The Moon And Ocean Spirits Are The Source Of All Waterbending, So Commander Zhao Essentially Unplugged

Chemistry Brain Teaser

Jerry is picking up Oxygen for his grandmother.  There are two types of oxygen at the store.  One is labeled O2 and the other is labeled O3.  Jerry knows that people breath O2, but doesn’t know what O3 is.  Since they are both have Oxygen Jerry assumes that they do the same thing.  Jerry grabs the O3 because he says that, “More oxygen must mean it’s better.”  

What Chemical principles is Jerry overlooking? 

Avatar:  Dragon Eggs and the Solstice

In Episode 313 (The Firebending Masters) Aang and Zuko enter a secret chamber and discover a ‘gem’ that “feels almost alive”.  This has led many fans to believe that the ‘gem’ is actually a dragon egg.  

Let’s assume this theory is correct.    

But if it’s a dragon egg, why would the Sun Warriors hid it here?

The obviously reason is for protection.  Dragons had been hunted almost to extinction, and a dragon egg would be rare and very precious thing.   

But I have another theory.  

The Sun Warriors hid the egg in a chamber that could only be opened during the solstice (most likely the summer solstice).  In the avatar world, the solstice is when the spirit world and the physical world are closest together and spiritual energy is at its peak.  The solstice is also when the Sun is at its strongest/ weakest (relative to the perspective on earth).  The Sun is the source of firebending.  And since Dragons are the original firebenders, it would make sense for dragons to have some connection to the Sun and the solstices.  

My theory is that secret chamber is specifically designed to hatch dragon eggs.  

On the solstice the chamber would open.  Then Sun Warriors would bath the egg in sunlight concentrated from the sunstone outside.  The concentrated sunlight during the solstice would fill the egg with spiritual energy and cause it to hatch.  (Just like how Roku used the solstice to talk to and empower Aang.)  

To me at least, it makes sense that the original firebenders would be born on the solstice.  

The Final evolution of my Avatar Sub-Elements/ Sub-Bending Chart. (hopefully)

Before you watch “The Legend of Korra”

Before you guys watch Korra you should know a few things, or maybe you've already started.  Don't worry, this is spoiler free.  

Avatar and legend of Korra are made by different people.  Yes, the "creators" worked on both shows, but surprisingly few others did.  If you look at the head crews of both shows, you'll notice they are very different.  

Why this matters is because Korra is a very different show from Avatar, by virtue of being made by different people.  A number of things from the original show get retconned, and some characters even get different personalities.  This is because there are different people that are making the show, and this is their interpretation.  

This issue isn't unique to Korra,  many shows/movies/series change when they get a new director, producer, or if they're bought by a different company.  (Like how StarWars was bought by Disney.)  Some of these changes you might like; others you might not.  Just don't feel you have to blindly accept whatever happens. 

Romantic Moments vs Romantic Intent: A Shipping problem

If you are a fan of animation/ anime, then you are probably familiar with the term “Shipping” or “Relation-shipping”.  This is basically when you think two characters should be a couple and you “ship” them.   As an Avatar: the Last Airbender fan, I am well aware of ships such as Zutara or Kataang.  However, it’s very common for shippers to ignore “Romantic Intent”.  Romantic Intent is when the characters are romantically interested in each other; this can be one sided or mutual.  Romantic moments might lead to romantic intent, but the two aren’t mutually exclusive.  

Being in a romantic situation (taking someone to dinner, hanging out with them, or giving them gifts) does not mean their intentions are romantic.  They could just be a really good friend, or they might be a relative.  For example, my sister and I did a lot of things together in High School, so many people assumed that we were dating.  

Why I bring this up is because many shippers ship characters purely because “they look cute together”, or “they have so much in common”, or “I would love to see these two become a couple.”  However, in their zeal shippers often forget that these characters might have their own desire and aspirations.  These aren’t dolls to make do what ever you like.   

Second, there’s often a huge amount of entitlement that comes with shipping, which I think is kinda funny.  Whether Jill ends up with Bobby or Max, isn’t your decision to make.  Stories are fun, and speculation is fun, but we the readers are really only outsiders looking into someone else’s story.  

And even though these are just fictional characters, we can’t force someone to fall in love with someone else.  

How big is the ocean on the other side of the Avatar world?

We can find out how big the ocean on the backside of the Avatar world is by using these maps from LoK. According to my calculations, the backside ocean spans from about 140 degrees to 220 degrees, making it 80 degrees wide. This is about a quarter of the globe. To put this in perspective, the backside ocean would proportional be about the same size as our Pacific ocean.

Maps are from LoK S3 ep 2 & 11 respectively.

BUMI:  the Monkey King

[WARNING!:  THIS VIDEO CONTAINS SWEARING]

We first see Bumi at the end of season 1 of Legend of Korra, and we are left with three impressions.  

He’s Crazy (just like the guy he’s named after)

He’s strong (as the commander of an Army)

And He’s fun

However, in season 2 we find out that he’s kinda a washed-up has-been, which I thought was really sad.  

First, I was really excited to meet the character from his first impression.  Tenzin was always the calm and collected side of airbending, so I was excited to see the wild and fun side of Air in Bumi.   Second, Avatar is an amazing show that never looks down on anybody.  Got a disability? No Problem!  You can still be a strong person.  You don’t have Bending?  Not a Problem!  There are plenty of skills you can learn that make you just a strong as a bender.  

Sokka was a non-bender, but the show never put him down because he couldn’t bend.  Sokka was still an important member to the group and did his part.  Bumi on the other hand is openly ignored.  Sure he doesn’t have bending, but he is often portrayed as a useless character.  This really saddened me, because the show had always treated their characters with great respect.   . .

