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aangs-surrounding-love · 3 years

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Perception in Avatar: The Last Airbender

From my various rewatches of the show and hours among hours of scrolling through the fandom, everyone has a set opinion and perception of this show and the characters’ actions. I’ve read countless opinions and heard many analyses about this show. And the thing I can draw from it? Is that this show relies on perception and what you get from others. But it’s more than that. Perception is how the world works in general, but I’m going to try to stay within the boundaries of the Avatar Universe.

First off, let’s start at what perception means. By dictionary definition, perception means the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses. Now, let’s break it down. Perception is, yes, becoming aware, but it’s also about understanding and connection. To become aware, we must develop an understanding. We do this by connecting experience and extending our feelings into what’s being shown. The main picture is that perception is understanding through our senses which creates an experience based on what we feel. However, this can be confused with opinions and emotions. But all of it comes together, the perception, links, connections, to create emotion and what we feel towards something.

Now, let's start with how it ties into the show.

Moving on, perception affects everyone in this show. It’s all based on perception if you think about it hard enough. Starting (Chronologically) from when Sozin wipes out the Air Nomads to get rid of the Avatar. To Sozin, he perceived the Avatar as a threat to his plans. Someone who would interfere with his expansions and power. So, when Roku told Sozin that his actions weren’t right for the world and basically saying it would throw off the balance, Sozin could have taken this as a drive to execute his plans. His perception led him to kill off the Air Nomads using Sozin’s Comet.

You see, that’s what perception leads to. It leads to actions based on our evaluation and decisions.

Now, moving on to when Aang is broken out of the iceberg because of Katara. Immediately, Sokka is skeptical. I mean, who wouldn’t? They’re in the middle of a war that has caused their parents to either be killed or sent away to fight, leaving them alone to take care of each other and the village. So, Aang, 1. walks out of the iceberg, unharmed and not frozen. To Sokka, he hasn’t had enough interaction with a firebender to know all their talents and abilities, this includes not being able to succumb to the sub-zero temperatures in the south pole or inside an iceberg. To Sokka, this may cause him to think that Aang is a threat and there to harm him or Katara. Yes, yes, far reaching possibly but continuing... 2. Aang shoots out a beam, a very powerful one at that, that could alert the FIre Nation of their location and put them and the tribe at risk. 3. Aang’s tattoos and clothing. Again, Aang is unfrozen and to Sokka, who hasn’t met an Airbender or has barely heard anything about them and their culture, so Sokka might not know if Aang could get them into trouble. So pulling all this together, Sokka has seen a boy walk out of an iceberg, unharmed, seen this boy unleash a powerful streak of light at the sky, felt the strong winds of the iceberg breaking, and heard Aang’s somewhat sidetracked answers. All these things would make Sokka reasonably suspicious and threatened.

Aang visiting the Southern Air Temple for the first time in 100 years. His perception of the Air Nomads was a thriving, beautiful community that lived harmoniously at the temple. Only a flying bison could reach there to his knowledge. But now that 100 years have passed, he is met with a new reality. His new perception of the temple is in ruins, dead plants, rubble, abandoned, neglected, and lifeless. Perception changes how you look at it. When Sokka, Katara, and Aang arrive at the temple, Aang’s perception is mostly filled with memories he had with his friends and mentors. He knew a place that’s no longer there, so he points out the things that still made sense to him. “That’s where my friends and I would play airball and over there is where the bison would sleep...” that was still his perception that’s starting to change. But it fully changed when he finds Gyatso’s body, and that’s where Aang truly knows that his culture is gone and his old perception is diminished because this, all the rubble, ruins, Appa and Momo, is all that’s left.

During their travels, the original Gaang (Sokka, Katara, and Aang) meet various groups of people who all have their own perceptions of the Avatar. Some who don’t necessarily like the Avatar and some who cherish them. Since the Avatar hasn’t been seen in 100 years, before they met Aang, their perception was developed through tales and stories. That’s how a lot of perception works in their world and our world. But once Aang was able to meet some of those people and usually helping them, their perception of the Avatar may have changed. To the people, maybe Aang turned out to be beneficial and good to them, while others saw him as a nuisance. But that’s all they need. All they need is a story or interaction to have a perception develop, and in the Avatar Universe, it means a lot.

