There's also a bazillion years of backstory we've never seen, and if Beginnings is to be believed, the world basically never changed technologically until around LoK. So you could have an Avatar story so far removed from LoK, it could do basically anything it wanted and be a "past-future, future-past" deal. It's almost like Star Wars, where the past and future only seem to bring stylistic changes. All you'd probably have to do is keep the Raava/Vaatu thing as being part of the Avatar's nature, but even then it's up to the runners how much they want to deal with it, or just keep it a silent presence.
Legend of Korra Book 4: Balance |OT| A Feast of Crows
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There's also a bazillion years of backstory we've never seen, and if Beginnings is to be believed, the world basically never changed technologically until around LoK. So you could have an Avatar story so far removed from LoK, it could do basically anything it wanted and be a "past-future, future-past" deal. It's almost like Star Wars, where the past and future only seem to bring stylistic changes. All you'd probably have to do is keep the Raava/Vaatu thing as being part of the Avatar's nature, but even then it's up to the runners how much they want to deal with it, or just keep it a silent presence.
Well, you're question was related to a sequel to LoK. A prequel would be different, and could ignore a lot of the bullshit.
But we'd need to have good writers for it, atleast on par with TLA's, and that''s just not something I've seen in this universe since TLA ended.
Air - established to be based in spirituality, detachment, etc - Korra achieved it through the attachment to Mako's bending, which is what she is most attracted to in him. Because how could she fantasize about hawt Mako smex if he can't shoot fire?
Energy - Established to require an unbendable will - Korra could do it after just 'hitting bottom' and implied to be contemplating suicide if she could not bend. That's certainly not my image of someone who has an iron will.
Avatar state - established to require cleansed chakra's - Again, Korra was just contemplating suicide and made no personal change. She just got really sad, and Aang said she 'hit bottom', therefore she wins.
Avatar state - established to be the cumulative strength of all the past avatars - This is the big one. Turns out it's actually a blue spirit kite that gives the avatar a super saiyan mode.
Besides that, there's just way they treated Bending differently. In TLA, it was the representation of each culture. Earthbenders being stubborn and tough. Firebenders being passionate and alive. The actual tossing of the elements was just a neat bonus. What the avatar actually gained by learning these things is insight into each culture. That's why the avatar was special, they were the only person who understood each culture through bending, which is why they were tasked with balancing the world. They were the only ones who knew each nation well enough to give fair, unbiased advise.
Korra just sees it as a way to throw rocks. Which would be fine from a character point, she could have grown from there, but the writers just saw it as a way to throw rocks too. In many ways, this is the root of many problems with Korra. They only look at the superficial level of continuity from TLA, not really paying attention to what it's all supposed to mean.
You've been around here long enough to know all of these Trey. Why are you making me repeat myself?
You're kinda weak.
To be fair, I was lit off of some bourbon an hour ago or so. Just now coming down.
The Avatar state whining is still a bit weak, tho
Yeah, this needs to be re-established. It actually makes sense from a survival standpoint. And grounding a concept in survival is about as surefire as it gets.
Part III, and Jotaro by extension, is the most famous because it introduced STANDS which have become the defining characteristic of the entire franchise for the past 25 years.
There are people who can be shown the mountainous evidence of evolution, of the enormous scale of the universe, of the most significant pieces of history, and it will all slide off them like water off a duck's back because they casually deem it weak with an offhand comment.
You're entitled to your opinion, I suppose. Everyone is. But you are wrong, all the same.
Very much agree. They do a fantastic job with the trailers and Jeremy's music always make them even better.
So hard picking a favourite but for me it's a close call between either the Book 2 trailer or the Book 3 one. Love the Red Lotus theme so much.
I wouldn't say wrong. Rather I'm...more forgiving of another failed swing at a narrative device that has been a problem since the first season of the first series.
Atla certainly never established AS consistently. It didn't even pay attention to the rules it set. That guru nonsense with the final chakra is a waste of animation.
Beginnings was the most interesting the AS has been since the western airtemple episode.
Atla certainly never established AS consistently. It didn't even pay attention to the rules it set. That guru nonsense with the final chakra is a waste of animation.
