#also airbenders don't have one of those periods and I *think* this is because fire/water are connected to the sun/moon...

[rogue-storm]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Earthbenders don't have a time they get stronger like fire/waterbenders.

Personally I think they make up for it by having like 5 sub-bending types (sand, lava, glass, metal, and presumably bones). Which is absolutely wild if you ask me.

[fallingskiesandrisingseas]

I have another ATLA theory.

Almost all genocides in history, some people survive. Eradicting a people completely is insanely hard to do, partially because when the oldest understand they will die they will move heaven and earth to protect their youngest.

In ATLA lore, some Air Nomads survived the initial carnage, but they were hunted down and killed afterwards. A child / adult with strange tattoos in airbending clothes will be easy to spot and betray, after all, and airbending wasn't suited for killing others, at the time. They believed in spirituality, in self defense. How hard would taking on an Airbending child or a single adult have been when you outnumber them 5 to 1 and they can't run?

At the same time, ATLA's fire benders are portrayed very much as humans. Killing Air bending masters? Sure. But killing children? Something more than Sozin's orders must have motivated those soldiers killing the remaining Air Nomads. Something dark.

No one has ever attacked the Air Nomads before. Even in periods of intense international conflict, they were allowed free entry to holy places and other Nations. They were considered good omens, both because they numbered so few and had such a good relationship with the spirits.

I think when the Airbenders were attacked without the Avatar at their sides, they fought like lions. No one had ever seen Airbenders fight for their lives, and we can see in Tenzin and Zaheer what an Airbender willing to do damage is truly capable of.

What if it took the Fire Nation so long to take over the Water Nation and the Earth Kingdom because they were recovering from the losses after attacking the Air Nomads for the first 20 years?

A hundred years is a long time, and they were still struggling to take over the Water Tribe and the Earth Kingdom by the time Aang woke up again.

What if, full of confidence, amped up by the comet, they approached the Temples, ready to kill the Air Nomads, only met with airbending techniques that scared the living daylights out of them?

Suffocation, tornadoes, vacuums, internal bleeding, fata morganas, pressure blasts, characters moving at super speed, flying, 8 ton bisons protecting their own.

An Airbender literally coming for your throat can do insane damage. Absolutely terrifying.

I believe that the Fire Nation suffered unimaginable losses. After the Air Nomads realize it's going to end in either them or the others dead, they put up a fight so fierce Sozin ordered to execute all Airbenders after because he was terrified, because his losses were innumerable. Remember, among the Air Nomads, EVERYONE could bend.

I think that Sozin came for the Airbenders not just because of the Avatar, but also to remove the most powerful pieces off the board.

We all saw Gyatso sitting on a pile of bodies. How powerful an Airbender must he have been to kill that many people? Imagine 20-300 of those Airbenders, after watching their children die, having nothing left to lose. Abandoning their pacifist principles when faced with annihilation. Even worse, imagine them when they are still fighting to give their children a chance to escape.

I think that Airbending masters are just outnumbered too badly, that the children are easy prey afterwards, unwilling to kill, that they start fighting for their lives too late, unable to make their bending offensive on the fly against the most powerful firebending forms and having nowhere to run.

I think they killed all the Airbenders because the Fire Nation soldiers still around by the time the Air Nomad massacre is over are so scarred from watching formation after formation of friends and brothers die, they don't believe the Air Nomads or their children are normal anymore. So they kill them. They never tell their own children about the destructive power of Airbenders. The true tales become secrets, whispers, rumours, legend, myth.

And so when Aang comes into his own as an Avatar, he is not just respected because he brought peace; he is respected because, despite his commitment to non-violence, the world remembers what happens when you threaten an Airbender.

Remembers how quick, how evasive, how superhuman, how downright deadly they can become.

And when Red Lotus comes for Tenzin, they experience it firsthand. The myths become rumours, whispers, truth again.

