xcgirl08

SPOILERS FOR 'LEGEND OF KORRA: AND THE WINNER IS...'

ALSO KNOWN AS 'THE LEGEND OF KORRA: IT TOOK ME THREE DAYS TO TYPE THIS THING BECAUSE I LOST MY ABILITY TO FORM COHERENT SENTENCES SHORTLY AFTER WATCHING THE EPISODE.'

SPOILERS

SPOILERS

SPOILERS

AND WHY ARE YOU EVEN SUBSCRIBED TO ME IF YOU ARE NOT WATCHING THIS SHOW

SPOILERS

....Alright, I'll just give my thoughts about Chief Lin Bei Fong the Iron Lady first, because we really got to see her abilities showcased here. No, seriously. She was the best part about this episode, and this episode was my favorite thus far.

It's amazing how far the art of metalbending has come since Toph invented the discipline: the kind of precision and control Lin used with those steel cords during her fight on the roof, coupled with the insane acrobatics (did Tenzin or Aang teach her some of that high-flying fancy-dancer footwork, perhaps?), was pretty much mindblowing. Will we ever get to see her do any traditional earthbending? Will we get to see her animate the giant metal statue of Toph that stands in front of the police station, and then go smashing through the city while sitting on its shoulders? Will we ever learn who her father is? Will we ever find out what kind of jay-walking/improper parallel parking/wearing white after Labor Day-type of charges she tried to have Pema arrested for?

MOAR. GIVE ME MOAR.

I'm also looking forward to more team-ups between Korra and Lin. Finding out that Aang and Lin were close ("I can't believe your sweet-tempered father was reincarnated into that girl!") just sort of quietly breaks my heart. And as much as I love Pema, the Toph/Aang shipper in me has to mourn a bit over the lost chance of seeing Lin and Tenzin together as a couple: but they wanted different things, and we'll hopefully get to see them mend up what was likely once a very powerful friendship and camaraderie.

Speaking of friendship and camaraderie, it was great to see our three fabulous Fire Ferrets working together so smoothly in this episode. (Who saw those three little cosplayers cheering in the stands? I do believe Mike and Bryan have created accurate representations of us.)

...But Mako. Bolin. Guys.

Please promise me that you'll eventually start backing Korra up in these fights, alright? She is strong, she is confident, and she might not even need the back-up at all, but that doesn't change the fact that you should try. Because you are the Avatar's friends, and that is what the Avatar's friends are supposed to do: no matter how outnumbered they are, or how much the enemy's skills outweigh their own. You might not realize it quite yet, but being as cut off from the Spirit World as Korra is means that she has been fighting alone all her life.

Get it? Got it? Good.  

Asami put in a brief (and briefly ominous) appearance here, but I just wanted to put in my two cents about her amidst all the speculation:

I really, truly, fervently hope she doesn't turn out to be an Equalist. Or, a willing Equalist: maybe her father is funding Amon and supplying him with his technology, and she has been made an unwilling pawn in the whole game.

But to see yet another occurrence of the tired "You should mistrust beautiful confident feminine women because they are out to steal your man and take advantage of you and stab you in the back", especially in a show whose storytelling I so love and admire, would be an almost crushing disappointment. Asami's character can be treated better than that. And I want to see what she can do in a motorcycle chase.

Not much else to say in shipping-related news, as this episode kept everything subdued, but something about Korra's comment "I'M GOING TO KNOCK TAHNO'S STUPID HAIR OFF OF HIS STUPID HEAD" seemed oddly timed....Like, he hadn't done anything particularly obnoxious towards her, specifically, just then: all he'd done was enter with that hubub/flashiness/rigamarole and outglitz Pabu's adorable circus tricks in front of the entire stadium.

.....

"A waterbender tried to embarrass my boyfriend and his pet fire ferret once.

ONCE."

