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

[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.