May 16
Restoring Lin's bending
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Restoring Lin's bending
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people who say the lion turtle and energybending were a cop out are too weak to survive the harsh winters and their bloodline shall surely end with them
the spiritual themes of ATLA go right over their heads every time lol
The lion turtle was shown numerous times in the background, Aang even has a line about it in The Library, and energybending was alluded to most notably with Ty Lee chi blocking. If there’s a way to take someone’s bending away temporarily, naturally there must be a way to take it away permanently, and also give it back, which we see in TLoK. Also, Aang was literally praying for a way to resolve the war without sacrificing his cultural beliefs. The lion turtle didn’t magically bestow in him the ability to energybend. It only showed him it was possible, and also said if his own soul was even slightly susceptible to the influence of another, he would literally be destroyed on the spot by even attempting it
It’s pretty obvious that the universe was listening to and answering his prayer, sending a messenger to take its disciple to the battlefield where it would aid him in doing what he prayed for. The lion turtle itself was the last of its kind, just like Aang, hunted to near complete extinction by the humans it helped live and thrive in the world. It’s only fitting that it acts as the messenger to Aang narratively, and that it helps provide an answer to save Aang from completing the genocide of the air nomads spiritually
Even if someone wants to say it’s a deus ex machina, that doesn’t mean this is always a bad writing choice, and if anything this particular usage is very much in line with the themes of the story and more importantly, it’s earned. Aang had already exhausted all resources available to him, and had opened himself up to the possibility of receiving, which is a fundamental aspect of meditation.
Sure, the term “energybending” was not said until the lion turtle appeared, but it was absolutely alluded to. We were introduced to the concept of chi flowing in the body, the concept of locking and unlocking chakras, the concept of blocking chi to take bending away, so why is it that people think energybending is this concept that doesn’t align with ATLA? It does. It is a natural progression of things we already were shown and told. Even the guru told Aang he could harness “cosmic” energy, and Toph even makes a joke about him having space powers
So is it shocking then that the universe was treated as an actual entity that listened to him? Not really. Even the chant that plays when Aang encounters the lion turtle is a real Buddhist chant, adjusted slightly to refer to Aang as the disciple of the universe, or rather Buddha. The avatar is not god, it is not source, it is a follower, an extension of source there to enforce balance and relieve suffering on the world
The only way to relieve that suffering was to ensure that his cultural beliefs were not destroyed. Only in that way could the world actually achieve balance once again. It wasn’t just Aang’s will, it was the universes… it was karmic… like the rock that was driven right through his heart chakra, a result of Ozai’s relentlessness and brutality, the consequences of which he brought entirely upon himself…
It’s quite literally exactly as he said: “Now the universe delivers you to me as an act of providence.”
It was an act of providence, just not for the reasons he thought. Very fitting for a scum character like him
Making this post on tumblr cuz I've tried talking to ppl about it, but to no avail. So I thought I'd just give tumblr a shot. To see if anybody out there will even listen to me.
Aang learning energybending in the last couple episodes with no former buildup was NOT bad writing/stupid/etc. etc.
It was the most important lesson in Avatar: the Last Airbender. That when you search hard enough for an answer, even if it's impossible, you make your own path.
Just really wanted to get this out there.
Energybending
"Darkness thrives in the void, but always yields to purifying light." —The Lion-Turtle
Artist: Hisashi Momose TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link
anyway, ATLA foreshadowing energybending in multiple episodes, characters, and plot points
bonus points for: Aang also being a lost relic/spiritual being no one's seen in a hella long time who also arrives to help the heroes end the war. Just - you know, in case we were forgetting the "lost history" because of imperialism/being out of balance theme (i.e. the fire nation dances, ba sing se, the true nature of firebending, etc).
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"Without Katara, how would Aang repopulate Airbenders?"
With energybending! That's how! Oh, but one might say:
"Aang can only bend the bending to those who already had bending to begin with."
Has that ever been proven? Either on screen or by the words of writers/showrunners themselves? No, it has not. Aang never even attempted to try. It's a mere headcannon, nothing more. So, until we see Aang actually fail to bestow airbending, stfu!
I don't know if you'd agree with take that debending someone is worse than killing them, but do you think it'd be good writing to have someone call Aang on how his choices to use energybending, taking away part of people's soul, is not mercy at all and is just him being scared to get his hands dirty?
It's a complex issue, but I think Aang believes that by letting those people live, he's giving them a chance to become a better person who later could deserve to retain their bending. The problem is, the show didn't give Aang enough time to feel conflicted about this power and take stock on this responsibility. Does he even have the right to take away and give back people's souls, which were always theirs and no one else's, like he's a God? Should people look up to him as an example of what it means to be "good", be worthy of your own bending? Should that be the base of their moral compass, fear?
It should've been adressed in book 3, if it had more episodes and Aang had obtained this power a lot earlier and not at the eleventh hour.
Short answer: Couldn't agree more, it'd be a good writing.
Longer answer: Yes, I've always found it odd that even during the Eclipse, when Aang was planning to take down Ozai, there was no discussion about whether he should kill him, and it didn't seem like Aang thought about it either, even though that was the perfect time for it to logically come up. This really seemed like a last-minute writing decision that didn't get the exploration and focus it deserved. As for whether debating someone is worse than killing them I also agree, but at the same time I think it's just very traumatic for Aang, a child, to kill somebody rather than it's him just being scared to get his hands dirty, so it's a lot more complicated issue. What you're suggesting though, sounds like a great set of conflicts that would be incredibly interesting to see Aang struggle with and it'd undoubtedly add more depth to the finale.