Perception leads to many things. One of the most outstanding is the opinion. All it takes is a view of something or someone and formulating it into something bigger or smaller depending on how someone depicts it. This perception is the reason why opinions were made. And why some people interpret actions or words differently. With so many factors, there are many possible outputs or outcomes for a response.

For example, when Aang goes to meet Guru Pathik, Aang has to learn to let go and unlock his chakras. It all relied on how Aang interpreted Guru Pathik’s words. And like I said before, Aang needed to gain a perception of Guru Pathik’s words to be able to interact in interpret his words. It’s a simple problem in investigative science. It’s a simple If... then... statement if you think about it. Into context, If Guru Pathik teaches Aang that chakras are swirling pools of energy inside their bodies by making a connection to blockages in a creek, then Aang can associate the swirling pools of energy to the pools in the creek. And that’s how most opinions are formulated. The “if” is the start of the perception and how it developed while the “then” statement is how something begins to interact with someone, formulating that perception and developing an opinion or fact.

(Sorry for the mini investigative science lecture, just a little connection...)

I could go on and on about how every single action someone takes is caused by perception and how, but that would 1. take wayyyyyyy too long, and 2. no one will read that because that’s increasingly long when I could just squish everything into a shorter example.

However, despite this analysis getting quite lengthy, I’m going to throw in more influential examples.

Advice is another major part of perception in ATLA terms. Uncle Iroh has many, many great lines and terms of advice. His wisdom comes from years of his own growth of perception and how he perceives the world. So with all his wisdom and a very confused and angry nephew, he gives his advice out, hoping that whoever is listening gains something from it.

The advice itself isn’t really perception, however, what you take away from it is. Although, I suppose I’m sort of wrong there as well. Advice is also perception. To be able to give out advice, you need to have your own perception on a certain topic to be able to give it out. You need to have a stance and opinion to understand your own advice and give it out to help others.

So, in the Crossroads Of Destiny, Aang seeks Iroh’s advice to which Iroh responds, “Perfection and Power are overrated. I think you are very wise to choose happiness and love.” Iroh experienced his own life to where he could come up with this wisdom and share it with someone in need. Then, Aang asks a question, “What if I’m not powerful enough?” To which, Iroh replies, “I don’t know the answer. Sometimes, life is like this dark tunnel. You can't always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving, you will come to a better place.” Their conversation ends there. Like I said before, this is what Iroh can take out of his life and shares his wisdom with Aang, someone who is in need of this advice. Most importantly, it’s about how Aang, or rather anyone, interprets this. Because that interpretation would be their perception of Iroh’s advice. Their experience with Iroh, their interpretation, what they hear, what expressions Iroh is showing, and what they feel themselves are what formulates their perception of that piece of advice.

This is true for the fans of the show as well. Iroh’s advice hasn’t only impacted those in the show because I know that it has impacted those who have watched the show. But that perception, the takeaway, how we perceive this wisdom is the most important. Using Iroh’s “Life is like a dark tunnel. You can’t always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you keep moving, you will come to a better place.” I can say I’ve found at least six different ways to perceive this. And I’m only one person with my own set of experiences and ideals, meaning that other people could find limitless different ways to perceive this. So, Aang as one person used his own experiences and thought process to develop his own perception and way to interpret Iroh’s wisdom.

Education is another important aspect of perception. What we learn is an experience of its own. To become aware, people need a certain level of information to decide “what side” they’re on. In other situations, people are pitted on sides without a true chance to develop a sense of what’s right or wrong. For instance, in The Headband, Aang is put in a class where the kids have been fed false information. False information that has been bent to making one side, the Air Nomads, look wrong and misguided and the other side, the Fire Nation, looks superior and correct. A quote, “What year did Fire Lord Sozin battle the Air Nation army?” This is asked by a teacher during a quiz. Not only that, Aang knows that the Air Nomads didn’t have a formal military. To which, he raises his hand to express that this is wrong, thinking it could be a trick question. Though, the teacher questions how Aang could know this because that information she’s sharing was in the national history book. The Fire Nation has given its students information that is incorrect to make their stance stronger, maybe thinking that it would pit its own nation against Sozin’s actions. Another thing, Aang’s perception of the Air Nomads isn’t anything like how the Fire Nation has depicted them. So, when Aang was in the school, he found out that everyone in the Fire Nation’s perception of the Air Nomads is violent and the reason for starting the war.

