application for gargleblasted pt. i

[100yearsgone]

OOC:

Name: Ivy
Are you over 16?: Yes!
Personal LJ: Ivellinus
Email: oceans_13th@yahoo.com
Timezone: GMT -6/MST
Other contact: aim: hpfreakir / plurk: milordivy AIM, Plurk, or a PM to this journal will be the best way to contact me! I'm always on aim and plurk so /o/
Characters already in the game: None!
How did you find us?: HOJO \o/

IC:

Character name: Aang
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Timeline: Post finale
Age: 13
~*Magical*~ abilities and strengths: Because Aang will no longer be on his home planet there are a few abilities which he would never use and therefore probably shouldn't even have. At least to avoid any godmodding issues. Aang will no longer be able to reach the Avatar State, his Chakra can easily be blocked again in a new and strange place. Aang will also no longer have the ability to energybend. I don't see any reason that kind of ability would have to enter a game like this anyway. AND FINALLY, now for the abilities that Aang can use. Because Aang is the Avatar, the planet incarnate, he has the ability to bend all four elements.

Airbending: Air is the most versatile of the elements and also Aang's native one. By age twelve he was already a master. Airbending allows Aang to control and manipulate the air currents around him. As long as there is air to breathe, Aang can use it for airbending. He likes to do tricks and show off with it more than anything. He's not a fighter.

Waterbending: As a Waterbender Aang can control and manipulate the water around him, considering there is some. Aang would only use this for everyday purposes and defense when it was absolutely necessary. The only requirement for waterbending is having actual water to bend. Katara has said that Aang has the reflexes of an waterbending master, though he probably has yet to catch up with her.

Earthbending: Rock, sand, dirt-- as long as it's a type of earth Aang can bend it. Metalbending is also something Earthbenders are capable of, but Aang is far from being able to do that, thankfully one of his best friends invented it! According to Toph in the finale his earthbending still needed some work. Keeping this in mind it is very likely that he has yet to master earthbending.

Firebending: For Aang to firebend he needs some sort of sun like star to fuel it. As long as the planets they land on are receiving energy from some sort of sunlight Aang can firebend. He probably won't have such good results on the spaceship. Fire is Aang's weakest element as it is the one he has spent the least amount of time training. It won't take long for him to reach the master level, he did get a personal lesson from dragons after all.

How would they use their abilities?: For defense only, he's a true pacifist. But if someone hurts one of his friends, he's not above using his bending to help them. Thankfully all of his friends would be more than capable of handing themselves. He likes to do tricks, have fun, and show off with his. Training is alright, except for when he's training with Katara, in which case it is fun...Most of the time.

Appearance: Aang is a thirteen year old bald monk. He shaves his head regularly and proudly displays the blue tattoos he earned for mastering his native element, airbending. The tattoos run along his back, up along his head, down his legs, and around his arms. The tattoos come to the end in the shape of an arrow on his forehead, and on the tops of his hands and feet. Since the end of the war Aang has worn the traditional yellow-orange colored robes of the adult monks from the different Air Temples. It's a long sleeved outfit that covers most of his body. He also wears a wooden necklace with the symbol for the Air Temples. The outfit can be seen here. Aang has gray eyes and black hair. Although he was seen with hair in the series, it is very unlikely that he would grow it out now.

Background: Aang was born to two Airbenders some one hundred and thirteen years ago. Like all Air Nomads he was born with the ability to control and manipulate the air currents around him. He was an airbender. At a very young age he was sent to the Southern Air Temple to live and train with the monks there. Although their community was like one giant family, most of what Aang learned in his first twelve years of life, was taught to him by Monk Gyatso. He was a wise old man who acted as the boy's guardian and mentor, but he was more than that, he was also his best friend.

Around age six Aang was sent to the Eastern Air Temple where he met his sky bison and lifelong companion. He offered the bison who he named Appa an apple which the calf ate without hesitation. They formed an unbreakable bond right then and there and the two of them have been together ever since. Sky bison were in fact the original airbenders. Appa can fly.

Aang always excelled at airbending, surpassing kids twice his age when he was still only six. By ten he was better than his own teacher. Sometime before he turned twelve Aang received the blue tattoos along his chi lines that symbolized his mastery of airvending. He mastered thirty-five tiers of airbending and even invented his own move, the air scooter. In fact, Aang was the youngest Airbender in history to achieve the title of master. Not that he asks people to call him that, or has anyone to train for that matter.

Even though he trained a lot Aang always made sure to make plenty of time for his friends at home and all over the world. He spent a lot of time playing games and practicing with the other boys he grew up with in the temple, and even taught them a few airbending tricks himself. It was easy for Aang to visit his friends who lived far, far away thanks to his loyal companion Appa. Bumi from Omashu, and Kuzon from the Fire Nation were just two of the friends Aang liked to visit. As he once recalled they used to get in a lot of trouble together. Even the elderly Gyatso liked to stir up some innocent trouble with Aang. On one such occasion he suggested surprising the elders of their Templ. by pieing them in the face with delicious fruit pies. They enjoyed many similar laughs together and both had great senses of humor. They also enjoyed playing Pai Sho together.

It's not surprising that Aang almost automatically resented being the Avatar when he was told that he was. He was still a kid, after all and saw his whole falling apart because of the whole ordeal. Not only was he forced to spend longer amounts of time training and less time with his friends, but they turned a cold shoulder to him when he wanted to play a game they invented with his own air scooter. They considered the fact that he was the Avatar to be an unfair advantage and didn't even take into consideration the fact that he had taught them it in the first place. Gyatso was sympathetic toward Aang and insisted he still be able to have fun like any normal kid. He also thought it was a mistake to reveal the his true identity before he turned sixteen. Aang was only twelve when the told him of his destiny.

The worst and final straw was when the young Airbender spied on the monks telling Gyatso that his feelings for Aang were clouding his better judgment. Their solution was to send him away to the Eastern Air Temple, where he would complete his training. At that moment Aang did feel his entire world collapse apart. Gyatso was like a father to him, and the other monks were cruel to try to tear him away from the people he loved and everything he knew. Though they warned him of a looming war, Aang did not fully comprehend what that meant because he was too tied up in his own suffering, and he had never seen a war before. Seeing no other way out of this terrible situation Aang decided to run away on Appa, that way the monks could never try to send him off to the Eastern Air Temple.