Airbenders are never again messed with. Tenzin develops a more militant form, trains his kids and his disciples. Teaches them both spirituality and self-defense. Teaches them to kill.

Soon, Airbending develops sub-forms. What does not contain air? Everyone remembers that Airbenders are not dangerous to them because they choose not to be. Not because they aren't.

[thrushforreal]

What benders would the batfam be??

So, here we go with another one of my au thingies for my own au thingie. This time its Atla Themed! (Avatar: The last Airbender for those who don't know)

So when picking a time period of when this would happen, I thought about this quite a bit, I think it would be a couple of avatar cycles after Korra. Technology has progressed to the point where Bruce still does his dark Knight routine.

Okay, here we goooooo!

Alfred: He was a special operative in the Fire Nations army. He is a Fire Bender, and also knows chi blocking. After he retired from the army he was employed by the late Waynes as a butler and bodyguard where they lived in Republic City.

Bruce: Bruce is actually a Non-bender, although this does not mean he is less of a fighter against any bender. He's traveled all over the world and nations learning different styles of fighting. After returning back to his home in Republic City he started going out at knight as a masked vigilante based off of a bat spirit. He uses all the fighting techniques he learned while traveling as well as chi blocking, and technology.

Barbara: She's like Asami in the way that she is very tech savvy. Although she is an Earth Bender, who can use the subskill of Metal Bending. She moved to republic city with her father when he got a job on the police force there. They moved from a village on the edge of the Earth Kingdom, close to the Northern Water Tribe.

Dick: He is an Air Bender and is actually the person who taught Duck the subskill of Flight. His parents were Non-Bending Air Nomads and found their place in Haly's Traveling Circus. The circus was attacked while in Republic City, and not long after Dick was taken under Bruces wing and later adopted. He never got his arrow tattoos.

Jason: Before he died, he was sure that he was a Non-Bender, so he was trained in chi blocking. He was killed and was brought back by the healing waters of Lazarus, brought back as an Earth Bender with use of the subskill Lava Bending. His biological mother was and Earth Bender like him, and his father is from Fire Bender descent. There's the reason he can Lava Bend.

Cass: She is a Water Bender and uses a technique to use water to muffle her footsteps. She was trained in the subskill of Blood Bending while with the League. After joining Bruce, she was taught how to incorporate chi blocking into her fighting style instead of killing people. Her mother, Lady Shiva, is an Air Bender, and this allows her to bend the clouds (yes, they are made of water but also made of air. Only really talented benders or those that have Air Bending ancestry are able to do so. I'll explain more later if ya'll want.) and use them to shroud her presence.

Steph: She is a Non-Bender, this was something her father Cluemaster was not happy about. She took to the streets to fight him and learned chi blocking on her own, and later learned under Barbara and Bruce.

Duke: The Avatar of this time, born in the Earth kingdom. He is able to bend all four elements and also utilizes the subskills of flight and Spiritual projection from Airbending.

Tim: He is a Fire Bender, one of the few things he gets from his father. Along with his intelligence he also uses the subskill Lightning Bending, which he uses through his bo staff when fighting with it. he also learned chi blocking. As a result of his mothers Water Bending heritage he is able to make cold flames that people can walk through.

Trace: They are a Water Bender, from their mother's side of their family. Janet Drake wasn't a Water Bender like Jack Drake was a Fire Bender though. She discovered her ability for the subskill of healing after a nasty fight with a Non-Bender called the Joker landed some really bad hits on the people involved. They are able to heat their water to unbearable degrees because of their fathers Fire Bending. They are also trained in chi blocking

Damian: He is a Fire Bender, from his mother as Bruce is a Non-Bender. While raised in the League he was taught chi blocking as well as Lightning Bending. He was forced to try and learn the subskills of Lava Bending and Metal Bending. He was unable to Lava Bend but showed an ability for Metal Bending. He hasn't been able to hone his Metal Bending as of late, and is reluctantly learning more about Lightning Bending from Tim.