The thing about perception is that it shouldn’t be shoved down your throat, it should develop through thought and experience if given the chance. The Fire Nation didn’t allow the youth to get this and most likely didn’t allow the people of the post-genocide to have a true perception of the Air Nomads or the other nations other than the stuff the school taught them.

Perception is constantly changing based on new experiences or new stories. Take Zuko as an example. Zuko was sent out on the quest to hunt down the Avatar, although it was a task destined for failure, Zuko did find him and captured him many times. Even though Aang, escaped, Zuko kept trying to get Aang and restore his honor. In the very beginning, when Zuko sees the beam of light, he says, “Finally.” However, that’s not where his perception of the Avatar started. Before this, he was expecting a 100+-year-old, master of the elements to fight. He most likely expected an all-powerful being, and Zuko might’ve been willing to die fighting. That is a bit rash, but he would’ve done anything to restore his honor. Even before Zuko was sent on the massive goose hunt, he must’ve been told stories of the Avatar and their powers. So, when Zuko meets Aang for the first time, he rightfully says, “You’re just a child!” All of his previous perceptions are questioned and screwed with. After all, this was what Zuko had been training for, for a little more than two years, at the time. And each encounter with Aang, Zuko’s perception changed. He underestimated Aang, captured him, rescued him, fought with him (for a short time, pre-redemption), betrayed him, fought against him again. And each time leading up to his redemption, his perception keeps evolving and expanding. Until the Western Air Temple episode, they’ve been enemies. They’ve been on opposite sides of a war. So when Zuko was finally incorporated into the Gaang, he gains a new perspective by living among Aang, learning, and getting a new perception. As time passed and the war was won, Zuko is undeniably friends with Aang. Even more time passes and they start Republic City, they become lifelong friends. Even coming to the point where Zuko was often Aang’s counsel.

For Zuko, every encounter he had with Aang changed his perception of him. It gave him a new side and interpretation of him. It evolved from thinking he was an old, all-powerful man to a silly, immature kid, to a friend to a lifelong, respected friend.

When Aang is met with his most difficult task yet, his plan about how to defeat Ozai, and whether or not Aang should kill him, he calls upon the spirits and semi-consciously climbs aboard a Lion Turtle’s back. On the shell disguised as a forest, Aang calls on his past lives to figure out what to do. Aang’s only perception of Ozai is “the baddest guy on the planet”, whatever Zuko told Aang, and what acts Ozai has done against the world. It’s the same thing for the other Avatars as well. They know very little about Ozai, however, they’ve all had a situation on deciding on what to do. They offer Aang their advice and knowledge. They share their mistakes and what situation they got into along with advice that made Aang decide on his own. What I mean is Roku said, “You must be decisive.” Kyoshi said, “Only justice will bring peace.” Kuruk said, “You must actively shape your own destiny and the destiny of the world.” Yangchen said, “Selfless duty calls you to sacrifice your own spiritual needs, and do whatever it takes to protect the world.” They all gave Aang the choice on what to do. They offered advice that ultimately led to the interpretation of Aang should kill Ozai. But all of what they said relies on the perception of their words and what they meant. For Aang, they gave him plenty of contexts to decide what to do, even though it was basically saying that Aang should kill Ozai in their own way without specifically saying that Aang should kill Ozai. Anyway, Aang still looked for answers, looking for an alternative. He finds that he is in the presence of a lion turtle. So, with nowhere else to go and lost, Aang seeks advice from the Lion Turtle.

The Lion turtle says, “The true mind can weather all the lies and illusions without being lost. The true heart can tough the poison of hatred without being harmed. Since beginningless time, darkness thrives in the void but always yields to purifying light.”

It’s all about perception remember? Anyone can take away anything from the Lion turtle’s advice. I’ve said before, it’s all based on how someone perceives this based on their own thought process and experience. To Aang, he is looking for an alternative that wouldn’t go against his principle and find a way to restore balance and punish Ozai for his crimes. Perceiving the Lion turtle’s words, Aang finds this alternative. He finds the art of energybending. He finds this solution that is a risk to him.

