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Aaaaavatar (with squee! and screencaps, even!)
Now up to 2x13. This time I think I'll address individual episodes, since they all become a blur otherwise! Also, this is where the squeaking and flailing really starts in earnest. Screencaps are from AvatarSpirit.net.
2x05 - Avatar Day
Actually I found this one a bit meh. Plenty of cute/fun bits, but not overly remarkable. I think the only specific thing I want to mention about this one is that I really love that Aang has female as well as male past lives; I adore the show for not taking the easy, safe route and just sticking to all-male incarnations.
2x06 - The Blind Bandit
TOPH! ♥ ♥ ♥
The one spoiler about the series that I already had was Toph's addition to the cast, because she's mentioned often enough on multifandom blogs and whatnot (usually in lists of characters with disabilities and that sort of thing) that I really couldn't avoid knowing about her. But I didn't really know anything else about her, other that that she was blind and an earthbender, and a general idea of what she looked like.
And she is every bit as awesome as everyone says. One of the things that had bugged me a little about the series (not hugely, because I was loving it otherwise) was that there was only one girl in the main cast and she fit the typical trope of having largely passive powers/abilities -- the healer, the calm one (usually!), the less crazy one trying to smooth over the boys' antics. This is by no means a dealbreaker for me because I actually really love that kind of female character (usually finding them easier to love and relate to than the asskicking kind, though it really depends on the character), and besides, Katara can fight and never gets sidelined: this show is very good about giving all its characters their moment in the sun. But the cliche of water/healing powers=girl character bugged me a bit.
And now we have Toph, and balance, so to speak, is restored. :D Because Toph is the very antithesis of the typical girl heroine, and I love how the show itself even plays heavily with that ("She's blind! And tiny! And fragile!" bwahaha). I love, love, love that the tiny, twelve-year-old blind girl is the one with the strength-based, brute-force powers, the one who has trouble being a team player, the one who's even blunter than Sokka at speaking her mind. And now I can love Katara wholeheartedly without having that little niggle at the back of my brain: did the waterbender/healer have to be the only girl on the team? 'cause now, she's not. Oh, show.
While I'm talking about that episode, I also really loved how they sidestepped nearly all of the shounen-anime tournament cliches that I was so fully expecting when the earthbending tournament was announced, instead going for more of a WWF kind of thing. THANK YOU, SHOW!
2x07 - Zuko Alone
Oh dear. You really know how to play a fangirl heart like a finely tuned violin, don't you, Show? If I wasn't already crushing on Zuko a bit, this episode was the last nail in the coffin. I am gone.
Quite shallowly, I like the new hairstyle on him. I like the new hairstyle a lot. Actually, I am gleeing all over Zuko's storyline this season; bereft of money or allies (except Iroh, obviously), forced to live off his wits (ha, he's so doomed) and hide who he really is ... it's good for him! (Except for the whole stealing from poor people who helped you. That's really just not on, Zuko. Let's have more of the awesome, less of the suck, shall we?)
Anyway, this episode ... Zuko at rock bottom! And his Tragic Past! Which ... you know, there's a part of me that almost wants to laugh, because it's so tragic and so woobie. And yet ... I can't, because I love so much that he's not a gifted firebending prodigy and the apple of his father's eye. He was the child who wasn't naturally skilled and talented, who had to work and work for every small victory, constantly falling short and being shoved aside and left behind. And yet he still kept struggling on, trying to be the son that his father wanted. I assume that he learned to fight with swords because of his general suck at firebending -- and he got good at it, good at both, not because of raw talent, but because of dedication and stubbornness and hard work.
You can't not love that.
And I absolutely love how the show revealed what happened with his mother. While most of Zuko's backstory was subtle as an anvil to the face, I was seriously impressed at the delicate touch of the resolution to the flashback story. They did a masterful job of a) staying totally in Zuko's POV (never showing us anything that he hadn't seen/heard), and b) avoiding any hint of violence or gore. And yet, we got the full story regardless: that his mother killed his grandfather to protect him from assassination, and then fled.
