#the guru

[dreamchasernina]

If they ever make the live action version the Guru episode it’ll go like this.

The guru: so, Aang, let’s start opening up your chakras. What are you ashamed of?

Aang (who never hurt Katara): ummm…

The guru: What do you blame yourself for?

Aang (who never ran away): uuuummm…

The guru: What are the lies you tell yourself?

Aang (who never denied he’s the avatar): ummmm…

The guru: What attaches you to this world?

Aang (who isn’t in love with Katara): ummmmm…

The guru: WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE?

[slightly-gay-pogohammer]

what if the guru actually didnt know lol

[thegreatestdollarbean]

I kinda feel bad for Guru Pathik.

Like what do you mean the man stayed at the Eastern Temple for God knows how many years (probably closer to the hundred Aang was missing than not) for the Avatar to return so he could help him gain mastery over the Avatar State by making it very clear he had to let go of his attachment to unlock his seventh chakra to do this, given that chakras are a subject he's probably well versed in, all for Aang to ignore him and end up unlocking it anyway by being hit by a pointy rock.

If I were the Guru and I learned that, I'd just pull a René Descartes and stop believing everything I've ever known and just start from scratch. I mean, either the Guru was just so old he'd started going senile, and what he'd actually meant to tell Aang was that getting shot by lightning and having that scar poked could do the trick… or everything he said and the conflict he had introduced was quickly retconned in order to canonise the ship it threatened.

It's one of the two, I just can't quite put my finger on which.

[slycooperconfessions]

"If they ever choose to do a remaster and attempt to tone down some of the racially insensitive stuff part of me wants them to just have the Guru's magic stuff and Dreamtime practice entirely separate things. There's other practitioners but they're pretty normal folks and they have no idea how the hell this one guy learned magic. Frankly he scares them a little bit. Him being Aboriginal and also a freaky koala wizard are not connected in any way they just happen to overlap with this one guy."

Confessed by: broken-clover

[snowygracetheriver]

I may be reaching here but I think The Deserter could be foreshadowing The Guru. Here me out.

In The Guru, Aang chooses Katara's safety (or his idea of what is safe for her) over mastering the Avatar State, a power that would make him a fully realised Avatar and help him end the war and restore balance. Katara doesn't know it but if she'd known, I think she would be mad that he chose her over the sake of the world. Especially because we know how much Aang represents hope for her.

In The Deserter, he does the same thing, albeit to a lesser extent. After burning Katara, he decides he doesn't want to firebend ever again, even when Katara tells him he'll get it eventually and that she is healed (so out of danger). He prefers to forbid himself from firebending because he hurt her, even though they are at war against a nation of firebenders, and when Katara has so much faith in him and trusts he'll master the four elements.

I think we can consider it as him fleeing from his duty as the Avatar once again.

[margotlovessally]

I just love this father/son relationship so much 🥺

[0bscvr1ty]

What's a potential bending style you haven't seen anyone think of yet

Earthbenders bending trees. Treebending.

They should be able to bend the silica embedded inside the tree's structure if they're skilled enough. It's a mineral compound found in various rock types, and gets absorbed through the roots of trees.

This explains why Toph couldn't bend the dry wood in the prison cell in [S3EP7 The Runaway] (besides not having considered it, perhaps the silica content was too low or disconnected from the ground source for her to sense earth contents like she did with metal).

And why Haru, Tyro and other earthbenders could bend coal in [S1EP6 Imprisoned] (which is essentially fossilized plant matter that has become mineral/rock-like).

It's likely easier with petrified wood though.

Alright, I'll confess, I'm making #Team Runaway Haru a Treebender. He seems skilled enough for a novice earthbender. "Proof" here.