Plot-bunny-ish idea: Avatar: the Last Airbender

[marbleglove]

Watching Avatar: the Last Airbender was a whole lot of fun. Although, I have to say, it was odd to watch it for the first time only after I had read Vathara's Embers fanfic. It was interesting to see what changed and what didn't. And, while the cartoon definitely grew on me, there were still times when it threw me out of my suspended disbelief. After all, here are kids (and adults) throwing around dangerous things and no one ever gets seriously hurt. There are a few people who were killed in the backstory, but no one really dies in the plot. Evil people and groups put together these elaborate and expensive prisons in order to hold dangerous prisoners, but there's no thought of simply killing someone.

Defeat, torture, maim, etc... all of these happen, but not killing.

The few exceptions are:

1. A fire nation commander kills Katara's mother, but then does his best to hide the fact. (The mother's body is never found.) Zuko agrees that the commander committed a crime that deserves payback. And the commander recognizes Katara pretty much immediately as the only witness to what he had done.

2. Katara considers killing the commander who killed her mother but refrains in the end.

3. Azula tries to kill Aang and Zuko.

4. Everyone tells Aang that he must kill the Fire Lord. Aang really doesn't want to and eventually finds a way around it.

Now, of course, the fact that the story is a cartoon intended for young children could clearly explain the lack of deaths. However, I had a thought: 

What if, instead, it's that killing is seriously taboo. Given all of the elemental benders around, it would be easy enough for even young children to kill each other, but rather than just being a matter of morality and/or strength, killing is considered seriously disgusting and unthinkable. You want to defeat your enemies, destroy their culture, possibly put them into a situation where they won't survive, but the culture of all four nations agree that to directly kill someone is on par with having an affair with your own mother or some such.

Thus, benders in particular need to be able to pull their punches.

Anyway, this wouldn't necessarily change the events of the story, but how would it change the implications all the way through? 

Something to think about.

And while this idea definitely came from watching Avatar, it could also be applied to an original story. What would the implications be for a society if everyone had the ability to do vast damage to all around them--property damage was common and construction workers well-paid--but killing was completely anathema? 

Comments

[lita-of-jupiter.livejournal.com]

I only saw some episodes spread around but since findjing Embers on your delicious page I am on a on an Zuko kick, reading all ATLA fics which seems to be well recced.

loved the way you thought about this... which might explain why Ursa couldn't just wait to be banished as she killed the firelord directly such a public shame would befall all those who were in contact with her...

[marbleglove.livejournal.com]

Zuko is such a wonderful character. Alas, I haven't found much good fanfic about him. Do you have any recommendations?

[lita-of-jupiter.livejournal.com]

welll I am trying to find some good ones so far not counting Vathara's emebers my favourite is this wip:

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5145003/1/Second_Nature

what about yours?

[marbleglove.livejournal.com]

Second Nature is great. I'm not sure if I have a single favorite, but I do like:

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4489520/1/Lie_To_Me

http://inmyriadbits.livejournal.com/153610.html#cutid3

And Zuko's presence in the crossover:

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5625466/1/Intersecting_Circles
(But you really need to have read Tamora Pierce's Circle of Magic books to follow it.)

[lita-of-jupiter.livejournal.com]

I guess Tamora Pierce are my next read then....

[lita-of-jupiter.livejournal.com]

lie to me was great... there is just something about Toph and Zuko interacting which pleases me...

also the small touch about Azula being human once... the beach episode does illustrate that pretty well....

but manacle Zuko to bed to use as a water bottle seems and awesul waste...

[marbleglove.livejournal.com]

I do love Tamora Pierce's books, although as fair warning, I'm not sure how much of that love has to do with the fact that I started reading them in elementary school.

[lita-of-jupiter.livejournal.com]

how many of them there are?

[marbleglove.livejournal.com]

A lot. Her page on Amazon is:
http://www.amazon.com/Tamora-Pierce/e/B000APBE82/ref=sr_tc_img_2_0?qid=1282606830&sr=1-2-ent

She tends to write in quartets, and she has two universes:

One of them is mostly set in the kingdom of Tortall and has something like 25 books.

The other is the Circle of Magic universe, which I think has about 10.

[lita-of-jupiter.livejournal.com]

which one dO i need for the fic?
the cicle or tortall?


so many books... so little time

[marbleglove.livejournal.com]

The Circle books. Thinking on it, you only really need the first quartet to introduce the characters, but I liked the second quartet even more.

And, so, so true. My to-read pile is something like three bookshelves.

[lita-of-jupiter.livejournal.com]

its why I got myself a kindle.... now I only have to worry about gigabites and not about finding more shleves!

[marbleglove.livejournal.com]

I have definitely been tempted by a kindle. It might go on my Christmas list. Although I keep wondering if I'll miss the physical nature of books.

Do you ever read manga on your kindle? If yes, how do those come out?

[lita-of-jupiter.livejournal.com]

manga not so much... the on I have has the smaller sceen but the free wireless means free fanfic everywhere too so I just save manga for my pc..

otherwise it would eat to much memmory I think...

I am really happy with mine so I recomend it!

[marbleglove.livejournal.com]

Ooh. I hadn't realized that the kindle could do regular web-browsing or get fanfic. I thought the wireless was purely a connection to Amazon. Now I really want one.