Livejournal and new Avatar episodes!
Sep. 17th, 2006 06:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
timepiececlockFirst off: does my journal page look weird to anyone? Can you see the banner at the top and the sidebar? Because I can't.
There's a post a few entries down with a few bajillion replies I haven't bothered reading yet. I'm trying to decide if I want to go and read it, lest it tempt me to argue with people. But who knows? Maybe everyone who commented agreed with me and was perfectly genial (sp?). Either way, if you commented and I didn't reply, don't take it personally. I was on vacation, so everything on livejournal from the last weekend didn't actually occur in Rashakaverse. Rashakaverse was too busy filling itself with Oregon-fresh tomatoes, baby pictures, and sailboats.*
*Note also that there's absolutely no need for you to repost anything below in the hopes that I'll read this entry. The comments on this entry would be better served discussing tomatoes, sailing, or Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Caught up on the new Avatar episodes this morning. Sometimes I get so caught up in the fandom of Avatar that I forget how likeable the show itself is. This is partly due to Nickelodeon's broadcast scheduling people, who apparently studied under Fox's broadcasting schedule people. Fuckers. The show itself is just so... cute. Likeable. Enjoyable and fun and interesting. Made by writers and directors who aim for the lofty goal of an epic adventure, but aren't so lofty that they ignore the zany possibilities along the way.
For instance, there's the fact that they decided to pair Zuko up with another character for an adventure, and no adventure with Zuko is without the wonderful mockability inherent in all of Zuko's angst-ridden storylines. In this case? Jet. I was spoiled for Jet's presence but not for the fact that they'd be working together, and I'm glad I wasn't spoiled. That was enjoyable. That is something that I'm looking forward to reading the fanfic for. Jet and Zuko: super team! Or better, the ambiguously gay duo! With all those phallic swords. They fight crime! No, THEY DO CRIME! Dude, I never thought this flashfic by muffytaj would become canon. But it has. Sort of. Ish.
EDIT: I love that other people share my new belief that Jet is totally gay for Zuko. And Zuko just wishes he'd go away and stop stalking him.
I also noticed right off that the pregnant couple were the same pair from episode 2x07, the pair Zuko almost attacked. I backchecked it with that episode, and it's definitely them. That's really one of the treats about this show-- they throw in all those little continuity stuff like Easter eggs. Three quarters of them never even get mentioned overtly; they're just there, and you could overlook them or you could catch them. If you do catch them, they're a treat. I liked the full-circle aspect about this particular couple; Zuko passed by them while travelling on his own in a moment of moral crisis, and episode 2x13 ends with them sitting unknowingly beside each other on a subway, with Iroh cooing over the newborn.
Before I forget: do we know the ages of Smellerbee and Longshot? I was thinking that Jet was 17, Longshot was 14, and Smellerbee was 13.
Most of the rest of the episodes were spent with me going "Oh Zuko." or "Oh Aang." Somehow, I never end up sighing and shaking my head over Katara or Toph. I guess they're just more sensible or something.
I enjoyed seeing Suki again, though that did feel a bit predictable, in that the personal reunion conversation had been done in fanfic several times already. I was pleased to see her without her make-up though, and the fact that she didn't abandon her job to go with them. I generally liked her characterization all through the episode, and her reactions to Sokka. She was mature, but not too mature. Responsible, cool, and resourceful like a warrior should be.
Her scene with Toph was good. Toph grows on me every week; since arriving she's had all the best lines, even better than Iroh ("Oh no, what a nightmare!"). I liked that she flaunted her family name, as well. And of course she brought her passport when running away from home; unlike the rest of these kiddies, someone knocked common sense into her skull at a young age. I had wondered if they were going to give Toph a crush on Sokka (it's inevitable in a way-- he's a well-meaning, sarcastic boy of 15-16 to her twelve, and I remember being twelve), and the subtle way they did it was cute. It's a bit like young!Dawn crushing on Xander in BTVS (before she discovered motorcycle-driving rebel vampire Spike.)
Speaking of crushes, I liked the Aang/Katara scenes in these episodes too. I like how they're changing the dynamic between the two, almost like Aang's crush is changing. But in what way, exactly? His confession of "how I feel about you" didn't raise an eyebrow from Katara-- and her response was a hug, not a kiss. I keep getting the feeling that Katara is the Tohru Honda to Aang's Yuki. They startes with a sort of mutual adoration that gradually changed as Yuki realizes that it's possible to love and dote on Tohru and at the same time not be in love with her. Of course, there's no Kyo in this situation to draw her affections away, but it still feels like a natural movement in Katara and Aang's relationship.