Carelessly Aang flew Appa into a treacherous storm where they crashed into the sea. Had he been a regular Airbender the two of them would probably be dead. Because he was the Avatar, Aang was able to save them. Of course, he had absolutely no control of his actions at the time. The perilous circumstances pushed Aang into the Avatar state. It is the ultimate defense mechanism for the Avatar. It allows him to tap into the knowledge of his past lives, which also gives him the ability to summon unbelievable power, just against his own will. Aang was barely conscious when he used a combination of airbending and waterbending to seal the two of them in a sphere of safety. That sphere continued to freeze over a period of one hundred years while Aang remained in the Avatar State. He was never conscious of the time that had passed. After crashing into the sea the last thing Aang can remember was waking up in Katara's arms.

When siblings Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe discovered and busted Aang out of his iceberg one hundred years later, he was calm, casual and by all means himself. He quickly befriended the young and very pretty girl and eagerly escorted her and her brother back to their village. Aang reveled in the attention of the children from the tribe and immediately joined them in playing games and having fun. Even when the grumpy Sokka told Aang about the war that had gone on for the last 100 years, he was not terribly moved. In his defense he didn’t fully grasp the situation yet. Even when he found out he was stuck in that iceberg for just as long, he was more optimistic than not. All he could do was go home right? He had yet to discover what had happened to his people of course. But before Aang could return home he came face to face with the teenager who would be his nemesis, the banished prince, Zuko.

Zuko had already spent a few years tracking the Avatar and easily picked up on Aang’s trail once Katara had freed him form his icy prison. The trail led him strait to the Southern Water Tribe. After a brief squabble, Aang gave himself up so that the village might be spared. Guards led a bound Aang onto the ship and set off for the Fire Nation. Katara and Sokka decided to rescue Aang, he saved their village after all, it was only right that they go after him. Appa was there to help and, as luck would have it that little Airbender was the Avatar.

Aang escaped from the clutches of Zuko’s men and met up with Appa, Katara and Sokka on Zuko’s ship. It was a close call, the only reason they were able to escape was because of a sudden triggering of the Avatar State in a desperate moment. Aang unleashed a huge waterbending attack, crashing Zuko’s ship before escaping on Appa with his new friends. Katara and Sokka decided to join Aang on his quest to master the elements and headed for the North Pole where they hoped to find a waterbending master. Despite his powerful attack, Aang had yet to learn anything about waterbending. The trio and animal friends made numerous stops on the way, the first one being the Southern Air Temple.

Aang was shocked to find his homeland had been deserted, but still wouldn’t believe the Airbenders were all gone. Of course he hadn’t been able to see initial evidence of the Fire Nation’s attack before the empathetic Katara could cover it up. After introducing them to his best friend Gyatso via statue, he led the siblings to the Air Temple Sanctuary. It was a place that Gyatso told him he could 
enter when the time was right. The time certainly was right. He opened the giant door of the sanctuary using airbending and discovered a vast hall filled with statues of his past Avatar lives. Strange as it was he was able to recognize his predecessor, Avatar Roku without much thought at all.

Shortly after entering the hall of statues Aang followed a lemur who he planned to keep as a pet. On his way Aang discovered the skeletal corpse of his guardiank Gyatso along with helmets that had been worn by Fire Nation soldeirs. Aang had never experienced such pain in his life, it was unbearable. The Airbenders had been wiped out and he wasn’t there to help him. It was his duty to maintain the balance of the world and he couldn’t even be there to protect his own people. He was too selfish. Rage, guilt, and sadness consumed Aang sending him into the Avatar State. He created a powerful sphere of air around his body, lifting himself off of the groupd. The power that he evoked at that moment was a way of letting the world know that the Avatar had returned. Who knows what Aang would have done if Katara hadn’t been brave enough to calm him down. She reminded him that she and Sokka were her his new family, and they wouldn’t let anything happen to him. Her brother even helped settle the young Avatar down. Aang was without a question heartbroken when he left the Southern Air Temple with his new pet lemur, Momo, but he was also instilled with a new sense of hope and affection for his new family.

Aang, Katara and Sokka traveled all over the world on their way to the North Pole, with Prince Zuko usually hot on their trail. It was devestating to discover just how much the war had thrown the world out of balance. Entire forests were burned down, people were left without homes, and everyone lived in fear. The Avatar and monk inside of him were absolutely astonished. Hard as it may be to believe, it wasn't all gloom and doom. Aang met up with his old friend Bumi in Omashu, helped liberate a prison full of Earthbenders, and even met his predecessor Avatar Roku. Of course Aang couldn’t do that without first journeying into the spirit world. When the young Airbender learned that he was the bridge between the world of the living and the spirit realm, he had no idea what to do, but somehow managed to cross over. He wasn’t even aware he had until after the fact, when he realized his bending didn't work and no one could see him. With the assistance of Roku’s spirit animal, Aang found out that he needed to meet with Roku on the day of the solstice. Which was very, very soon. To top things off he also had a vision of a giant, burning comet that was racing toward the earth. Roku was the only one who could tell him what it meant, Aang had to speak with him

When the Airbender insisted on flying to Roku’s temple alone Katara and Sokka were too stubborn to listen. Aang was secretly relieved to have his friends with him but also worried for their safety as they would be soaring straight into the Fire Nation. Appa flew as fast as he could to Roku’s temple, but finding that one statue of Roku inside of it was another story. The Fire Sages of the temple were not so welcoming, but one still remained loyal to the Avatar and actually helped Aang get to where he needed to be in order to meet with Roku. After a struggle Aang made it inside of the inner sanctuary just in the nick of time. He met with Roku who told him that his vision was of a comet, Sozin’s comet to be precise. It was the comet that Sozin had used to wipe out the Air Temples, and it was returning by the end of summer. It was Aang’s job to master the elements and stop the comet before Fire Lord Ozai could use it to destroy any more of the world than his military already had. It was also his job to defeat the Fire Lord and restore balance to the world.

It was an impossible task, but Roku assured Aang he could do it, for he had done it many, many times before. All of his past lives had mastered the elements. With Roku’s assistance Aang was able to escape the temple with Katara, Sokka and Momo on Appa before it was destroyed. It was an understatement to say that they needed to get to the North Pole stat.

If only it was that simple. Before he could make it that far, Aang had to comfort his guilt head on. A grouchy old man was able to make him feel immeasurable guilt with a few comments about his absence and the state of the world. Aang flew away, but Katara caught up with him eventually. She got him to talk about his past, something he really needed to do. Even though it would be a while before he truly released his guilt, sharing it with Katara lifted some of the weight from his shoulders.

