Random Avatar thoughts: ships and episodes

[timepiececlock]

Rewatched bits and clips of ATLA's "Crossroads of Destiny" episode, the season 2 finale. And it still delights me. Delights me! My reaction, after numerous repeats?

OMG.

SHIPPIEST. THING. EVER.

For both popular ships, in completely different but equally interesting ways.

Why did fandom go so crazy when this came out? With prophecies of doom or victory, with declarations of what is the death/birth of one pairing or another? BAH! SILLY CREATURES! It's easy to look at season 3 and make judgments about who belongs with who or all that nonsense, or who's going to make out with who next/again/ever, but if you forget all that and just look back on the season 2 finale, you have to admit it: SHIPPIEST THING EVER.

And that's my random Avatar squeal for today. I'll update later this week with something witty about the elections, or a poem, or something. But right now, I'm just enjoying a heady rush of fannishness. Why? No idea. Just am.

EDIT: When is the next episode coming out? CANADA DON'T FAIL ME NOW. I need my magical-boy pseudo-Asian mythical fantasy epic world war cartoon.

Everyone needs a magical-boy pseudo-Asian mythical fantasy epic world war cartoon!

With revenge! And regicide! And brainwashing! And flying buffalo! And murder most foul! And orphans! And pyromaniacs! And genocide! And hydromaniacs! And megalomaniacs! And duels! And tea!

Comments

[faoiltiamatani.livejournal.com]

The Season 2 finale is what got me watching Avatar.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

It was your first episode?

Oh man, your ship-radar must be SCREWED. I can only imagine how that would make relationships look if you hadn't seen everything leading up to it. Heh. That's like what I did with Buffy: started from the season 6 premier, and as a result never really understood the Angel love.

[faoiltiamatani.livejournal.com]

Actually, my first episode was the one where Katara fights with Pakku, which made me blink and go "....maybe I should be watching this."

The Season 2 finale was the second episode I watched, because the f-list was all anticipation for it, so I watched it that night.

And oooh yes, my radar definitely required some adjusting after that. On the upside, I've now loved Zuko throughout my watching experience, while if I had watched from the beginning I probably would have disliked him until around Ba Sing Se.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I suspected Zuko's redeemability since about episode 3, so I've had annoyance/affection for him over the whole show. I kind of adored him after two things:

1) he revealed he was secretly a ninja. Whee!
2) he changed from black armor to white clothes in the season 1 finale. That's pretty much a dead give-away, and I'm a sucker for redemptive or transformative costume changes. Avatar has a lot of transformative costume changes, for all characers.

[faoiltiamatani.livejournal.com]

Haha, I like to think I would have seen it, and I probably would have. Still, I feel I was probably less annoyed with him overall because I saw his late-season-2 self first.

The thing about the white clothes hadn't pinged me before, but you're right. Not to mention he acts pretty redeemable in that finale!

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I remember watching it and Zuko came on in white/gray bodysuit and I about DIED. I was like "OMG. He's wearing white. The boy has worn black with bits of red trim in EVERY SINGLE SCENE ALL SEASON and now he's wearing WHITE." Then of course he did all that crazy stuff and ended up floating on a raft amongst the icebergs... I figured it was a done deal. The process had officially begun, and all because he wanted to blend in with the snow. Little did he know.

I've enjoyed seeing his development leading up to season 2. I've been able to predict his character path, but it's taken about 15 episodes longer than I ever suspected it would to get him to see the light. That was the frustrating part, I have to say.

I like your Fakir icon, but I don't recognize the image. Is that from the anime? Maybe its from the tree scene...

[faoiltiamatani.livejournal.com]

He was wearing white and he looked so sad. No truly irredeemable character looks that sad!

Yeah, that's why I didn't end up watching several of the early season three episodes, because I was frustrated with Zuko. I felt like shaking my fist and going "Stop sliding backwards!"

Oh goodness, I don't know. I never finished Tutu (although I plan to! I just haven't brought any of my DVDs to Japan) and it's been a while since I watched it, so I don't remember well enough.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Not finished?

Not FINISHED?

It's a crime. A crime. If I didn't want to pay overseas shipping I'd mail you, a complete stranger, a DVD of subbed avi files. Not finished...What a travesty! You don't know what you're missing. Tutu is great to go through but it finishes with such a bang, and the whole that results is so beautiful.

You're obviously victim to a story without an ending. :sigh:

[faoiltiamatani.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry! I'm sorry!

[hangs head in shame]

I truly did intend to finish! I just... never did.