Oh! And Iroh! We finally found out what happened at Ba Sing Se -- his son. Oh, Iroh. No wonder he holds on to Zuko as hard as he does.
But, lest the story get too serious, we still have stuff like this:
*DIES*
(I really hope the design team on this show got some awards for it. It's brilliant, all of it, though I have a special love for the weird, crazy, hilarious animals.)
Anyway, on the shallow end of things:
I have always, always had a thing for swordplay and swordfighters in anime. And this, um. Let's just say that the only way to make Zuko any hotter in this episode would be to literally set him on fire.
... oh, wait.
So, yeah. This episode kinda mashed my buttons a lot.
And then it got even better. Because next, there was:
2x08 - The Chase
This episode was another nonstop, start-to-finish squeefest. There was nothing I didn't love about it. This episode was nonstop tense and fast-paced, and yet, full of neat character moments too. How do they do that?
I love the kids being kids, and squabbling -- even Katara losing her cool and being every bit as bad as the rest of them. Because they are just teens and tweens, pushed into a terribly stressful situation ... and they act like it, which I adore.
Little Toph, being tiny and fierce and not needing anyone! And Appa, shedding, omg ... *laughs* And every time you see the characters, they're a little more covered with hair ... And it's not just a one-off joke, but an actual plot point!
The wicked ladies of the Fire Nation are back! And evil! And I love them!
Toph bonding with Iroh ... *squeak*. Too much awesome in one place! I really hope that this isn't just a brief one-off meeting, but something that'll be picked up again in future episodes. (I hope?)
And the climax of the episode was pure awesomesauce. They are totally outdoing themselves with the fight scenes this season. And I adore battle scenes where you have a bunch of different factions running around, attacking each other in various combinations. Eeeee! And then, of course, that final scene ...
They all make a pretty cool team when they're not trying to kill each other!
And then Zuko gets smacked in the face with the fact that there is, actually, something more important to him than catching the Avatar.
Way to deal with people who are trying to help you, Zuko. Still, he very clearly and obviously gave up a prime chance to take down Aang, choosing Iroh instead. There is something to be said for that.
Also, I am waiting -- WAITING! -- for Katara to use her healing powers on one of her friends. (Or an enemy, for that matter. I nominate Zuko. *g*) It's going to happen! I'm sure it is! The fact that it hasn't happened yet makes me think that they might be saving it up for something dramatic. *hopes*
I actually thought they might've killed Iroh here. The start of the next episode made me go "BUT WHAT ABOUT IROH?!"
2x09 - Bitter Work
While it's difficult to top the total squeefests of the last couple of episodes, this one came pretty close. And nothing actually happened! Just two parallel training sequences, plus Sokka being stuck down a hole. And yet it was a little joyfest of character interaction. I LOVE THIS SHOW LIKE BURNIIIIIING.
"You're awfully cute. Too bad you're made of MEAT!" Oh, Sokka. ♥ ♥ ♥
And I love it when Zuko smiles:
... because he almost never does; I think there was one other time so far, and I'm pretty sure Iroh was responsible for that one, too.
Sokka and his stuck-in-a-hole monologues slayed me. (Also: saber-toothed moose lion! ♥ How do they come up with these things?)
2x10 - The Library & 2x11 - The Desert
These didn't completely bowl me over with squee, although probably because my squee-o-meter was permanently pegged into the red by the last three episodes. But we have more plot! And Toph HOLDING UP A GIGANTIC BUILDING all by her tiny self! And Sokka on hallucinogenic cactus!
I adore the sibling dynamics between these two. They are such a perfectly convincing, hilarious, adorable brother and sister pair.
2x12 - The Serpent's Pass
More worldbuilding! And we get to see Suki again! ♥
I love how complex this world is, and how the war isn't just a clashing of armies, but something that's affecting every part of the land, and the lifestyles of the people who live on it. (Also, Zuko and Iroh as refugees still hasn't gotten old.)
This was ridiculously adorable:
... even if she did think she was kissing someone else.