Aang found that the banished Prince Zuko wasn’t the only one out to capture him. A fierce Fire Nation General, Zhao also wished to capture Aang and didn’t mind stomping on Zuko to do it. At the time Aang didn’t fully understand Zuko’s reasoning for trying to capture him, but when General Zhao did just that, it was the banished prince who rescued him. He had disguised himself as a character called the Blue Spirit. When Aang discovered his rescuers identity he couldn’t bring himself to leave him there for Zhao to eat alive. Aang rescued Zuko and stayed with him until he regained consciousness. He questioned the prince about whether or not they could be friends before fleeing from his fire blast. Zuko did not follow.

Desperate and still unsure whether or not he could master the elements in time, Aang (with the assistance of Roku again) enlisted the help of an old high ranking official from the Fire Nation military that had turned his back on them. He was a fugitive, just like the Avatar. Jeong Jeong was not all thatwilling to teach Aang firebending, but attempted to do so anyway. It was a tough lesson to learn, but he finally understood why the elements were so important to learn in a specific order. He needed to understand the cool, refreshing change that water brought, and also learn the discipline that one needed to earthbend, all before he could even hope to master firebending. It was after all the most uncontrollable of all the elements. Combined with Aang's carefree and freedom loving nature, it was a dangerous combination. He ended up burning Katara and swore never to firebend again.

It was not long after this that Aang and friends reached the North Pole.. Aang and Katara we excited that they would finally get the chance to train with a real master. Unfortunately Zhao had his own plans for conquering the Northern Watertribe by killing the moon spirit, and Zuko similarly had his own for capturing Aang. Actually, Zuko didn’t have a plan so much as he had a goal, which was capturing Aang.

Overwhelmed by the fleet of ships sent to invade the Northern Watertribe Aang had the idea of finding and talking with the Moon and Ocean spirits. Princess Yue led Aang and Katara to the most spiritual place in the entire North Pole. Aang could feel the spiritual energy around him and was able to pass over into the spirit world fairly easily, the image of coyfish circling endlessly guiding him along. Unfortunately for Katara, Zuko had caught up to them not too long after. They battled and Katara won. It was a short lived victory as Zuko easily over powered her when the sun rose. He finally captured the Avatar. The good news for Aang was that Zuko had no idea what he was doing and ended up stranding them in a cave during the middle of a blizzard. While all of this was going on, Aang journeyed into the spirit world where Roku informed him that the Moon and Ocean spirits had long since passed over to the mortal realm. His only hope was to meet with the spirit Koh, also know as the face stealer, for he was just as old.

Aang met with the demon Ko, all the while remembering Roku’s warning not to show any emotion or risk having his face stolen. The young Avatar was shocked to discover that it was the Moon and Ocean spirits that needed his help, someone was going to kill them. The spirits were in fact the black and white coy fish he had seen circling in the Spirit Oasis. The person who was going to kill them was Zhao. With this information Aang raced back to the mortal world, surprised to find he was stuck in a cave with Zuko. Aang blew himself out of the cave which was a good thing because Sokka and Katara spotted him almost right away. They rescued Aang on Appa and Katara was able to exact her revenge on Zuko, who they almost left to freeze to death. But Aang’s conscious wouldn’t allow it.

With the unconscious Zuko on board, Appa raced back to the Spirit Oasis. They were too late. Zhao had already captured the spirit and Aang had no choice but to surrender. Unfortunately Zhao killed the fish anyway, causing the light from the moon to be extinguished in their world. The Ocean Spirit used the Avatar as a vessel to destroy the fleet of Fire Nation ships that had come to invade the Northern Water Tribe. Aang had no control over what was happening, but he wasn’t unaware. The spirit turned the course of the battle and drove them out singled handed. It was Princess Yue, who the moon had given life to, that restored balance, and the life of the Moon spirit. Yue also became the moon spirit. Once that had happened the Ocean spirit released Aang as a vessel and returned to its life as a fish. It was finally over.

For a while after the invasion Aang and Katara continued to study waterbending with Master Pakku.

Aang left the North Pole with Katara as his new waterbending master and set out for Omashu where he hoped to meet his friend Bumi to teach him earthbending. They were sent to a small Earth Kingdom fortification where they expected to meet escorts who would take them to Omashu. The general of this particular fortification had the idea that Aang could wipe out the Fire Lord without taking the time to master the elements. He had heard of the way “Aang” had been able to take out that fleet of ships at the North Pole, but clearly didn’t fully understand the situation.

Out of guilt Aang still agreed to try it, but after a few meaningful nightmares plagued his sleep he started to have second thoughts. He decided to take it back, stating that it would be wrong to force the Avatar State. The General, desperate to use Aang for his plan threatened Katara and even made it look like she could have died just to goad him. It was a cruel, cruel thing to do, but it worked Aang went into the Avatar State against his will and caused a large amount of destruction as a result. Realizing his mistake the General quickly revealed it was just a trick and that Katara was safe. Aang was able to calm down, but was angry with himself. And no one was happy with the General. The gang left without their escorts and headed to Omashu on Appa. They actually had to go through a secret love cave where Aang and Katara shared their first kiss, but those or only details.

When they arrived in Omashu, the city had already been occupied by Fire Nation troops. Determined to find his friend, Aang, Katara and Sokka infiltrated the city and found nothing but trouble. Not only did Aang face off with his new and deadly nemesis, Princess Azula, but King Bumi had no intention of teaching Aang how to earthbend. He insisted Aang would find his teacher, and that his place was in his city. He planed to listen and wait until the time was right to take it back and told the young Avatar to find a teacher who did the same thing.

The gang’s next adventure took them to a mysterious swamp. Aang ended up chasing an unknown girl through the rough terrain after their group had gotten separated. The swamp had actually led him there. The entire time they were there Aang couldn’t help but notice how alive and mystical everything felt. He warned Sokka to stop hacking away at the plants, but he stubbornly refused to listen. After narrowly escaping a fight from one powerful Waterbender Aang learned of the swamps origins. It was one giant organism with an ancient and gigantic tree at its center. It was the largest living organism in the world as a matter of fact. The swamp gave Aang a glimpse of a person he would meet, but also reminded him of a very important lesson as the world was concerned as a whole. Just like the swamp, everything in the world was connected. Although there seemed to be seperation it was just an illusion. The planet was like one giant organism, just like this swamp. This understanding helped Aang find his lost bison and lemur in the swamp. Not to mention the girl who would be his earthbending teacher.

