#lok s1 spoilers

[lostshitpirate]

Legend of Korra S1 thoughts

So I literally just finished s1 of lok and wanted to like jot down my thoughts lol. This is just my current thoughts on s1 and idk how to feel about the entire series

Long post sorry

Spoilers for season 1

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So I like it so far. I think it’s pretty interesting. Not the best season but I like it so far. I wish I went into it blind bcuz it might have been a little better but whatever.

The biggest critique I have of this season is the pacing or moreso how face paced it is. I feel like in alta we had episodes to get to know the characters and their relationships and the world while also building towards the plot. I know this series has less episodes per season than alta which is probably why the pacing feels off honestly.

I feel like I don’t really know much about republic city or any of the characters really. Like the characters have personality but I don’t really know their relationship with each other or any of their motivations or drives really. Things about them kinda get throw at you.

Like it doesn’t feel like any of them know each other since we don’t get a lot of time to see them interacting together outside of small moments. They don’t really feel like a team.

Also the romance is somehow worse than alta. Like the romance in alta was kinda meh not terrible but not for me, but here it feels sorta contrived. Like no one really has chemistry at all. A lot of the romance scenes between them feel sorta forced. Like it didn’t happen naturally. Also Mako is a little bit of a whore lol. Like he kinda sucks lol.

My conspiracy is that the writers knew ppl wanted zutara so they gave ppl korra x mako to make up for it. But that’s just a theory, a game theory.

I do like korra tho. I like how she is the opposite of aang and is trying to find out about the world and how to be the avatar. I like how she over compensates trying to be the avatar. I like that she does things with force and needs to learn to strategize.

I kinda wish her air bending had a better build up bcuz it sorta just happens. And a lot of her insecurities are just kinda sprung on you too. Also I kinda wish her losing her bending had more room to sit with you. I think it would give it more weight.

I also liked amon as an antagonist. I do think the equalists were interesting especially since exploring what it’s like to be a non bender in a more advanced bending world and how that disadvantages you is interesting. I do wish it had more room to build. Like I wish we could see how the equalist movement built over time. How non benders are disadvantaged. What it is actually like to be a non bender in their worlds society rather than hear ppl just talk about it. I think seeing korra actually see what it’s like would flesh her out more too.

Non benders in avatar are really cool. The way they developed their own fighting styles to go toe to toe to benders is really cool especially in a more technologically advanced setting.

The amon and counselor tarlock twist was alright. It kinda came out of nowhere. I kinda wish amon was just a non bender bcuz that would have been way more interesting and make him more intimidating. I also thought tarlock and amon were working together to systematically take power which would have been interesting to see but that wasn’t the case.

The ending scene with amon and tarlock was cool but kinda idk. Unsatisfying sorta? Like I don’t feel like we got enough time to really get a feel for their relationship. We kinda just hear about it then just see them interact in that final scene. I also feel like we don’t really get a real sense of amon’s goals too. Like just vaguely hear that it’s connected to Yakone. I think it would have been more interesting if he genuinely was an equalist.

I just wish we had an episodes to flesh out republic city and this new unfamiliar place. I wish we had episodes just focusing on the characters and their relationship with one another. Just an episode to breath and feel like we’re learning rather than having stuff be brought up. Just some episodes to breath and feel and learn about everything.

Overall, had a good time. Needs work. Would give it 6/10

#legend of korra #lok #just some thoughts #idk #lok season 1 #lok s1 spoilers #spoilers #lok spoilers #just tagging spoilers just to be safe

[neverendingcomplaints]

Just finished watching Legend of Korra Season 1 for the first time.

Not as bad as I thought it was going to be.

Aang's grandchildren (minus Jinora(?) are some of the most obnoxious children on television. Right up there with Caillou and Peppa Pig.

This is NOT a children's show. Not even a little. Nope. The way Tarrlok and Ammon went out? Nah, son.