"Bolin, my friend and companion, I find the codependency issues which inebriation provokes in you to be quite disconcerting: to say nothing of the fact that I am indeed a Mustela putorious furo and am therefore rendered incapable of verbal communication with a Homo sapien such as yourself. I implore you, therefore, to stop talking to me as if I am.

And use your brother's herbal shampoo next time you take it into your head that I need a bath, because the hard stuff makes my skin godawful dry."

Sincerely,

Pabu

SPOILERS FOR EPISODE FIVE OF 'THE LEGEND OF KORRA: THE SPIRIT OF COMPETITION' BELOW.

WHICH SHOULD PROBABLY BE CALLED 'THE LEGEND OF KORRA: BRYKE HAD A CHAT AND DECIDED THEY WOULD TEAR THE COLLECTIVE FANDOM'S HEART OUT AND THEN PUT IT THROUGH A WOODCHIPPER AND THEN SET THE PIECES ON FIRE AND THEN FEED THE PIECES TO A BEAR AND THEN TURN THE AFOREMENTIONED BEAR INTO A RUG.'

EITHER WAY.

EITHER WAY.

THERE WILL ALSO BE SOME DISCUSSION OF SHIPPING, AND A LOT OF CAPSLOCK.

I HOPE YOU DON'T MIND.

....But seriously, what just happened?

The tonal shift from the last episode to this one is pretty dizzying. I'm not really sure if I liked it: if you're going to have your protagonist undergo the spiritual and emotional growth that it takes for a proud, haughty, self-confident person to admit that they are afraid, and that it is alright to be afraid, then why back-track her into petty teen romance? Korra, darling, I love you so much, and I'm sure your twelve-year confinement under the White Lotus has stunted your maturity somewhat when it comes to dealing with other people's feelings. You are used to getting what you want, I know.

But this is not the way you do things.

Mako, I have no words for you. Go into the corner of shame and stay there, while your kind, generous, unaware girlfriend and Korra bond and become friends and show everyone that girls do not have to be rivals for each other over a stupid thing like angsty boys who cannot make up their minds. Stay there for the whole week, and think about the fact that you cannot have your cake and eat it too. People who try to do that get their heads put through the flipping guillotine.

But you're still trying to be a good brother, so I'll forgive you.

Eventually.

Poor Bolin, by the way. Even his heartbreak got turned into comic relief (but how hilarious was that belching contest? And the head-over-heels look he  gave Korra when they were out sight-seeing? And the fact that Korra was just having fun and being herself and was so happy with him, while Mako does this yes-no-maybe-so thing with her?) and he even got that great one-on-one probending toss-up fight. I thought they were going to start taking his character more seriously. Alas, I was wrong.

But I do appreciate the fact that, after seeing his crush kiss his brother, he did not immediately call her/classify her as the kid's-show equivalent of a fickle whore. BOLIN, BOLIN, BOLIN. YOU NEED TO DO SOME GROWING UP, BUT I HAVE HIGH HOPES FOR YOU. All evidence points to the idea that he will back off of Korra for now, because she does not reciprocate his feelings and to keep trying would probably make her uncomfortable...

And I think I would've considered this ship (Bolin/Korra, that is) as official fanon by now, which would have been fine because I'm used to that, had it not been for that last moment there.

You know, the one where she heals his shoulder (KATARA GIRL I LOVE YOU SO MUCH) and says that he's one of a kind. And admits that they had fun together. And shares this look with him.  

Guys, he makes her feel better about herself.

Even when she is feeling guilty and lousy for messing things up and getting in between the brothers, he makes her feel better about herself. Everything we've seen so far has shown us that he's really, really, really good at doing that.

...Guys. Borra shippers. My poppets, my pigsnies.... I think we're actually still afloat, if only. So stay the wonderful, chill people that you are, and treat the Makorra shippers with kindness.

Alright? Alright.

Other notes:

Tenzin/Lin has been pretty much confirmed for me at this point, after hearing Pema's story. As, I think, has Lin/Her Career. One does not dump the daughter of Toph Freaking Bei Fong, you see. SHE dumps YOU.