Aang’s perception came from both his past lives and the Lion turtle. Aang was decisive. He did bring justice. He managed to shape his own destiny and the world’s. He did whatever he could to protect the world, even before this fight. He was able to “tough the poison of hatred without being harmed.” Aang was able to use his perception of what everyone said and used it to defeat Ozai. Without this deep analysis of perception, Aang wouldn’t have been able to defeat the Fire Lord, Zuko wouldn’t have had his redemption arc, these characters wouldn’t be able to grow.

Yes, yes I’m missing a whole bunch of parts where perception came to play, but that’s not the point. I’m saying that perception is among the most important aspects of ATLA. You know the saying, “It’s not about what you take, it’s what you give”? In this aspect, it is about what you take AND it is about what you give. It’s important to process and perceive what is given. It’s important to ponder and take away from an experience or lecture or talk. It’s important to PERCEIVE. And for those who are the Uncle Iroh’s in this context, it’s important that you learn the first part before you give any life-changing advice. Everything comes from perception whether you like it or not. But in ATLA, it’s vital for the characters to be able to perceive and interpret advice and actions. It’s how everyone interacts with the world and is able to work as a show. Without perception, ATLA wouldn’t have gotten anywhere. Without perception, no one could grow and develop leading to blank emotionless lives.

And some of the best part of perception? In my opinion, of course, is being able to love and react to shows like ATLA and being able to connect to their characters and plot lines. My goodness I love this show.

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atypicalkataangist · 5 years

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Bestowing Honour

Type: Oneshot [Angst]

Summary: One year after Aang’s death, his family returns to the place of his funeral to bestow honour on the late Avatar.

Word count: 2241

Author’s note: Hey guys. Today’s oneshot is actually something special for me. I used it as a vent for many emotions that were boiling up inside of me for the last while. I began writing this Oneshot about two weeks ago; It was the first anniversary of my Dad’s untimely death, who had died of pancreatic cancer last year. We visited my Dad’s grave and so many emotions were bottling up inside of me that I had to release them somewhere, and since something similar happened to the Avatar’s family, I couldn’t pass up the chance to weave my own thoughts, memories and words together with those of the characters in the story.

By the way, AtLA was pretty much the first thing i could really enjoy after everything that happened last year, and I’m very thankful for all the beautiful moments it could give me despite everything else.

So please enjoy this, and even if you don’t I understand, all I wanted to do is to write down my most intimate emotions, and I’m glad I did. This is enough sad stuff for the next while though, I’m looking forward to write about something fluffy finally again! But as you might have noticed by now, updates take a while.

Don’t forget to think positive, whatever may happen, guys; because remember what a wise man once said:

“When we hit our lowest point, we’re open to the greatest change.”

~ Dedicated to my Dad ~

The wind blew strongly at the southern cliff of yue bay. The sun hid behind a thick layer of clouds, the sky was coloured in a deep grey most of the time, only interrupted by brief seconds when the sun was given the opportunity to shine through the almost inpenetrable wall. After a short moment of sunshine however, it would go back into hiding, never to be seen again.

Neither of them had been looking forward to this day, but they all knew that it had to be done. One year ago, on this exact date, the Avatar had died. Avatar Aang, the last airbender, the bringer of piece, had met his demise after a long period of serious sickness. Even though the whole world seemed to be disconsolate about the great man's demise, his family of course was hit hardest. The last year had been an incredibly difficult time for the Avatar's wife and three adult kids; whereas the world seemed to overheap the late hero with honors like planning to build a gigantic statue of him in yue bay, or establishing an "Avatar-Aang-Memorial-Day", his family could only think about the person behind the Avatar, behind the politician, the bringer of peace.

