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I've been sitting on this for a while, and have decided that the time has come. The point of this crt is to prove that all of the spiritual beams being thrown around in Avatar are primarily composed of light.
The beam refracts in a new material
The beam refracts when it passes through Cosmic Korra's body
The beam diffuses in a reasonably realistic way or reflects off a material that it can be expected to, such as a non-magical mirror
Yep. The light is diffusing so that the area near Korra and Unavaatu are lit up by their respective colors
It is stated to be composed/consisting of photons or light itself, again by a reliable source
I should note that the context of him saying this is during the middle of a hypothetical movie that he is making, based on events that have happened in the show so far. However, it should also be noted that Varrick himself is the person who invented the spirit beam that the Earth Empire later adopted. He witnessed the fight between Unavaatu and giant Korra from his jail cell.
Given that he is an inventor and a genius, he should know what a laser is, especially since had created a movie that featured a laser in it.
And the writers confirmed that the Unavaatu’s ray was what inspired him
It has its origin at a realistic source of light, such as a camera
The mecha’s beam comes from spirit vines, which are obviously not a realistic source of light. However, when Vaarick is harnessing the energy from the vines for the first time (right before the first beam is accidentally fired) he says this:
So electromagnetism was involved during the firing of the beam. This isn’t the first time that electromagnetism is mentioned in the Avatarverse, as it becomes a plot point in Book 4 that the mini mechs can be shut down with EMP blasts. Jinora also brings up radio waves and the light spectrum to Wan Shi Tong.
Speaking of spirit vine energy and Vaatu’s ray, the ttrpg confirms that the energy in the vines and the energy that makes up the spirit portals is the same type of energy. This is self-evident, since Korra bending spirit energy made a portal, but it’s good to have confirmation.
This is relevant because when one of the portals opens, it produces an aurora.
The creators have said that the portals are spitting out pure energy whose origin is celestial in nature.
This is a good quote because it essentially confirms that nature in the avatar world can be observed through a scientific approach, as science, astronomy, etc all exist, but it also can be observed through a supernatural approach. Bending skills are using the real elements: when lightningbending is being used, it’s real lightning. The same thing goes for the spirits: when the moon spirit is fatally wounded, the moon actually disappears, and when the ocean spirit rises up, the creator’s commentary calls it the ocean. Therefore, this same approach should be applied to Raava and Vaatu, as while the concept they embody definitely has an effect on nature, and thus they can be seen as incarnations of good and evil, they should also be producing photons and such with their bodies. Other spirits can also turn into light.
The beams consistently travel in a straight line
Proof. There is exactly one time where the beam is not straight, and that’s when Varrick accidentally fires it from the train. He did say that reverse magnetic polarity was involved in this instance, which sounds like the Faraday effect. After Varrick flees from Kuvira’s army, Baatar Jr copies Varrick’s work and perfects the beam.
Who would this scale to?
If applied, the Colossus, Vaatu, Unavaatu, Raava, and Cosmic Korra would all get “speed of light” with their beams. Anyone who dodges the beams without aim-dodging would also scale.
Please be civil if you have arguments against my points. I don't want to hear “It's Avatar; they can't be that fast!” That's not an actual refutation.
The beam refracts in a new material
The beam refracts when it passes through Cosmic Korra's body
The beam diffuses in a reasonably realistic way or reflects off a material that it can be expected to, such as a non-magical mirror
Yep. The light is diffusing so that the area near Korra and Unavaatu are lit up by their respective colors
It is stated to be composed/consisting of photons or light itself, again by a reliable source
- Bryke calls spirit energy a light source.
- The spirit portals, when opened, appear as beams of light (I’ll explain why the portals are relevant in a bit).
- When Aang is freed from the iceberg, the avatar state shoots a light into the sky which Zuko, the creators, and one of the show’s writers call light (it also creates an aurora.) The avatar state is the avatar drawing from Raava’s power (aka, the spirit of light and peace), which in turn comes from cosmic energy. Raava at full power should be capable of firing a beam like Vaatu, since Raava is Vaatu’s equal and opposite. Though the game is not canonical, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl shows this on the Legend of Korra stage, indicating that the developers of that game think the same way.
- At one point Varrick calls the beam a laser.
I should note that the context of him saying this is during the middle of a hypothetical movie that he is making, based on events that have happened in the show so far. However, it should also be noted that Varrick himself is the person who invented the spirit beam that the Earth Empire later adopted. He witnessed the fight between Unavaatu and giant Korra from his jail cell.
Given that he is an inventor and a genius, he should know what a laser is, especially since had created a movie that featured a laser in it.
And the writers confirmed that the Unavaatu’s ray was what inspired him
It has its origin at a realistic source of light, such as a camera
The mecha’s beam comes from spirit vines, which are obviously not a realistic source of light. However, when Vaarick is harnessing the energy from the vines for the first time (right before the first beam is accidentally fired) he says this:
So electromagnetism was involved during the firing of the beam. This isn’t the first time that electromagnetism is mentioned in the Avatarverse, as it becomes a plot point in Book 4 that the mini mechs can be shut down with EMP blasts. Jinora also brings up radio waves and the light spectrum to Wan Shi Tong.
Speaking of spirit vine energy and Vaatu’s ray, the ttrpg confirms that the energy in the vines and the energy that makes up the spirit portals is the same type of energy. This is self-evident, since Korra bending spirit energy made a portal, but it’s good to have confirmation.
This is relevant because when one of the portals opens, it produces an aurora.
The creators have said that the portals are spitting out pure energy whose origin is celestial in nature.
This is a good quote because it essentially confirms that nature in the avatar world can be observed through a scientific approach, as science, astronomy, etc all exist, but it also can be observed through a supernatural approach. Bending skills are using the real elements: when lightningbending is being used, it’s real lightning. The same thing goes for the spirits: when the moon spirit is fatally wounded, the moon actually disappears, and when the ocean spirit rises up, the creator’s commentary calls it the ocean. Therefore, this same approach should be applied to Raava and Vaatu, as while the concept they embody definitely has an effect on nature, and thus they can be seen as incarnations of good and evil, they should also be producing photons and such with their bodies. Other spirits can also turn into light.
The beams consistently travel in a straight line
Proof. There is exactly one time where the beam is not straight, and that’s when Varrick accidentally fires it from the train. He did say that reverse magnetic polarity was involved in this instance, which sounds like the Faraday effect. After Varrick flees from Kuvira’s army, Baatar Jr copies Varrick’s work and perfects the beam.
Who would this scale to?
If applied, the Colossus, Vaatu, Unavaatu, Raava, and Cosmic Korra would all get “speed of light” with their beams. Anyone who dodges the beams without aim-dodging would also scale.
Please be civil if you have arguments against my points. I don't want to hear “It's Avatar; they can't be that fast!” That's not an actual refutation.