Ikki and Jinora are adorable. I want that whole "magical drink of rainbows and sunsets" joke to come up again.

Tahno screamed like a little girl and probably did pee his pants when Naga burst through the window. He is going to be FABULOUS.

I WILL ALSO BE FAN ARTING THE EVER-LOVING HECK OUT OF THE BORRA SHIP.

JUST AS A WARNING.

SPOILERS FOR THE THIRD EPISODE OF "THE LEGEND OF KORRA: THE REVELATION " TO FOLLOW.


I AM SERIOUS OKAY


SERIOUS FOR SERIOUS


LAST CHANCE


....OKAY.


It's been a long time since I watched each new episode of a show right when it was released: since the first series of "Avatar" ended, actually. It's an oddly refreshing feeling.

But anyway, I really enjoyed this episode. Though the writing, for some reason, still doesn't feel quite as tight and powerful as it could be, which may just be a matter of letting the series hit its stride, I was still pretty wrapped up in the story and didn't want it to end. And some parts deserve particular note (Korra and Mako's battle with the chi-blockers comes to mind) because they are awesome.

Mostly, though, I wanted to talk about Amon.

He's going to be an excellent villain. I can FEEL it. I love that we were thrown for a loop by having his history revealed during his first real appearance, rather than keep an air of mystery; the only reason I can think of for doing this, plot-wise, is that the writers want us to believe he's lying.

I'll certainly bet Korra finds his story a bit too dramatic and convenient, something he can just use to demonize benders and gain support. What better leader of an anti-bending movement, after all, than someone who has been robbed of his family, his home, and his own face? Since the story didn't seem to make an impact on Korra when he told it, I'll bet she assumes he's making it up for stage value. It's much easier to hate an enemy, especially one who is literally faceless, when you don't acknowledge them as human beings capable of feeling sorrow, the love of a parent, deep loss or personal shame.

...Which is why I totally want her to shatter that mask during a fight, later on, and find out that he was telling the truth. Or at least a part-truth.

Because YES.

It would put the show's thus far black-and-white moral boundaries out of order (as, like I said, Bryke promised would be the case: so far the Equalists are pretty straight-forward "EVIL AND OMINOUS MOVEMENT WANTS TO TAKE AWAY YOUR POWERS FOREVER" types) and it would cause our proud and self-confident heroine to take a few steps back from herself in consideration. We are all the same behind our masks.

Or something.



And speaking of emo sob stories, I guess Mako's premature gut-spill has put an end to any crack theories about his parentage. Ah, well.

And it was very sad, not to mention horrifying, but what I'm (oddly enough) more interested in is the implication that he and Bolin got their start as underworld street fighters and/or hired muscle for the Triple Threat Triad. This will not be the last thing we hear about either one of those plot points.

Oh, and Pabu. I have a feeling we're going to get along splendidly. Excuse me while I empty the entire contents of my wallet into Bolin's donation jar, because that boy is hilarious and adorable.

Still no substantial comments on shipping yet, except that I kind of wish they weren't trying to sell me on Makorra QUITE so hard just yet. That might change later; we'll see. I do like the snide remark he made about Bolin paying a visit to Korra, though.

BORRA BORRA, THE SHIP OF PARADISE.

...No, I'm kidding. It could still go either way for me. Or in another direction entirely.


THOUGHTS?

Spoilers for the first two episodes of The Legend of Korra are to follow. If you are in the Avatar fandom but have been living under a mayonnaise jar for the past few days, and would like to remain unspoiled, please select another page to view. Thank you.

Are we good?


Really?


...Good.


I actually took up Nickelodeon's offer to download the first two episodes for free on iTunes, so I've been letting my opinions percolate for the past few days now. And overall, I think I'm very satisfied.