And I really loved how Sokka is still haunted by Uwe (sp?) and her death.
Also, Sokka getting all serious and hero-y totally gives me heartflips every time.
Even if it's in the cause of trying to protect a woman who's way more badass than he'll ever be. He tries!
2x13 - The Drill
This was an all-around fun episode -- nothing that really made me do backflips of fannish glee, but fun and entertaining.
Sokka: "It's so dark, I can't see a thing!"
Toph: "Oh no. What a nightmare."
Sokka: "... sorry."
*dies and is dead*
And I loved the little exchange between the kids while they were sabotaging the drill -- something about being the hope of the whole world, and Sokka's semi-joking "Except for the Fire Nation!" Because that's another thing I love about this show -- the Fire Nation isn't just a bunch of faceless mooks, but they're people, and the war is a tragedy for both sides. The show does a halfway decent job of keeping that in mind, and making sure that we don't forget it, either.
Um, wow. This is long. XD More episodes now?
2x05 - Avatar Day
Actually I found this one a bit meh. Plenty of cute/fun bits, but not overly remarkable. I think the only specific thing I want to mention about this one is that I really love that Aang has female as well as male past lives; I adore the show for not taking the easy, safe route and just sticking to all-male incarnations.
2x06 - The Blind Bandit
TOPH! ♥ ♥ ♥
The one spoiler about the series that I already had was Toph's addition to the cast, because she's mentioned often enough on multifandom blogs and whatnot (usually in lists of characters with disabilities and that sort of thing) that I really couldn't avoid knowing about her. But I didn't really know anything else about her, other that that she was blind and an earthbender, and a general idea of what she looked like.
And she is every bit as awesome as everyone says. One of the things that had bugged me a little about the series (not hugely, because I was loving it otherwise) was that there was only one girl in the main cast and she fit the typical trope of having largely passive powers/abilities -- the healer, the calm one (usually!), the less crazy one trying to smooth over the boys' antics. This is by no means a dealbreaker for me because I actually really love that kind of female character (usually finding them easier to love and relate to than the asskicking kind, though it really depends on the character), and besides, Katara can fight and never gets sidelined: this show is very good about giving all its characters their moment in the sun. But the cliche of water/healing powers=girl character bugged me a bit.
And now we have Toph, and balance, so to speak, is restored. :D Because Toph is the very antithesis of the typical girl heroine, and I love how the show itself even plays heavily with that ("She's blind! And tiny! And fragile!" bwahaha). I love, love, love that the tiny, twelve-year-old blind girl is the one with the strength-based, brute-force powers, the one who has trouble being a team player, the one who's even blunter than Sokka at speaking her mind. And now I can love Katara wholeheartedly without having that little niggle at the back of my brain: did the waterbender/healer have to be the only girl on the team? 'cause now, she's not. Oh, show.
While I'm talking about that episode, I also really loved how they sidestepped nearly all of the shounen-anime tournament cliches that I was so fully expecting when the earthbending tournament was announced, instead going for more of a WWF kind of thing. THANK YOU, SHOW!
2x07 - Zuko Alone
Oh dear. You really know how to play a fangirl heart like a finely tuned violin, don't you, Show? If I wasn't already crushing on Zuko a bit, this episode was the last nail in the coffin. I am gone.
Quite shallowly, I like the new hairstyle on him. I like the new hairstyle a lot. Actually, I am gleeing all over Zuko's storyline this season; bereft of money or allies (except Iroh, obviously), forced to live off his wits (ha, he's so doomed) and hide who he really is ... it's good for him! (Except for the whole stealing from poor people who helped you. That's really just not on, Zuko. Let's have more of the awesome, less of the suck, shall we?)
Anyway, this episode ... Zuko at rock bottom! And his Tragic Past! Which ... you know, there's a part of me that almost wants to laugh, because it's so tragic and so woobie. And yet ... I can't, because I love so much that he's not a gifted firebending prodigy and the apple of his father's eye. He was the child who wasn't naturally skilled and talented, who had to work and work for every small victory, constantly falling short and being shoved aside and left behind. And yet he still kept struggling on, trying to be the son that his father wanted. I assume that he learned to fight with swords because of his general suck at firebending -- and he got good at it, good at both, not because of raw talent, but because of dedication and stubbornness and hard work.
