#And Baatar is just 'finally someone agrees with me' KSJDFAS

[cold-neon-ocean]

Unpopular opinion: deep down I always felt like bataar was actually ok with being a non bender and proud of what he could accomplish with no bending abilities/support. But I always love your take on TLOK series!!

BITES MY FIST I COULDN'T AGREE MORE!!!!!!!

I've always looked at him as actually not wanting bending and being fine that he doesn't have it because he takes a lot of pride in being able to do what he does without it. Would Engineering probably be easier with bending? Yeah. But can he still do it anyways without it? Sure can! And that definitely is a point of pride for him for sure, like he does with his bare hands what others need bending to do.

I interpret his anger coming from the fact that despite all that, he's still regarded as lesser than by society as a whole just for not having it regardless. Having bending is regarded as the fullest experience of living, and he hates that he's just automatically looked down on because he's a non-bender, because he KNOWS he can get by fine without it, but despite that he still gets over looked in favor of bending. That's why I found his relationship with Kuvira very meaningful because she's regarded as one of the most skilled benders in the whole franchise and yet she acknowledges and values his capabilities.

Like I imagine Baatar having this complex about bending where he vehemently insists he doesn't need it for things, even something like being healed by a water bender he would straight up reject because he doesn't wanna feel like he owes bending something in his life that he could do on his own without it. In his mind people like himself have been finding their own ways to do things since the beginning so there's no reason why he shouldn't be able to. Like building the kind of infrastructure and machinery he's been capable of without bending is no small feat for sure, but he just came from a family where bending was their whole identity and he no longer wants to be looked at like he's lesser than.

Also I've had a headcanon for a long time that Baatar has a general anxiety when surrounded by benders because he knows that just by default he has no means of defending himself that would come close to matching what benders are capable of. Like he doesn't really go places out in public if he doesn't have to, and even when escorted he's always got this thought in the back of his mind like "if any one of these people wanted to use bending to overpower me they could and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it" and that thought also just kinda adds to his spite because he doesn't want to be afraid like that either lol he's just fighting on all sides tbh that kinda lends itself to why I draw him the way I do, aka jacked, because 1. working out became his anger management, and 2. it's a sort of "at least I can bring myself as far as this" kind of mindset, because despite not having bending I do love the idea that he overcompensates a little by just being able to crush someone's ribcage alksdjf LOLOL someone needs to save this man from his own mind.

But anyway yes yes yes 100% I couldn't agree with you more!!!