Aang continued to train with Katara while he searched for another master. His search led him to a fighting competition where he saw a number of powerful and flashy earthbenders. He knew almost instantly that his teacher would have to the undefeated champ, The Blind Bandit. She was exactly what Bumi described. After trying, and failing to persuade her to talk to him, Aang decided to investigate who she was. He recognized her as the girl he chased in the swamp and asked around about her, and the flying boar he saw with her. This led him to the Bei Fong family, one of the Earth Kingdoms wealthiest. They kept their twelve year old daughter, Toph, a secret from the world, and she in turn kept the fact that she was a great earthbending master from them. Determined as ever, Aang pulled the Avatar card to gain an invitation for dinner. Though they didn’t get a long at first, Toph really opened up to Aang, explaining her unique ability to see with her feet and how her family just won't understand. One thing led to another and the two of them were captured.

Sokka and Katara showed up to help Aang, along with Toph’s father who was there to pay a ransom for his daughter. Once Toph was released from her metal cage Katara pleaded with her to help. She did, finally proving to her father once and for all that she wasn’t the helpless little girl he thought she was. That great and victorious moment was short lived however. Toph’s parents refused to let her accompany Aang on his journey and teach him earthbending. He was devastated and so was she. Toph made a bold, last minute move and caught up with the gang before they could take off on Appa. She lied and told them that her father ‘gave her permission’ before setting off into the night with them. Toph Bei Fong seemed happier than she had been in a long time.

Too bad everyone’s happiness seemed short lived. As the tempers of these sleep deprived young adults flared, things began to fall apart. It didn’t help that they couldn’t seem to shake Azula and her friends. Katara and Toph had already been going at it. But once Aang decided to stop biting his tongue and yell at his earthbending teacher after she blamed Appa for their inability to escape. Toph was pushed to leave the group at this point. Aang felt terrible. She was right of course, Appa was shedding and leaving an easy trail to follow. In an effort to give Azula’s group the slip, Aang, Katara and Sokka gave Appa a much needed washing. The young Avatar took off with some of Appa’s hair in one direction, while Sokka and Katara went after Toph on Appa in another. Azula wasn’t so easily duped and tracked Aang down in a ghost town. He made it easy for the princess by waiting patiently for her to come to him. He was tired of running.

As luck would have it, Zuko was tracking Azula at the very same time and interrupted her short introduction. Trying to take on both his lethal sister and the Avatar proved to be too much of a task for Zuko. Aang was almost eliminated by Azula. Luckily Katara saved him in the nick of time. Sokka was also there to join in the fighting. Iroh and Toph, who had met in the forest while Toph was leaving, joined the group at later and separate times. Aang, Zuko and all of the people who had shown up cornered Azula, forcing her to flee, but not before she was able to injure Iroh. For the second time since Zuko had started chasing him, Aang noticed a softer side, or at least the ability to do good wrapped up in all of his bad intentions. He didn’t think about it so much as Katara was rudely and furiously rejected when she offered to heal Iroh’s wounds. Neither Zuko nor Azula followed the gang. Toph had rejoined them and they were finally able to get a good nights sleep.

When Aang started his training with Toph it turned out to be one of the most frustrating experiences of his life. He couldn’t do it. Earthbending seemed impossible. Toph would tell him to be rock like, but he couldn’t do that, not even when he had the stance down perfectly. Aang was too scared. Toph tried to annoy Aang into a state of anger that would cause him to muster the strength he needed, but it was a gigantic and deadly moose that really taught him the lesson he needed. While Sokka was wedged inbetween the earth and in danger of being mutilated, Aang saved his life. He scared the giant animal off with a few clever airbending tricks. Toph, who happened to be there the entire time proved to Aang he had the strength he needed all the time, he was just too stupid to see it. It was at that moment that Aang was able to earthbend, although he was still too much of a beginner to rescue Sokka. He left that up to the master.

Aang had the reflexes of a waterbending master, he could finally earthbend, and they hadn’t seen Azula in a while. The gang decided to pick mini-vacations without telling Sokka; they deserved one for all of their hard work but knew he would never agree to it. Aang’s was first, but Sokka quickly sped it along. Katara’s vacation led them to an “oasis” that was anything but. They happened to meet a professor from the Earth Kingdom capital of Ba Sing Se who was searching for an ancient under ground library filled with immeasurable knowledge. It was one of the world's great wonders according to the professor. With the help of Appa the gang and the professor took off into the desert in hopes of finding this very library. This turned out to be Sokka’s mini-vacation, it was just like him to use something like that to gather information on the Fire Nation.

Finding the library was easier than they all could have imagined, it was one of the grandest and most wondrous buildings any of them had every seen, at least from the inside. After promising the spirit of the library, Wan Shi Tang, that they would not use his collection for the purposes of evil they were allowed to explore to their hearts content. Perhaps the old bird was playing with them, Sokka wasn’t very convincing and had immediately started pilfering everything he thought might come in handy. After discovering that the entire wing on the Fire Nation had been destroyed, Sokka was furious. The best thing he had was a piece of parchment with a date that said “the darkest day in fire nation history.”

Wasn’t it lucky that a foxy knowledge seeker decided to help Sokka at the very moment he thought all hope was lost? The silver fox led the group to a magnificent planetarium that was unlike anything they had every seen. At the center and base stood a circular celestial calander that allowed the user to pick any date in time. Sokka quickly went to the date on his vaguely worded parchment and discovered that on that very day there was a solar eclipse. The sun was blocked out by the moon and the firebenders were unable to bend for however long it lasted. This was a major breakthrough, but Wan Shi Tang caught onto their plans and tried to prevent them from escaping. Desperate, and possibly crazy, Sokka and Aang checked every date until Sozin’s comet arrived and discovered that there would be an eclipse in a few of months. This was more than a breakthrough, it was a golden opportunity. It was their chance to finally defeat Fire Lord Ozai. They decided to get this information to Ba Sing Se as fast as they could. Wan Shi Tang, finally pushed to his limit started to sink the library. Toph who was holding the library up gave everyone the opportunity to escape. If only everything ended that smoothly.

The professor decided to sink with the library and Aang was distraught to find Appa missing from the group when he, Katara, Sokka and Momo finally returned. Appa had been kidnapped and Toph couldn’t even try to save him without dropping the library. It was also hard for her to see in the sand as she was not used to that kind of earth. A furious Aang yelled at her and everyone in the group, declaring that they only thought about themselves and didn’t care what happened to Appa. In a rage Aang flew away without so much as a word, deserting his friends in the desert in search of his bison.

