Community Opinion is back, which means so am I, Airspeed Prime here with Community Opinion number 8. I apologise for the long delay, there are a few reasons the first and main one being that when I requested opinions for this one a day or so later was the Korra SDCC panel, so everyone was distracted. Then once that died down everyone was quite busy in general, so this one is not going to be as long as usual, hopefully Community Opinion 9 will get us back on track.
I had to get this one out no matter how many people replied as The topic which was suggested to me by fellow moderators Donna and Tracy.
[caption id="attachment_2294" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Ursa, the biggest mysteries of Avatar revolve around her, we all are excited to finally discover her fate, but how would you do it ?"][/caption]
The Topic is:
How You Would Resolve The Mysteries Of Avatar The Last Airbender
To keep a similar format for the opinions I asked people to choose a few of the mysteries from this post http://avatarthelastairbenderonline.com/unanswered-questions-plotpoints/ and explain how they think each should be resolved. So lets get Started Airspeed Prime (Super Moderator/Facebook Administrator/Popular Post Writer) Iroh's Past and Spirit World Journey/ Iroh is one of the most universally loved Avatar characters yet we only know little pieces about his past, We know he was the Star General of the Fire Nation Army, his son was killed in Ba Sing Se, he travelled to the Spirit World and he was judged worthy by the masters Ran and Shao (Shaw), but we do not really know the order of these events or the exact details. Here is what I think should happen: It should be a mini Series of Comics, about 4-5 issues called simply Iroh's Journey. It would begin with Iroh in Prison as he is at the start of Book 3 and he thinks back over his life from Young boy all teh way to what brought in to the prison, with a big focus on the death of Lu Ten, Spirit World, Sun Warriors and his early relationship with Zuko. More specifically I think Iroh's wife died in child birth adding more emotion to why Iroh is so changed by the death of his son, I think his spirit world journey is heavily related to him dealing with Lu Ten's death which makes me believe that Lu Ten appeared to Iroh during a solstice and brought him into the spirit world, Lu Ten tells him not to be so upset over him and that Iroh still has his niece and nephew to help. I would assume that his trip to the Sun Warriors was part of a large journey for Iroh where he studied the Waterbenders and invented Lightning redirection. Toph and Her Parents/ This would be my only really complaint about ATLA on the whole, Toph needed to have a scene where she went back home to her parents and they finally accept that she is not helpless, it would have been a great emotional scene and some much needed development for Toph. As I said my thoughts on how it would happen would now have to come in The Promise comics (info on them here http://avatarthelastairbenderonline.com/avatar-airbender-series-the/) Just a scene in the recap on the year between 321 and the start of the story with Toph returning to her home and her and her parents hugging, she apologises for leaving " behind there backs and they finally accept that she is not fragile and not defined by her blindness, they are proud of what she has done to help the world. Aang's influence on his classmates/ Aang (as Kuzon) showed the Fire Nation school kids how to have fun, I believe this had a lasting effect on them, they will not grow up to be loyal to Ozai's way. In a way that group of kids will become the first of the new breed of Fire Nation people, they will want the peace that Zuko and Aang want. I would like to see the kids play some role in the future, where they are helping to lead the Fire Nation away from Ozai's regime and into Zuko's way of thinking. Ursa's fate and Role in Ozai becoming Fire Lord/ The question EVERY avatar fan is asking, what is the fate of Ursa ?, I am sure many a fan cursed the name of Mike and Bryan when Zuko confronted Ozai about this and it was left there as a HUGE cliffhanger. Mike and Bryan hinted that it may be explored in the comics and with The Promise set right after the series that is the perfect time to FINALLY tell us her fate. I think base on everything said about her in the show she has to still be alive out there hiding, I think Zuko needs to meet his mother again and have a heart to heart and nearly more important Ursa needs to make things right between herself and Azula, it may be Azula's only possible path to recovery. I need to see a scene of the two teens and their mother hugging, a family in healing. She also would have to reveal exactly what she did to get Ozai the birthright, did she kill Azulon or did she and Ozai come up with the plan where he would kill Azulon and she would go into hiding putting the crime on her. Sun Warrior Sun Stone/ I think it is a purple Dragon egg, simple as that. Has Chit Sang put his criminal days behind him ?