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

The process had officially begun, and all because he wanted to blend in with the snow. Little did he know.

*snickers* I can just see it now...
Zuko: Hm, what should I wear to kidnap the Avatar? White would make sense, with all the snow and everything, but then I like black a--
Mike and Bryan: GO WITH THE WHITE.
Zuko: What was--huh, wearing this makes me feel--wait, is this a character develop--
Mike and Bryan: SHUT UP AND GO REDEEM YOURSELF KIDNAP THE AVATAR.
Zuko: ...I hate it when they do that. *shuffles away, feeling particularly emo now that he can't wear black anymore*

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

word.

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

I OWE YOU KAKASAKU COMMENTARY I WILL GET ON THAT TOMORROW *SCURRIES*

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Oh.

Hey.... YEAH! You do! Chop chop!

[flamingly-fey.livejournal.com]

EDIT: When is the next episode coming out? CANADA DON'T FAIL ME NOW. I need my magical-boy pseudo-Asian mythical fantasy epic world war cartoon.

Everyone needs a magical-boy pseudo-Asian mythical fantasy epic world war cartoon!

With revenge! And regicide! And brainwashing! And flying buffalo! And murder most foul! And orphans! And pyromaniacs! And genocide! And hydromaniacs! And megalomaniacs! And duels! And tea!

May I have permission to metaquote this? I agree totally, and the way you've put it is brilliant.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Sure, I'm flattered. :) Just give me a link to the entry when you do.

[flamingly-fey.livejournal.com]

Here you go! (http://community.livejournal.com/metaquotes/6519187.html)

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Um, word.

And the very end of 'Crossroads of Destiny" was the firs thing I saw of Avatar. I was at the gym, and channel flipping, and I saw the scene with Katara and Zuko in the cave, and my jaw just about hit the elliptical. I was like, 'oh my god... they're doing a canon enemies!pairing.... she's yelling at him, and then they're talking all emotionally... and now she's touching is scar... and she's darker than him... oh my god the sexual tension....

And then later at dinner, I mentioned this show called Avatar, and my friend goes, 'oh, that? Anime rip off.' And I didn't bother chasing it down. *kicks self*

Then I forgot about it until midway through season 2, I think, when I start having suspicions that maybe this show is THAT show, which means....

By yeah, my shipper is pretty warped for this show - Zutara was how a friend introduced me to this show. My prior fandom was Saiyuki, where I shipped Hakkai/Yaone, if you know anything about that fandom, it's a seriously slash heavy fandom, and there's even less het than there is gen, believe it or not. I am not kidding, there are three (good) writers in the fandom (including me) and most of the other stuff that gets written comes from either me or [info]pzb requesting it.

So my friend goes, 'hey there's this awesome show, with a really cool enemies pairing, and it's the most popular pairing in the fandom' and I was over that like white on rice.

And then I got curious if, had I been watching this without all that preperation, I would have liked a different ship, so I said nothing about ships at all when I showed it, and after this episode I casually mentioned that I really like Zuko/Katara, you know, romantically, and she, my little control-group Zutarian, goes, "oh my god, really? I liked them too, but I didn't say anything because I thought you'd think I was crazy!' So I firmly believe I would be shipping them regardless of what prep I got for this show.

...and back from that long tangent, yes. I actually really love that 'sorry, Katara' moment with Aang, because it is super romantic to give up your attachment for someone to save them.

(And I heard a rumor that a new Avatar is going to be aired this Friday.)

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I was drawn to Z/K as an enemies kink because I love enemies pairings and unconventional pairings in general, and I would have liked the pairing even if we hadn't been given a fair amount of subtext. So when we got the subtext I just got even more of a kick out of it.

I gave up on Saiyuki after about 15 episodes.


The doubly sacrificial nature of Aang and Katara's relationship is one of the high points for me about that pairing. I love how intensely both feel, and you know that shippy or not, there's a lot of love there. Katara wants to protect Aang, and Aang wants to save Katara. I really feel for his angst that he can't decide if he wants to save Katara or the world first, when he knows what he should do versus what his heart wants to do. I am really looking forward seeing how that whole storyline resolves.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Yeah.... I'm actually usually pretty split between whether I'm drawn to canon or fanon pairings - I'm pretty half and half, but with the subtext of Zutara + there respective personalities - I'm all over that like white on rice.

And don't watch the anime, or at least, not until you get throughly addicted to the manga. The manga is far, far superior, and has none of the filler the anime is freaking packed with.

