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doublel27 · 9 years

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Tenzin and Aang Meta

This analysis comes partially from my own thoughts that have been percolating around the Kataang kids’ childhoods and off of additional thoughts I have had after reading lokmusingsandgifs’ meta Bumi, Kya and Tenzin. Today I’m going to focus mainly in on Tenzin. There was one specific part I wanted to touch on regarding Tenzin, his super serious outlook and the stress he puts himself under.

from lokgifsandmusings's meta-analysis Bumi, Kya and Tenzin

But Tenzin’s understanding of his “responsibility” is one that is limited to continuing the Air Nation. While of course his status as the only adult airbender pre-Book 3 is one that innately has a lot of pressure, Tenzin takes a limited view of what it “carry on his father’s legacy.” For him, the culture is all about having airbending, which is curious given the many acolytes that exist. Genetically, his stance makes sense, but it’s also a major point of contention for the Kataangs.

Tenzin’s limited view is not surprising to me when we go back and look at Aang’s view of the decimation of his people, the air nomad culture and the Air Acolytes. I think most of this is a direct feed from Aang, intentional or unintentional, and is a burden Tenzin has carried with him for years.

Starting off with Aang, the loss of his people is a great one. It feeds much of his anger and feeling throughout Avatar: The Last Airbender. I mean, it’s the name of the show. The focus on it; first with his irrational hope that there are airbenders hiding out there and later when he realizes he is the last and if he doesn’t have kids he may indeed be the last, as a serious weight to Aang as both Avatar and as the last member of his nation. The Air Acolytes are not, strictly, members of Aang’s nation and he has his reasons for feeling that way. For starters, all of the Air Nomads were airbenders. This comes from the pop-up commentary Avatar Extras of The Northern Air Temple episode.

9. Fact: Unlike the other elements, where only some people are benders ...

10. ... with Air Nomads, they're all airbenders.

This is a crucial piece to why Air Nomads and Air Acolytes are two entirely different people, in Aang and later Tenzin’s eyes. If to be an Air Nomad you had to have bending ability, then no person who does not have bending can be a true Air Nomad. The two things are mutually exclusive. While the Avatar Extras were not strictly written by Bryke and fall under some contesting as to their accuracy, Avatar: The Last Airbender (atla) lends credence to this idea.

Aang states in The Southern Air Temple “Air Temples are only accessible by air bison.” as a reason the fire nation could not get to the temple to destroy the Air Nomads. Nomadic life is right in their name and Aang has done a ton of traveling for a twelve year old. He had friends all over the world and is versed in many cultures, albeit 100 years ago, as evidenced by his outdated lingo in the fire nation. Added to this are the air locked doors and airball and other pieces of Air Nomad culture that are tied directly to airbending.

The Acolytes themselves did not carry on the Air Nomad culture. They received their name and their origin in the comic run The Promise, in part 3. To begin, they were The Avatar Aang Fan Club. Aang takes his fan club and decides to re-name them the Air Acolytes and teach them all he knows about his culture in hopes of having his culture maintained. This continues through the comic run The Rift, as Aang and the Air Acolytes try to revive Yangchen’s Festival, celebrating the friendship between humans and spirits. The emptiness of the Air Temples, and the colony at the Northern Air Temple were huge issues for Aang during A:TLA. I could see as the Air Acolytes grew, Aang teaching them how to maintain the Air Temples so they were as sacred as they used to be.

This does not make the Air Acolytes the new Air Nomads. They are acolytes which are defined as any attendant, assistant or follower. They are named followers of Air. They are not benders but followers or worshipers. Their creation and learning is predicated on Avatar Aang’s teachings. I cannot see him considering them, even with all of their devotion, full members of his nation, but namely maintaining it until there are enough Air Nomads to fill the temples and travel the world again.

This brings us to Aang’s children. If all Air Nomads were airbenders, I cannot imagine Aang would ever expect his children would ever not be airbenders. At the least, they could be waterbenders, considering Katara is their mother, but a non-bender would be out of Aang’s thought process. I can imagine his disappointment and disbelief in Bumi’s lack of bending during his lifetime as a huge blow to Aang, which would also feed into Bumi’s sense of self and sense of self-worth. Kya is spared this by being a waterbender and having Katara’s tutelage to help her. Having a non-bender as his oldest child and then a waterbender as a second, the revival of his entire nation is focused on Tenzin, his youngest.