Beginnings was the most interesting the AS has been since the western airtemple episode.
I think book 4's trailer was my favorite. Coming off of 3(which i legitimately greatly enjoyed), my hype for 4 was very high and the trailer looked like an extension of what i liked about book 3. Of course, it has that fan service stinger too.
Icyflamez96
Member
Red Lotus theme got tiring for me. Book 2 trailer is where it's at.
Ah, now the burden of proof shifts to you. What inconsistencies have their been?
It's established that the avatar state functions in 2 modes: one where it is triggered as a kind of survival mechanism and one where the avatar state is controlled by the current avatar. Granted, there is some vagueness of 'who' exactly is in control during the survival mode, but that's not really an inconsistency. Also, there is the question of how long the past avatar can maintain their form in the current body, but also not an inconsistancy, just a wierd feature that could use some more elaboration.
The chakra explanation is perfectly valid, as far as I can tell. The last chakra kind of throws you for a loop (and the show is aware of it. Aang pointed out how love was a good thing just a few chakra's ago), but it is perfectly inline with the traditional spirituality theme, and especially the seemingly contradictory teachings of zen buddhism. Aang giving up his attachment to love was consistent with the teachings.
If you like beginnings, good for you, have a cookie, but first establish how it makes sense while the first season doesn't.
Like you said, Aang points out the contradiction. Aang rightfully says giving up love and earthly attachments is stupid (because he's the Avatar, but really because he wants to bone Katara). And in the next season Roku's tale is proof positive that the guru was bullshitting, even if you ignore the fallout from the finale with Aang supposedly relinquishing his wordly attachments but oh wait he got shot up with lightning so mulligan, we'll hold this thought until a rock outcropping comes along.
It shows that entire bit was shoehorned in just for cheap romantic drama, and it (letting go of love) is completely forgotten going forward.
We've had this particular dance before to a different song. The AS has been written around from day one, and this compromise has afflicted even atla.
It shows that entire bit was shoehorned in just for cheap romantic drama, and it (letting go of love) is completely forgotten going forward.
We've had this particular dance before to a different song. The AS has been written around from day one, and this compromise has afflicted even atla.
Point out the contradiction, not where the contradiction came from. I'm not seeing how Roku's story contradicts the Guru. As for the physicality of it, while weird I guess, chakra's ARE connected to the physical self. I mean, if they weren't why would they be specifically in certain body parts? So it's not unthinkable that physical objects can obstruct the chakra's.
So, yeah, so far, all I'm hearing is how the ideas present here are not easy to intuitively grasp. Nothing about a contradiction, however.
Also, the wording is key here. The ATTACHMENT to love is what he needs to let go of, not love itself.
The contradiction being that the guru tells Aang to let Katara go or he'll never go into the Avatar state, when next season Roku goes in and out of the Avatar state while bedding his wife on the side of an active volcano.
The guru specifically tells Aang that he must let go of Katara. He must've been upset that the only living being putting their tongue on his crusty self was Appa.
Suppose I have a massive attachment to ice cream. I eat it every day. But then I stop because it's unhealthy. I give up my attachment to ice cream in favor of my attachment to my health.
Does ice cream cease to exist? Does it not taste good anymore? Do I never, ever have it again?
Of course not. Yet the attachment is given up. I still experience and enjoy ice cream, I'm just not attached to it.
Besides, it's not that they have to be like this ALL the time. It is just a mindset they have to go into for when they use the avatar state. Once they do that, they can get their chakra's blocked once again until they need to go into the avatar state again. But I reject that love itself blocks the chakra's. It doesn't. The contradiction Aang pointed out was not an actual contradiction, it just seemed like one. They can experience love. They just can't be attached to it, and that's only if they want to go into the avatar state. Hypothetically, they can detach, then reattach once the AS business is done. There is no contradiction of Avatar's loving other people and being able to go into the AS.
Admiral Woofington
Member
I liked the use of the Avatar state in AtlA more than in Korra imho.
So they have to fall out of love right quick in order to go into the Avatar State? Despite all of the narrative signs in the sequence pointing to Aang having to give up his love for Katara in the permanent sense?