You can't not love that.
And I absolutely love how the show revealed what happened with his mother. While most of Zuko's backstory was subtle as an anvil to the face, I was seriously impressed at the delicate touch of the resolution to the flashback story. They did a masterful job of a) staying totally in Zuko's POV (never showing us anything that he hadn't seen/heard), and b) avoiding any hint of violence or gore. And yet, we got the full story regardless: that his mother killed his grandfather to protect him from assassination, and then fled.
Oh! And Iroh! We finally found out what happened at Ba Sing Se -- his son. Oh, Iroh. No wonder he holds on to Zuko as hard as he does.
But, lest the story get too serious, we still have stuff like this:
*DIES*
(I really hope the design team on this show got some awards for it. It's brilliant, all of it, though I have a special love for the weird, crazy, hilarious animals.)
Anyway, on the shallow end of things:
I have always, always had a thing for swordplay and swordfighters in anime. And this, um. Let's just say that the only way to make Zuko any hotter in this episode would be to literally set him on fire.
... oh, wait.
So, yeah. This episode kinda mashed my buttons a lot.
And then it got even better. Because next, there was:
2x08 - The Chase
This episode was another nonstop, start-to-finish squeefest. There was nothing I didn't love about it. This episode was nonstop tense and fast-paced, and yet, full of neat character moments too. How do they do that?
I love the kids being kids, and squabbling -- even Katara losing her cool and being every bit as bad as the rest of them. Because they are just teens and tweens, pushed into a terribly stressful situation ... and they act like it, which I adore.
Little Toph, being tiny and fierce and not needing anyone! And Appa, shedding, omg ... *laughs* And every time you see the characters, they're a little more covered with hair ... And it's not just a one-off joke, but an actual plot point!
The wicked ladies of the Fire Nation are back! And evil! And I love them!
Toph bonding with Iroh ... *squeak*. Too much awesome in one place! I really hope that this isn't just a brief one-off meeting, but something that'll be picked up again in future episodes. (I hope?)
And the climax of the episode was pure awesomesauce. They are totally outdoing themselves with the fight scenes this season. And I adore battle scenes where you have a bunch of different factions running around, attacking each other in various combinations. Eeeee! And then, of course, that final scene ...
They all make a pretty cool team when they're not trying to kill each other!
And then Zuko gets smacked in the face with the fact that there is, actually, something more important to him than catching the Avatar.
Way to deal with people who are trying to help you, Zuko. Still, he very clearly and obviously gave up a prime chance to take down Aang, choosing Iroh instead. There is something to be said for that.
Also, I am waiting -- WAITING! -- for Katara to use her healing powers on one of her friends. (Or an enemy, for that matter. I nominate Zuko. *g*) It's going to happen! I'm sure it is! The fact that it hasn't happened yet makes me think that they might be saving it up for something dramatic. *hopes*
I actually thought they might've killed Iroh here. The start of the next episode made me go "BUT WHAT ABOUT IROH?!"
2x09 - Bitter Work
While it's difficult to top the total squeefests of the last couple of episodes, this one came pretty close. And nothing actually happened! Just two parallel training sequences, plus Sokka being stuck down a hole. And yet it was a little joyfest of character interaction. I LOVE THIS SHOW LIKE BURNIIIIIING.
"You're awfully cute. Too bad you're made of MEAT!" Oh, Sokka. ♥ ♥ ♥
And I love it when Zuko smiles:
... because he almost never does; I think there was one other time so far, and I'm pretty sure Iroh was responsible for that one, too.
Sokka and his stuck-in-a-hole monologues slayed me. (Also: saber-toothed moose lion! ♥ How do they come up with these things?)
2x10 - The Library & 2x11 - The Desert
These didn't completely bowl me over with squee, although probably because my squee-o-meter was permanently pegged into the red by the last three episodes. But we have more plot! And Toph HOLDING UP A GIGANTIC BUILDING all by her tiny self! And Sokka on hallucinogenic cactus!