/ Chit Sang is such an EPICLY AMAZING character, he started a riot by holding a man above his head ! But have his experiences as part of Team Avatar turned him from his criminal ways ? In my opinion yes, he realises what he did was wrong and wants to be good now. I would love to see him pop up in the comics as an ally of Team Avatar and just be epic every time. Chong and The Nomads, Where are they now ? / I want a mini series just about their travels around the world, singing, annoying people like Sokka and riding Badgermoles. Professor Zei's fate / I want to know about this so much I included my opinion on this in a the Fan Fiction I wrote (Avatar: Origins in the forums fan fic section), Basically I think Wan Shi Tong realises that Zei truly does want knowledge for knowledges sake, he realises that Zei is pretty much himself in human form. They take a while but eventually become friends and through Zei Wan Shi Tong learns that not all humans are like Zhao. Starbender (Moderator) I think with Ursa there should be a two part episode. One with all of Zuko and Iroh's memories,while they are looking for her, they find her at the end of episode one.Episode two they explain what's happened, they jouney back home, but fire nation rebels capture them.They have to escape by trusting each other.They barely make it and travel home where ursa meets the gang, at the end one rebel survives and tells the Ozai supporters.
Aang's influence on his classmates.His classmates had been to the ceremony at the end of season three. They come back home and discuss what they think happen,someone says what happened to Kuzon,they think about what happened to the mysterious boy over the day,at the end of the day the Headmaster tell them that the Firelord and Avatar are coming to the school the next day.The next day Aang and Zuko come,Aang and Zuko tell about there journey including his time at the school.The students are amazed and awestruck that the Avatar went to their school.Aang and Zuko talk the Headmaster into having a dance, ironically in the same cave. Aang dances with Onji and Zuko dances with everybody that asks him.
Toph and her parents-the Gang take a govenrment trip to Toph's home town, Gaoling. While Zuko and Aang do their government stuff Toph and Katara go and visit her parents,her parents rush outside and hug Toph,and ask what the gang did to her,unaware of the events prior to this.Toph and Katara explain in detail what has happened.Toph's parents are outraged at Toph's behavior.Toph is outraged at them for sending bounty hunters after her.They say it was for her own good.She says they are overprotective and storms away.Katara goes and talks to her that she shouldn't act like that. She says she knows,but her parents are always going to be overprotective,then Katara has an idea."Let's ask your parents to do something you like". Hey that might work Katara.They go to Toph's parents to ask them to go to see Element Rumble 1.(I made this up,now all the benders show off their skills.) They agree.After its over they say "wow that was amazing! I want to learn to earthbend like that!"Well dad I could teach you" I would really like that Toph." The end of that episode.
Airspeed Prime Note/ Starbender sent me this opinion a few weeks before the Korra panel, so he inadvertently predicted the Pro Bending Arena with his Element Rumble Idea, Good Job Starbender :)
Kuruk
Interesting question. I'll give my best guess or maybe what I want to have happened for each one:
Iroh's Spirit World journey:
After the death of Lu Ten, the spirits may have smiled down on him for having such a change of heart and invited him to the Spirit Word of their own accord to see him again. Seeing as it was many years ago, it could have been during the Winter Solstice when the Spirits are no longer bound to their realm and can cross over. Of course he also may have called on the Spirits himself, or even brewed a special tea like the post said and that helped take him over.
Toph's Parents:
I don't think Poppy or Lao Bei Fong would have much of a choice in changing their view on their daughter after she had been through so much. I'd like to think that once the war ended, Toph went back to their estate and made up with them herself. But really, after someone contributes to saving the world, I don't think one would be able to think of them as innocent or fragile any longer.
