So shouldn't he have been resisting the ocean spirit potentially killing off most of an army, and definitely killing off Zhao?
Legend of Korra Book 3: Change |OT| SCHEDULEBENDING
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So shouldn't he have been resisting the ocean spirit potentially killing off most of an army, and definitely killing off Zhao?
i just googled "Lahima" to inspect the origins of the poet's name
its actually spelled Laghima, which refers to "becoming almost weightless," which tells me absolutely nothing, considering that's kinda the basic premise of being an airbender
Zaheer (presumably more commonly spelled zahir) is taken from Islam, and is the "apparent meaning of the Quran," which also tells me absolutely nothing
and then the Earth Queen is obviously based off of Empress Cixi. do NOT go read her wiki because i am almost 100% positive that it will spoil the show lmao. i read up to "Hundred Years Reform" and closed the tab.
its actually spelled Laghima, which refers to "becoming almost weightless," which tells me absolutely nothing, considering that's kinda the basic premise of being an airbender
Zaheer (presumably more commonly spelled zahir) is taken from Islam, and is the "apparent meaning of the Quran," which also tells me absolutely nothing
and then the Earth Queen is obviously based off of Empress Cixi. do NOT go read her wiki because i am almost 100% positive that it will spoil the show lmao. i read up to "Hundred Years Reform" and closed the tab.
I still think it's non-sense that you can study bending (via text book), and become a master at controlling it as soon as you get the power. I know the whole point of him bringing up the airbender poet, was to show he knew about air bending, but meh. I hope there is more to it.
I guess it doesn't really matter too much since he's bad ass. But lol, dude looked like he handled air bending better than Korra.
I guess it doesn't really matter too much since he's bad ass. But lol, dude looked like he handled air bending better than Korra.
The Silver
Member
The only weird thing about Aang is that he seemed raring to go on the Day of Black Sun, I don't know if he just wasn't thinking about what he'd do if he actually found Ozai at the palace but it did seem odd to me later on when he started with his morality crisis.
I guess Aang just assumed he could force a powerless Ozai to give up the war effort(lol like that'll happen) or he'll just put him in chains or something. It was only when (Zuko I think?) outright said he has to kill Ozai that he realized what the deal was.
I guess Aang just assumed he could force a powerless Ozai to give up the war effort(lol like that'll happen) or he'll just put him in chains or something. It was only when (Zuko I think?) outright said he has to kill Ozai that he realized what the deal was.
The avatar isn't a god, and even if he was, Aang had no control over the avatar state at that point. Resisting the raging ocean? That's probably as practical as blowing out an erupting volcano or kicking the earth out of orbit. Maybe he'd be able to do it with all the past avatars helping him, but he wasn't at that point yet.
And Aang was out of possession when the Ocean spirit took Zhao.
Edit: My analogy is more appropriate than I expected when I made it, because Roku DID try to handle an erupting volcano, even with the AS and one of the best firebenders in the nation, he still only managed to divert the magma before he had to run away. So the avatar may be the most powerful human force on the planet, but he's still merely human. And when god-like spirits like the goddamn ocean say to jump, you jump whether you want to or not.
Yeah, at that point, capturing the Ozai was a plausible option. But he can't take him at his full power. And with the comet? lol. But if he didnt' do it then, the earth kingdom was done. So he had to do something then, and he didn't have a way to stop him aside from killing him at the time.
To be fair, how much control did Aang have over himself when he merged with the Moon Spirit? Didn't seem like he had much control at all. He was just a vessel for the moon Spirit (which used Aang to amplify its powers).
It's still funny to think Aang prob killed a couple 100 people in this incident. But if he himself personally didn't do it when conscious, he's still being pretty consistent with his philosophies.
It's still funny to think Aang prob killed a couple 100 people in this incident. But if he himself personally didn't do it when conscious, he's still being pretty consistent with his philosophies.
oh, so you think that the historical event aka
The Boxer Rebellion
Yep, sounds about right. Thankfully I don't mind spoilers. But yeah, stay away from that wiki folks.
m_shortpants
Member
Zaheer means "manifest" or "meaning of". Maybe he has some twisted/perverse view of airbending idealogy. Like al Qaeda and Islam or something.
Supermanisdead
Member
Knowing that this season will be most likely inspired by a real historical event just makes me even more excited.
Yep. I really liked it when ATLA would base things loosely on real world events (or when it was subtext). The Dai Li plot for instance.
essentially... yeah
part of me is thinking something like that, but it's like... where will his buddies fit into this in the future? i feel like the fact that he couldnt bend may have potentially informed his decision to align himself with the other three, but will he need them as much in the future? will this cause conflict?
he takes a lethal approach to airbending, which is against the teachings of the air nomads. we dont know the extent of that kind of power.
m_shortpants
Member
I mean, they harped on the fact that Tenzin wanted to teach all the new airbenders about nomad philosophy, so I could totally see this happening (airbending without that restraint, pacifism, etc).
Spirituality is not necessarily pacifistic.