I adore the sibling dynamics between these two. They are such a perfectly convincing, hilarious, adorable brother and sister pair.
2x12 - The Serpent's Pass
More worldbuilding! And we get to see Suki again! ♥
I love how complex this world is, and how the war isn't just a clashing of armies, but something that's affecting every part of the land, and the lifestyles of the people who live on it. (Also, Zuko and Iroh as refugees still hasn't gotten old.)
This was ridiculously adorable:
... even if she did think she was kissing someone else.
And I really loved how Sokka is still haunted by Uwe (sp?) and her death.
Also, Sokka getting all serious and hero-y totally gives me heartflips every time.
Even if it's in the cause of trying to protect a woman who's way more badass than he'll ever be. He tries!
2x13 - The Drill
This was an all-around fun episode -- nothing that really made me do backflips of fannish glee, but fun and entertaining.
Sokka: "It's so dark, I can't see a thing!"
Toph: "Oh no. What a nightmare."
Sokka: "... sorry."
*dies and is dead*
And I loved the little exchange between the kids while they were sabotaging the drill -- something about being the hope of the whole world, and Sokka's semi-joking "Except for the Fire Nation!" Because that's another thing I love about this show -- the Fire Nation isn't just a bunch of faceless mooks, but they're people, and the war is a tragedy for both sides. The show does a halfway decent job of keeping that in mind, and making sure that we don't forget it, either.
Um, wow. This is long. XD More episodes now?
no subject
Zuko with longer hair = smokin' hot! XDDDD
(and you have now seen enough to appreciate my favorite crack!pairing of Sokka/Toph...!) Toph is the spoiler-char I mentioned vying for favorite char status. For all the reasons you mentioned (and a few more things ^^) Toph is all around made of awesome.
(Though I must admit, one reason I like Katara is because she's not the healer-girl. She can heal, but that's not actually her thing; fighting is. She's not as good as Aang but he's the Avatar; in a Toph vs Katara battle they'd be pretty evenly matched (I think the outcome would depend a lot on what terrain they're fighting on, really...)
And then there's Azula and her posse - Azula is a pretty spectacular char herself; there's very few female sociopaths I know of in anything...
(Speaking of the girls, Sokka's moon princess was Yue - I can remember that one easy, it's a Japanese name meaning "moon" ^^)
the Fire Nation isn't just a bunch of faceless mooks, but they're people, and the war is a tragedy for both sides. The show does a halfway decent job of keeping that in mind.
Yes, absolutely. 3rd season has more with this, too...
Also, since I've nattered on about chars and not enough about the world (and I do adore the world - zomg the animals! I <3 platypus bears...) - don't you love Ba Sing Se? When I first saw the show, I was totally tickled by how I'd seen the city of walls on all the world-maps, but hadn't realized what it was...the scale of it! so cool!
...yeah, Avatar is one of my favorites. Solid Type A, no fanfic or anything, it's perfect just how it is!
no subject
Oh YES, this! I loved that so much (and he does the same thing with the lightning -- I don't remember the exact words, but it was basically "Go on! Strike me! You know you want to!" *lightning fails to strike* Zuko: *siiiiiggghhh*). The fact that the show itself does little tongue-in-cheek jabs at Zuko's emo gloom makes me love it, and him, all the more for it.
I don't like all comedy, all the time ... but I've always had trouble falling for shows and characters without a sense of humor, too. Avatar's mix of funny and serious is really grabbing me hard.
Zuko with longer hair = smokin' hot! XDDDD
Zuko's new look is MADE OF WIN! And the swords! Two swords, no less ... I have always fallen hard for the swordfighter characters (see also: Zoro) and they couldn't have made him more viscerally appealing to me if I'd given them a checklist and had them tick off items. XD And yet, the swordfighting thing isn't just "oh hey, let's give Zuko another cool ability" -- it really makes sense, in terms of his character, that he would've learned this skill as compensation for the skills he doesn't have.