Even further, how can one chakra utilize love in order to be opened, while another chakra requires the dismissal of love? Must the chakrs be opened and maintained concurrently, or are they sequential: you open it once, you opened it for good?
Even further, how can one chakra utilize love in order to be opened, while another chakra requires the dismissal of love? Must the chakrs be opened and maintained concurrently, or are they sequential: you open it once, you opened it for good?
The source of your confusion is the notion that love and attachment are one and the same. No, they are two separate things. Aang is still in love with her. He's just not attached to that love. Granted, it's very complicated, and not inuitive to traditional western style of thinking. This is why zen buddhism seems so banana's to most people. It's very complicated and difficult to explain, but I've atleast successfully distinguished the two concepts long ago. There is definitely a difference, though. My attachment to the pleasure of eating ice cream is not the pleasure of eating ice cream itself.
I'd talk more about it, but it'd require a lengthy post, and it's almost 4 am here and I still have a few papers to write, so I'll have to end it here. Honestly, it'd be better if you found your own answer to this, but if you want my take on it, PM me and I'll send you a write up once I have more time.
JadedWriter
Member
I get the reasoning. I just can't get behind a guy that calls his mom a bitch within like the first two eps for no apparent reason. After 24 eps of him so far of season 2 I've gotten more used to him. I just want a more "lively" protagonist, though Grandpa Joseph does balance the show out more. The Stand powers are fucking crazy though, some of them are actually pretty inventive and it's nice how they actually explain what they do and how the users have to be creative to exploit the strengths and mask the weaknesses of their stands. It is more interesting than the Ripple power from the first two parts.
Books 3&4 have the best trailer music.
Putting aside the inner workings of chakras, mastery of the AS was established as something that took time and effort--not reaching your lowest point and having the previous Avatar appear and touch your forehead. We saw Aang with Pathik and know that Roku had to be patient after his incident. And although I don't like the rock-to-back scene in the finale of the original (pure luck at reactivating it, I guess?), I'm willing to accept that much more than what happened at the end of Korra S1.
SoulUnison
Banned
I believe that if they'd known they were going to get more than one season of Korra, Book 2, being the season all about Spirits and Spirituality, would have opened with Korra only able to Airbend, and needing to reconnect with her past lives in order to learn how to restore and remove bending like Aang did.
It would have also made it that much more of an emotional body blow when she would have spent the season trying to connect with her past selves, only to lose them all.
Lin wasn't an important part of Book 2, really, and I can't remember her bending that season at all, so it would have been easy to move her being given her Earthbending back from the last minute of Book 1 to sometime in late Book 2, although I guess some people would complain if she was allowed to remain Chief of the Metalbender police without, y'know,being able to Metalbend.
JadedWriter
Member
It's seasonal tradition unless they don't even give enough of a shit to leak it anymore.
Me too so I can experience a Korra episode leak for the first time.
Eager to see Ku take that L.
She won't lose.
Would be great. So we can get this over with. This season is like a colonoscopy. No one wants to get one done, but you just got to get it over with. For health etc.
JadedWriter
Member
I was going to say something to this, but...I just can't...That's terrible.
I for one am looking forward to the episode.
That's terrible.
I for one am looking forward to the episode.
I am, only in the sense that I don't want to say goodbye. I don't want it to be over.
But it's kind of like what we talked about on Xbox Live. I just don't really know what I should be excited about as this season is ending. What I should be invested in. They did such a poor job on the Korra side of things (making me care about her, making this is a specific story about her redemption. It was so scattershot, and the way the story played out, was more frustrating then like...relateable or emotionally impacting).
It's really weird to me. Like...the episode Korra gets back to Republic City, she's shown all smiling and off in her own world. And it's like, Yo you just got beat by Kuvira. And so then they have this scene of her and Opal talking. Opal is distressed because her family is in danger. And Korra's response is "we all care, we'll fix this". lol Okay korra.
