Avatar:  Dragon Eggs And The Solstice

Avatar:  Glory and Shame

Personally, I think Mike and Bryan get too much credit for what was really a team effort.  A good team balances out each other's weaknesses.  While making Avatar, Mike and Bryan were balanced out by other great writers.  However, Korra was mostly made by Mike and Bryan, so any personal biases they might have don't get edited out.  

Taking all the glory also means taking all the shame. 

Just finished version 3.0 of my Avatar Sub-Element chart. It's come a long way since version 1.

Avatar: The Last Airbender premiered on this day sixteen years ago!

The Boy in the Iceberg and The Avatar Returns first aired on February 21st, 2005.

Zuko and the “Sea of Chi”

When Iroh teaches Zuko how redirect lightning, he instructions Zuko to move the lightning from his arm, down to his stomach, and out the other arm.  Iroh called the stomach the “Sea of Chi”, or a vast ocean in Irohs case.  

In Zuko’s final Agni Kai with a Azula, he is able to redirect the lightning, but at great cost.  Zuko wasn’t able to maintain proper form when he was jumping in to save Katara, and got hurt and a chest scar as a result.  

My theory on how Zuko got that scar is this:  Zuko didn’t have time to redirect most of the lighting through his arms.  Instead, he caught most of it directly in his stomach.  Then from the stomach, he could release it from his other arm.   However, Zuko got very hurt because the lighting burned through flesh on its way to the stomach.  

My Evidence:  His chest scar is exactly over where his stomach should be.  

Updated Element chart with explanations and a new watermark.  

I’ve long wanted to make a fusion of the three legendary beasts (Raikou, Entei, & Suicune) which I refer to as “the fourth beast”.  He is heavily inspired by the mythical “Pixiu” from China.  The Pixiu is a god of wealth, which goes nicely with Pokemon “Gold” and “Silver”.  

As you can see I used elements from each of the three beast:

Raikou:  I kept much of Raikou’s face along with his stripes.  

Entei:  I kept Entei’s cheeks and repurposed with back spikes into the wings of a Pixiu.  

Suicune:  I repurposed Suicune’s horns to resemble that of an Chinese dragon.  Suicune’s spots combine with Raikou’s stripes to form rosettes.  And lastly, Suicune’s ribbon tail gets turned into long Chinese dragon whiskers.  (Which isn’t shown here)

(Ironically, every time I look at the drawing on the far right, I think of a water dragon.)

“The fourth beast” represents the steam from the Burned tower as the fire went out.  Thus his typing is Fire/Water.  On his back is a cumulus cloud for fair weather, but it can easily grow into a cumulonimbus.  

Sokka and Katara:  Stick Figure Style

Pro Bending: LoK

Probending was fun to watch and a major part of the first season of the Legend of Korra, but I often felt is was rushed.  One thing that felt was lacking was half time entertainment.  Where were the shows, adds, and entertainment that come with other sports.  I think halftimes might have helped the pacing and let the audience explore the world more.  

Sadly, I’ve actually had a conversation like this.  

I think people forget how important “family friendly” entertainment is.  It’s something everyone can cherish and enjoy, not just people who have a desire for violence.  

The Cycle of the Fire Lords AKA Generational Daddy Issues

You know how in the series finale Ozai declares himself the Phoenix King? I’ve always found that odd, since dragon seems to be the prestige animal of the Fire Nation. However, once I realized what the phoenix in Avatar actually was, it all clicked.

The “phoenix” that Ozai is referring to is the “Vermilion Bird” or Zhūquè (朱雀). The Vermillion Bird is a mythological bird that is portrayed as bright red and perpetually on fire, basically the closest equivalent to a phoenix in Chinese culture. The Vermilion Bird also represents fire and the season of summer, the two most defining attributes of Sozin’s Comet.

So, essentially, Ozai is declaring himself the king of fire and summer and Sozin’s Comet and all things Fire Nation-y. We all could’ve figured that out without the cultural context, but it goes much so much deeper.

The name of Ozai’s father is Azulon, which I mentioned in an earlier post means “Azure Dragon”. The Azure Dragon is associated with spring. When Ozai declares himself “Phoenix”, he is basically calling himself the “natural” successor to the Azure Dragon. Summer comes after spring, after all.

Think about that. Ozai has been Fire Lord for 5 years already and he’s still obsessed with proving that he deserves the throne. That he was “destined” to have it. He knows he isn’t a dragon like Azulon or Iroh, so he decides he’ll be be even better than that: A phoenix! The ruler of summer! He’s the embodiment of fire—Yup, Mr. Fire Lord, the most Fire Lord man to ever Fire Lord, coming through. It’s all so very dramatic and pathetic and reeking of insecurity.

And if Azulon is spring, and Ozai is summer, then Zuko is autumn. Which makes sense, since Zuko’s reign is defined by the dismantling of the Fire Nation empire; the branches of their imperialism withering away. In Chinese culture, the season of autumn is represented by the element of Metal. The-Hot-Zone, @the-hot-zone, put it best:

For Zuko to also be associated with metal is… pretty fitting. Metalbending is an entirely new style of earthbending, and it completely changes how people view earth. This can symbolize the shift Zuko will bring to the Fire Nation: re-associating fire with life, with passion, with light. It’s about the new understanding of an element.

Also, the animal associated with fall is the White Tiger, which is pretty rad. Zuko’s fierceness is very tiger-like.