The Last Airbender thread ***SPOILERS***

[eli_gone_crazy]

I disagree with you.


I could probably write an essay on this, but my point is essentially this: Zaheer got his bending, and within two weeks, was capable of causing a woman to asphyxiate. He was also able to not only hold his own in fights against the White Lotus (composed of the strongest benders alive), but also readily defeat even masters like Tenzin. So, I believe the argument that airbending is weaker is wrong. Airbending has every capacity to harm as any other form.

Which brings the question of, why aren't more airbenders psychopaths? This is easily answered by a few points. One, there are about thirty to fifty airbenders alive at the current time in the series, meaning that on top of the small community, there's also extreme pressure for every airbender to be both exemplary and productive. This also means that every airbender will monitor each other, preventing negative behaviors.

Secondly, the Air Nomad culture is genial, and focused on inner and outer peace. The culture of airbending is peaceful, while airbending is not necessarily so. In this way, Air Nomads are a peaceful people because they want to be, not because their bending restricts them to geniality.

[IslaKariese]

Well, it could go both ways. If you take into account what little we learned of human culture in Wan's time, we know that those who lived in Wan's village used the element of fire specifically to fight and ward away spirits, which goes with firebending philosophy (positive jin: attack). The people who lived with the Lion Turtle of Air, however, weren't using it to fight spirits, but to collect food. I'm not saying they couldn't use it to fight spirits, but their philosophy combined with the element itself doesn't make it seem like the idea would be effective. A fire blast at a spirit would hurt it more than an air blast.

I think I'm going round in circles, though. I don't disagree, but my head hurts and I've been trying for hours to get this stupid thesis to cooperate. I suppose I'm trying to say that it's not that air isn't powerful, but it takes a certain mindset to make it dangerous. Attacking with air isn't as straightforward as attacking with a boulder, a blast of fire, or a shard of ice.

[eli_gone_crazy]

Can I just say that I love how this devolved into the Nature v. Nurture argument?

[IslaKariese]

Can I just say that I love how this devolved into the Nature v. Nurture argument?

Is that what this is? Dammit I keep inserting psychology into everything I talk about these days...

[Pixelmage]

xD

To poke at a different point; Gliders vs Wingsuits. Both have pros and cons, to be honest.

Sure, the wings on the gliders are better protected, but it did happen that they got damaged on occasion, with similar results. And while they can double as a weapon, airbending as a philosophy is not centered on combat and it adds extra packing to carry. Besides, it's not like it is required for bending as the forms can be done without them anyway.

Which brings us to the advantages of the wingsuit. It's built in, no extra baggage, and while it makes it somewhat more fragile, airbending combat philosophy is all about dodging and evading, so overall, getting hit should not happen often enough for it to be an issue - and getting hit as an airbender probably means you're on the losing end of the fight regardless of what you're wearing.

To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised to see some airbenders using both on occasion.

[IslaKariese]

I'm still rather attached to the idea of a staff for some reason. It is a weapon, but one of the most pacifistic weapons I can think of while still being useful in combat. Maybe drawing from Aang's adventures isn't the best idea, since he couldn't afford to be an Air monk while also having to care for and be responsible to the whole world while also needing to subscribe to the philosophies of the other three elements in order to bend them properly, but that staff was pretty fecking useful, even when not taking into account the ability to fly with it.

[IslaKariese]

Am I the only one who thought that this swamp was the same one as in the original series? Might still be.

[narrativedilettante]

I was wondering if it's the same one.

Even if it isn't the same, clearly swamps are an important setting for spiritual and emotional growth.

[Pixelmage]

TOPH!

[IslaKariese]

It'll be really interesting to see how Toph's changed since the original series, and even how she's changed since that glimpse of her we got during Lin and Suyin's backstory. It also seems like her range has gotten wider, if she knows everything that goes on in the swamp whenever it happens. Swamps are huge.

[eli_gone_crazy]

It's pretty much definitely the same swamp, because of the spiritual connection that the Avatar has to it (Toph was first seen as a hallucination in a swamp, right next to a Spirit Tree).

[narrativedilettante]

It's pretty much definitely the same swamp, because of the spiritual connection that the Avatar has to it (Toph was first seen as a hallucination in a swamp, right next to a Spirit Tree).

Oh man, I'd forgotten about that! I guess the Avatar always has to meet Toph in a swamp.

[IslaKariese]

The only reason I have reservations is because Korra's been hallucinating her Avatar State self anyway, so we can't chalk it up to the swamp's high spiritual level, especially with the Spirit World and Living World merged as it is now. Until we hear more from Toph, I'll hold my peace.

On an unrelated note, my stupid tablet keeps trying to autocorrect Korra into Korea and it's really throwing me off

[Pixelmage]

[...] It also seems like her range has gotten wider, [...]

Main/Understatement. Right there.

[Guyshane]

Toph is in fact still amazing, confirmed.

[IslaKariese]

Toph as a headstrong old woman is quite possibly the best thing I've ever seen and I'm so pissed we didn't see more of her.

[Pixelmage]

On a different front, we finally got to see Zuko's daughter, for like, half a frame.