Lightning Generation:
I think lightning generation is open to anyone to master, as is any technique to the respective elemental bender. Just depends on their training and willingness to learn- or, in Zuko's case, inner turmoils. I think that Zuko would be able to generate lightning after he visited Ran and Shao; he just never attempted. This could be in part because he did not see a need; lightning is the cold-blooded fire, used as a last resort, and this is after Zuko learned that he needed to be far more careful and reserved with his bending (especially after burning Toph).
Sokka's Space Sword and Boomerang:
I don't know about this one I want to think they all tried to search for it, because both those weapons were incredibly valuable to him, both financially and sentimentally. But whether they all found it is purely up to chance. I want to think they did because I love optimism, but you can't be sure.
Ursa:
I'm pretty sure she's alive AND Zuko found her. After all he'd been through, I think Zuko would have caught onto her trail pretty quickly and used all his resources to find her. As the new Fire Lord with the Avatar being your best friend and pretty much the entire world allied with you (minus a few huffy Fire Nation people), finding anyone wouldn't be too difficult. And once Ursa, in whatever corner of the world she was in, found out that Zuko was the new Fire Lord and was searching for her, she would probably race to make herself known and found also. Basically, there aren't many forces stopping them anymore.
Dragon Egg:
I'm not sure whether or not it's an egg, but I'm leaning toward yes. The only negatives I see are that it seemed a little too decorated and polished and shiny and metallic to be an egg of any sort. But (1) it's Avatar; animals are weird, (2) the Sun Warriors themselves could have decorated it, (3) Zuko said it felt alive, that's a big deal, (4) the last dragon egg would have much more reason to be defended by fatal traps than some random hunk of gold.
Jet's death:
I see two things happening. One is rather morbid, the other hopeful.
The morbid: I can see more Dai Li agents pouring in after Long Feng and the other gaang escaping. Upon seeing foreigners in the secret tunnels, other Dai Li agents probably wouldn't stop to ask questions before striking. They all could have gone down fast if that happened.
Hopefully, if none others had come, Jet may have died in peace with his best friends at his side, and then Longshot and Smellerbee, being somewhat ninja-like as they are, could have escaped.
Xin Fu and Master Yu probably died a rather painful and agonizing death. Not much hope for them. Unless a talented earthbender that felt like saving lives happened across them that could budge the metal. No one else could save them, and it's not likely anyone else even came by them.
Then again, there's a chance they could have bent themselves out of it, if they could manage striking the right moves.
I want to stay away from the Appa and Momo extinction idea because I see almost no way around it. I can't bring myself to say their species went extinct, so I'm going to go with there's a whole clan of Air Nomads living in the bottom of the canyon the Western Air Temple is built along, and they're all thriving and ready to repopulate the world with their culture"
One more thing I want to know about is Professor Zei. I want to think he became a Spirit as the Library traveled through to the other realm. Wan Shi Tong " judged his heart and found it pure, and made him his heir to the Library and top assistant. In charge of the Knowledge Seekers, let's go with that!
Admin / Jordan
Tough question, for Ursa I don't really have much ideas aside from what's already been said.
I think one of the most interesting concepts for me would be the Firenation youth, I think in either the upcoming comics or Korra (but especially Korra) it will be interesting to see how the Firenation has changed in the aftermath of the war, i'm thinking they might actually be extremely productive to the Avatar world showing how people can change and become people who can help change the world, despite their past." I'm thinking the episode "Skeleton in the Closet" might have something to do with this but I guess we'll see.
Other than that I think everyone else pretty much covered some good outcomes, I can't wait to see how it actually turns out in the upcoming comics, and Korra.
Our Communities Thoughts
There you have it for Community Opinion 8, some great idea on how to solve the various mysteries of Avatar.
Have a read of this post http://avatarthelastairbenderonline.com/unanswered-questions-plotpoints/ and give us your ideas on how you would resolve the mysteries or unresolved plotpoints of Avatar in the comments below !
See you next Month for Community Opinion 9, if you want your Opinion in the next post then just be active on the forum, I am always looking out for new members who are very active. I will PM those whose opinions I want mid september. Also if you are a fan of the sites Facebook page there is a chance to get your opinion in there a few days before the post is put up on the site.