nandireya
Zuko's Path to Redemption Mod
...tickled pink...
Posts: 6,822
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Post by nandireya on Apr 23, 2012 19:33:17 GMT -5
Anyone else feel that bending will be slightly more "limited" this series? Compared to TLA where fight scenes are more or less in the wild with big open spaces, Republic City is a small and contained area. Maybe this is why Korra mostly only firebends, and we don't see much of the other elements being used in large scale (e.g. Bolin's earth punches vs Toph's ground manipulation) But sure makes the fight scenes look really tight Maybe there's laws restricting it. I'm sure they don't want any major property damage through flooding, fire or undermining the structural integrity of the city's infrastructure.
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Post by ILZ on Apr 23, 2012 22:31:55 GMT -5
Anyone else feel that bending will be slightly more "limited" this series? Compared to TLA where fight scenes are more or less in the wild with big open spaces, Republic City is a small and contained area. Maybe this is why Korra mostly only firebends, and we don't see much of the other elements being used in large scale (e.g. Bolin's earth punches vs Toph's ground manipulation) But sure makes the fight scenes look really tight Maybe there's laws restricting it. I'm sure they don't want any major property damage through flooding, fire or undermining the structural integrity of the city's infrastructure. Most likely there are laws prohibition destructive bending. This is evidenced by the metalbending police "swooping down" to the rescue when Korra first fought the Triple Threats. It's interesting how bending has been adapted from primarily a weapon, to a useful skill in everyday life (like lightning for power) and as a sport.
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valentine
Warrior Sokka
Sometimes lies were more dependable than the truth.
Posts: 741
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Post by valentine on Apr 23, 2012 22:52:28 GMT -5
Okay at first I just have to say that...Fire Ferrets are so fetching cute hahaha they look like small versions of red pandas which are beyond cute.
I know this has been said in posts before, but let me repeat so hang with me here. I know it's kinda early to be getting on the shipping boat (pun intended) but that whole scene with Korra and Mako in the park was absolutely adorable. I'm so rooting for them right from the get go hahaha It was so sad when we finally learned the story of Mako's childhood and how he lost his parents *sniff* that is so sad I feel bad for him. I am absolutely loving Bolin's character as well, he seems to be the Sokka character that this show needs to calm the serious story lines that it has.
I'm absolutely loving this show so far, and I can't wait to see what happens with Amon and all his crazies that follow him.
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Post by Musogato on Apr 24, 2012 14:06:45 GMT -5
Sorry to jump into the middle of this, but I wanted to point something out: It's played for laughs, but usually when the gaang had ran into someone they didn't like, and they were NOT a bender, they would simply push them around. They only did this to jerks and other people who deserved it of course, but the simple fact of the matter was that the gaang effectively bullied non-benders into complying with their wishes. Katara freezing two chuckleheads during the blind bandit arc and then leaving them hanging alone is the most poignant example I can think of. Those two guys in the Blind Bandit ep were Earthbenders. You can see screenshots at Piandao.org of it -- they're wearing the same uniform as Aang and walk out of the training school after him, before the Gaang talks to them. But yeah, bending can be used as a tool for retribution and intimidation, but it's not just against non-benders. And in the larger picture, bending is just one tool of many for causing harm. The underlying problem for oppression isn't bending, it's human nature. You could take away bending, but what about man-made weapons like guns, blades, and blunt objects? Take those away, and what about human weapons, like using any style of fighting, brute strength, rape, and sharpened nails? Take those away, and what about words, emotional/psychological abuse, and excluding others? People will always find a way to elevate themselves and push down someone else, even if it's unintentional or only for a moment. But what I'm more concerned about is, aside from intimidation and extorting of non-benders (although I think it's quite the assumption to say it's only them that's receiving it) from the Triple Threat Triads, has there been any evidence of non-benders being systematically treated as second-class citizens? Yes, benders are in the metalbending police unit, are used as batteries for the city power grid (side-note, am I the only one who finds that kind of creepy? It's so a step away from Soylent Green), but there are so many other jobs that non-benders could be in. For the police they could be detectives, regular cops, guards, office clerks, etc, and for construction they could be engineers, architects, foremans, tile guys, carpenters (because how do we know the buildings don't have a wooden frame?) -- the point is that while there are jobs that are specifically bender-only, there are also so many other ones that don't have to be, and I don't think we've seen non-benders being excluded from those. As for the city council, do we really know that they are all benders? Aside from Tenzin, Tarrlok, and the Fire Nation councilwoman, nothing is mentioned or shown regarding the Earth Kingdom and Southern Water Tribe councilman. Although if they are benders as well, I do agree that there should be a non-bender as well. Since there's a carving of Sokka's boomerang on the table they sit at, I'd like to think that maybe he used to be on the council.