[the-visual-journey-blogg]

Shaping the World One Frame at a Time: My Evolution as Animator

(6 minutes reading)

By Sofi Ojeda

Animation is something I once believed was too difficult for me. I had thought I would dedicate myself to illustration, which is by no means easy, but animation? It is totally different. My first drawings were of the shows I watched as a child. I even created a little space in my room, a sort of hideaway where I could turn on my lamp, and lose myself in drawing all day and night.

I believe that aspiring animators like myself, did this because we found a safe place to be, plus the emotions that cartoons brought showing us wide worlds, making it impossible for us to look away. Ever since I fell in love with animation, I've watched small and large studios productions, independent, experimental, local, and international too. Choosing among them is a daunting task, but I've decided to focus on my top three mediums that have changed my life.

Dreamming Era: Avatar - The Last Airbender (2005) by  Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, Aaron Ehasz, John O'Bryan

Let's begin with "Avatar: The Last Airbender". As a child who loved drawing and fantasy, I connected deeply with this animated series but not only beacuse of that. "Avatar" is probably one of the best-written script I've ever seen in an animated series. It tells the story of the rebirth of a spiritual being who seeks to bring peace to the world. The obstacles and friends he encounters along the way, along with their unique stories, make this journey unforgettable. In a world where the power of the elements - water, earth, fire, and air - exists, character development, dramatic arcs, and three-dimensionality are as precise as the fact that it explores topics such as war, peace, morality, and personal growth. I think this series grew up with its audience, making it appealing to both children and adults. And there was I, an ecuadorian little girl who needed to believe that peace could happen, but the world is more complex that that and it can be overcome.

2. Technique Era: Klaus (2019) by SPA Studios (Sergio Pablos Studios)

Next, I'd like to discuss "Klaus" which was the first time I discovered the revolution in animation techniques. These productions such as Klaus, Arcane or Spiderverse blend 2D with 3D in ways that shook me to the core. Sergio Pablos pushed me into a state of curiosity and research on this subject and how to achieve similar results. These experiences led me to realize that animation knows no bounds in order to convey our messages more effectively. Technique is beautiful, such as lightning, texture and color keys, but it is not transcendent without a meaning or a clear message. "Klaus" serves as a masterpiece that demonstrates that even a "cliché" theme or something that works can truly work when revitalized and improved upon.

3. Purpose Era: "Onions" by Anna Scott

Lastly, I need to include an indie, non-popular short film. It was a final project by Cal Arts graduate Anne Scott, so it's indie, I suppose. It seems it found me precisely when I needed it. I was on a challeging period of my life an also, the city I grew up in had a peculiar pattern of cloudy days all year. It often left me feeling uninterested in doing anything. And this piece happens on only cludy days.

This short film began to appeal to me because I saw a piece of hand-drawn animation that was exceptionally well-executed. I fell in love with it. "Onions" tells the story of flying creatures called onions, all identical, except for two who couldn't fly. This meant they had to journey through the forest to rejoin their herd for the annual migration. As the story unfolds, these two onions begin to feel different - they don't belong to their herd. But, they learn to enjoy the journey and embrace new things. Yes, it never became sunny, and yet, this short film made me want to cherish those gray days and savor them.

Conclution

To wrap up, yes, I want to change people's lives and convey emotions. But, as I mentioned earlier, the illusion of being the savior of the world is unrealistic. For me, it's crucial to be aware of the privileges I have, and the ones I don't. And choose the causes I can champion by my own artistic means. The techniques are essential too but only tracendent with a good storytelling to convey messages.

As a Multimedia graduate I collaborated with three NGOs and a foundation. Also I developed video games in a woman led studio, focused on the ancestral cultures of the country where I was born: Ecuador, the cultures that surrounded me as I grew up, and those that are slowly��fading away. So that is how I want to keep walking on this animation / visual journey, and keep learning and resetting my goals.