Mini ATLA rant

[timepiececlock]

On the character of Sokka, in Avatar: The Last Airbender.



The fanon geniusization of Sokka bugs the hell out of me. Sokka's not a genius. If he were that smart he wouldn't do half the stupid things he does. He's smart, he's clever, and he's resourceful--- but he's not a genius. He's not frellin' Shikamaru or Kakashi from Naruto. He's just a bright kid. He'd be probably a grade above his peers IRL... or maybe he wouldn't and he'd just get high standardized test scores and be in GATE or something.

I don't just get annoyed because it stretches canon way past the point of supported evidence, but it bugs me because it denies Sokka his role as the Normal Guy, the Everyman. Sokka's always trying to prove that as a warrior and a tribesman he is the equal of the people with superpowers surrounding him. But by turning him into Super Boy Genius, you're just giving him his own superpower. He's not the normal one anymore; he's just the exception that proves the rule (if you don't have bending and/or super brain genius, you're inferior.) And that bugs me. Sokka (and Suki and Mai and Ty Lee) represent the characters who become powerful through work and talent and education, not through innate super-ability (in ATLA, innate super-ability=bending). To say he's great because he's a genius just cheapens that. [/end rant]

It's like every BTVS fanfic I read that gave Xander a superpower to make him "fit in". It's missing the entire point of his character purpose in the group dynamic, which is that you don't need a superpower to be of value.

Comments

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

"We're the ones who see." *is distracted by Xander for a moment*

hm. I haven't encountered this so much in fandom, though I have encountered the other extreme, where Sokka is reduced to being the silly sarcastic sidekick who always gets kicked in the head or something. Or he's reduced to the overprotective-to-the-point-of-annoying-stupidity brother.

So from that end I'm always searching for fic that gives Sokka his due, not as a genius, but at least as a potential strategist, rough around the edges, but learning. I mean, he's got a talent, he just doesn't have the training.

...it's one of those impossibilities where if I really want to see it, I'll just have to write it myself, or go to a few trusted sources for it. le sigh.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Argh. THe internet ate my two-paragraph reply. Hm... to summarize:

- I've seen genius Sokka more than comic idiot Sokka, in fanon. But that might be because I read mostly ZUtara fanfic and Sokka's very popular with Zutara fans. Although they do tend to do the overprotective brother thing; that gets tired after a while.

- I like Sokka as comic relief and sidekick, because he's a fun character to write taht way. If he gets kicked in the head it's probabliy because he did something stupid to put himself in a position to get kicked in the head, and now he has to escape while complaining loudly about life and why the gods hate him so. He's a bit like Rincewind the Wizard that way. In the show that's done quite often without compromising his other aspects (lover, warrior, sibling, friend), and if his character is well-written in fanfic then it works to have both the silly stuff and the serious stuff. Without something bad happening to Sokka, the adventure just isn't complete.

- the Sokka-boy-genius stuff also bugs me because we've seen that Katara is equally intelligent (Avatar Day, Seige of the North, Waterbending Scroll, the season 2 finale where she's a friggin war advisor), but people don't talk about how strategic she is, despite the fact that she's the de facto leader of the group. She doesn't appear to have the interest in mechanical/scientific things that Sokka does, but she's an unusually quick learner (like Azula, a Master at 14), and she's done her fair share of planning over the two seasons. People don't really talk about that though.

So from that end I'm always searching for fic that gives Sokka his due, not as a genius, but at least as a potential strategist, rough around the edges, but learning. I mean, he's got a talent, he just doesn't have the training.

I like fanfics like that-- especially when it's stuff like engineering or science, which he's expressed an even stronger interest in than strategy (or in more frequent scenes, anyway.) It's fanfics that treat him like an already-confirmed secret genius and/or the only one in the group with good strategic ideas that bugs me.

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

I tend to stick to Zutara, too, but a lot of Zutarans never seem to know what to do with Sokka.

If he gets kicked in the head it's probabliy because he did something stupid to put himself in a position to get kicked in the head, and now he has to escape while complaining loudly about life and why the gods hate him so.

It's The Fortuneteller all over again. But then again, that's the joy of Sokka.

but people don't talk about how strategic she is

I know! I was SO happy in the finale when she was the one kicking so much butt with the generals and such. They're totally setting her up to be Fire Lady. I mean, she's a powerful warrior in her own right, a talented leader, but also very empathetic. She was born to be a queen. I love her so much.

[littleduchess.livejournal.com]

Agreed. Though I would add Zuko to the list of characters who learn with hard work. Bit of an American dream theme. I also think that people misunderestimate the dynamics. Either that or overkill. Sokka is seen as a genius because his ideas seem to come out of nowhere- i.e. people underestimate him. He isn't above your average Nancy Drew. He's just funny at the same time.

And I'm seriously disapointed in all the fandoms. There are so many geniuses that it's impossible to move. Like- why the deal about Sasuke when every other guy is a Gaara or Shikamaru?