The trips that Aang and Tenzin took sound exactly like the trips Aang insisted on taking Katara and Sokka on throughout their travels. Which were, likely, trips Aang and his fellow Air Nomads used to take while traveling the world. While you can take non-airbenders on these trips, which Aang did, it can only be far easier to do this with airbenders. Aang likely saw Tenzin as a child, but more importantly as student and a friend. This is the first person in over 100 years with whom Aang can fully share his culture. You can teach Air Acolytes about the culture, but Tenzin could fully experience the culture. They could fly together on their gliders, zoom on air scooters, play airball and do all of the things Aang missed having childhood friends to do well with.

The fact that Bumi and Kya were left out of these trips only gives further credence to the idea that Aang instilled in his kids that the only way to be part of the Air Nomad nation was to airbend. Which is fascinating, as Tenzin tends to be Mr. Stability, staying home and tending to his family, the Air Acolytes, Republic City and all of his duties, and Bumi and Kya are more the nomadic type with Bumi taking off to be part of the Republic Navy and Kya spending a good number of years traveling to find herself. Bumi and Kya embody that nomadic spirit better than their airbending brother. It seems that that part was never recognized. Tenzin considers them “irresponsible” because he is the one shouldering the Air Nomad burden, when really they are the most Nomadic of the family. But more to this as we get into Tenzin.

Considering the Air Acolytes were started due to them being fans of Aang, I can see there being a worry that they would disappear after Aang dies and that Tenzin has to hold all of the Air Nomad culture and continue to inspire Air Acolytes after Aang is gone. Aang likely pressured Tenzin to have children in order to attempt to grow the nation the only way they knew how. Which is a lot to put on a young person.

This brings us to my Tenzin. I cannot imagine Tenzin being anything other than focused on the continuation of his culture after such an upbringing. Aang knows when he dies, that Tenzin is all that’s left. Tenzin knows that when Aang dies, that he is all that’s left of what they consider the Air Nomad race. I doubt Tenzin sees the Air Acolytes as technically lesser considering his wife was an Air Acolyte before he married her and when they visit the Southern Air Temple Tenzin and Pema are very put off by the overbearing/fawning nature of the acolytes there. Still, the thread of all Air Nomads being airbenders, leans heavily on why that narrow view gets taken.

It could only be a relief to Tenzin when all of his children were born airbenders, although he was still the only grown Air Nomad and the last one of his kind. Unlike traditional Air Nomads, Tenzin is not very nomadic, enjoying his home base at Air Temple Island, and is very serious. Partially, this is due to Tenzin having a heavy dose of his mother in his personality. Like Katara, Tenzin has a hot temper that he tries to hide under a calm exterior and lacks a sense of humor and is often the mother hen in all situations. The rest of it comes from the pressure of living up to his father’s example to lead the Air Acolytes and to repopulate the Air Nomad race.

Also adding pressure to Tenzin is the fact that his only model for what an Air Nomad is was Aang. The great Avatar Aang is the only stick he has to compare himself. While Aang was the Avatar, he did not find out until he was twelve and before that he was raised amongst the Air Nomads as a regular, if not exceptionally talented kid. Aang had room to find himself within his own culture. Tenzin’s only measuring stick is Aang. Which is why his facing his father in the Fog of Lost Souls is so key.

Tenzin You must stay focused. Remember who you are Tenzin. You are the son of Avatar Aang. You are the hope for future generations of airbenders. The fate of the world rests on your shoulders. But what if I fail? [Looks around.] Then your father's hopes of the future dies with you. I can't fail. You will. [Covering his ears, while sagging to the ground, arguing with himself.] Ah, stop it! I am the son of Avatar Aang. I am the hope for future generations of airbenders. I am the son of Avatar Aang. [Hallucinating, he looks up to see an image of his father standing before him.]

Aang's image [Appearing from the fog.] Hello, my son.

Tenzin Dad, [Sadly.] I've failed you. I am no spiritual leader, and I've let the world down. I'll never be the man you were.

Aang's image You are right. [Tenzin is shocked at the revelation.] You are trying to hold on to a false perception of yourself. You are not me and you should not be me. You are Tenzin.