So then you have a couple episodes where Korra doesn't really seem that concerned or broken. It was just odd. And then she finally met Zaheer, and supposedly FINALLY got rid of her issues. But even that wasn't like handled with as much emotional impact as could have. I mean yes, we were all tired of Korra's plot, because of how it was told. Them focusing on Korra for 4-5 episodes of being Broken (but again my argument is, they didn't focus enough within those 5 episodes, so it never really resonated. It felt rushed and scattershot). So by that point people were irked by her going back to square 1. But then it was like, the writers and Korra weren't all that concerned with her plot anymore either lol
Basically, you have this premise of Korra being broken and haunted by her demons. You have them trying to tie in all the seasons by Korra struggling for relevancy because of all the things she's suffered each season. Book 3 ended on such a powerful note, because you felt really bad for Korra and how broken she was. And the beginning of Book 3, you still felt bad for her. But the way they told the story (it jumping back and forth between various things and her, and her story structure being kind of frustrating with her training, and then just going back to square 1 after all that time away and broken).
I feel a huge disconnect from the Korra in Book 3 finale. And the Korra of this season. I don't feel like, connected to her. That emotional journey we should be feeling for her, I'm not feeling it. So what am I supposed to care about going into this series finale?
The way I see it, this is basically a one off conflict. You have Kuvira a crazy psychopath that just wants world domination. And you have Korra basically like OKAY I'll deal with this physical threat. You have two plot points converging, and I don't really feel invested in either.
So I'm not sure what I'm supposed to care about here. I hope the finale is a huge spectacle. And is at least fun to watch (incredible choreography). But yeah. I dunno. I'm just not particularly excited about this (sad to say). And I would not mind it leaking, so I could just watch it.
badcrumble
Member
So we still haven't gotten a resolution to whatever's up with Korra's invisible doppelgänger that only she can see, right? Do we know that that's over?
Nope. Me and Toa TAK were talking about this. But we are pretty sure that Korra is going to falter again in this finale. During her battle with Kuvira, that thing will pop up again, and she will fail.
So if people are already annoyed by Korra this season, prepare for Korra to still be weak in the finale against Kuvira. There will be that scene where Korra falls down because she sees her doppleganger. Sigh.
Because her coming to terms with Zaheer, didn't actually deal with that specific thing. So I'm guessing it will pop up again. Since it's the only way to make Korra and Kuvira on equal grounds (to keep Korra weak). That said, obviously she will overcome it in the finale.
I think it did deal with that specific thing. The writers just weren't great at connecting it.
JadedWriter
Member
It just seems like a very phoned in season. There are elements that should work, but they really just didn't put a lot of time into it, which is why the pacing felt so horrible this season.
Glad you took the first step.
Too many characters are the problem I think. And their incompetency.
No way, she's the best thing about this show.
Edit:"awesome" Fanart notwithstanding.
JadedWriter
Member
They could've benched a good chunk of the cast for an ep to expand her story a bit. I would not have missed anybody for the most part.
SoulUnison
Banned
Yeah, it's taking all the spotlight off my man Bolin!
Seriously, though, I wish we'd have gotten an explanation of how Lavabending works like we did for Lightning and even, to a lesser extent, Flight.
Every element got its "auxiliary ability" explained except Earthbending. Firebending even got two different "evolved forms" in Lightning and Combustion.
I was hoping it'd be a result of Bolin having both Earth and Firebender blood, as that'd open up cool possibilities for bending to evolve as the world becomes more homogenized.
X
Xpike
Unconfirmed Member
Kai really didn't do much even in Season 3, did he
SoulUnison
Banned
If he'd shown up 10 seconds earlier at the end of Season 3 Bolin wouldn't even know he was a Lavabender.
Also, They should have just chucked Tenzin off the cliff and let him Airbend to safety.
Even grievously injured, he had a better chance that way then hoping somebody would unlock new bending all of a sudden.
m_shortpants
Member
Could've sworn it was explained somewhere that it's basically earthbending at speed, which creates friction and turnt the rocks to lava.
Or something.
I think that was her fear given physical form. That or the Avatar State half of her she was running from.
Either way I believe we'll see it one more time in the finale when Korra gets over her fear if going into the AS. At that point Korra and Doporra will fuse to become KORRAGOD and Kuvira will be destroyed, perhaps put into the cell next to Zaheer.
God I hope this doesn't happen.
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