Speaking of Ammon, are we...gonna get some real explanation as to why he can just take away people's bending? My boyfriend tried to say it was related to bloodbending. What? Idgi...

These love dodecagons are just exhausting. I'm exhausted of them. Pseudo-Sokka having a thing for Pseudo-Avatar-Katara and then her having a thing for Pseudo-Zuko and him making googly-eyes at this Pseudo-Jun-Jin Hybrid all in one season - it's tew much. Can't just let things breathe, huh? Even teenagers can control their horny sometimes.

GENERAL IROH EXCUSE ME WHILE I TEAR UP

The one criticism video essay I watched was right - these characters and the culture look/feel very much more white/USA than they did in ATLA. Things that make you go hmm...

I would've liked to see nonbender concerns addressed more in this. I think at some point Korra asks why they'd hate them and obvs if Ammon built a strong enough base, there must be a problem. Would've liked to see the council or whatever try to do something to bring their concerns in more and try to reach out instead of just trying to make us sympathize with the benders with no thought to why nonbenders might feel like they want to turn to Ammon.

I don't really like how she finally reached the Avatar state but...fine.

Naga is That Bitch.

#Legend of Korra #LoK #spoilers #L0K S1 #still watching for now #we'll see where this goes #Netflix should've adapted this - much more suited to adults I think

[wolfsune09]

what's your blorbos favourite anime?

Oh boy let me find my list

Wolf: Demon Slayer! Fav characters: Genya Shinazugawa, Rengoku Kyojuro, Tokito Muichiro. Not a fan of romance.

Runner-ups:

-Tokyo Revengers (Simps so hard for Mitsuya. Husband.)

-Hanako-Kun (kins hanako-kun.)

-Fav Movie: Promare, has watched it many times, sub and dubbed. Can recognize most themes by the first couple notes played.(oh my god Galo Thymos mmmm) PLEASE GO WATCH IT ITS SO GOOD (It's on animevibe.wtf!)

(Also cosplays.)

Leo: Chainsaw man (currently). Fav characters: Power, Denji. (Thinks they're silly little guys. He and Wolf know all the lyrics to Kick Pack, go ahead and test me.)

Milo: Do movies count? Loves Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop, A Whisker Away, and A silent voice. Cried during all of them.

Tasha: Komi Can't Communicate. Kind of surprising, but it's kind of a comfort to her. Just a cute lil something to watch with a pretty art style. Likes Komi. Also somewhat kins her.

(These are all series I watched!! Everything about Wolf is entirely based on me! I just got Hanako kun's contact lenses today, and I'm just waiting on his cape because of a shipping issue, then he'll be my first entire official cosplay!)

Should I add my anime list? Yeah I'll do it:

Watching (on the go) [Fav characters in Brackets]:

-Oshi no Koi

-Buddy Daddies

-Pride of orange

-Yakuza's guide to babysitting

-bella/ryuu to sobakasu no hime

-Naruto Shippuden [Rock Lee, Shikamaru, Itachi, Deidara]

-Rock lee and his ninja pals

-Komi can't communicate

-Pretty boy detective club [Hyouta Ashikaga]

-Ultimate Otaku Teacher

-Food wars [ISAMI ALDINI, Ryou Kurokiba]

-Attack on titan [Marco. Ahem, Mar-]

-BNHA s5 [Jiro, Shinsou, Denki, Fat gum]

-deadman wonderland[Shiro]

-soul eater[Death the kid. Kin tbh]

-fairytail [Midnight, Loke]

-cells at work

-Noragami agoroto [Yato]

-overlord

-another

-saga of tanya the evil

Finished:

-Chainsaw man [Power! No manga spoilers please]

-Saiki K (SHUN KAIDO <33)

-Naruto

-Kiznaiver [Tnega Hajime]

-Jujutsu Kaisen[Toge Inumaki, Todo Aoi]