The young Avatar’s search proved to be fruitless. By nightfall he was forced to return to his group. He was sulking, moody and snappy the entire time. The group found a boat that allowed them to sail through the sand quickly and eventually came to a lone plateu. They found themselves right in front of a vulture wasps hive and were swarmed by the nasty little critters. When one of them took off with Momo, Aang followed wearing a dark expression. The lemur escaped and was flying next to him before he had to do anything. Despite the fact that the vulture wasp was not coming after them, Aang attacked it with a very powerful blast of air, effectively killing the creature. This is the only time in the series Aang is seen to consciously kill a living being, it is unclear whether or not he recalls this incident a few months later when he is faced with the decision of killing Ozai.

The group was comfronted by a group of Sandbenders who discovered their stolen boat and Toph easily recognized one of them as the men who had kidnapped Appa. Aang didn’t hesitate to accuse the young man, he demanded to know where his bison was. Toph was right about who the young man was, but when he still refused to talk, even at the insistence of his father, Aang was pushed into the Avatar State. He destroyed a few of their ships and threatened to do more before the jerk who did it finally pleaded with him. He told Aang that Appa was probably in Ba Sing Se by now and that they would escort them out of the desert. It was ultimately Katara who calmed Aang down. She once again risked her own safety and grabbed his hand, receiving what was no doubt one of the meanest looks she had ever seen. Aang drifted down into Katara’s arms, a sobbing wreck. He hadn’t felt this kind of pain since he had learned about the genocide of his people.

After they finally escaped the desert, they were on there way to Ba Sing Se with the invaluable information they needed to get to the Earth King at all costs. Aang decided the best way to deal with his grief would be to pretend like it didn’t exist. He became cold, distant and hopeless, even rejecting Katara’s attempts at comforting him. It was only when Aang led a family who was expecting a child through the dangerous Serpents Pass that he learned hopelessness and a stone cold demeanor was not the answer. Everyone made it safely through the Serpent’s Pass and Aang set off ahead of everyone to look for Appa.

But are things ever that easy?
Aang couldn’t have prepared himself for the massive drill branded with the Fire Nation insignia that was headed toward Ba Sing Se’s outer wall. The drill was being led by none other than Azula, the sneaky and powerful little thing that she was. The loyal Mai and Ty Lee were of course at her side. Because the forces in Ba Sing Se turned out to be pretty much useless it was up to Team Avatar to take down the drill. And Ty Lee was their inspiration. They decided to take down the drill from the inside. With Toph creating cover for them, Aang, Sokka, and Katara snuck inside the drill while she remained outside to try and stop it from there. Once they had acquired some blue prints of the drill Sokka was able to determine which areas they should strike. The giant metal braces that they needed to cut through were too thick for Aang and Katara to finish them all. That’s when Aang put his teachings from Toph to good use. He remembered that she taught him not to focus all of his energy in any one attack. It was better to weaken before delivering the final blow. It was effective and saved energy. Aang and Katara cut about halfway through all of the braces before Aang set off to deliver the final blow at the top.

Azula was hot on his trail, and soldiers were aimlessly tossing rocks down to where he needed to be. It wasn’t easy to do, he almost failed as a matter of fact. With the help of some clever earthbending and his air scooter Aang was able to puncture a hole through the metal shell of the drill, successfully disabling it. It was a close call, and Aang couldn’t have made it through without his friends.

When they were finally able to make it inside of the city all of them (minus Toph) were in awe by the size. It was both magnificent and terrible. The wealth was very obviously unevenly distributed, most people were crammed into the poverty ridden lower ring. This is also where refugees started out. The kids were all disturbed by the sights the city had to offer, and even more disturbed when their guide/handler ignored their inquiries about meeting with the Earth King. After she showed them to their swanky pad, she assisted them while they questioned various people about Appa. They were left with the feeling that people knew more than they were saying and couldn’t wait to get rid of their handler Joo Dee. When she finally left them for the night the decided to sneak into a party at the palace and were actually successful! Of course before Aang could reach the Earth King he was escorted away to meet with an man named Long Feng.

Long Feng was the head of the Dai Li who were charged with protecting Ba Sing Se’s cultural heritage. Long Feng coldly informed Team Avatar that it was forbidden to speak of the war within the city and that in fact the king didn’t even know. He suggested news of a war outside of the city would create chaos. When Aang vehemently spoke out against Long Feng’s unusual way of keeping order, the older man threatened the Avatar. He also suggested that he might know where Appa was and told Aang to keep his mouth shut if he knew what was good for him.

They were sent back to their apartment with a different lady who also claimed to be Joo Dee. Things were without a doubt fishy in Ba Sing Se. It wasn’t long before the foursome and Momo became fed up with the rigid rules. They decided to print posters for the missing Appa and distributed them throughout the city even though it was against the rules. Aang even got so mad that he yelled in Joo Dee’s face -- the real Joo Dee this time. She explained that she had been on vacation at Lake Laogai. Not long after they began posting flyers, they were approached by a familiar man who wanted to help. It was Jet, a young man who had betrayed their trust a few months earlier. He claimed that he had turned a new leaf and wanted to help find Appa. Even Toph could tell he wasn’t lying. Things became complicated when they all met up with a couple of Jet’s friends who claimed he had been arrested by the Dai Li. Jet had in fact been brainwashed by the Dai Li and was ordered to throw Aang off of the trail of Appa. It was an attempt to get them to leave the city.

Long Feng wanted them out for a good reason too. Team Avatar had just uncovered a huge conspiracy and they had Jet on their side. They were able to help him snap out of his trance and get him to remember who he was. This proved to be very useful as Jet led them right to Lake Laogai. It was the secret operations base for the Dai Li. All of their treasonous business was conducted here and it was very likely where Appa was being held. It wasn’t easy to infiltrate their base under the lake, Jet was mortally injured and Appa wasn’t in the cell they knew he had been. Aang, Toph, Katara an Sokka had no choice but to escape, they were vastly outnumbered by the Dai Li. Once they were above the surface of the lake they were surrounded. That was when Appa swooped into save the day.

The great swelling that took place in Aang’s heart was unlike any he had ever felt. He didn’t know how Appa was freed, but he was. They were reunited at last! Appa exacted his revenge and tossed Long Feng into the lake with the rest of his men before receiving a long awaited and tight hug from Aang. For once it seemed like everything was working out, but they couldn’t leave Ba Sing Se just yet.

It would have probably been a good idea to leave, but they had a responsibility to really unmask Long Feng for the traitor that he was, and they needed the Earth Kingdom’s troops to be able to invade the Fire Nation on the coming day of black sun. Between Appa and some fancy bending infiltrating the palace wasn’t all that difficult. Their real task was convincing the Earth King that they were on his side, not Long Feng. At first the Earth King had trouble believing them, but as the evidence started to stack up against Long Feng the king could no longer ignore what was in front of him. He imprisoned Long Feng and started investigating every part of the city the Dai Li had affected.

