I have a question/questions for the Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA)/Legend of Korra (LOK) fandom.
I have just recently finished my 10th rewatch off ATLA, and during this rewatch I started questioning certain aspects of the show; parts that I want to say confused me and or had me questioning certain things in the show. So if anyone who's deep in the ATLA lore or has read the comics (I have not) could please try and help me answer these questions.
Who is the original bender of water/which animal represents water?
So in season 3 episode 12, we see Zuko has lost his "abilities" to fire bend, as prior to joining Team Avatar, his fire bending was fuelled by anger. So when Toph suggests to him to visit the Original Benders, we learn that the dragons have been "extinct." But this isn't the case as we later learn. So my question is this: If dragons are the physical manifestation of fire, flying bisons are the physical manifestation for air and badgermoles are the physical manifestation of earth, then which animal is the physical manifestation of water? I suppose the Koi Fish in season 1 episodes 19-20 could be seen as the original benders, as they chose to leave the Spirit World and leave behind their immortality for teaching humans the ability to water bend. So I guess that question's answered?
What celestial event, natural phenomenon or other enhances an Airbender's and Earthbender's ability to bend?
In season 1 episodes 7-8 we learn about Sozin's Comet, and how Aang has to defeat the Firelord before this happens. Then throughout the season and the later seasons we learn about how the Comet will grant fire benders "the power of a hundred suns" (though I think Ozai was exaggerating here). And we know every month on a full moon waterbender's ability to bend water is also enhanced. So my question is this: What celestial event, natural phenomenon or other enhances an airbender's and earthbender's ability to bend air and earth.
What celestial event, natural phenomenon or other stops an Airbender's and Earthbender's ability to bend?
In season 1 episodes 19-20 we see Zhao cause a lunar eclipse by killing the moon spirit; which causes all waterbender's to completely lose their ability to bend. Then in season 2 episode 10 we learn about "Black Sun" and Sokka being persistent learns that on that day fire bender's lose their ability to fire bend. This becomes evident in season 3 episode 10 when the invasion of the fire nation shows that they cannot bend at all. So my question is this: If fire bender's lose their ability on a solar eclipse and waterbender's lose their ability to bend on a lunar eclipse, then which celestial event, natural phenomenon or other makes airbender's and earthbender's lose their ability to bend?
Thank you for reading first ever my rant of things that started to kinda of make me question things that was going on in the show or were never really explored. I first started asking these questions way back on my third or fourth rewatch of the show in 2023 and did try look for answers but I did not get any explanations for my second and third questions. Though I will admit my research for questions two and three were very surface level and I of course have not read the comics, so maybe the answers may lie the comics that touch on the previous avatars; like in the comics of The Rise of Kyoshi or in The Dawn of Yangchen. But I would really appreciate if anyone who has deeper knowledge in the ATLA fandom may try and help me, even if the answers are that there never touched on or not hinted at then I'll take that as an answer as well. Again thank you for reading my very first post on Tumblr and apologises if the post is a bit too long.
