Here's one that kinda hit me out of the blue this morning - an A:tLA bunny
Being a cartoon the show was wonderfully broad in explaining the links between the elements/people/nations and how they interact both on a physical and spiritual level - but there did seem to be some level of cause and effect between how the elements act in real life and how the people/nations behaved. So Fire was hot tempered, Water was flexible but cold in anger, Air was flighty, earth was stubborn etc. In other words more or less the classical elements.
Here's the Bunny: Fire NEEDS Air to exist - except under very specialist conditions. It can destroy Air, if there is enough of it in one place in extreme conditions, but afterwards suffocates due to lack of oxygen, unless it can pull more in.
So, if the people's spiritual and mental well being is linked to their element, it explains why the Fire Nation as a whole (and especially it's ruling family - who are the Nation personified) are more than a little unhinged. Without enough Air around they are dying...
It also explains why, despite their being the ones to destroy Air initially, the Fire Nation has the most evidence of Air based refugees within it's borders, what with certain grey eyed acrobats and YanYu archers and what not...
There'd be a story in that being worked out by someone high up in the Fire Nation and realising they'd destroyed themselves unless they can bring Air back...
Being a cartoon the show was wonderfully broad in explaining the links between the elements/people/nations and how they interact both on a physical and spiritual level - but there did seem to be some level of cause and effect between how the elements act in real life and how the people/nations behaved. So Fire was hot tempered, Water was flexible but cold in anger, Air was flighty, earth was stubborn etc. In other words more or less the classical elements.
Here's the Bunny: Fire NEEDS Air to exist - except under very specialist conditions. It can destroy Air, if there is enough of it in one place in extreme conditions, but afterwards suffocates due to lack of oxygen, unless it can pull more in.
So, if the people's spiritual and mental well being is linked to their element, it explains why the Fire Nation as a whole (and especially it's ruling family - who are the Nation personified) are more than a little unhinged. Without enough Air around they are dying...
It also explains why, despite their being the ones to destroy Air initially, the Fire Nation has the most evidence of Air based refugees within it's borders, what with certain grey eyed acrobats and YanYu archers and what not...
There'd be a story in that being worked out by someone high up in the Fire Nation and realising they'd destroyed themselves unless they can bring Air back...