The Final Evolution Of My Avatar Sub-Elements/ Sub-Bending Chart. (hopefully)

Avatar:  Dragon Eggs and the Solstice

In Episode 313 (The Firebending Masters) Aang and Zuko enter a secret chamber and discover a ‘gem’ that “feels almost alive”.  This has led many fans to believe that the ‘gem’ is actually a dragon egg.  

Let’s assume this theory is correct.    

But if it’s a dragon egg, why would the Sun Warriors hid it here?

The obviously reason is for protection.  Dragons had been hunted almost to extinction, and a dragon egg would be rare and very precious thing.   

But I have another theory.  

The Sun Warriors hid the egg in a chamber that could only be opened during the solstice (most likely the summer solstice).  In the avatar world, the solstice is when the spirit world and the physical world are closest together and spiritual energy is at its peak.  The solstice is also when the Sun is at its strongest/ weakest (relative to the perspective on earth).  The Sun is the source of firebending.  And since Dragons are the original firebenders, it would make sense for dragons to have some connection to the Sun and the solstices.  

My theory is that secret chamber is specifically designed to hatch dragon eggs.  

On the solstice the chamber would open.  Then Sun Warriors would bath the egg in sunlight concentrated from the sunstone outside.  The concentrated sunlight during the solstice would fill the egg with spiritual energy and cause it to hatch.  (Just like how Roku used the solstice to talk to and empower Aang.)  

To me at least, it makes sense that the original firebenders would be born on the solstice.  

I am an Earth Science Teacher who studied the four elements in university.  I hope to make a series on the science within Bending.  

Romantic Moments vs Romantic Intent: A Shipping problem

If you are a fan of animation/ anime, then you are probably familiar with the term “Shipping” or “Relation-shipping”.  This is basically when you think two characters should be a couple and you “ship” them.   As an Avatar: the Last Airbender fan, I am well aware of ships such as Zutara or Kataang.  However, it’s very common for shippers to ignore “Romantic Intent”.  Romantic Intent is when the characters are romantically interested in each other; this can be one sided or mutual.  Romantic moments might lead to romantic intent, but the two aren’t mutually exclusive.  

Being in a romantic situation (taking someone to dinner, hanging out with them, or giving them gifts) does not mean their intentions are romantic.  They could just be a really good friend, or they might be a relative.  For example, my sister and I did a lot of things together in High School, so many people assumed that we were dating.  

Why I bring this up is because many shippers ship characters purely because “they look cute together”, or “they have so much in common”, or “I would love to see these two become a couple.”  However, in their zeal shippers often forget that these characters might have their own desire and aspirations.  These aren’t dolls to make do what ever you like.   

Second, there’s often a huge amount of entitlement that comes with shipping, which I think is kinda funny.  Whether Jill ends up with Bobby or Max, isn’t your decision to make.  Stories are fun, and speculation is fun, but we the readers are really only outsiders looking into someone else’s story.  

And even though these are just fictional characters, we can’t force someone to fall in love with someone else.  

Korra:  The Airbending Drop-Out

There’s a lot of speculation on who would win in a battle between Avatar Aang and Avatar Korra.  Of course, neither is alive at the same time so this battle would be purely hypothetical.  However, there’s one argument I’ve never seen mentioned.  Korra is an airbending drop-out.  

Korra first came to Republic City to learn airbending.  She learned most of the forms but couldn’t produce a single puff of air until the season 1 finale.  

In season 2, Korra could now airbend but she hadn’t mastered it.  As Tenzin put it, “...you’re still a long way away from mastering airbending.”  “You’ve mastered Korra-style airbending.  Now you need to master real airbending.”  

Unfortunately, Korra stopped listening to Tenzin as soon as she unlocked airbending.  Worse still, Korra dismissed him as her teacher soon after, and that was the end of her airbending training.  

Because of her choices, Korra never mastered airbending.  Instead, she relied on her bending strength and the avatar state to make up for her lack of skill.  

To Korra airbending was just firebending without the burn.  

This became an obvious weakness because airbending relies heavily on skill, dexterity, and agility; skills Korra is in desperate need of.  Therefore, Korra has always struggled fighting against agile opponents like Zaheer or the Equalist.  

Which brings me back to Aang vs Korra.  When it comes to airbending, Aang would demolish Korra.  Aang was a airbending prodigy, Korra is a drop-out.  Even Tenzin could beat Korra in airbending.  

Bending 101

Lesson 1:  What is Bending

Water Bending Pamphlet:  (Portuguese)

For @sol-em-gemeos

Eu não falo português.   Mas eu posso usar o Google translate.

We know that water bending gets stronger at night; Katara says as much at the end of ALTA Book 1.  However, the Moon is only in the night sky 50% of the time with the other 50% in the daytime.  Since Katara probably has better sleeping habits than me, I’d assume she goes to bed before midnight.  Therefore, she would only see the Moon at night about 25% of the time.  

It’s a common misconception to think that the Moon only appears at night.  In fact, it is more likely for people to see the Moon during the day because people are awake more in the day.  

Then why is water bending stronger at night, if the Moon is only there 25% of the time?

The answer is interference from the Sun.  We know that water bending and fire bending can interfere with each other in the case of a solar eclipse.  The Moon moves in front of the Sun and blocks the “Fire Bending WIFI Signal”.  water bending is interfering with fire bending, so it would make sense if it works both ways.  Fire and Water are usually considered opposites, so it makes sense that water bending would be weaker during the day and at full strength during the night.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.   

ATLA Creators Leave NETFLIX Project:  And I’m not worried.

This might be a Very Unpopular Opinion, but I'm not overly worried about the creators leaving the Netflix Avatar the last Airbender remake.

Let me explain:   Despite how much Mike and Bryan are praised, they didn't come up with everything good in ATLA.  Like any project, they worked with a team and other team member contributed many things that fans love about the show.  Good team member act as "checks and balances" to prevent personal biases from taking over, and to yield a better product.  

Mike and Bryan made ATLA but they also made Legend of Korra.  They made Korra without their full team and LoK wasn't as good.  Because Mike and Bryan didn't have their full team, many of their biases didn't get ironed out of the final product.  And because they were more in control, their inadequacies shone through.  Thus, Korra's quality suffered because the creators aren't perfect, and they didn't have others to balance them.  

Therefore, I'm not overly worried to see Mike and Bryan go because they aren't the source of all goodness.   Just like with J. K. Rowling, maybe it's time for someone else to nurture the franchise.  

Like a Gaggle of Geese, I wonder what a group of Zukos would be called?

An Honor of Zukos?

The meeting of the Zukos

zuko们的会面

Which kind of bender are you?

Avatar:  Only there for the group photo

One question I often see is:  

“Why are Katara and Zuko so underused/ weak in the “Legend of Korra’?”

The answer is quite simple:  Fan service.  

Bryke wanted the Aang Gang to be in LoK for fan service, but didn't want them to get in the way of other characters.   Therefore Toph, Zuko, and Katara are present but are almost useless.  

Which feels out-of-character for them, and frustrating for the fans when pre-established characters do nothing to help.