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Zuko is so painfully awkward. It's hilarious and sad. What's interesting, though, is that I thought, after season 2 Zuko, that Zuko in the Gaang would be sullen, more quiet. Now I'm getting a sense that this prediction was wrong... if anything, Zuko's doing what he always does when he wants something: he's trying to hard. Of course, we won't know until next episode what his day to day interactions with the team are like, but I'm guessing he'll be like he was this time: earnest enough to give you a toothache, but awkward enough to stub your toe on. It's going to be a challenge for him, but I'm happy that he keeps looking to his uncle for inspiration. Now only if we knew what happened to Iroh!
How did combustion man die? Did he explode himself or fall? That part confused me.
Watching Toph crawl away from Zuko was possibly the most sad and uncomfortable scene of this entire season so far--by far the hardest thing to watch. I actually wanted to stop, even though I didn't. That was much worse than the bloodbending. Toph afraid and helpless is something a fan should never have to see.
Still, this greatly satisfies my desire for Zuko/Toph OTFriendship. [![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
high_born] I've thought since Toph was introduced that she was the most likely to understand Zuko's upbringing and his frustrations. And I was right! Toph made the first overtures of friendship, and even though she got burned, she's realistic enough to understand that it was an accident, and still supports his joining the group.
Sokka as the nervous host was amusing.
Zuko and Katara.... awesomeness. She made the allusion to their conversation in the caves, which was a hanging plot thread that I was hoping would get resolved at their next meeting, and it was. I love her death threat. Katara is badass like nobody's business. I totally agree that of the group, she'd be the first to make a death threat and mean it. (Sokka would be second.) I think it's partly their hard childhoods, partly the fact that they're children of a warrior, and partly the fact that Katara, in her heart, has potential to be vengeful, self-righteous, and a more than a little bit ruthless. She understands that someone needs to give Zuko this message, and she's the one to do it. How war changes people! Katara right now is growing up very fast, and is quite a different person from the girl at the South Pole. She's a leader, a bodyguard, an advisor, and a fierce warrior. I'm proud. You tell it to him, girl. (What a queen you'd make!)
From a shipper standpoint, I've no complaints either. I like friction, helps with the UST! There's not really any UST yet, but there's plenty of time for that later. Now I want to see these two work out their issues and become trusted companions, first.
From the other side of the shipper argument: I thought Katara was going to talk to Aang about their personal feelings, but it was all business. That's one of the things that hampers this pairing: they're always worried about business! It reminds me of cop shows, where the two partners are attractive people but each puts work first so any progress they make is agonizingly slow, and their relationship is always sacrificed to the mission.
EDIT: I just remembered another thing I loved... the fact that Appa likes Zuko. He licked him twice even. That's the seal of approval right there. And Zuko took it so well! He just endured and didn't even comment, or make the grossed-out faces that Sokka makes when that stuff happens to him. Sokka's retort about animal cruelty was pretty choice, too. One of his best lines this season. (although his deadpan "Not really, since you followed us all over the world," line was pretty good too.)
Zuko is so painfully awkward. It's hilarious and sad. What's interesting, though, is that I thought, after season 2 Zuko, that Zuko in the Gaang would be sullen, more quiet. Now I'm getting a sense that this prediction was wrong... if anything, Zuko's doing what he always does when he wants something: he's trying to hard. Of course, we won't know until next episode what his day to day interactions with the team are like, but I'm guessing he'll be like he was this time: earnest enough to give you a toothache, but awkward enough to stub your toe on. It's going to be a challenge for him, but I'm happy that he keeps looking to his uncle for inspiration. Now only if we knew what happened to Iroh!
How did combustion man die? Did he explode himself or fall? That part confused me.
Watching Toph crawl away from Zuko was possibly the most sad and uncomfortable scene of this entire season so far--by far the hardest thing to watch. I actually wanted to stop, even though I didn't. That was much worse than the bloodbending. Toph afraid and helpless is something a fan should never have to see.
Still, this greatly satisfies my desire for Zuko/Toph OTFriendship. [
high_born] I've thought since Toph was introduced that she was the most likely to understand Zuko's upbringing and his frustrations. And I was right! Toph made the first overtures of friendship, and even though she got burned, she's realistic enough to understand that it was an accident, and still supports his joining the group. Sokka as the nervous host was amusing.