Team Avatar discovered that Long Feng had been intercepting their messages. One such important message was attached to Appa’s horn by a guru named Pathik. The letter instructed Aang to come to the Eastern Air Temple where he would finally learn how to master the Avatar State. For a week Team Avatar went their seperate ways. Katara remained in Ba Sing Se, Toph went to meet with someone who she thought was her mother and Sokka went to meet up with his dad. Aang of course set off on Appa and headed for the Eastern Air Temple.

At the temple Aang found Guru Pathik waiting for him. In order to learn how to control the Avatar State Aang first had to open all of his chakras. As the Guru explained it, chakras are like little pools of swirling energy inside of us. In order to open one, the person must let the energy flow. There are seven chakras in the body with seven different types of blockage keeping the energy from flowing. Pathik warns Aang that once he begins opening his chakras he cannot stop or risk everything.

The first chakra Aang had to open was the Earth chakra located at the base of the spine. That one in particular deals with survival and is blocked by fear. Aang meditated over what he was most afraid of. Aang saw Fire Lord Ozai. Pathik told Aang to let his fear become clear, to surrender them and let the energy flow. After a minute Aang was able to do this pretty easily.

The second was the water chakra deals with pleasure and is blocked by guilt. Aang meditated over what he felt most guilty for, running away from his people, and not being able to control the Avatar State are just two such things. Pathik told Aang to accept the reality that things like this happen and should not be allowed to cloud and poison one’s energy. He told the young Avatar that for him to be a positive influence in the world he first needed to forgive himself. Aang was able to open the second chakra fairly easily thanks to Guru Pathik’s wisdom.

The third chakra is the fire chakra and is located in the stomach. It deals with will power and is blocked by shame. Aang’s biggest disappointments to date were hurting Katara with firebending -- he promised he’d never firebend again. In order to create balance within his own life Aang had to accept that being the Avatar made him a Firebender. This was another easy chakra for Aang to open.

The fourth chakra was a little more difficult. It is located in the heart and deals with grief. Aang meditated, laying all of his grief out in front of him. All of the pain he felt for his people. He learned that love is a form of energy, swirling all around us. Even though Aang’s people are gone their love for him remains in his heart and is reborn into new love. Like Aang’s love for Katara. Understanding this made it easier for Aang to let all of his pain flow out. It was one of the more emotional chakras for him.

The fifth chakra, the sound chakra is locate in the throat. It deals with truth and is blocked by lies. And remembered lying about being the Avatar, and also that he never wanted to be. In order to find balance within himself Aang had to accept his role once and for all. He was the Avatar and no amount of lying would every change that. With that wisdom Aang was able to open the chakra of truth

The sixth, the light chakra is located in the forehead. It deals with insight and is blocked by illusion. Pathik explains the greatest illusion in the world is the illusion of separation. The four nations live separate though they are one people, and even the elements seem different although they are one. Everything is connected. With this wisdom Aang has the ability to see that they exist all around us. His light chakra was opened

The seventh and final chakra is located at the crown of the head, it is the thought chakra. It deals with pure cosmic energy and is blocked by earthly attachment. It was easy to think of his attachment to this world, it was Katara. The woman who he loved more than anyone, the woman who he was in love with. Aang couldn’t bring himself to let go of his attachment to Katara, letting her go seemed impossible. Aang argued with Pathik who told him that if he could not let her go the cosmic energy could never flow and he would never be able to go into the Avatar State, let alone control it. Aang tried and he almost succeeded. He had all of the tools he needed at his feet and was prepared to let Katara go, but at the last minute saw a vision of her chained up in Ba Sing Se. Aang turned back, choosing Katara and fled from Guru Pathik. The guru warned him that if he left now everything would be over. Aang hardly listened as he raced to pick up Sokka and save Katara.

Back in Ba Sing Se things were a mess. Azula had infiltrated the city and taken control of the Dai Li. Team Avatar landed in a very serious and bad situation. Toph, Sokka and Aang found an unlikely ally to help them find Katara. Iroh had come to Aang hoping that he could assist him in his search for his nephew who had been captured by Azula. Once they had Azula’s plan, Sokka and Toph set out to stop Azula’s coup while Aang and Iroh went after Katara and Zuko (who luckily were being held togehter).

Hearing from Toph that the older man gave great advice Aang couldn’t resist the urge to ask Iroh for some himself. He asked Iroh what he thought about choosing love and Katara over pure cosmic energy. The smart old man told Aang he thought he was wise to choose love and happiness. He also said that perfection and power were over rated. Even if they were coming from the ‘enemy,’ Iroh’s words helped Aang a great deal. Aang and Iroh finally found Katara and Zuko underneath the palace in the ancient underground palace that was once there. Once Aang had Katara they didn’t stick around to chat. There was something about that time that bothered Aang, something that he may never be able to put his finger on.

While Katara and Aang were making their escape, Azula caught up with them and the huge battle to end Book 2 was underway. It was no surprise to Aang that Zuko joined Azula in her battle against him and Katara, but they were soon outnumbered. The Dai Li agents who were no in Azula’s command didn’t hesitate attacking. It was at this moment that Aang understood why he had to let Katara go. In the face over impossible odds, Aang literally turned his back on Katara enclosing himself in a crystal tent to meditate. Aang found that trail that led to the pure cosmic energy and followed it. He emerged from the small tent in the Avatar State, but left himself wide open for an attack. Azula capitalized on this opportunity and shot Aang with a blast of lightning. The path that Aang was following disappeared, the pure cosmic energy was gone, and Aang felt himself falling back to the earth. He was unconscious, on the brink of death, when Katara created a huge wave and raced to catch Aang before he could hit the ground. Thanks to Iroh she was able to escape with barely alive Aang.

Using the water from the Spirit Oasis that Pakku had given her, Katara was able to bring Aang back from the brink of death. Of course, it wasn’t a magical fix. Aang was unconscious for weeks. As far as the world was concerned however, he was as good as dead.

Aang was extremely upset when he discovered that the entire world thought he was dead. Even though it gave him the element of surprise it did not feel right. Without much thought he took off on his glider intent on facing down the Fire Lord once and for all. This was a ridiculous plan, Aang felt a hopelessness that he hadn’t in a while. None of his friends could understand the position he was in. Aang made it do the Fire Nation, but destroyed his staff along the way.