-Demon slayer [Genya Shinazugawa, Rengoku Kyojuro, Tokito Muichiro, Zenitsu Agatsuma]

-Hanako-kun [Hanako]

-Chibi Ribe

-Tokyo Revengers[Mitsuya Takashi, Chifuyu Matsuno, Senju Kawaragi]

-ATLA[Sokka, Zuko. Bolin for LoK]

-Sk8 the infinity [Miya, Joe]

-Promised neverland [Norman S1]

-Danganronpa the animation[Mondo Oowada and Kiyotaka Ishimaru waaaa]

-Noragami

-haikyuu[Satori Tendo, Nishinoya Yuu]

-parasyte!

-Ao no exorcist [Rin Ig?]

-Hunter x hunter[Killua]

-Jojo's bizzare adventure parts 1-5 [Kakyoin Noriyaki, Josuke Higashikata(4), Narancia]

-kakegurui XX [Midari]

-Assassination classroom [Itona Horibe. Bet you don't remember him.]

-angels of death [Zack/Issac Foster]

-death note [L]

-future diary [Aru Akise]

- Servamp [Kuro, Misono Alicein(manga)]

-Yuri!!! On ice[Yurio/Yuri Plisetski]

-Tokyo ghoul

-Death parade[Decim]

#anime #anime list #favorite animes #ask #wolf's pack #leo #tasha #milo #wolf

[felix-lupin]

#i just watched Skeletons In The Closet for the first time and this was my first thought when it told noatak's story #yes i know i spelt his name wrong shut up #noatak #amon lok #noatak lok #lok #legend of korra #lok spoilers #legend of korra spoilers #skeletons in the closet #s1 ep11 lok #dont tell me any spoilers for the series thanks #meme #this is literally noatak like bro what #felixlupin.txt

[mellifluousoctopus]

so if Loki thought he went to Hel instead of Vahalla thinking he was dead, then Hela was not only named for the land of the dishonoured dead she also was not trapped in Hel...where did she go

#thinking #hel #hela #loki #loki spoliers #spoilers #episode 4 #lok ep 4 #loki s1 ep 4 #loki tv series #loki series #loki 2021 #vahalla

[sasu-loves-naru]

i dont wanna watch LOK but at the same time i really wanna know more about the Gaang’s kids/grandkids and i know theres gonna be a part about air nomads that i REALLY wanna see but at the same time ive heard some shit (aang was a bad father?? bitch AS MOTHEFUCKING IF. D E N I E D. MISS. ME. WITH. IT.) that im really really not looking forward to

#lok #i have conflicting feelings #so far ive seen the first half of s1 and there were parts that i liked but at the same time..... #i really dont care about korra #or mako #or asami #bolin is adorable but the rest just really doesnt interest me? #:S #hes the only non-gaang related character im liking so far tbh #and tbh im sad abt it cause i know korra and asami end up together and korra is bi and that should excite me so much but it just doesnt #UGH #someone pls talk to me about it #share ur opinions with me #give me spoilers for days idc

[atalana]

[copied over from my cr blog, also this is gonna get long, i’d apologise but im not sorry]

okay, so

this is a rant probably about 7 years in the making, bc when i first watched lok i had not done any music study, i had not done any composing of my own, my knowledge of music theory was at a primary school level and i still thought tv soundtracks were just made by one person composing a whole cache of music and then the audio editors pick and choose what track to place where

(spoiler alert that’s not how film and tv scoring works, i have now done a music composition course where we had to score a short film, among other things, and i have so much more respect for tv composers jesus christ)

but this one stuck out to me even way back then, bc me barely knowing what a leitmotif was was like “hey this one little refrain keeps popping up whenever bolin does lavabending, and i like it, i’m gonna see if it’s on the soundtrack”

it was not, and that’s sort of where i left it back in 2014, but i actually did a rewatch of lok pretty recently out of nostalgia, and then noticed it even more

and to explain why (and this is also a little bit why five’s stuck out to me in tua, i’ll get to that in another ask), let’s cover, leitmotifs, and tv scoring in general

so a leitmotif is basically just a short musical idea that represents something in a piece of music. when i studied motivic development we were encouraged to make that motif four notes or less, and then develop it into something longer (aka a theme), because if you can constantly come back to a really short idea while keeping the piece moving, that’s what makes a piece of music memorable

