#i swear i'm incapable of writing short meta

[bndair]

on today's episode of poppins rambles about aang : it's the way aang airbends so casually. all the time. for the littlest of things. standing up , grabbing his glider staff , entertaining momo , etc. it's not just something he can do , it's a huge part of who he is.

part of that is by default. he's an air nomad by birth and all air nomads were benders. that means that what are typically two separate identities ( nationality vs bending ability ) are intertwined into one singular thing for them. air nomad = airbender. airbender = air nomad. that creates people and a culture that thoroughly incorporate bending into daily life. it runs as deep as slightly different bending techniques being the secret ingredient in someone's fruit pie recipe. so , for a long time , airbending his way through life is the only way he knows how to be. as he masters the other elements , they too become part of daily life but there will always be a bias towards airbending. a bias of which he is only somewhat cognizant. it's intentional in that he wants to ensure he preserves as much as possible ... though aang doesn't realize the extent to which he favors airbending.

i fell down a youtube rabbit hole the other day and one video tallied up all of aang's bending in book 3. most common element was air with a total something like 115. second place was like 43 ? he closes that gap some over the years , but yeah. when i say a bias for airbending i mean a BIAS for airbending.

on top of that , he grew up before war ravaged the world , before bending was a tool of destruction or something that would send you to the front lies of battle ( by volunteer or conscription ). there was no taboo , no reason to hide. bending was celebrated ! not just by air nomads , but all nations. healers of the water tribes were sought out for their aid with the sick , injured , their comfort of the dying. the finest architects were earthbenders , consulted for any major construction effort. and the fire nation had fantastic entertainers with show-stopping displays of firebending as early pyrotechnics. though 100 years of war can sour even the sweetest of fruit. so aang tries to find little ways to use his bending around others , to soften the stigma that developed in his absence , to encourage the idea of bending as tools of creation , of healing , of fun and joy.