I wouldn't be adverse to them taking the relationship in a more romantic way, because Aang and Katara certainly have enough foundation for it. But every time I think of that I keep going back to an observation I remember![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
helga_b saying after marathoning all the episodes... that there was just no tension there. There was affection, but zero romantic tension. I find myself agreeing-- if the writers decide to take it from a platonic/sibling/infatuation thing into a romance, they'd need to inject some UST or the whole thing will be about as exciting as watching stuffed animals kiss.
Overall, these felt like transition episodes. Some of the stuff could have been combined into a single episode, so it's probably a good thing they were aired together. Stuff happened within the plots of the episodes, but very little happened to advance the overall plot. A lot of it was the aftermath of the previous episodes, and Appa's kidnapping. Aang once again did not get called on his unnecessary verbal abuse of Katara and Toph from his tantrum in episode 2x11, instead focusing on his out-of-control temper in the Avatar State. I'm a bit disappointed... I'd have liked at least some mention of the fact that Aang was being an immature and ungrateful brat. It's perfectly okay for him to be a brat because he *is* young, but still at least one of the characters should point out that his behavior is unnecessarily harsh when he's angry, whether or not it's actually mentioned in his presense or not. Instead the show goes back to the Avatar State. It's a good subplot for Aang, but still... even if you take the Avatar State problem away, normal Aang is not a perfect angel. I wish that'd be brought up. The fact that it never is mentioned feels to me like the difference between saying his behavior is bad but excusable (it is), versus not acknowledging at all that it might be bad and unjustified. It's a little thing, but it bugs.
I loved it when Katara offered Aang a hug and instead he thanked her and walked away. Even though he was turning her affection down for the wrong reasons... a kernel of truth still lay in his cynicism. Right now Katara is a crutch for him and sooner rather than later he has to grow out of that. And she has let him.
That's it for now.
Expect amusing Jet&Zuko drabbles from me in the future. As well as some OC-based Avatarverse origin fanfic I thought of while I was sailing. Also, I'm probably going to take Whose Hearts Are Mountains off of FF.net. I decided I don't really feel comfortable having it up there. It will still be up at FicHaven, though.
There's a post a few entries down with a few bajillion replies I haven't bothered reading yet. I'm trying to decide if I want to go and read it, lest it tempt me to argue with people. But who knows? Maybe everyone who commented agreed with me and was perfectly genial (sp?). Either way, if you commented and I didn't reply, don't take it personally. I was on vacation, so everything on livejournal from the last weekend didn't actually occur in Rashakaverse. Rashakaverse was too busy filling itself with Oregon-fresh tomatoes, baby pictures, and sailboats.*
*Note also that there's absolutely no need for you to repost anything below in the hopes that I'll read this entry. The comments on this entry would be better served discussing tomatoes, sailing, or Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Caught up on the new Avatar episodes this morning. Sometimes I get so caught up in the fandom of Avatar that I forget how likeable the show itself is. This is partly due to Nickelodeon's broadcast scheduling people, who apparently studied under Fox's broadcasting schedule people. Fuckers. The show itself is just so... cute. Likeable. Enjoyable and fun and interesting. Made by writers and directors who aim for the lofty goal of an epic adventure, but aren't so lofty that they ignore the zany possibilities along the way.
For instance, there's the fact that they decided to pair Zuko up with another character for an adventure, and no adventure with Zuko is without the wonderful mockability inherent in all of Zuko's angst-ridden storylines. In this case? Jet. I was spoiled for Jet's presence but not for the fact that they'd be working together, and I'm glad I wasn't spoiled. That was enjoyable. That is something that I'm looking forward to reading the fanfic for. Jet and Zuko: super team! Or better, the ambiguously gay duo! With all those phallic swords. They fight crime! No, THEY DO CRIME! Dude, I never thought this flashfic by muffytaj would become canon. But it has. Sort of. Ish.
EDIT: I love that other people share my new belief that Jet is totally gay for Zuko. And Zuko just wishes he'd go away and stop stalking him.
I also noticed right off that the pregnant couple were the same pair from episode 2x07, the pair Zuko almost attacked. I backchecked it with that episode, and it's definitely them. That's really one of the treats about this show-- they throw in all those little continuity stuff like Easter eggs. Three quarters of them never even get mentioned overtly; they're just there, and you could overlook them or you could catch them. If you do catch them, they're a treat. I liked the full-circle aspect about this particular couple; Zuko passed by them while travelling on his own in a moment of moral crisis, and episode 2x13 ends with them sitting unknowingly beside each other on a subway, with Iroh cooing over the newborn.