*nods* Yes. There are times (namely, when she reaches up to calm him down from the Avatar state after Appa is stolen* and in 'Nightmares & Dreams**') That I was kind of shippy.

As as for resolution... I don't know if I want it or not. I'm praying for a fairly open ending shipper wise, and based on the subtext I've been given, I don't think I'd enjoy how Mike & Bryan would explicitly resolve the dilemma.

*Partically because it reminded me of another awesome, similar scene in FMA, which was blatantly coded mother=child.
**I spend the whole episode going, 'Katara, just give him a couple orgasms - that will knock him out for sure.'

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I think the Katara-is-Aang's-crutch thing can be resolved without permanently propping up one pairing or another. I think the two issues are related but not fundamentally the same. Whether its as bestfriend/mother or girlfriend, he's still held back by his reliance on Katara.

* the Ross/Ed red stone scene in episode 22?

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Huh. I would describe it as his love fore Katara that was holding him back. I find that interesting that you describe it like that because (while I look at it that way) I'm not sure that the creators do.

* the Ross/Ed red stone scene in episode 22?

That would be the one. I love Ross's interaction with Ed. When she slaps him and then apologizes? So. Much. Love.

[manonlechat.livejournal.com]

SHIPPIEST THING EVER.

AGREE 100%. And did you notice how it *deliberately* paralleled and echoed both visual and narrative elements from the second-most-shippy episode of Season Two ("Cave of Two Lovers")? The parallels between Song and Katara: both are sympathetic healers, both reach out to Zuko (literally; but he pointedly only allows Katara to touch him), and both are ultimately betrayed. Young people making personal connections in crystal-lit caves. Even visual coincidences (or are they coincidence?) make me wonder...

http://forums.avatarspirit.net/index.php?topic=91.msg497084#msg497084

DAMMIT, it's that kinda stuff--along with Aang's split second look of dismay and jealousy upon seeing Zuko and Katara standing so closely together (how shippy can you get?) that can't shake my confidence in Zutara-as-canon's high probability. It's not even the fact that I like the ship, it's that I have to believe that the writers were doing these things for reasons other than ship-baiting!

And that's only the (potential) subtext. This episode is full of Kataang romance, too (a hero coming to the rescue of his beloved, who in turn restores him from the dead, being two biggies).

I laugh when people write that there's won't be time for shipping in the final episodes of Season Three. :D Are they kidding? I fully expect the romantic storylines will have their emotional climaxes in the same episodes as the larger, Good vs. Evil battle occurs.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I wish I could reply to all your lovely comments, but I don't know what to say. I enjoyed reading them, though. And I certainly feel you on the ways this episode was awesome.

[scythe-of-time.livejournal.com]

Here from Metaquotes; just wanted to say hi to a fellow Avatard.

Don't you just love that the entire show is a ship-tease? You can pair any character you want with any other character you want and find evidence for it. :D

That being said, OMFG Zutaraang fOrEvAr, whoooooo!

[rosefox8.livejournal.com]

Also here from Metaquotes; also just wanted to say hi to a fellow Avatard.

And I only now just realized that yes, you actually can pair up anyone you want with evidence. Wow.

[diefbaby.livejournal.com]

Flying in from metaquotes as well just to say 'hello' to another fellow Avatard!

I know so many fans ship Zutara after seeing 'Crossroads of Destiny', but I'm a tried and true Kataang girl. Especially after seeing their kiss in the most recently aired episode. Their whole relationship makes me feel all wibbly inside - especially when you see how poor Aang is struggling. He knows he has to save the world but he wants to be with Kataara. She in turn wants to be with him but has to let him go and be a hero.

As for Zuko? I've adored him from the start. In my little shipping world, it's Zuko/Me. *giggles*

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

The thing I enjoy about this show, and what I liked about CoD, is that you can see the Zuko/Katara subtext in the episode and yet still completely go with the Katara/Aang romance. They're not written to be mutually exclusive at that point -- one is merely an implication, one is full-blown battle defending someone you love. Both ideas are strong and interesting. Katara/Aang definitely took a more romantic angle after the events of CoD, though I think Katara in CoD treated Aang the same as she treated him for the first two seasons, and it was only after that conflict she started to look at him in a more romantic way (dancing, etc.) And we know that directly after that Zuko joined the FN and got a FN girlfriend. But in that episode, we had some very interesting subtext and some very exciting heroic rescues of loved ones, with two different possible relationships dangled before us. I just love that the show gave that to us. I feel spoiled by the shipping opportunities presented.