There is an old story about a wise monk in a monastary. His students were quarreling about a cat that entered the temple. He grabbed the cat and said to the students. "Whichever one of you can say a word, I will give him that cat." In this case, saying something meant saying a true word of zen. Neither of the students said anything, but they begged him for the cat anyway. So he took a knife and cut the cat in half, giving it to both the students. He goes on to repeat this story to another student of his, who took off his sandles, put them on his head, and walked off. The monk said to himself that if that student had been there, he'd have given him the cat, whole and unharmed.
We'll have to see what Zaheer's beliefs are, but we already have unorthadox examples of spirituality with Kai. He steals and lies to good people and enjoys worldly pleasures, so you'd think he'd be not spiritual at all. But he's the very essence of detachment. He is detached from people, from any particular place or things, even from any particular version of truth. He's a little shit, but kid's definitely spiritual.
Maybe Zaheer is too.
I don't think she hates animals persay, I get the impression they are more of an inconvenience for her for whatever reason, maybe she got bad allergies.
From a writing perspective, it was to highlight how opposite she was from her father (who loved animals). Just a visual cue. I guess they might get into it later (why she does or doesn't like them).
That is another interesting angle, I actually didn't watch the ATLA, so I wouldn't know. I hope they explore here character more, I would love to see some sort of rebellion, at least this far they are hinting at it in some ways.
Have a hunch they will spend more time focusing on rebuilding the Air Nation and what the criminals are up too.
m_shortpants
Member
You what? :l
She probably dislikes animals because they can mess up her topiaries. They also can be really dirty and smelly.
Ah yeah, that's why the other poster was bringing it up. But the scene was highlighting little things how she differs from her father. But IMO the funny thing is, despite these differences, the city still ends up being in the same position (ie. poverty, over-taxation, and unfair tilt to the upper class).
The old king was docile/passive because his adviser + the Dai Li kept him living in an ignorant bubble (he didn't know the city was in bad shape).
Here the Earth Queen is aggressive and knows exactly what she's doing (and uses the Dai Li to her advantage). Different rulers, but the result is the same. The Earth King did
however, change after he realized what was going on. Not sure why his daughter growing up came to resent the way her father ruled
T
Transhuman
Unconfirmed Member
He was presumably an extremely competent fighter that drew inspiration from airbending philosophy before he was imprisoned (and he may have even studied their fighting as well) it makes sense that he was able to adapt to it as soon as he got it.
I dunno, I still feel like actually wielding an element is a lot different than understanding physical technique. But at least that's a decent explanation? I guess who really cares at this point. He's a cool villain regardless. The only thing that matters is his motivation (how they decide to handle it).
It was the Earth King's weakness and ignorance that allowed the Fire Nation to take control of Ba Sing Se in the first place.
There probably is more to the story
It's clear that the Dai Li respect the Earth Queen's authority and don't view her as a pawn like the Earth King.
This is why I think she might be able to bend. I don't think the Dai Li would respect a non-bender. Or she's just really that scary.
D
Deleted member 80556
Unconfirmed Member
Plus he probably practiced between the check-ups that guards did on him.
I would have to go back and re-watch the episodes, but I think it mentions it has been something like two weeks since Harmonic Convergence.
Given that he is a skilled fight and deeply inspired by air bender philosophy, it seems plausible (to me atleast) that he could get a good grasp on bending in that two week period. Remember he was in isolation, so he didn't have to worry about being watched.
Like the main villain guy, Korra studied air bending with Tenzin and when it came to her, she seemed to grasp it pretty quickly getting the better of Amon and his blood bending.
EDIT: And yes I do plan to watch ATLA at some point, please don't hurt me
Yeah all great points. The Earth King was basically just a pawn, and had absolutely no idea what the world outside his kingdom was like. So that makes the Earth Queen all the more dangerous IMO.
My guess is
After Zuko and Aang backed out on their Harmony Restoration movement, the king continued trying to make the the Earth Kingdom more prosperous. But when he died and the Queen took over, she saw how the Kingdom had lost land, and how the kingdoms power/wealth had been reduced. So she probably tried to roll back all that and went into an extreme direction to reclaim the kindgoms poower, as she saw it.
What, don't you know of the high technique intricacies of kicking a guy?
I'm sorry, wut.
Eh Korra's airbending was actually pretty lame back then. If anything she only bested Amon because he was not adept at fighting airbenders since they've almost all disappeared by that point. That was really the only edge Korra had with her airbeding at that point.
Good to know that anyone with good physique and skilled fighting can pick up any element and master it in a couple weeks. Also moments like Mako throwing lightning makes bending all the more special and unique. 
I'm being facetious though. I really liked the new villain. Kind of interesting so many people dislike his voice actor though (Poor Henry Rollins).
I'm being facetious though. I really liked the new villain. Kind of interesting so many people dislike his voice actor though (Poor Henry Rollins).
Sorry that was poor wording. lol I meant to say he more then likely studied that sort of thing
or that idk, it looked pretty badass though
Uh, guys, she didn't beat Amon because of airbending at all.
He had her in a blood bending hold that NO ONE has ever broken out of on their own. Only Aang ever managed to do it because he had to go into the AS to do it. She broke out of it anyway because....