A puff of smoke engulfs Aang, when it disappears, he becomes a reflection of Tenzin. Tenzin stares at his reflection and gives a determined look before standing up.

Tenzin I am not a reflection of my father. I am Tenzin. [With his reflection.] I am Tenzin!

This conversation between the two of them shows so much of what Tenzin has spent his whole life struggling with. He feels he has to be his father, that he is just an extension of Avatar Aang living amongst the world. I highly doubt this was Aang’s intention. Still, it doesn’t change the perception that the fate of his entire world is squarely on his shoulders, leaving him with the heavy sense of responsibility and need for decorum and order.

This would explain his joy over finding that airbenders were popping up all over the world post-Harmonic convergence. He cannot, however, seem to understand why other airbenders are not overcome with joy and a wish to join his nation. Tenzin’s excitement is largely selfish and the idea that he’s not alone. Where he struggles in training, again, I think comes from his lack of time to find himself within the experience of his culture. He has his father and tons of ancient texts.

In addition, as mentioned above, Tenzin is the least nomad-like of his siblings. Tenzin, much like his mother, puts a heavy importance on family, stability and doing the right thing. Bumi has the fun-loving spirt and the need to travel, as does Kya. I feel a lot of Tenzin’s issues with teaching and with reaching the spirt world have to do with this disconnect with his culture. He wants so badly to fit into the model Air Nomad that he shoehorns and forces himself into it, save the light-hearted nature as the world is on his shoulders. In a similar manor he shoehorns his students into model Air Nomad life which they all balk against. While he is starting to allow himself to be just Tenzin, he cannot seem to allow the same of his fellow Air Nomads at the beginning. It takes time, mutiny and Bumi to figure it all out. Once Tenzin relaxes into more of a guide than a forceful tasksmaster who forces his opinion onto others (both his parents were guilty of this in A:TLA so I’m not surprised Tenzin takes this route) things go much better with training the new Air Nomads.

#tenzin #aang #air nomads #air acolytes #tlok meta

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blogquantumreality · 10 years

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Okay, so in following up from this post which I commented on, saying I would discuss it more thoroughly, here's my meta response.

This episode is very ethically troubling for several reasons.

"We don't need the President to go to the south. We just need the troops! Let's go straight to them." - Varrick "I know General Iroh. He might be willing to help us." - Korra "Thank you for seeing me, General Iroh [...] The south needs military support before Unalaq wipes them out completely, but the President is refusing to give the order. So I decided to come to you directly." - Korra "Well, suppose I were to take the fleet south on some routine training maneuvers. And let's say we were to accidentally run into a hostile northern blockade. We'd have no choice but to defend ourselves, wouldn't we?" - Iroh

"And you need to sell some mecha-tanks. I know some people who need them. We'll ship 'em south." - Varrick "That's perfect." - Asami "If you can't make money during a war, You just flat-out cannot make money." - Varrick "It's dangerous on the seas right now, But I'm willing to try if you are." - Asami "I don't understand why it's so hard to get Republic City to support the south." - Korra "Don't worry. I'm already working on that. [ Varrick indicates mover reel projector ] As soon as people see this, They'll be lining up to fight Unalaq." - Varrick "I had a film crew documenting the entire northern invasion. [ ... ] We're gonna cut this footage together with scenes we shoot of our superstar Bolin here playing a Southern Water Tribe hero battling the evil Unalaq. No one will root for the North after they see The Adventures of Nuktuk: Hero of the South!" - Varrick

As I note, this is very ethically troublesome, especially as these people are (well, with the exception of Varrick) the good guys.

And yet--

1. Conspiring to suborn the Republic City military in defiance of established principles of civilian control and chain of command.

2. Conspiring to begin war profiteering.

3. Conspiring to agitate people by creating sensationalistic quasi false-flag pseudo-documentaries to keep war hysteria going in order to profit from fear.

If this was anyone but Team Avatar I'd pretty much suspect them of being the inner circle of a cabal that some poor sucker of a protagonist will have to defeat.

The biggest thing for me that's bothersome is #1. Civilian control over the military has been part and parcel of every stable democracy's foundation in the last several hundred years.

The book Seven Days of May addresses exactly the dangerous philosophical and governmental ramifications of allowing high officials in the military and/or their backers to use armed force for their own ends, rather than at the direction of the proper duly elected civilian authorities legitimately in command of the military.