I want more fire nation in the series. We don't get to see them enough.

[IslaKariese]

On a different front, we finally got to see Zuko's daughter, for like, half a frame.

I want more fire nation in the series. We don't get to see them enough.

Huh, I managed to miss her entirely. I didn't recognize her, so I just wrote her off with a passing glance. We really should have seen her before now, not to mention learned her name.

[IslaKariese]

But my main concern is Kuvira. Honestly, right now she's reminding me of Sozin something fierce. I feel like she's for the Earth Kingdom what he was for the Fire Nation. Making like she's vying for peace and promoting her nation's true glory when all she really wants is power.

[eli_gone_crazy]

Kuvira is different from Sozin. Both want power, but Sozin wants power for his own glory, and Kuvira wants power to have order. This is in direct contrast to the Red Lotus of last season, and give great interplay both for character motivations and the Avatar's struggle to keep the world in balance in every way.

[IslaKariese]

Even if she does want order, the way she's going about it leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Bullying every uncooperative town into giving her control or be abandoned to the wolves, as well as threatening such a well-known, powerful city as Zaofu, doesnt say 'order,' but rather dictatorship and possibly tyanny. I officially call a Sozin comparison if she starts trying to add other nations to her new "Earth Empire."

[narrativedilettante]

Kuvira is different from Sozin. Both want power, but Sozin wants power for his own glory, and Kuvira wants power to have order.

Sozin and Kuvira both claimed to be working for the common good, while their actions show that their primary concern is personal gain.

In other news, the Earth Kingdom's royal family sure is messed up, huh? I mean, when your rulers are as maniacal/incompetent as the ones we've seen, it really is clear that the monarchy is a broken system.

I really liked the Earth King that Aang met, but in terms of running a kingdom, he was grossly incompetent. And then the Earth Queen was powermad, and Prince Wu is... kind of like the old Earth King but less charming.

[IslaKariese]

It seems the Earth Kingdom monarchy has long since fallen out of practice with actually ruling. Earth and Fire are the only nations that have concrete ruling bodies, I think. Air doesn't have any at all save Elders in the past, and Water has chiefs though its hard to say that they're the same kind of authority despite Yue being called princess. However, Fire doesn't use advisors - Lo and Li are the closest we've seen I think.

Plus, I don't think Wu was expecting to take the throne yet. He's some sort of distant nephew, right? He wouldn't even have the chance if not for Queens death.

[Pixelmage]

Kuei was naive, but believed in working to do the right thing. Sure, for most of his rule he was tricked by his adviser, but after Aang and party broke the system he did grow a bit of a backbone. If I recall correctly, he left Ba Sing Se after the Dai Li conspiracy broke out to see the world. By the time the bridge comics came around he was back in rule and actively taking part in the whole process of mending the Earth Kingdom after the 100 years war.

He was still somewhat gullible, still prone to some naivete, but he was actually trying to do what he thought was best. And more importantly, he didn't forget that he could have been wrong from time to time - hence how Republic City came to be. Come the queen in Legend of Korra and I really don't see how come she was so... Toxic.

And then Prince Wu... Well...

Right now the only thing I know in Legend of Korra is that things are going to derail soon. I don't think the world leaders were surprised by Kuvira's declaration in the slightest; they were hoping for her to step down, but no one there looked genuinely startled about her declaration.

Which brings me to Bolin and Varrik. It's clear that they are important for Kuvira's overall plan - the question is why. Varrik is working on something to do with the spirit wood-vine-thing, but Bolin? Why? Why go to personal lengths to stay on his good side? I can only think that she's afraid of his Lavabending. She clearly is on a different class compared to your run of the mill earthbeander, and with how proficient she is with that disabling metal strips technique of hers it's likely that she would likely be able to shut down pretty much any bender by immobilizing them. Unless you can somehow melt through it - and Bolin is the only known Lavabender alive. Ghazan was able to shut out an entire force of metalbenders with a lava moat with only slight help from P'Li to pick out jumpers - and Kuvira was one of the metalbenders facing that moat. It's a hunch, but I'm pretty sure she's terrified of the idea of making an enemy of Bolin.

[JRPictures]

Which brings me to Bolin and Varrik. It's clear that they are important for Kuvira's overall plan - the question is why. Varrik is working on something to do with the spirit wood-vine-thing, but Bolin? Why? Why go to personal lengths to stay on his good side? I can only think that she's afraid of his Lavabending. She clearly is on a different class compared to your run of the mill earthbeander, and with how proficient she is with that disabling metal strips technique of hers it's likely that she would likely be able to shut down pretty much any bender by immobilizing them. Unless you can somehow melt through it - and Bolin is the only known Lavabender alive. Ghazan was able to shut out an entire force of metalbenders with a lava moat with only slight help from P'Li to pick out jumpers - and Kuvira was one of the metalbenders facing that moat. It's a hunch, but I'm pretty sure she's terrified of the idea of making an enemy of Bolin.

That's actually a really interesting theory and it makes a bit of sense too.

I mean who wouldn't hate to be the person killed by a full on Lavabender? Sh*t's scary and you'd want to avoid it at all times.