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Sweet icon.


Yeah, Zuko certainly represents work over talent-- but Zuko is blessed with bending, so adding him to that analogy doesn't really work, because even if he's not as good at it as Iroh or Azula, he already has a leg-up over people who don't bend.

I also think that people misunderestimate the dynamics. Either that or overkill. Sokka is seen as a genius because his ideas seem to come out of nowhere- i.e. people underestimate him. He isn't above your average Nancy Drew. He's just funny at the same time.

Do you meant to say misunderstand the dynamics? They do, I agree-- Sokka's moments of intelligence have odd timing so people seem to give them more weight instead just assuming he's naturally intelligent.

And I'm seriously disapointed in all the fandoms. There are so many geniuses that it's impossible to move. Like- why the deal about Sasuke when every other guy is a Gaara or Shikamaru?

I've only noticed that as a problem in Naruto, to be honest. In Avatar there are a lot of people, but the only one's I'd call a genius are the Inventor guy from season 1 and arguably Toph or Azula. Toph over Azula, probably, given that she basically just invented metalbending.

Narutoverse is ridiculous in its definitions of the word "genius"-- I think it comes down to bad translation, to be honest. Maybe a misunderstanding on the manga-ka's part of what "genius" means in English. In Narutoverse the translated term "genius" seems to apply to both talent and intelligence, whereas in English it usually means just intelligence, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Going by typical English definition, Sasuke's not a genius. He's very talented at one thing (fighting), which makes him a genius in that field but not a "genius" if you're using the world without qualifiers. Sakura's supposed to be smarter than Sasuke, and she's just referred to as highly intelligent. If you ignore the label being thrown around and just look at the skills and behaviors of the characters, there's only two geniuses in Narutoverse: Shikamaru and Kakashi. Previously I would have just said Shikamaru, but in the later manga Kakashi announces himself as being smarter than Shikamaru. Given that Kakashi isn't much of a braggart character, I'm going to take that as genuine canon.

Or Kabuto. You could probably count Kabuto as a genius as well, in the strict sense.

But the rest of the characters aren't geniuses-- they're just talented.

reply is so old it's crumbling BUT

[wondergirl-dv.livejournal.com]

I'm going to have to disagree. There are many types of genius and it has been studied by psychologists (Like social-geniuses, technical-geniuses, athletic-geniuses, the list goes on). But yes, it doesn't just pertain to genius. Although Naruto does seem to have a lot of ridiculously talented people that it is tiring after a while lol

Re: reply is so old it's crumbling BUT

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

You're saying the same thing that I said above--that there are different meanings to the word genius. But in English, the conventional use of the word is--in common context--overwhelming refers to intelligence. If someone means a person is a genius at a particular skill or talent, that's almost always said in conjunction with the word "genius".

A. "She is a genius."

1. "She is a genius with an IQ of 150."
2. "She is a genius at the piano." (or boxing, or painting, or soccer)

Letter A, unless attached to a particular talent, will be usually taken to mean #1 more often than #2. #2 is not of any less validity, it's just not the most common use of the word genius.

I'm saying that this is a linguistic subtlety in English vocabulary that doesn't translate well with Japanese. Or maybe the Japanese doesn't translate perfectly to English.

Re: reply is so old it's crumbling BUT

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

May I ask: how did you come across this post? It's pretty old.

Re: reply is so old it's crumbling BUT

[wondergirl-dv.livejournal.com]

Uh...I was having a Zutara day? Or more like a zutara week. I'm on spring break and have a lot of time on my hands. (Hence why I'm posting at the comm so often) 8| Cool to speak with you though. Didn't think you would reply. Love your fanfics.

I basically just read through your reactions for the Avatar episodes, seeing what your thoughts were, and delighting in your analysis. Haha. I recently rewatched "Cave of Two Lovers" with some friends, and I realize that it's better to have another person point out all the humor. I really didn't like that episode until my hippie loving friend watched it with me. People don't really watch Avatar where I live, but since going to college, I found a little niche and we watch an revel in the glory that if ATLA.

So sad that it is over.

Desperately hoping for new material.

ps. your avie is swift and lengthy. I keep trying to read it, but failing. Lol.

Re: reply is so old it's crumbling BUT

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Thanks, and welcome to the fandom. katara_zuko is a fun place, I'm a mod there and it's got some great past discussions if you check the tags.

avie? Avatar? my icon? google "the origin of love lyrics" and you'll find them. =)

[akavertigo.livejournal.com]

He licks walls. There. That's your genius, fandom. The half-baked boomerang with the wall goo dribbling down his chin.

but does he swallow?

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

::laugh:: I'd forgotten that. I'm pretty sure Shikamaru would never lick a wall.



Then again.... the Tenth Doctor licks walls too. :snort:

Re: but does he swallow?

[akavertigo.livejournal.com]

Doc licks them because he's old enough to know better and not give a damn.

Sokka licks it because it's there.