In that vein, it is particularly surprising Iroh was willing to go along with Korra in helping suborn his forces for her personal use; it suggests that he hasn't had much of the benefit of the lessons that Zuko could have imparted to him about the dangers of abusing one's power.

That said, I do like that Bryke went to the extent of tackling this, and showing that moral ambiguity exists in everyone, even the Avatar. Korra's not perfect; she's only eighteen here, and for all Raiko's patronizing references to her age, he does have a point about her needing to take a longer view and get some perspective.

#the legend of korra #book 2 #lok meta #tlok meta #lok commentary #meta #my thoughts let me show you them

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kshaar · 10 years

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Is there a theory already about the "random" airbenders popping up everywhere? Cause let's see, we have one son of the last airbender, one granddaughter (fan theories aside) of his close family friend and one hardcore air nomad culture fanboy?

Is it affinity? Is it wanting to airbend? (oh, bumi) Is it genetics? How nomadic was that culture, anyway?

#my post #tlok #the legend of korra #tlok meta #how convenient was it that the one villian who cared about air nomad culture got that power?#so that they could have one full set #i mean i get that by definition of the first show we couldnt have airbending bad guys #and one of those was due #so um

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gojuo · 10 years

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ppl are so quick to dismiss the red lotus just bc they’re the antagonists they don’t realize that what they want is the perfect ending for the atla universe. separating raava and the avatar and letting her/it roam free as the spirit she was before meeting wan is step one, taking the bending (i firmly believe amon was a part of the red lotus but just like unalaq, he strayed from the rest) is step two, vaatu “winning” from raava in ten thousand years is step three. the world will be in chaos, and from that, change will happen. it’s gonna take a long time (sorry zaheer) but that’s ultimately the best way to end this show don’t lie to yourself

#THINK ABOUT IT PEOPLE!!!!#bakma bana #red lotus #the legend of korra #tlok meta #tlok

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khrushchevs-corn-farm · 4 years

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A few problems I have with LoK Book 4 in a series of question

Hello all, inspired by a conversation I had with @old-and-new-friends I have decided to list some of my problems I have with Legend of Korra’s book 4 by asking questions that I do not feel that Book 4 adequately answers

1. What is it about the cultural milieu of Zaofu that made Kuvira who she is?

Far right leaders like Kuvira don’t form ex nihilo, what is it about Zaofu, which was founded by the anti-authoritarian Suyin, that made Kuvira sympathetic to the idea of launching a grand crusade to reunite the Earth Kingdom under an autocratic empire. Additionally, why did Kuvira find so many people in Zaofu sympathetic to her ideas?

2. What exactly is the politics and ideology of Kuvira anyway?

Ideology is a important factor in why leaders choose their decisions. After all, there is a reason the Nazis choose to expand Germany eastward and not westwards. All we know that Kuvira believes that force is necessary to restore order to the Earth Kingdom and that Zaofu ought to impose it’s “modern progress“ on the Earth Kingdom? What does that mean? It’s technology? It’s moral progress? What’s so superlative about Zaofu that justifies, in Kuvira eyes, imposing it ways by forces on others? Furthermore, on what grounds does Kuvira reject the legitimacy of Republic City to rule over the western part of the continent? What does she intend to do with the minorities that live in Republic City? What about the Waterbenders in the Swamp?

3. Why did Kuvira pretend to be a legitimist for so long?

The various failures of the Earth Monarchy would have created skepticism in many places that it, as an institution, had what it needed to get things done. So why does Kuvira tie herself to the monarchy if she had no intention of restoring it? If associating her movement with the old monarchy was so important why didn’t she keep Wu around as a puppet figure head while keeping all the power with herself?

4. Why was Bolin so ignorant of the Earth Empire’s atrocities?

He’s a bit dense but he is not stupid. Word gets around and there’s no good reason that Bolin shouldn’t have known.

5. Why does no one have any airplanes?

After the Equalists sunk an entire fleet with just airplanes one would think every military would rush to produce an air force to use. Why are bandits of all people the only group to jump on this new technology?

#legend of korra #tlok #tlok meta #legend of korra meta #avatar meta #Kuvira #Wu #Bolin #meta

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