Sokka, Katara, Toph, Momo and Appa caught up with Aang and reminded him that they were a family and that he couldn’t do this alone. With the support of his friends Aang was able to see things more clearly. The world thinking he was dead would make it easier for their gang to travel through the Fire Nation. Disguises didn’t hurt either.

After they were able to blend in with the Fire Nation masses, Team Avatar set off toward the rendevou spot for the invasion. Their adventures sent them all around the Fire Nation. Aang even enrolled into a Fire Nation school where he gathered information. He also pulled a Footloose for the kids in his class by throwing them a secret dance party. The young Avatar came to realize that people in the Fire Nation didn’t seem that happy. They were raised according to strict guidelines and seemed to never have any fun. Aang saw a side of the Fire Nation he didn’t exactly expect to, but it only made him a more well rounded individual in the end.

As The Day of Black Sun approached, Aang knew he needed to train more, to learn more. It was then that Avatar Roku shared his memories with Aang -- they were memories that belonged to both of them. Roku told the story of his friendship with Sozin through a series of memories. Roku and Sozin seemed like good people and they also seemed to genuinely care for another. Aang felt their pain when Roku was identified of the Avatar and forced to leave home to train. Roku shared memories of his days of training with Aang, showing him that he was also friends with Gyatso. That was when Roku explained that friendships could transcendent lifetimes. It was bitter work, but Roku mastered each element and even returned home to marry the woman of his dreams.

It was at Roku’s wedding when Sozin planted the idea of a world which had been touched everywhere by the Fire Nation’s influence. They were a great, and prosperous nation; Sozin saw no reason he shouldn’t share it with the rest of the world. Roku warned Sozin that he would not allow such a thing and told him to put the idea to rest immediately. Sozin did not.

It was some time later that Roku finally confronted Sozin for his crimes against the world. He warned the Fire Lord in a much more aggressive way to stop expanding and ended their friendship. And yet he showed Sozin mercy in the name of that very friendship.

Twenty years passed before Roku and Sozin saw each other, and it wasn’t under the greatest of circumstances. Roku’s island was about to be buried in hot lava from the volcano that was erupting, and in true Avatar fashion Roku battled the elements to the best of his ability. When the elements started to push him back Sozin showed up to assist his old friend. The two of them began escaping, protecting each other along the way. When Roku was blindsided by a sudden spurting of gas, Sozin saw an opportunity. If he left his friend to die all of his plans could be realized. He had gone there to help Roku, but chose to leave his friend to die when the opportunity arose.

It was a terrible betrayal, but not at all the point of what Roku had shared with his young successor. He wanted Aang to understand that he was just as much Fire Nation as Sozin was. It was then that he understood the lesson, everyone, even people from the Fire Nation were capable of great good and great evil. Sozin chose evil, but he almost didn’t.

When the invasion was only four days away Aang found it difficult to go to sleep. He would have literally preferred to wear himself out with training. Everytime Aang did close his eyes he would have terrible nightmares about the Fire Lord and choking when it mattered most. It got to the point where he was going in and out of a dream like state when he was awake. He saw Appa and Momo battle it out, and confessed his love to Katara, calling her his forever girl. His friends tried everything they could to snap him out of it and help him sleep, but in the end all they needed to do was show their support. Everyone, even the all powerful Avatar needs encouragement. Their confidence in him is what made it possible for him to finally sleep.

When it was finally the day of the invasion Aang shaved his head, prepared to announce to the world that the Avatar was alive and confessed his feelings for Katara by kissing her. The rag tag invasion team was able to push through the first phase of the invasion by the time the eclipse started. They were one step closer to capturing the Royal Palace. Aang flew ahead of the other fighters and made his way to Fire Lord Ozai. When he reached the city surrounding the palace he was shocked to discover that it had been deserted. The invasion wasn’t a surprise at all. The Fire Nation knew they were coming the entire time and wanted to trick them. Aang cried out angrily for the Fire Lord, but returned to the others once that proved useless.

Although this was a huge blow to the invasion force, Sokka surmised that Ozai must be close, and likely underground. Toph was able to easily find the bunker underneath the volcano and led the way through. Sokka, Toph and Aang reached what they thought was Fire Lord Ozai’s chambers only to find Azula. She coerced all three of them into a game of cat and mouse which wasted all of their time. Still determined, and not willing to accept another defeat Aang insisted on going ahead with the plan. Toph convinced him that doing that would be suicide. What they needed to do now was retreat.

Before they could escape, airships destroyed their means of transportation. The adults decided to stay behind and be captured as war prisoners and sent the young ones on Appa with Team Avatar. It was another loss, and a giant humiliation for Aang. It seemed like his one shot at taking down the Fire Lord was gone. There was no way he’d be able to master earthbending in time, not to mention he didn’t even have a candidate to be his firebending teacher.

Aang led the gloomy group of young men and women to the Western Air Temple where he figured they would be safe for a while. Uninterested in talking shop, Aang set off to explore the temple, leaving Toph, Sokka and Katara to discuss things on their own. When they finally got Aang to give them his attention he was rude and none to interested in listening. They weren’t going to tell him anything he didn’t know, and he doubted that any of them had come up with a plan. Things never work out nicely for Team Avatar, but for once they actually kind of did.

Surprising every single one of them, Prince Zuko showed up at the Western Air Temple and basically begged to be in their group. He had discovered the error in his ways and wished to gain his own honor. Although Aang himself had experienced Zuko’s kinder side, he was not ready to accept him into their group, especially after Sokka and Katara spoke out against it. Toph, who wasn’t around while Zuko was chasing them personally wondered if she was really the blind one in their group. A firebending teacher was hand delivered to them when they thought all hope was lost, but wouldn’t even consider the possibility of letting Zuko join their group. What’s more? Toph could tell he was being sincere.

The young earthbending master set out on her own to find Zuko, but ended up startling him into accidentally burning her. Before Sokka and Aang could carry out their plan to take Zuko as their prisoner, he showed up to battle the assassin he had sent after them. The assassin had shown up at the Western Air Temple. They all watched as Zuko risked his own life to stop the assassin, but still had a tough battle ahead of them. It was Sokka’s boomerang that saved the day. I hit the assassin in the right spot and he ended up killing himself accidentally.

After all of that action Zuko appealed to Team Avatar once more, apologizing for burning Toph. He explained the dangers of fire and vowed to be more careful with it. Aang thanked him for his help and accepted Zuko as his firebending teacher, but only after everyone agreed to it. Everyone did, some more reluctantly than others, and Zuko joined Team Avatar.

