Exclusive Insanity

These are freakin' hilarious (spoilers for season 1 of Avatar):

Avatar Facebook Water Part 1
Avatar Facebook Water Part 2
Avatar Facebook Water Part 3

I really hope this person does end up making seasons 2 and 3 versions.

I finally have a Zuko/Mai icon! Woo! And with a direct quote from the show. Heh. I love this couple, they're so awesome.

Today I was going through my pics and came across the ones of Toph when she's younger and thought 'these are so freaking cute! I should post about how cute they are.' Then I remembered that each of the main characters of Avatar had a flashback scene of some sort that showed them when they were young and really, really adorable. So... I put together a pic of all of them.

Aren't they so cuuuuuuute?

Edit: I realized after I made this post that it totally looks like little-Toph is trying to kiss little-Zuko and he's getting all omg-girls-are-icky about it. Haha! Totally unintentional on my part, but I find it funny all the same.

Mainly this past week and over the long weekend, I've been working on invitations (with frequent fanfic breaks). I'm a little over halfway done, and pretty much ready to mail the ones that need to be mailed. The rest are mostly going to people who know when the wedding is and are expecting invites, so things are pretty much under control at this point, I'm thinking.

I've hit a definite snag with the Avatar Big Bang fic... Not sure if I can still finish it. I hope so. Maybe I can do some work on it tomorrow. I'll give it a try anyway. It's hard with no feedback on the first parts. I don't know if I'm doing okay or not. Bleh. I wish I could just post it and see what everyone thinks so far.

Oh well.

So I just watched this video by The Nostalgia Chick: here.

She makes a good point about "tokenism", and I guess I could speak about that for a bit, but... but... I must be the only one who watched the scene where she shows the list of Nick cartoons and sought out and found Avatar: The Last Airbender on the list, and thought, 'okay, I know the main character is male, but COME ON! Doesn't it at least deserve a mention? It has some of the best female characters I've seen in a North American cartoon, like, ever.'

Just watch this video.

... Yeah, I'm a nerd. I know it.

The dress fits me! Perfectly, in fact. I didn't have to get any alterations in size. Just hem, and a couple of cosmetic stuff I wanted - then I go back down on April 24th to make sure everything is done right and to take it home.

Thank god... That is a huge weight off my mind. And it looks even better than I remember - I'm excited! Less than five months to go.

Now hopefully I can concentrate more on the avatarbigbang fic. It is underway. I'm pretty psyched. Hope it turns out well!

So, there's actually a full trailer for the Last Airbender movie now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udeaR1-O-Gk

Sokka and Katara feel distinctly un-Sokka-and-Katara-like; not just because of their race but because of the way they act in the new trailer. Particularly Katara. Given that she's the only major female character in season one (which this movie is based on), I really really hope they're not planning to make her weepy and useless. Bleh.

Sokka is an insecure teenager who tends towards cynical and often gets the crap end of the stick for comedy relief purposes. Katara is a girl with talent in a society that has distinct gender roles, with a short temper and a competitive streak. I didn't get that from this trailer.

But again, this is more of a new interpretation of the Avatar story rather than a complete retelling, so I guess I'll just have to get over it. I'm still going to see the movie.

Dev Patel makes an adorable Zuko. Still haven't seen him do 'angry' yet. Maybe this Zuko won't be so angry? That would change his whole character.

I have no comment on Aang, because he hasn't said a damn thing in any trailer I've seen and he always looks serious. Really, same kid? His tattoos look cool, except for the completely unnecessary cross on his back. Why would the Air Nomads use a cross in their tattoos? The airbending looks pretty awesome, though. Actually, the effects in general look cool.

Storywise... In my opinion, for this to be even a marginally decent retelling, the following things need to happen in this movie:

* Basic introduction of full plot, including:
- history of the four nations
- introduction to bending
- who the Avatar is and what the heck he/she is supposed to do
- explanation of the war and why the Air Nomads were wiped out
- the fact that the Avatar's been missing for 100 years
- and was actually hanging out in a block of ice the whole damn time
- and has a Fire Nation prince obsessed with capturing him

* Aang and Zuko backstory parallels established

* Sozin's comet pointed out

* Aang and Katara learn waterbending

* The whole Yue-moon-spirit thing happens

* Iroh established as awesome (okay, I guess it's not NECESSARY, but...)

That is the BARE minimum, for story only. Lots of other stuff really should happen too, but I'm not going to expect a heck of a lot from this movie.

What was the #1 song the day you were born? Google the date and #1 song and then post your #1 song on your LJ - preferably with a Youtube vid if you can find one!



Haha, I guess I could do worse!

Seriously. It could be 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go' like Cody's is. Heh.