Needless to say I was unhappy with Bumi’s characterization.   . .

So, Here is how I would have rewritten Bumi

I would describe Bumi in three words:  The Monkey King.  Yes I would have based Bumi on Sun Wu Kong from the Chinese classic, Journey to the West.

Despite not being a bender, Bumi would be an accomplished martial artist as wild and free as the monkey king.  He would represent the fun-loving and more wild side of the element of Air, to contrast Tenzins more subdued personality.   And even though he isn’t an airbender, he still knows how to fight like one.  

His fighting style would be Monkey Style or Momo Style if you prefer.  

He would tends to fight with a staff to shows just how strong a non-passive airbender could be.   I imagine him as the fun but crazy uncle who fits right in with flying children.  Overall he would be a fun strong character, not a failure.   Also, Bumi has kids.  Many of whom are Airbenders.  

Like a Gaggle of Geese, I wonder what a group of Zukos would be called?

An Honor of Zukos?

The meeting of the Zukos

zuko们的会面

POKEMON GO:  My Issues with Mega evolution and how to fix them.

1)  Mega Raids need to be more accessible:   Mega Pokemon are Very powerful in raids and can be difficult to beat if you live rurally or don't have a strong Pokemon Go community.  Many players can't do 5 star raids because of the same problems.  Mega Pokemon should be lowered to the level of 4 star raids, rather than having a second 5 star raid boss.   

 2) Mega Pokemon should be tailored to help defeat the legendaries:  

Mega Pokemon should help players defeat the incumbent Legendary.  For example, have a water mega featured when Moltres returns to raids.  This will help players and encourage them to use Mega Pokemon.  However, this becomes very difficult if Mega Pokemon are just as hard to beat as a Legendary.  Once again, Mega Pokemon should be a 4 star raid or lower.   

 3)  Un-Mega Pokemon aren't as special as you think:   

Yes Megas are cool and powerful, but you don't get to catch Megas from a Mega raid.  Un-Mega Pokemon such as Charizard and co. aren't very valuable by themselves, and were in 3 or 4 star raids.  Yes, we're raiding from Mega candy, but I still think the Megas should kept at the same levels is their counterparts.  So once again, Megas as 4* raids.   Also, since they already got rid of 4* raids, it would fill a niche that I think people will miss.   

 4)  Re-evolving is Too expensive:

The price to unlock a mega evolution is pretty steep, but I think it's "ok" for now.  However, It is still very expensive to re-mega a Pokemon.    Aside from the initial cost, Mega Pokemon cost a lot to maintain and players will quickly run out of mega energy.  It takes 1-2 Mega Raids to re-Mega a Pokemon, which makes them very hard to use.  Plus, with the end of summer, many people won't have the time to stock up on mega energy.   5)  Megas are seasonal:Also, It's very likely that there will different Megas featured for each month(s).  This means that players will run out of energy and won't be able to mega that Pokemon at all.  After a certain amount of time, the Mega will be useless.  Plus, with how difficult Mega Raids are, you can't just run out and do them like a 1 or 2 star raid, they would require planning which takes time.  And since Mega Raids are difficult, it will be very hard to stock up on mega energy.   

 6)  Change the requirements to Re-Mega evolve: Megas shouldn't need energy 

to re-evolve, but should use a cool down or "Walking Requirement".  A walking requirement is much better because most players can do it and it encourages people to stay healthy.   Otherwise, re-evolution cost should be severally reduced.  Like I said before, Megas are likely to be seasonal and most players won't be able to stores lots of energy.   

 7)  Where is the "Best Buddy" discount?: 

 Many players speculated that there would be a discount for "Best Buddies", but that does not appear to be the case.  

8)  There have to be alternate ways to get Mega Energy:  

Megas are likely to be seasonal, so we need alternate means to refuel our Megas.  More mega energy could be gotten from quests, berries, or walking with your best buddy.  Mega energy should be easier to get than candy, because candy creates a permanent change (i.e. evolution or lvl up) while mega energy only causes a temporary change.  

9)  Mega Rare Candy:  

Just like "Rare Candy", we should have rare mega energy that can be used for any mega.  This could be used as a weekly rewards or such.  

10)  More time to invite people to raids:  

Inviting people to raids is wonderful, but it can be difficult.  After you invite a friend, they usually only have a minute to respond.  This isn't enough time for most friends to notice, react and decide if they want to join.  Plus, technical errors make in harder to invite people and waste valuable time.   There needs to be an option for a longer lobby time.  

11)  Can't see how any people are in a distance raid:  

When I'm invited to a raid, I am unable to see how many people are already there.  So I often waste my raid pass on fights I can't win.  The Solution is Simple:  Let us see how many people are joining a raid no matter where you are.

12)  Return raid pass if you fail:  

Just like with the Team Rocket Radar, you should only use your raid pass if you win.  Many people won't even attempt a raid because they are afraid of loosing their pass for the day.  No one wants to waste their stuff.   

 These Raid Problems affect Mega Raids as well as so they should also be considered.  

In summary, I think Mega Evolution can be improved by:   

Decrease Mega raids to the level of a 4 star raid.  

Decrease Re-evolve cost with increased.

Decrease Mega candy cost for Re-evolution or remove it entirely.  

Make walking the main requirement to Re-evolve Megas.  

Alternate ways of making mega energy.  Such as berries, rare mega energy, quests, or walking with your buddy.  

Have the option for a longer Raid lobby.  

Return raid pass if you fail.  

Posters for the Earth Kingdom and such.  

I wanted to create a simple symbol for metal, like the circle for the earth kingdom, and I’m pretty satisfied with the result.