(you can ignore those rules on purpose but that’s a different essay)

so the most common way that a leitmotif shows up in soundtracks is to represent a character or a location - you play the motif when that character shows up or when you’re in that location and boom, the audience associates that motif with that person place or thing, and you can then use this to tell the audience things without actually telling them. for example, star wars playing the imperial march whenever someone does something darth vader related - darth vader isn’t on screen, but you can feel his presence, because his music is playing

and if we were a film score, where we have two hours to show one particular character’s development, great! we give them a simple motif, and then as they grow as a person we change their motif to reflect what is happening to them, until we end up with something that communicates on a subconscious level how much they’ve grown. we toss in as much symbolism as we can, and we have a really great soundtrack that’s instantly memorable

tv scoring, is harder. partially because of time constraints (have you ever composed half an hour of original music a week, and had to make sure it fits perfectly with every beat of what’s happening on screen? these guys have), partially because there’s a much larger focus on ensemble casts

so what atla and lok do, for the most part, is not score individual character motifs for everyone. this is fairly common in tv soundtracks, instead we score ideas, concepts, and feelings - these’ll come up a lot more and give you more information than just “oh hey this character’s on screen”

the avatar state, for example, has the strongest and most recognisable theme across both shows. i’m linking an atla track in here because it has the best example but you’ll know this shows up with korra too - and with particularly important moments for wan, for kyoshi, etc. they also appear in the opening of both shows, four strong notes that start and end on the same note (in the case of what i’m linking, it’s an F#)

the first part of this track is the more uncertain, pensive theme that comes up when both avatars are feeling doubt/worry/sadness, but then it transitions into the more recognisable four. worth noting though, those are both basically the same motif. if i write them out back to back, you’ll notice they both have four notes and start and end on F#. if i had to guess, four notes four elements, and it comes back to the start because the avatar is a cycle.

korra has a theme for when she’s fighting, but not an individual character theme. the airbenders as a concept have a theme, republic city has thematic instruments, as do some big name characters, like iroh and his tsungi horn (this is also a cross-series thing, he’s always playing it in atla, it shows up when zuko has to make big moral decisions, and when we first meet iroh in the spirit world in lok, it shows up there too, to let the audience know who this is before we properly see him)

so, if korra doesn’t get a single theme and instead has several for different aspects of her life, and mako and asami follow along with the mood of the story like all the other characters, the fact that bolin has a personal leitmotif at all, let alone a solid, developing one, is pretty remarkable!

now, granted, it mostly starts with book 3, before then he was like every other character, but it has clear symbolism through those last two books! and, initially i thought it was related only to his lavabending, since that’s most of when it shows up, but since my rewatch, i’ve started calling it his hero theme

see, when people wanna criticise mako and bolin, usually the comments they get are that bolin’s too immature and mako’s too serious/uptight. but like, that’s how they work, you can’t analyse either of them without the context of the other. since they were little kids on the streets, bolin chases his heart and mako makes sure they don’t die from it, that is their entire childhood. and neither would have got here on their own because mako wouldn’t take the necessary risks and bolin wouldn’t take the necessary precautions. (like. remove either one from the equation and they’d still be working for the triple threats bc s1 and their flashback miniseries make pretty clear that bolin got them out and mako kept them out)

and then book 2 proves it! because it splits team avatar up, and what happens? bolin is totally taken advantage of by varrick and used as a pawn in his evil plan and mako ends up in jail

