I haven't posted in a while as a result of testing and culmination of schoolwork, especially recently. But I suppose it is appropriate that I focus on the next element in the Avatar world: earth. Why? Because it is the element of strength and substance; something I've needed a lot of in the past few weeks in order to maintain a level head above all of the work I've had.
The animators based earthbending off of the Hung-Gar style of kung fu, which is characterized by strong, wide-set stances with confident, heavy movements. This perfectly fits the style of earthbenders, who are deeply rooted not only in their physicality, standing strong and aligning themselves with the earth, but also in their tradition. However, one of the main earthbenders stood out from this definition: Toph Beifong.
Toph is a short, 12-year-old girl who is the daughter of a wealthy elite family. However, she was born blind, and as a result, was constantly coddled by her parents, who also tried to greatly restrict her earthbending. She ended up secretly sneaking out every day, learning from "badger-moles" (giant, blind, mole-like creatures that are considered the original earthbenders) the natural, original style of earthbending. Through this method, she became the first human earthbender to develop a seismic sense--feeling the vibrations in the ground in order to "see" and thus defend or attack. In fact, she even proved herself to be able to "see" better than those who actually had sight. She used her newfound abilities to become a child prodigy (unbeknownst to her parents), living a secret life dominating an underground earthbending fighting ring. Eventually, her blindness and seismic sense allowed her to invent a new form of earthbending previously thought to be impossible: metalbending. All at the age of twelve.
As I mentioned already, and as is apparent, Toph is a very unique character. The animators knew this as well, so they decided she needed her own fighting style. They based her movements off of the Southern Praying Mantis style of kung fu, a very rare yet powerful art form that is said to have been created by a group of blind monks. I drew her below performing some of her unique earthbending moves while in battle under her pseudonym "The Blind Bandit." And not only is her fighting unique, but the fact that she turned her blindness, normally a disability, into a superpower, is a testament to the fact that no matter how dire a situation may seem, there is always a possibility for something great to result. You just need to plant your feet and stand strong against whatever may come.
Earth: the element of substance.
I figured since my last post was about a waterbender, that it would only make sense to do a post around water's counterpart: fire. In The Last Airbender, the Fire Nation is considered to be ruthless expansionists who will stop at nothing to gain power and land, including committing mass genocide (which they did against the Air Nation). This ideology is especially embraced by Fire Lord Ozai. He even went so far as to challenge his own son Zuko to an Agni Kai, or a firebending duel, permanently scarring the young boy's face. Ozai subsequently banished Zuko and sent him on a hopeless journey to find the Avatar--only then would Zuko be allowed to return. Meanwhile, Zuko's younger sister Azula, a much more skilled firebender but much more insane, was favored by his father and was allowed to stay at the palace with Ozai.
With a childhood this traumatic, it only makes sense that Prince Zuko was a very troubled adolescent. In the first season, it appeared that Zuko would play the role of the main antagonist, his sole purpose being to hunt the Avatar. But as the show progresses, we see Zuko's constant struggle and watch him slowly transform into the person he was destined to be: the benevolent heir to the throne who would reverse the damage his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had brought to the world. In quite a beautiful fashion, Zuko confronts his father and announces that he will join the Avatar in restoring balance to the world.
In the series finale, Zuko has an epic battle for the throne with Azula, who is quickly, and quite tragically, slipping into insanity. In a gorgeous display of firebending, the two partake in one final Agni Kai. Here we see Zuko in all his might, fighting for not only his place on the throne but in defense of the person he was destined to become.
Fire: the element of power.
I guess I will kick off this blog by raving about one of my favorite television sagas of all time: Avatar. No, not the blue people, but arguably two of the best animated series ever offered by Nickelodeon: The Last Airbender, and most recently, The Legend of Korra. Through these series I gained a better understanding of Asian lore, culture, and the spirituality between different types of martial arts forms. This culture-rich background of the shows complemented the beautiful animation, unforgettable complex characters, and perfect balance of character development, adventure, action, drama, and humor seamlessly. It's virtually impossible to find anyone who's watched the shows who doesn't like it.
In the Avatar World, some people are born with the gift of bending one of the four elements: water, the element of change; earth, the element of substance; fire, the element of power; and air, the element of freedom. Each element has a unique culture based around it, making four distinct nations: the Water Tribes of the North and South Poles, the vast Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation and their colonies, and the Air Nomads, groups of monks isolated in temples in mountain ranges in the four cardinal directions.
The Avatar is unique, however - he or she bends all the elements, and has the capability of bending the very energy within the earth and all that inhabit it. The Avatar maintains balance over the four nations, reincarnating into a new person after death through the Avatar cycle (the cycle of the four elements). Not surprisingly, both "Avatar" series focus around a different Avatar: in the Last Airbender, it is a young Air Nomad boy named Aang, who is the last airbender on the face of the earth after a ruthless fire nation king staged a genocide of his people; and in The Legend of Korra, it is a hot-headed Water Tribe girl named Korra, who, although strong-willed and talented, must grow up into her mature role in order to connect with her seemingly nonexistent spiritual self.
As I am beginning my "wayward odyssey" as the title of this blog would suggest, I decided to start by drawing a picture of the mentally-toughened but spiritually-forlorn Korra. This personality complements her waterbending perfectly, as it foresees her metamorphosis to become.
Water: the element of change.
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| The completed sketch |
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| The finished product. |