The Avatar's burial had been a huge event, with hundreds of famous people from all around the world giving speeches, sometimes more personal and heartwarming like the one held by the Avatar's trusted friend and ally, Fire Lord Zuko, or sometimes more political and impersonal like the speech held by a nobleman from the earth kingdom, of whom Katara wasn't sure if he had actually been in the same room together with Aang just once while he was alive. According to his beliefs as an Air Nomad, his remains were cremated and his ashes handed over to the winds of yue bay, on the far end of a cliff not far from his lifelong home on air temple island. It had been a terrifying day for Katara. Even though hundreds, if not thousands of people expressed their more or less honest condolences to her, offering their help whenever she would need it, her inner instincts were just telling her to run. Run as far away as her legs would carry her. It had all been too much, way too much, and without the support of her children, she would have probably left, not bearing to witness the act of hundreds of people crying in remorse over someone they barely knew.

She had known him, better than all of them . She had loved him every day of her life. She had cared for him when he wasn't well, and she was by his side, she didn't leave him in his final days, holding his hand, watching the final bit of life leaving his frail body until his suffering came to an end. She had cried until there were no more tears to shed. She had loved him more than she had loved anything else, perhaps except for her children. She had spent her whole life at his side, going through ups and downs, highlights and crises together. They had saved the world together. They had rebuilt a culture. They raised three children together. They had been married for well over forty-five years. And they had endured ravage, destruction, wars, Appa's death, Iroh's death, rebellion, and so much more.

And all of that should've come to an end now? Because the universe decided that the world needed a new Avatar? A fresh start? With him, almost everything she cared about was taken from her, a part of her dying together with him. A part of her wished to die as well, to be reunited with him in the spirit world, to spend eternity at his side. But another part reminded her of her children, her first grandchild that was on the way, the fate of her husband's air nomad culture that lived on through the air acolytes and her son Tenzin. She secretly knew that her time had not come yet.

After his death, she didn't dare to return to their old home on air temple island. They had spent their whole lives together in that house, and there was nothing that didn't remind her of him. She needed to get out of there and never return. Many begged her to join them, like Zuko, who was more than willing to help one of his dearest and oldest friends with an apartment in the royal palace, or the ancient earth king who had always appreciated and cared for the Avatar and his family.

Nonetheless everybody knew where she was going. The day after his funeral, she took the first ship towards the south pole, her home, the only place where she had lived for longer than a few months without him by her side. Her birthplace. The place of her family, her culture, her ancestors. Her daughter Kya joined her, putting her life on pause, postponing the wedding with her fiancee. She couldn't let her mother alone in a time like that, so she cared for her for the next hard months. The late Avatar's wife barely spoke, sunken in dreams and memories, yet she appreciated her daughter's company. Her sons came to visit every now and then, at least relieved to know that she would be in good hands with Kya, but their lives kept them busy most of the time, Bumi being a general in the united forces and Tenzin being the head of a culture that had yet to be reborn. Of course Katara didn't hold a grudge against her sons. Whenever they asked if they should stay, she reminded them to get back to their duties, not to worry about their old mother.

The only positive thing, the only glimmer of hope and the only thing that finally caused her to leave the south pole once in the next year, was the birth of Tenzin's first child, Aang's and her first grandchild, a little girl named Jinora, who quickly turned out to be an airbender. It was the first time she felt something like hope again since the death of the Avatar. Yet again she felt incredibly remorseful that her husband was not there with her and his son to share this beautiful moment together, the birth of their first grandchild, the second air bender in the world.

The next months she spent at the south pole, at least returning to her usual behaviour prior to the traumatic experience. She didn't stop to teach her daughter expert water bending techniques, also training some younger waterbenders from the southern, as well as the northern water tribe. She began to slowly return to life again, regaining a purpose. Kya even caught her mother laughing from time to time, and that sound she hadn't heard for way too long was like music in her ears.

Nonetheless no day went by without Katara thinking about the love of her life. At night she often went for long walks, looking up to the sky, searching for symbols or signs as a piece of evidence for his presence, but there was nothing. Sometimes she even went out to ice fields where she had found him in the iceberg. On the day that changed her life. Where she held him in her arms for the first time. Where they exchanged their first words. Where they went penguin sledding together. She couldn't think back at this moment without tears immediately shooting up to her eyes. How much she missed him... It felt unbearable.

And now, one year after the worst day of her life, she had to return, only to be confronted again with the terrible place near the coast, where she had to scatter his ashes. At least no one else was present now, except for her children and her brother. She wanted to keep it in the family. It would be hard enough as it was.