Aang’s first lesson from Zuko was less than exciting. To use the prince’s own words, he had lost his stuff. After brainstorming, Zuko concluded that his switching sides was to blame. Aang agreed, and suggested that Zuko’s power came from rage. The prince no longer interested in using anger and hate to stoke his internal fire, wished to seek out the original source. There were no dragons left in the world, but there were ruins they could visit. Ruins of an ancient civilization known as the Sun Warriors. Aang accompanied Zuko agreeing that standing in the ruins of the past could help them understand firebending.

When they reached the ancient ruins of the Sun Warriors, Zuko noted that the architecture at least was kind of familiar to him. They eventually made there way to the inner sanctuary of the ruins and discovered a hall of statues all standing in different ways. Aang quickly realized this was some sort of ancient firebending form and convinced Zuko to dance with him. What they discovered was a giant golden egg. Aang wasn’t interested in it, in fact he wished Zuko never even touched the thing. Not a minute later they were covered in a sticky substance and stuck in a very awkward position.

Thankfully the ancient civilization of the Sun Warroris turned out to be very much alive. They rescued Aang and Zuko from their sticky spot and questioned their intentions. Zuko was humbled and honored to meet them, it was something he could have never imagined. The fire prince explained their intentions and the Sun Warriors deemed him and Aang worthy to meet with the masters Ran and Sha.

Zuko’s family forefathers were responsible for the decline of the dragons, and Aang had been absent from the world for one hundred years, it was his burden too. The Sun Warriors were not so sure the masters would accept Aang and Zuko, but let them test their worth anyway. The masters turned out to be living dragons. Aang was shaking in his boots he was so terrified. The blue and red dragons circled the Avatar and the Crown Prince waiting for them to do something. Aang suggested they dance with the dragons, and the two of them began the steps to the form the statues had taught them. This form was known as the Dancing Dragon, and it was exactly what the dragons wanted. Aang and Zuko gained knowledge about firebending that was truly a rare and priceless gift. The dragons shared their secrets. Not only had Zuko gotten his stuff back, but Aang was no longer the timid coward he used to be when it came to firebending.

The days until Sozin’s comet continued to creep up, and Aang still wasn’t anywhere close to being ready. To make sure their chances of winning were better, Aang had decided to wait until after the invasion to take on the Fire Lord. He just forgot to pass that message on to Zuko who assumed Aang would still be facing his father before the comet. It was only a few days before the comet when Zuko finally did receive that message. Things really couldn’t have gotten much worse.

Zuko explained that his father had a plan to use Sozin’s comet to wipe out the Earth Kingdom permanently. Waiting until after the comet was no longer even a possibility. Not being ready was the least of Aang’s problems. All of his friends expected for him to take the Fire Lord’s life. That was something that Aang’s spirituality simply wouldn’t allow. As the day of the comet came even closer Aang was starting to see no other choice. Frustrated, the young Avatar set off to meditate and eventually fell asleep. Sometime in the middle of the night Aang woke to find something was calling to him. Aang walked straight into the ocean, heading toward the island that seemed to be calling him. He left behind Appa and his new staff (which was made and given to Aang just before the Day of Black Sun), so his friends knew that this wasn’t like any other time he had run away. It was impossible to find Aang however, and the rest of the gang set off to do whatever they could to stop Ozai. Zuko and Katara went to face off with Azula, while Sokka, Toph and Suki did whatever they could to stop the air fleet.

While his friends were looking for him Aang was on an island that he swam to, the only difference was that the beach he came from was nowhere to be seen. He was completely surrounded by water. Aang soon realized that the land he stood on was not normal earth-- he could not bend it. In one last attempt to find the answers he so desperately needed Aang decided to communicate with his past lives. Surely they could share some of their wisdom and make everything easier. Unfortunately that was not the case. Each and everyone of the past lives that Aang spoke to, supported Aang killing Ozai. Even the airbending Avatar he spoke to said that the Avatar would always have to compromise their own spirituality for the greater good.

Aang was more frustrated than ever. That was when he noticed the island moving. Aang dove under the water and discovered that what he thought was an island was in fact an animal. The biggest in the world. Aang swam toward his head and was nearly knocked out by what he saw. It was a Lion Turtle.

He was in complete awe, and bowed respectfully toward the animal. Knowing that it was his last chance, Aang asked the Lion Turtle for advice. The ancient animal explained that in the time before the Avatar it was the energy within ourselves which was bended and nod the elements. He told Aang that the true heart could weather any poison without being touched. There was always a way. He didn’t even have to compromise his spirituality. The Lion Turtle taught Aang how to bend the energy within a person. Aang’s own spirit had to be unbreakable for it to work though. It was risky and dangerous, but it was also a way to defeat Ozai without killing him. Even though Azula had blocked his last chakra permanently there was still hope.

When the comet began racing through the atmosphere Aang met Ozai on the battlefield. His ships had already started to burn the land, but all was far from lost. For the first part of the battle Aang was evading and defending himself. Ozai was more powerful than he could have imagined and able to shoot lightening in consecutive blasts. Aang was being over powered and was eventually forced to ball himself up in earth. Ozai taunted the Avatar while he attacked. He told him that he was weak just like his people and didn’t deserve to exist in this world. Finally he blasted through Aang’s rocky defense. The young Avatar was pushed back into a sharp rock that happened to hit right where his sealed chakra was.

Ozai indadvertedly opened Aang’s chakra and made it possible for him to enter the Avatar state willingly. Furious, Aang summoned all of the elements and created a sphere around him, each element swirling around in perfect harmony. He chased Ozai, turning the tables of the battle completely. There wasn’t much he could do other than run away, but Aang still caught up to him easily. When he had Ozai pinned down he was ready to take him out, he almost did as a matter of fact. Almost. Aang couldn’t bring himself to take a life, not even the life of the most terrible man on the planet. Ozai considered this to be an act of weakness and attacked. Patiently, Aang waited for Ozai before forcing him into a position on his knees. Aang used this position and finally put energybending to the test. It was an unbelievably hard thing to do, but Aang’s spirit overpowered Ozai’s just in time. He successfully took away Ozai’s bending. He wasn’t dead, but he couldn’t hurt anyone either. Finally, Aang had become a fully realized Avatar.

Aang and his friends were victorious. They had ended the war and were so much closer to restoring peace and balance. Zuko became the new Fire Lord and together with the Avatar started to rebuild the world. There was a lot of work that still needed to be done, but Aang wasn’t overwhelmed, he was filled with hope over the prospect of a bright and peaceful future.