(Though I must admit, one reason I like Katara is because she's not the healer-girl. She can heal, but that's not actually her thing; fighting is. She's not as good as Aang but he's the Avatar; in a Toph vs Katara battle they'd be pretty evenly matched (I think the outcome would depend a lot on what terrain they're fighting on, really...)
Well, true. And I do love that.; I certainly don't want to sell her short, because I do love Katara a lot, and I adore the way that she can hold her own in a fight, even against much more powerful opponents. (Ditto for Sokka too.) On the other hand, it's nice to have the additional narrative balance of a girl character who is as quirky and weird (and messed up) as the boys.
And then there's Azula and her posse - Azula is a pretty spectacular char herself; there's very few female sociopaths I know of in anything...
Very true! I love me a good redemption arc, but I also love Azula's sheer unrepentant evilness. And while she's nominally in charge, I like the way that her dynamic with the other two is that of longtime friends rather than boss & henchpersons. (Evil friends, but still friends. *g*)
don't you love Ba Sing Se? When I first saw the show, I was totally tickled by how I'd seen the city of walls on all the world-maps, but hadn't realized what it was...the scale of it! so cool!
It's incredible! I hadn't noticed it was on the maps, though -- must go back and look! :D And there again ... after the episode where you first see the wall, hubby and I were talking about the logistics of constructing it, and the fact that given what we've seen earthbenders can do, having giant walls like that makes sense, in the same way that it made sense for the waterbender city to have an ice wall. The structural underpinnings of the world, and the detail that's gone into creating it, are just incredible -- I'm sure they're making up a lot of it on the fly, but it still fits together incredibly well. It's right up there with the best of the worldbuilding from single-creator series (books/comics/manga), way beyond what you normally get in a collaborative medium like TV is.
I am ... currently struggling with the urge to write fic. *g* The show is so coherent and the plot so structured that I don't think I'll be able to write anything until I've seen the whole thing. On the other hand, the combination of clever worldbuilding + characters is the thing that gets me. All of my big fandoms have appealed to me on both levels -- well, in SGA's case it was more the unfilled potential of the worldbuilding (which is probably why it sucked me in so hard: great premise, poor execution), but I've been thinking that if I do get another big fandom after SGA, it'll almost certainly have that same sci-fi or fantasy universe appeal ... and Avatar does. I'm scared. *g*
no subject
Oh, Zuko <333
I don't like all comedy, all the time ... but I've always had trouble falling for shows and characters without a sense of humor, too. Avatar's mix of funny and serious is really grabbing me hard.
This, exactly. I can enjoy a lot of comedy, but after a while, if I start to care for the chars (and anything I'm really enjoying I have to be liking the chars) I need a little drama, need to see them under pressure and getting serious, even if only for a little while. OTOH I cannot take all-drama-all-the-time, either. Avatar's got pretty much the perfect mix (really, it's why I enjoy kid's shows in general, but Avatar goes more dramatic than most and I really appreciate that...)
It's incredible! I hadn't noticed it was on the maps, though -- must go back and look! :D
Once you know what you're looking at it's unmistakable - it's just such a huge feature that it's hard to realize it's a city! At the same time, as you say, given earth-bending it's practically inevitable...
The worldbuilding is really immensely well-done. The series is a real treat to rewatch because there's a whole lot of stuff that is introduced early on but makes more sense when you see it later. And it all hangs together - it's not just that it has a narrative arc, but that the arc is going somewhere. I haven't read many interviews with the creators (it's a pair of guys, and I wonder too if that makes a difference - when world-building it's helpful to have someone bounce ideas off of?) but it's obvious just from watching the show that they knew how it was going to end when they started it. It was always meant to be a 3 season show, and that they got to play it out makes for such a satisfying story. The only other American show I know of with such a planned arc is B5...