The skies didn't seem to approve of their endeavor. Maybe it was Aang, desperately trying to let them know that he was still there; or maybe the spirits were raging again. In the end, it didn't matter anyway. It was right after noon when all of them had finally made their way to the small edge of the cliff , where nothing but a small memorial stone and a bronze plaque which simply said "Avatar Aang - 12 BG - 153 AG" gave an indication of a memorial for a great man.

They stood there in silence; Katara in the center, opposite to the memorial stone, framed by her brother and her daughter, with Bumi at Sokka's and Tenzin at Kya's other side. The wind didn't allow them to have the peace they deserved, howling and messing up their clothes and hair. By now Katara could even feel tiny raindrops against her skin. Without even realizing it, she bend the whole rain around them away, leaving them dry.

She watched her husband's memorial with hurt, painful eyes. She was the first and only one to talk. "Aang...", she barely uttered with a shaky voice, while her whole body began to tremble from grief, "we...we've been doing okay so far... but we miss you" She began to cry heartbreakingly,"...so ...so much..." Her family, her brother, her children instantly offered their support, barely capable to hold back their tears as well. She wasn't ready to be helped right now. Nobody could comfort her. Powerless, she dropped on her knees, the wind joining in to her howling, breezing through her greyish hair. She wasn't even strong enough to bend the rainwater away anymore. Her brother dropped right next to her, very gently holding her back while his tear-dimmed eyes tried to meet his sister's, gently drawing her into an intimate hug. Her crying became louder against her trusted brother's shoulder, turning into nerve-splitting howling as all the good and bad memories came back into her mind. "I... I can't do this...", she cried, repeating it over and over again.

Kya felt dizzy from the pain she felt and she could see within her mother. She felt helpless. Not even she could heal her mother's pain. Guilt, anger and pain rose up inside of her, causing her to tremble. A wave of tears broke out of her despite her efforts to hold it in. She was about to lose equilibrium, about to hit the ground, when her little brother noticed her dizziness and held her firm, pressing his grief-stricken sister against his shoulder, sniffing away tears of his own.

The only one standing alone was Bumi. Even though they didn't always come along greatly, he had loved his father very much, and he was in mourning for him after his death. He didn't want his family to notice, but now, after a whole year had passed, with so much happening in his own life, he had felt simply nothing when he came back to the place of his funeral. He knew that his father was sitting there somewhere, watching him and hopefully be proud of his son. But when his mother started to cry again, like on the same day a year back, heartshattering and nervewrecking, he couldn't help but feel somewhat angry. Maybe it was his soldier-like attitude that he had to learn while being in the forces; whatever you do, don't show weakness. Or perhaps he was angry at her, because she became so dependent on her husband being there for her, that now that he was gone, her whole life began to crumble and fall apart.

Though perhaps he was angry at himself for all those missed opportunities, perhaps for taking so much for granted in the past; for forgetting so many beautiful memories to make coping with the pain easier. For putting his own life about his mother's, leaving her and his sister alone, only to fulfill his own dreams, to live his own life.

Finally, a tear slipped out of his eye, the only thing indicating the turmoil inside of him. He stood there in silence as he tried to bring his thoughts in order, watching the memorial as he somehow tried to share his thoughts with his Dad, telling him about his deepest feelings.

He snapped out of his trance after feeling a hand touching his shoulder. It was his uncle who looked at him with weary eyes, trying to figure out if his favourite little nephew was alright inside. Not coming to a clear conclusion, he still decided to hug him.

Bumi closed his eyes. His hero's touch felt good, it reminded him of how his Dad showed his appreciation whenever he heard of his sons accomplishments in making the world a safer place. He missed moments like these. When he opened his eyes again, he saw his mother was back at her senses now, sitting in the wet grass. She looked almost childlike, despite being an older woman by now. The way she was sitting there, wiping away the last few tears with her wirstbone, not daring to raise her eyes to meet what was in front of her. Kya and Tenzin were sitting on her left; he decided to take place on her right, putting his arm around her back, gently rubbing her back in small, circular patterns. She leaned into his touch, and when he heard her calmly breathing again, he knew that one day they would be alright.

#avatar #atla #kataang #family #death #grief

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