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Post by Darryl on Apr 24, 2012 16:04:15 GMT -5
with all this talk about benders vs non-benders, something just occurred to me...the chi-blockers must REALLY be strong/talented to be able to overpower master benders like Mako and LBZ, even the Avatar.
Instead of complaining that they're being oppressed, why don't non-benders just learn a martial art (swordfighting, chi-blocking)? Someone mentioned in another thread that "Bending isn't a superpower" and that like anyone/anything else, it needs practice.
A good example here would be Sokka. He was pretty useless in a battle until he picked up a sword.
In a nutshell, I feel that since even regular nameless chi-blockers can overpower probenders and the Avatar herself, non-bending "oppressed" citizens should take the initiative to pick up a form of self defence instead of complaining.
Do I make any sense here?
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Post by Nashk Tategami on Apr 24, 2012 16:58:56 GMT -5
Sorry to jump into the middle of this, but I wanted to point something out: It's played for laughs, but usually when the gaang had ran into someone they didn't like, and they were NOT a bender, they would simply push them around. They only did this to jerks and other people who deserved it of course, but the simple fact of the matter was that the gaang effectively bullied non-benders into complying with their wishes. Katara freezing two chuckleheads during the blind bandit arc and then leaving them hanging alone is the most poignant example I can think of. Those two guys in the Blind Bandit ep were Earthbenders. You can see screenshots at Piandao.org of it -- they're wearing the same uniform as Aang and walk out of the training school after him, before the Gaang talks to them. Thanks for pointing that out, but honestly I was never sure given the "commercial" aspect of the dojo, but point taken. The point still stands though. Yes but the issue here is much more specific than just human nature. I was not arguing about human nature, but the dangers of bending. Bending is not just one tool among many. That would be selling bending far to short. There are not many "tools" as you put it, that can do so much harm in such a short amount of time, a tool that people are innately born with, which you cannot get rid of, and which cannot be controlled outside of a few VERY inefficient options. And considering how far rooted bending is to the infrastructure of the city alone, simply calling it a tool just seems woefully underselling it. You see, the thing is anyone can get those weapons. All the things you list, someone could obtain themselves with a little bit of work. For lack of a better phrase all men are equals in this regard. Oppression can and will happen, but this is on a scale far bigger than anything else. Bending is a power no average man or woman can hope to match or attain without bending. Even a relatively inexperienced bender is a threat, and with a little practice and creative thinking, they can become a menace. But a non-bender? A non bender has to train for years in rather specific forms of combat to match a bender of any sort. Chi blocking is a very specific, very advance form of combat, the yuyan archers had to train for their entire lives to obtain their godly accuracy. From this the only thing I can conclude is that "normal" forms of combat are largely less effective against benders. It takes masters to take them on I am sure the gangsters oppress benders too... If they refuse to join them for work, or oppose them in any way. And IF they are weaker than them. Which is already several conditions more than needs to be met for a non-bender to be oppressed by the triads. A bender gets a job offer, and some respect before making enemies with the triad. (and honestly, I can't see to many people going against the triads even if they are benders. Times seem to be hard enough without messing without getting the attention of a major gang.) Indeed. But everything you mention takes much more time, effort and money than with bending. A building might need more than an earth base to stand up (although I would think it would be used more for decoration, as the earth kingdom as shown largely stone buildings.) Its all about desirability much like our labor market today. Would you rather hire a couple of earthbenders to largely put together a building with perhaps some experienced builders finishing the non earth touches, or would you rather hire an army of laborers to slowly build a building? There will always be jobs for nonbenders of course, but benders still are far more valuable. Benders can do things non-benders cant, they can do normal jobs faster, and hell we are constantly shown that benders are physically tougher than non-benders and much more suitable for harder labor, without it actually being hard. Just imagine mining with bending, and then mining without bending. The difference in labor and costs would be enormous! I never mentioned that benders were the only ones in the council (but that is something we will have to wait for more information about), only that benders were in the council. A small difference, but one that would matter HEAVILY to the people who feel oppressed. The people who feel oppressed already feel powerless, which is why they are rallying around amon in the first place, but to have those they feel have too much power be in a place of governing? Oh that must really make them angry.
