Friends According to Avatar and Me

Let's talk about friends.

Not these Friends. Never these Friends.
Image from collider.com

I have a really good group of friends. We don't take many pictures together though, which is slightly problematic when I want to show off said friends. Anyway, their names are Paige, Alex, Kayse, and Ryan. Picture us as the Avatar Gang from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Same basic idea. In fact, I'm going to make this entire post Avatar-themed because I can.

And I will.
Image from Avatar Wiki

Paige, Alex, and I are graduating in less than a month. Alex is going to law school. Paige is going to the Netherlands for a year as an au pair. I'm hopefully getting a job in my hometown with the college there (fingers crossed). Kayse and Ryan graduate next year.

We're all in this place of dread. It's the end of an era. Everyone is worried about losing touch and not being friends anymore, but no one wants to address it. After Kayse and Ryan graduate and Paige returns, the four of us want to move into a loft in Chicago together while we work through our mid-twenties. But nothing is decided yet because everything can change in a day.

None of us are talking about it. The "G" word is forbidden in our friend circle even though its only a few weeks away. And that's fine, but it doesn't make the problem any less real. Or potentially world-shattering.

It's the same sort of threat that the Avatar Gang was facing with the Fire Lord.

Ozai is graduation. If it wasn't clear.
Image from gifsoup.com

That's some pants-shittingly scary stuff. And in the real-but-not-as-awesome-as-bending-existing world it translates into the fear of graduation, and the fear of what that means for our friend group.

But I want to grab that anxiety and prove why it isn't going to be a problem.

Grab it right by the douche goatee.
Image from masterbeifongtenzin.tumblr.com/

Some bonds are incredibly strong. You don't know which bonds will last when you enter college, because chances are that the friends you walk in with aren't going to be the same ones you walk out with (exception for me is Alex. We've been friends since Freshman year).

I know that I want these friendships to last. And I think that's the key difference. I like all of my friends, don't get me wrong. I'm even happy with most of my acquaintances. But we'll go our separate ways and lead happy lives without each other and that's fine because that's what should happen.

This is the first group of friends I've felt completely comfortable around. There's no tension between any of us, I don't have to hide the kind of person I am for fear of rejection even though I have a tendency to be overbearing (I'm working on it), and I genuinely love Alex, Paige, Kayse, and Ryan.

There was an episode of Avatar where the group contemplated life after the war, and if friendships can really be maintained down the road.

Image from eireplayr.tumblr.com

It's a show where the title character can be reincarnated, so the lifetime line isn't so far-fetched. Anyway, there's a moment of panic that they all get because of it, but in the end they agree that they'll remain friends even in the next life.

Which brings us to the sequel series, Legend of Korra. New Avatar (Korra), older versions of characters from the first series, and flashbacks to the adult versions of characters from the first series. And guess what?

Bam. Friendship.
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Yep, they stayed friends. And even after Aang died (not a spoiler because there's a new Avatar in the new series), Korra interacts with Katara, Katara and Aang's children, and Toph's daughter, Lin. Friendships can last. Even beyond lifetimes.

So even though the future is scary, I'm hopeful that I'm not going to lose my friends. We're getting that loft in Chicago. We're dedicated to it. That's what keeps people together.

I'm willing to bet it's worth the effort.

Image from fanpop.com

As always, stay beautiful. Be cool. And always geek out.