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Post by teenj12 on Oct 25, 2013 15:36:17 GMT -5
This episode didn't change anything about the previous origins of bending presented by the first show. Yes, the lion turtles gave people the power of bending, but people STILL had to learn how to bend and hone their ability to mastery, which is where the Moon, Bison, Badgermoles, and Dragons come in. In the special, don't you guys see how the other humans (And Wan at first) threw fire without really "Bending" it. Wan however, was the one actually learned how to use fire as an extension of himself under the guidance of the dragons. So all this talk about how these episodes changed the origins and how the old origins "Were probably myths created by the people" are completely wrong.
Humans got the elements from the lion turtles, but they still needed to learn how to bend and hone them.
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Post by Paraiba Ocean on Oct 27, 2013 10:03:33 GMT -5
Eh.... I disagree. By your definition, you could call anyone who isn't a master of an element not a true bender because they haven't learned to "hone" or "bend" the element properly; ie, Katara wasn't a waterbender when Aang originally met her because she had a very primitive control of the element.
But I think where the confusion slipped in is because people - myself included - considered things from a more literal perspective, in which case that's not completely wrong. For example, they said Oma and Shu were the first earthbenders after learning from the badgermoles. Now it is possible, one could say that Oma and Shu were originally part of that Earth lion turtle and all, but more likely, that occurred a bit later on in history since it seems to be the origins of the city of Omashu and between two distinct villages. So from a literal perspective, the idea is confusing, which is where they idea of it being a legend or myth of sorts slips in and works quite well. However, if it's taken more loosely, then the idea could be Oma and Shu had the ability via genetics or being bestowed by the lion turtle himself, and became the first masters.
Since this is the first time we've ever heard of the lion turtle and/or Raava and Vaatu, I still think myth is a probable thing because Yue herself says "LEGEND says the moon was the first waterbender." Even the people themselves are not aware of the true origins, most likely, but the idea of mastering bending and connecting with nature via that technique stems from the connection with the animals who also manipulated those elements as well.
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Post by Alouncara on Nov 20, 2013 11:50:06 GMT -5
I feel like Beginnings made a subtle but distinct difference between the kind of bending Wan did, and the kind of bending that the Lion Turtle civilizations did. They made a point of showing how he learned to master the elements from their natural sources (ie the dragons) but the power itself originated through the lion turtles, and then through genetics and spirituality.
Wan made bending an art and extension of himself. The other “Fire Benders” did not at first. It was an added power that they did not fully understand.
Under the current definition that we are given, anyone that has the ability to bend is a “Bender”. This is how the language has changed and evolved.
You could definitely argue that when we first meet Katara she isn’t a “Water Bender”, but a girl who can “Bend Water”. But the only way they have to describe someone like her is “Water Bender” and someone like Wan would be called a “Master”. If that makes sense?
It boils down to the imperfection of language for communicating a fictional ability (in our world). Not the creators making plot holes. That’s how I see it at least.
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