Before I forget: do we know the ages of Smellerbee and Longshot? I was thinking that Jet was 17, Longshot was 14, and Smellerbee was 13.
Most of the rest of the episodes were spent with me going "Oh Zuko." or "Oh Aang." Somehow, I never end up sighing and shaking my head over Katara or Toph. I guess they're just more sensible or something.
I enjoyed seeing Suki again, though that did feel a bit predictable, in that the personal reunion conversation had been done in fanfic several times already. I was pleased to see her without her make-up though, and the fact that she didn't abandon her job to go with them. I generally liked her characterization all through the episode, and her reactions to Sokka. She was mature, but not too mature. Responsible, cool, and resourceful like a warrior should be.
Her scene with Toph was good. Toph grows on me every week; since arriving she's had all the best lines, even better than Iroh ("Oh no, what a nightmare!"). I liked that she flaunted her family name, as well. And of course she brought her passport when running away from home; unlike the rest of these kiddies, someone knocked common sense into her skull at a young age. I had wondered if they were going to give Toph a crush on Sokka (it's inevitable in a way-- he's a well-meaning, sarcastic boy of 15-16 to her twelve, and I remember being twelve), and the subtle way they did it was cute. It's a bit like young!Dawn crushing on Xander in BTVS (before she discovered motorcycle-driving rebel vampire Spike.)
Speaking of crushes, I liked the Aang/Katara scenes in these episodes too. I like how they're changing the dynamic between the two, almost like Aang's crush is changing. But in what way, exactly? His confession of "how I feel about you" didn't raise an eyebrow from Katara-- and her response was a hug, not a kiss. I keep getting the feeling that Katara is the Tohru Honda to Aang's Yuki. They startes with a sort of mutual adoration that gradually changed as Yuki realizes that it's possible to love and dote on Tohru and at the same time not be in love with her. Of course, there's no Kyo in this situation to draw her affections away, but it still feels like a natural movement in Katara and Aang's relationship.
I wouldn't be adverse to them taking the relationship in a more romantic way, because Aang and Katara certainly have enough foundation for it. But every time I think of that I keep going back to an observation I remember
helga_b saying after marathoning all the episodes... that there was just no tension there. There was affection, but zero romantic tension. I find myself agreeing-- if the writers decide to take it from a platonic/sibling/infatuation thing into a romance, they'd need to inject some UST or the whole thing will be about as exciting as watching stuffed animals kiss.Overall, these felt like transition episodes. Some of the stuff could have been combined into a single episode, so it's probably a good thing they were aired together. Stuff happened within the plots of the episodes, but very little happened to advance the overall plot. A lot of it was the aftermath of the previous episodes, and Appa's kidnapping. Aang once again did not get called on his unnecessary verbal abuse of Katara and Toph from his tantrum in episode 2x11, instead focusing on his out-of-control temper in the Avatar State. I'm a bit disappointed... I'd have liked at least some mention of the fact that Aang was being an immature and ungrateful brat. It's perfectly okay for him to be a brat because he *is* young, but still at least one of the characters should point out that his behavior is unnecessarily harsh when he's angry, whether or not it's actually mentioned in his presense or not. Instead the show goes back to the Avatar State. It's a good subplot for Aang, but still... even if you take the Avatar State problem away, normal Aang is not a perfect angel. I wish that'd be brought up. The fact that it never is mentioned feels to me like the difference between saying his behavior is bad but excusable (it is), versus not acknowledging at all that it might be bad and unjustified. It's a little thing, but it bugs.
I loved it when Katara offered Aang a hug and instead he thanked her and walked away. Even though he was turning her affection down for the wrong reasons... a kernel of truth still lay in his cynicism. Right now Katara is a crutch for him and sooner rather than later he has to grow out of that. And she has let him.
That's it for now.
Expect amusing Jet&Zuko drabbles from me in the future. As well as some OC-based Avatarverse origin fanfic I thought of while I was sailing. Also, I'm probably going to take Whose Hearts Are Mountains off of FF.net. I decided I don't really feel comfortable having it up there. It will still be up at FicHaven, though.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-09-18 02:23 pm (UTC)Also, your Yuki=Aang comparison makes a lot of sense to me. Not only with the Tohru/Katara comparison, but where a lot of their angst comes from.
Why oh why do I not have an Avatar icon yet?