Korra strikes me as a good heroine thus far, reminiscent of Toph in her take-charge, no-holds barred, "I love fighting and being a bender" attitude; along with, of course, the fact that she's grown up confined to a training compound in the South Pole and has probably never had friends her own age. I think the appeal of her possible character arc will be in watching how she gradually (or quickly) comes to understand things in Republic City, and how she must carry on Aang's legacy in a world very different from the one he first saved.

Plus, she rides a giant polar bear dog. Awesome.

And while we're on the subject of Toph, I also want to give Chief Lin Bei Fong my complete and total approval. Some people have been saying that she's a frigid, ignorant pedant who is the complete opposite of her mother in every possible way, but I think that's the kind of thing that following up the Greatest Earthbender in the World might do to you. She has to be that hard and tough; Republic City was probably her mother's vision and creation just as much as it was Aang and Zuko's. Seeing it all go pear-shaped because of crime is something that is JUST. NOT. ACCEPTABLE.

Did she and Tenzin have a thing? I think she and Tenzin had a thing. I think she had an unrequited crush on him because they grew up together as kids and spent long hours practicing/meditating/what have you together whenever their parents attended a counsel. Because yes.

Who is her father, by the way? That's probably something we'll be kept in the dark about for a while, so I welcome your theories.

But what I'm most excited for, really, is seeing how these villains play out. I mentioned this in a conversation earlier, but I've always thought there was a potential social conflict behind the disparities being a bender vs. a non-bender would create: especially in an industrialized economy that runs mostly on things like steam and coals (do you spend exorbitant amounts of money making a huge boiler for your factory that can break down, or pay firebenders and waterbenders? Do you invest in blasting and mining materials, or do you get some earthbenders together?) and where the prime high-paying sport is a competition between benders.

How many non-benders have seats on the city counsel? What are their rights? Do benders require a license to practice within the city, similar to the way people require a license to carry handguns? (Which is to say that you have to go through the Department of Public Safety in order to have one, meaning things like being registered and having a background check conducted.) Bryke promised us more gray areas between our heroes and our villains this time around, so I'm looking forward to seeing this resolved.

Hmmm, what else?

Ships: Pema and Tenzin. Of course. Especially when you consider the following:

1. As the only available airbender, Tenzin must have been under quite a bit of pressure to get married from the time he was a young man
2. He was the son of the Avatar, one of the most powerful political and spiritual figures in the world, and was in no want of offers and requests
3. Despite all of this, and given the age of his eldest child (10 years old), he still waited until he was 41 to get married. That's quite a while, especially when your wife is sixteen years your junior.

My bets are on the idea that Pema came to Air Temple Island as an acolyte when she was 19 or 20 and found herself under the tutelage of the Avatar's serious, youngest son: who, having recently lost his father, was at something of a difficult place mentally and spiritually. As a generally kind, good-spirited and good-humored person, Pema might have tried to establish a purely platonic working relationship with him, because that was something small that she could do to help. Since I can't see Tenzin hurrying into a relationship, this probably developed into something more over time: just the way I like my ships.

(I also have a May-December soft spot, probably from reading so many works by Robin McKinley. Ah well.)

I'm pretty sure I already know who I ship Korra with, too, and if you can guess it I'll draw you a picture. But we'll keep that off the table for now.

Thoughts? Ideas? Theories? Anything I've left out that you want to talk about?

Hello, my lovelies. (And a welcome to my new watchers!) I have a query of mild interest for you.

I've been drawing up a short curriculum unit lately, designed for students between the ages of 12 and 13, and wanted to steer my reading list away from the typical texts that get read in an American Middle School English/Language Arts classroom (i.e Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies, etc.).

My goal was to have a "class set" of novels grouped around the same theme, which would accommodate for a range of reading abilities and interests, rather than having all the students read one novel together. And I've got a list already, but thought 'Hey, why not?'

Which brings me to my question for you:

What were some of your favorite books between the ages of 11 and 13? What was so awesome about them, and why would you recommend them to someone of that age?

Remember, these don't have to be books you read for school; anything (historical fiction, science fiction, mystery, narrative non-fiction) will do.