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Post by Nashk Tategami on Apr 24, 2012 17:10:02 GMT -5
with all this talk about benders vs non-benders, something just occurred to me...the chi-blockers must REALLY be strong/talented to be able to overpower master benders like Mako and LBZ, even the Avatar. Instead of complaining that they're being oppressed, why don't non-benders just learn a martial art (swordfighting, chi-blocking)? Someone mentioned in another thread that "Bending isn't a superpower" and that like anyone/anything else, it needs practice. A good example here would be Sokka. He was pretty useless in a battle until he picked up a sword. In a nutshell, I feel that since even regular nameless chi-blockers can overpower probenders and the Avatar herself, non-bending "oppressed" citizens should take the initiative to pick up a form of self defence instead of complaining. Do I make any sense here? You make sense, but I do disagree for the most part. Chi blocking is supposedly an advanced martial art that takes time and skill to learn. You have to have advanced knowledge of the human body, and agility and precision to hit the right nerves and chakra points that allow bending in the first place. That is a pretty tall order to "just start learning" in order to fight bending. As I mentioned in my post I just made, most non bending forms of fighting are seemingly only viable if you have been training your entire life for it. That is a huge commitment to make, and such a commitment can be boiled down to... Time, energy, and money. Time and Energy- Learning, practicing, and applying training for any effective martial art against bending. Money- Said time and energy impairing your ability to work for a living, and possibly money to learn from masters depending on the teacher. Also as a rule, I never count the main characters or enemies as any sort of standard when it comes to personal ability. Sokka became a master swordsman in days as the plot demanded, but I doubt the average person could do the same. Or afford a space sword for that matter.
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raiondoll
Sad Festival Mask
"formerly Mitsu"
Posts: 3,719
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Post by raiondoll on Apr 24, 2012 17:31:55 GMT -5
So... Tumblr being my go-to source for things Korra related, I came across a post that got me thinking about what's to come in the future episodes. That is, as someone on Tumblr pointed out, " How do you make an inherently unequal society equal?" The rest of the discussion can be read HERE
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dirtyyasuki
Iroh
Take it to the limit... then break it.
Posts: 199
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Post by dirtyyasuki on Apr 25, 2012 6:56:22 GMT -5
So Mako is Batman, while Bolin is Nightwing/Robin and Korra is Superman! I mean one need look no further than when Korra was about to rush the stage with Bolin on it and Mako stopped her by saying they needed a plan. Just like what Bruce would have done with Clark. Na na na na na na na na na na BATMAN! Nice martial arts that they've showcased ins this episode. I counted the scene with Korra fighting with a scarf is a discipline I saw practiced by Silat practitioners of Malaysia and Indonesia. And Amon's dual electro stick wielding lieutenant was definitely showing off Arnis/Escrima from the Philippines. I am loving the variety of martial arts so far in the show. And as for the Equalists and Amon he could have been lying about his origin story. No cult leader worth their salt would always tell the truth all the time without it suiting their own manipulative purposes first at least. But I wonder what if his story about learning his chi/energy-bending from the spirits was actually true? And I do sort of sympathize a bit with the Equalists cause, since I can imagine being a non-bender in a society practically run by benders. All the crime, all the oppression, all the second class citizen treatment and none of the power that comes from having won the genetic lottery. I would be somewhat resentful of benders in power all the time in a world rapidly modernizing and technologically progressing as to give non-benders almost equal footing given time and effort but you are still treated with no respect because you were born unblessed by the spirits? It's enough to make anyone start a revolution. I disagree and sincerely hope Amon is not related to Ozai in anyway. I feel that would be a cheap cop out for Bryke and co. and almost a rehashing of old villains. Nope I am not in favor of Amon being related to Ozai/Azula et al. That said this was a great episode and I can't wait for the next one.
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Post by Paraiba Ocean on Apr 25, 2012 12:12:25 GMT -5
So... Tumblr being my go-to source for things Korra related, I came across a post that got me thinking about what's to come in the future episodes. That is, as someone on Tumblr pointed out, " How do you make an inherently unequal society equal?" The rest of the discussion can be read HEREThe question is interesting, but there's really not a way to make any society - neither the Avatar-world nor even our world - equal. And that goes beyond socio-economic status or the amount of power someone has; we can't all be equal. It's an unfortunate fact. Some people are really good at drawing, and some are really good at running, and some are amazing at chemistry, and that's just in our world. In the Avatar-verse, it's going to be immensely more complicated because bending is a form of power. I am curious to see how Bryke will resolve this issue.
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