I can totally get why you'd want to write fic! I admit that I'm terrified of the fandom myself - since it's a cartoon, the fandom skews towards younger fans, and the shipper wars (so I've heard tell) are EPIC...Harry Potter level in intensity, if not quite as huge. So I stay far far away ^^; And it helps that there's nothing I really want to see that the show doesn't give me, by the end. I know there is good fic out there for it, though, and yes, the universe and chars would be fascinating to explore!
no subject
Oh, Zuko <333
Yeah, that. XD Awww, Zuko, you try so hard, you utter failure of a megalomaniac, you. XD
I need a little drama, need to see them under pressure and getting serious, even if only for a little while. OTOH I cannot take all-drama-all-the-time, either. Avatar's got pretty much the perfect mix
*nods* Yeah, this is actually one of the reasons why I stopped watching Leverage (other than the Nate), because I liked the characters and it was cute and all, but they never went there with the character interactions; it just frustrated me! Ditto for Psych, although I've heard it does have more serious storylines after I stopped watching (which was sometime in season two), and most of the people I know who are hardcore fans because that way in season three, which probably says something about season three. :D
And, yeah, all drama all the time is a bore ... It does depend on the show/book/movie, because I will excuse a lot of depressingness for good, twisty storytelling, but being able to maintain my interest over the long haul of a TV series usually requires some touches of lightness to leaven the darkness. Real life isn't unrelentingly depressing, after all -- to me, a mix of funny, serious and absurd seems to capture the general feeling of reality even better than so-called realistic (read: serious, bleak and dramatic) storytelling!
I admit that I'm terrified of the fandom myself - since it's a cartoon, the fandom skews towards younger fans, and the shipper wars (so I've heard tell) are EPIC...Harry Potter level in intensity, if not quite as huge.
*laughs* I've heard that, too, and this is despite not being in the fandom or having watched the show! Avatar fandom is so wanky that its wankiness is legendary.
My interest in the show, at least thus far, is purely gen; I don't even know if there is a gen fandom (at least, you know, as gen as a fandom gets for a show with canon pairings). But, yeah, the show itself is giving me what I want, and I suspect will continue to do so, which lessens the fic-writing urge considerably ...
no subject
And I really loved how Sokka is still haunted by Uwe (sp?) and her death.
Yue.
Aaaany thoughts of a fanficcish nature yet? *innocent blink*
no subject
It was! And it worked, because it hooked me good. *takes bait* XD
Aaaany thoughts of a fanficcish nature yet?
*laughs* I was just saying in my reply to
no subject
I'm terrified of spoiling you inadvertently, so I'm not going to say much except:
...I adore the show for not taking the easy, safe route and just sticking to all-male incarnations.
This show excels at not taking the easy, safe route. That's part of the reason I love it so.
no subject
*bounces* I'm so looking forward to the rest of it! And I can't wait to be able to discuss it with you, and all the other people I know who've watched it!
no subject
And I understand your dilemma when it comes to fic. I mean it is such a BRILLIANT universe...but at the same time, the show is just so damn satisfying! For me, personally, by the end, I think it gave me EVERYTHING I wanted, like in a way pretty much no other show quite has so perfectly left my with nothing wanting...
...and now I'm gonna have to go and watch more scenes (already was rewatching a lot of the end of third season yesterday after reading your first post...)
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SO TRUE! (Although it's really one step forward and two steps back for him, poor guy ...)
I utterly adored the Zuko-goes-on-a-date vignette from "Tales of Ba Sing Se". Watching Zuko try to pretend (very badly) to be a normal teenager is hilarious and adorkable.
And now we're done with season two! Season three coming up! Though my in-laws are staying with us this weekend, so, um, we should probably visit with them a little bit too. XD
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And, you know, I'd totally read your gen fic. If you decided to write it.
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I would love to write these characters, though this is a show that I feel like I need to watch to the end before I'm even able to try.
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Oh, it's such a good, solid, happymaking show!
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On the one hand, I'm kinda sad about missing out on watching it when it was new, and getting to squee and speculate with each new episode. On the other hand, I'm delighted to be able to watch this without fandom's preconceptions and ship wars getting in the way; from all I've heard about the fandom for this show, it would probably have made me sad.