Then while Amon looks shocked, she kicks air at him and sends him flying out the window into the water, where he is demasked.
She could have been hit by fire, water, or earth. He could have been hit by Mako while he was busy keeping Korra down. it doesn't really matter because the bending had nothing to do with any of it. Him being thrown out the window is what 'defeated' him and Korra probably would have just thrown him out using her arms if she couldn't manage bending.
m_shortpants
Member
Mako was able to zap him while being bloodbent.
WrenchNinja
Member
Yeah. That was stupid.
m_shortpants
Member
I haven't seen it in a while but was Amon distracted? Can't remember.
I just checked. He didn't seem to have Mako in a hold, or he was just setting him up to take away his bending.
He didn't really break away physically the way korra did either. He just happened to have his finger pointed in Amon's face and fired off the lightning as an opportunity.
It doesn't really make sense anyway. Lightning bending is supposed to require moving the arms in a wide arc before you shoot, and that definitely didn't happen, so either way, Mako cheated.
Edit: nvm, he did have him in a hold. That much is confirmed. Still, mako didn't break out of it. He just shot the lightnign at him since his finger happened to be pointed in the same direction, and Amon's grip does not account for internal energy movement. Lightning bending DOES need external movement, like I said just, so it still makes no sense, but Mako didn't break out of it is my point.
Speaking of the Earth Queen, I had trouble making sense of the "my kingdom lost land" stuff. Obviously this is a source of confusion that goes back to ATLA, but what, exactly, is the relationship between Ba Sing Se and Omashu? The impression ATLA gives is that Ba Sing Se is entirely its own thing, and maybe Omashu is the seat of government of everything else or maybe there are a bunch of Earth Kingdoms. Was this ever explained, maybe in the comics? I suppose it's also possible that Ba Sing Se went out and claimed territory post-ATLA.
It's explained in the comics.
But I guess Republic City used to be Earth Kingdom territory. One of Zukos first promises as Emperor is to roll back all fire nation occupation from all lands. Problem is, the colonies that were in the Earth Kingdom end up having families that inter-mixed fire nation + earth kingdom, and they don't want to be uprooted from their homes. These people have established new communities and have learned to get along. Zuko then decides it's best to allow people to stay, so they can continue to grow as a new people and culture. My GUESS is, the Earth Queen is upset that Earth Kingdom lost territory and Emperor Zuko and Avatar Aang didn't fulfill their promise to roll back Fire Nation occupation after Ozai.
EDIT: Re-read your post, it's not entirely explained. I just know the above plot happens (there isn't much more about territory expansion). I'm just assuming this is the thing the Earth Queen is referring to.
Edit: Explained better above.
MONEY AINT NOTHIN BUT MONEY
WHEN YOU GET TO THE MONEY IT AINT NOTHIN BUT MONEY
LOVE AINT NOTHIN BUT LOVE
WHEN YOU LEARN HOW TO LOVE IT AINT NOTHIN BUT LOVE
PARTY AINT NOTHIN BUT A PARTY
WHEN YOU PARTY EVERYDAY IT AINT NOTHIN BUT A PARTY
LOVE MONEY PARTY AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
And we're back. May make a more detailed post tomorrow but for now:
I enjoyed the episodes a lot.
Things that happened last season actually carried over this time. The villains are cool. The plot is intriguing. The characters are likable. The pacing is solid.
So yeah, I am happy with this.
The only thing I didn't really like was Mako and Bolin finding their family - way too convenient, but its not a huge issue.
I enjoyed the episodes a lot.
Things that happened last season actually carried over this time. The villains are cool. The plot is intriguing. The characters are likable. The pacing is solid.
So yeah, I am happy with this.
The only thing I didn't really like was Mako and Bolin finding their family - way too convenient, but its not a huge issue.
So I was reading some reactions to the episodes from the book 1 thread. Man those were the days. What a difference from the book 2 reactions. Every week it seemed like everyone would look forward to next weeks episode and just generally enjoy the show. Although it's looking like we might return to those glory days with Book 3 
I'd have been a lot more negative if we had known what was to come. I just didn't see some things for what they were.
Like, at first I respected that Lin was just as hard on Korra as she would be on anyone else for destroying public property. It would be one of the first lessons Korra learns as the avatar, that her position does not grant her special privileges.
Then it was revealed that she didn't do it because Korra did a wrong thing, but because she was associated with Tenzin, who dumped her, and this is her way of spiteful revenge. This happened, and Korra learned nothing from the experience.
I let pass a lot of things because I didn't recognize them for what they were or I thought they'd be stepping stones to improvement. What a wide-eyed idealistic fool I was.
Like, at first I respected that Lin was just as hard on Korra as she would be on anyone else for destroying public property. It would be one of the first lessons Korra learns as the avatar, that her position does not grant her special privileges.
Then it was revealed that she didn't do it because Korra did a wrong thing, but because she was associated with Tenzin, who dumped her, and this is her way of spiteful revenge. This happened, and Korra learned nothing from the experience.
I let pass a lot of things because I didn't recognize them for what they were or I thought they'd be stepping stones to improvement. What a wide-eyed idealistic fool I was.
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