I really want to more fanfic for Avatar (I sort of have a plot that I was turning around in my head), but I just can't scrounge up the inspiration to actually start on it. I just want someone to write it for me so I can read it. I actually got pretty far into one fanfic and then couldn't figure out where to take it. I like parts of it, but I don't know what to do now. And I don't know if I want to post any of it for feedback or help.

I forget when I got so anxious about sharing my stuff with others. It just seems... I don't know. Embarrassing, almost. I think too much.

I also kind of want to write something Sokka/Ty Lee just for the potential and because I can find decent Sokka/Suki and Sokka/Toph easily, but this pairing is pretty sparse. I don't have a plot idea, though. And I want to write Aang/Katara like mad, but... yeah.

I think my main qualm with writing Avatar (and sharing it) is the fact that I don't feel like I know the world it's set in well enough to do it. I feel insecure somehow. I love that world and all its detail and richness, and I don't think I could really do it justice.

I really wish I could, though.

More digging through old Avatar discussion posts... I found a rant against Katara's character. Now, Katara isn't my favorite character, but she's at least as well-developed as any of the others, and she is actually pretty neat. The story went out of its way to provide her with the opportunity to learn healing specifically so that she could reject it and learn to fight instead. She may not exactly be a revolutionary female protagonist, but at least she has a believably flawed personality, a strong will, and a desire to fight and protect those she loves that is as strong as any male character's.

The person who posted the rant is one step above "KATARA SUCKS OMG" (and it's a very small step). The main point of the rant: Katara is a "poorly written, blob of cliche" while all the male characters are wonderfully developed. If the OP posted this without expecting any dissention, then I believe they are a moron. Personally, I think they were looking for wank. Several commenters agree with me.

In any case, the rant can be found here: http://community.livejournal.com/avatar_fans/437135.html

It quickly turns to wank, and was even featured on Fandom Wank, but there were some great comments coming from people responding to the rant that I wholly agree with and would like to quote here. They all make the same basic point, but I couldn't resist quoting all of them.

"This kind of rant is what irritates me. Not so much because I, personally, love Katara, but because this just shows that no matter how well written or how well rounded a female character is, they are always always heavily (and mostly unfairly) criticized."

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/avatar_fans/437135.html?thread=6935439#t6935439

"I get tired of reading posts like these-- I see them in every fandom, from Naruto to Gundam Wing. Usually comming from female fans who display this bizarre venom against the main female character. If the main female is smart or capable or strong, she's a Mary Sue. If she's got character flaws or actually acts her age sometimes, she's stupid or insane."

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/avatar_fans/437135.html?thread=6948495#t6948495

"I hate seeing this kind of rant on fandom communities - where female characters are mercilessly bashed for traits that a male character would be considered as having a lot of character depth."

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/avatar_fans/437135.html?thread=6963343#t6963343

This isn't exactly new or anything (female fans have been bashing female characters since fandom existed), but I felt like it was a good opportunity to post something about it.

I've noticed it in shipping more than anything. To use an Avatar example: the majority of Zuko/Katara fans hate Mai (Zuko's canon love interest) with a freakin' unholy passion. And why, you ask? Because she loves Zuko. Holy hot damn, if that's a crime, you're ALL guilty, bitches!

I've also noticed that, although there is some hatred of Aang (Katara's canon love interest), he's typically treated with more respect. Is it because there's Toph available to shove him off on while Mai has no one (at least not for strictly het shippers)? Possible, but I think it's more related to this tendency of females to hate hate HATE the woman who "steals" the man away from her. It's kind of sad.

Someone has GOT to know where this comic disappeared to. Seriously. I *have* to read this. I am just so masochistic that I have to somehow track this down and read through the whole damn thing.

Even if I liked any of these pairings in this comic, I would still be in awe of the epic fail that this appears to be. Go ahead: click the link and read the summary. Even if you haven't seen Avatar, just do it. Then, if you have a moment, scan through the tropes. And try to tell me - with a straight face - that you think that this would somehow make a good story.

The picture of Toph in the title image makes me want to weep for her character. Compare that image to these and you can probably tell why. I don't mind the Toph/Aang pairing, but it's only really interesting if Toph is at least marginally in character. It doesn't look like this person even tried.

I don't know that I even need to talk about the anti-feminist stereotypes here. Really. Avatar is a great series for strong, independent female characters. This comic appears to be attempting to dismantle that as much as it possibly can.

Suki should be glad she was shipped off on a bus for this one. At least her dignity's still intact.

So, as you might have noticed from last night's post, Cody and I watched the finale episodes of Avatar last night.

( Thoughts )

What a ride with this series! It had everything it needed: a well-developed setting, interesting powers and abilities, awesome fight scenes, a fantastic plot, and wonderful, wonderful characters. I am seriously blown away. I don't think I've felt quite so impressed with a series in a long, long time. It's just... everything I want in a show.

EDIT: herongale has a much better analysis of Avatar's ending that I completely agree with.