphic body, standing at just below 5’10 (177.8cm). They have very little visible muscle built, as their strength is not in fighting. While still partially falling over the left side of their face, Kanan has long, fluffy black hair that is loosely tied into a ponytail falling along their back; their hair is cut in a way, though, that even when not tied, it tends to stay in the same ponytail form anyways. One side of their bangs is longer than the other, and above their right eye is a butterfly clip that is less for usefulness and more for representing the care he has for the one he received it from. They have dark green eyes with a slight blue tone, and dark skin.
Their typical outfits consistent of long, deep green, elegant robes with light green highlights, and faint bluish tones at the ends. They tend to have some sort of embellishments with either flower branches or butterflies. They always wear a beaded necklace with an earth kingdom sigil on the pendant. When they want to be more casual, they wear a faded green top with brown pants and comfy black shoes.
Additional Fun Facts!
✿ Years ago Kanan had come across a giant rhinoceros beetle while traversing the desert with his father and sister, and using his knowledge of bugs (and stubbornness attributed only to hobby-related situations) managed to tame it. He refused to go home without taking the beetle too. So if you happen to be in the royal palace or stumble across the Jehung estates, don’t be alarmed at the presence of this giant insect. The worst he’ll do is nag you for snacks.
✿ Kanan knows a decent amount of EKSL (Earth Kingdom Sign Language), enough to hold a simple conversation with someone who uses it. They haven’t had to utilize it very much, but it is helpful for days where they simply don’t feel like talking.
✿ Much of the royal garden in Ba Sing Se is currently tended to by him. Not the entire thing, of course, but he attempts to help the royal gardeners as much as possible, having unique flowers and plants shipped from other nations to be grown in the gardens. He doesn’t mind getting dirty at all, and in fact finds that it represents having done the job right.
Backstory: Kanan seems to have an array of personal journals on the shelves of his study. While they do not date back further than his teen years, taking a look inside would reveal a decent amount of his life…
Kanan has no recollection of his life before he was homeless on the streets of Harbor Town. He cannot recall where his parents went, or where he was born. They could be dead or have simply abandoned him, but for now he does not know. He spent much of his preteen and early teen years stealing from merchants and markets before running away to hide in temporary shelters by trees or between buildings. It used to be easy to beg and garner sympathy when he was under the age of twelve, but once he became a teenager it grew to be a more frequent occurrence for him to be tossed aside or told to get lost. Living like this for so long took a toll on him mentally and emotionally; he hated stealing and felt bad about it, but had no choice for survival. This made it a quite jarring experience when someone actually treated him with kindness, and that someone had been Habien Hanri, the Grand Secretariat at the time.
Habien, whom Kanan had attempted to steal from not knowing who he was, took pity on the young earthbender and gave him an uplifting talk. Kanan took this to heart and tried to keep what the man said to him in mind, but the words didn’t necessarily change his life situation by the next time they met. Habien found him again under a cliffside, sitting by a makeshift fire. After more discussion, Habien told Kanan he wanted to adopt him. Kanan had been conflicted at this sudden proposal, but ultimately accepted, despite feeling uncertain about the decision. What made him so special to this man that he felt he wanted to include him in his family?
After Queen Kyo abdicated, his father was coronated as the next Earth King, which made the Hanri family royalty, and Kanan a prince. This sudden transition forced Kanan to have to adjust even faster to going quite literally from rags to riches, and the sudden rush of responsibility that came with being royalty. But with the new standing he had in society came a conscience saddled with guilt, wondering if he even deserved to have any of this. He was worried he wouldn’t be the royalty the Earth Kingdom really wanted. And it always circles back to wondering if he deserved any of what he has, because Habien could’ve adopted any homeless kid off the streets. It just happened to be him.
But over time they grew to find a place for themself in the chaotic, dramatic household known as the Hanri family. Everyone was so different, and everyone had different dynamics, and it all took Kanan a while to adjust to and keep in mind, but they found themself becoming more comfortable with everyone as the years went by. Despite a few misunderstandings in the past, Kanan’s father cares deeply for them, as do their aunts Haiwu and Liu. One of the most important additions to Kanan’s life was Umaira, Habien’s daughter from the desert. The two met when they were both around 16 years old, and Umaira was being introduced to the family after being apart her entire life. Despite being apprehensive at first, Kanan grew close to their sister faster than they had with anyone in their entire life.
The issues they had connecting to the family and most people around them soon faded with time as they learned how to healthily cope with their anxiety over the years, and many of those insecurities they may have had as a child remain nothing but afterthoughts on most days. As a young adult they feel more confident in themselves than they ever did as a child, and can finally admit they’re proud of how far they’ve come. At Umaira’s side, they feel like they can do anything, and are ready to be someone the Earth Kingdom can be proud of too.