Zuko and Katara.... awesomeness. She made the allusion to their conversation in the caves, which was a hanging plot thread that I was hoping would get resolved at their next meeting, and it was. I love her death threat. Katara is badass like nobody's business. I totally agree that of the group, she'd be the first to make a death threat and mean it. (Sokka would be second.) I think it's partly their hard childhoods, partly the fact that they're children of a warrior, and partly the fact that Katara, in her heart, has potential to be vengeful, self-righteous, and a more than a little bit ruthless. She understands that someone needs to give Zuko this message, and she's the one to do it. How war changes people! Katara right now is growing up very fast, and is quite a different person from the girl at the South Pole. She's a leader, a bodyguard, an advisor, and a fierce warrior. I'm proud. You tell it to him, girl. (What a queen you'd make!)
From a shipper standpoint, I've no complaints either. I like friction, helps with the UST! There's not really any UST yet, but there's plenty of time for that later. Now I want to see these two work out their issues and become trusted companions, first.
From the other side of the shipper argument: I thought Katara was going to talk to Aang about their personal feelings, but it was all business. That's one of the things that hampers this pairing: they're always worried about business! It reminds me of cop shows, where the two partners are attractive people but each puts work first so any progress they make is agonizingly slow, and their relationship is always sacrificed to the mission.
EDIT: I just remembered another thing I loved... the fact that Appa likes Zuko. He licked him twice even. That's the seal of approval right there. And Zuko took it so well! He just endured and didn't even comment, or make the grossed-out faces that Sokka makes when that stuff happens to him. Sokka's retort about animal cruelty was pretty choice, too. One of his best lines this season. (although his deadpan "Not really, since you followed us all over the world," line was pretty good too.)
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Re: this is laaaate, I am always laaate
Date: 2008-01-02 05:18 am (UTC)It's probably a hangover from when
Re: this is laaaate, I am always laaate
Date: 2008-01-02 06:54 pm (UTC)YES. Katara would be SUCH a kickass queen, it's not even funny for the poor subordinates involved - just scary. And Toph is made for a life of crime; it wouldn't be the first time she got her face on a wanted poster, after all. Gyaaah, that would be so cool... *whimpers longingly* And and Toph could get away with all her not-so-evil, Robin Hood-esque misdeeds but just barely, and Katara's advisors would make half-joking comments about pretty-eyed despots, and and
ZukoConsort would totally be placating and sane beside her feminista scariness except for those instances when he isn't.That fic! I would read that! You guys might not think it sounds like something the fandom would take very seriously, but I have no doubts that you would pull it off. Was this part of that Zutara vampire AU you were concocting some time ago? It also just occurred to me that I have never read an AtLA vampfic. Our fandom needs more vampires.
Re: this is laaaate, I am always laaate
Date: 2008-01-02 08:45 pm (UTC)THe same AU bunny. I just refer to it as "the Vampverse AU" and I'm only ever talking about that. We put so much detail into outlining it that sometimes I feel like its already been written.
There's been some vampire fic, but I've never read any of them. I wouldn't be concerned about fandom taking it seriously or not; the question never occurred to me. Now that you made me think about it... I'd say that I always approach fanfic with the confidence that as an author, I can control whether people take it seriously or not. I'll make it funny if I want to be funny, I'll make it serious if I want to to be taken seriously. In this case, we were going for horror-adventure-drama, and taking it quite seriously. You're looking at a couple of Buffy fans, after all. It's past the point when I'd probably ever actually write the thing, but it hangs in the back of my thoughts, sometimes.
it wouldn't be the first time she got her face on a wanted poster, after all
That's one of the finest and clearest predictions of Toph's future that I've heard. I can easily imagine it-- her skirting around the law, dodging it for fun and profit. I can imagine Toph doing it for the fun as much as for the money; money would just be a way of keeping score.
She would concentrate her efforts in the EK because it's so big, and if she started to spread into the FN... an inconspicuous messenger would show up at her hideout one day, with a letter from FL Zuko. And Toph would be all, "He sent me a cease & desist LETTER? Haha, that's real funny." And the messenger would be, like, "Just feel the wax seal and let me read it to you so I can go back to my lunch." And it would be really short, just two lines or something, saying "Dear Old Friend, please take your people and move your enterprise outside of my country. No matter how many despicable capers you engage in, I'll never put your face on a FN wanted poster, so stop trying. Yes, I heard about your collection. It won't happen, so go home and leave my citizens to be swindled by their own people. You may stop by the Palace on your way out, for tea, if you wish."
Re: this is laaaate, I am always laaate
Date: 2008-01-02 08:48 pm (UTC)Not that I think Aang's going to look at anyone besides Katara in the next episodes, but I'm still afraid Toph might die. I mean.... Jet died, and that just proves they're willing to kill characters under 20.