so what’s book 3, to them? it’s, being able to find themselves without having that codependency. mako no longer has someone to protect, which is what he’s based his whole life around so far - bolin’s doing fine and he’s no longer dating either korra or asami. and bolin’s trying his hand at some of that responsibility (look at how he immediately adopts kai who is explicitly them but younger because he wants to be the older brother for once). most importantly, they find the rest of their family, and stop being defined by being orphans. they don’t have to be that singular piece of a puzzle, they can just be themselves. and that’s where bolin’s character really starts to shine, because that’s when they bring in the bending plot, and bending, perhaps more than any other character, really gets to the heart of who bolin is

if you want more of my thoughts on that i have an essay here, but tl;dr: bolin’s an extremely powerful earthbender, but he’s not a metalbender because metalbending requires you to double down on the earth characteristics and think like an earthbender, and bolin doesn’t, he’s too fluid for that, which is one of his major strengths, so of course he can lavabend

and finally - to his motif itself! (as a note, i’ve put all of these in the same key to show where it repeats, but there’s a variety of keys used in the show)

as far as i can find, it first shows up in s3e8, when bolin stuns p’li with this well placed shot

[Edit: it first showed up in the s2 finale, but again in a simplified version and again with him doing something heroic with earthbending, so we can still start the analysis here]

mako volunteers bolin for that job, because he knew bolin was capable of it. why? because bolin landed an identical shot earlier in the episode, after trying to metalbend, getting frustrated he can’t, and cheating with some extremely well aimed earthbending. it’s just a short refrain and you barely notice it, but it’s the first connection of this motif with the theme of bolin’s bending

it looks like this, and it’s always played on a trumpet, which is part of why i call it the hero theme, because, if you’re looking at music from a western perspective, trumpets were used to herald kings, and then used to represent military glory, and then when superhero themes started happening, they used trumpets too - it’s basically western music shorthand for hero these days

(it’s also symmetrical so that helps with the good vibes)

and he’s saving everyone here, so it’s linked to his bending, but it’s also linked to his heroism

it ties the two together, and they are tied together.

when’s the next time it shows up? episode 10, when the brothers are in prison in ba sing se, and bolin tries to metalbend them out. again, he’s doing this to save people, and this motif gets a few notes added on to the end in a raising pattern - they’re inspiring, but they don’t go anywhere. which is exactly what happens in the scene, because he’s trying to go about this in the wrong way. mako believes in him, but it won’t (and doesn’t) work

it appears in episode 12 when bolin saves everyone from ghazan destroying the temple, in a more fancy orchestral remake of the first version - it’s impressive, but it hasn’t actually developed yet, it’s just his discovery of it

the book 3 finale already has its own fucking amazing soundtrack, i love that entire episode’s score, but it gets its own moment there too, and the first real development!

because what we hear is not what we’ve heard before. we know it’s the same theme, because it’s using those signature trumpets, but it’s the second part of this phrase, the answer to the question supplied by the first one. why? because bolin’s figured out who he is and he’s starting to use it. it still hasn’t settled yet though, it’s early days and he’s still just turning ghazan’s lava back on him, so again, it raises, leaving it on a question mark

it doesn’t appear in s4e7 when he lavabends as a warning against the escaped prisoners, because he’s using it as a threat, not to help people. but it does later in the episode when he uses lavabending to save them from kuvira. and that’s when we get the first full phrase, question and answer

it keeps the first motif identical, takes out the first note of the second, and ties them together - except now it’s not open ended, now it knows where it’s going - it’s been three years, at this point bolin is confident in both himself and his bending

and then that phrase appears all over the place in the finale, because all bolin does is save people - everyone from the exploding building, he slows the giant mecha with lavabending, he saves opal, he slows the giant mecha again by collapsing a building on it, and most importantly, he’s the one rescuing his brother this time, instead of the other way around (though that one doesn’t get a motif appearance bc admittedly a fuck ton of other things are happening in the soundtrack at the time)

so to that question asked in book three - who is bolin when not next to someone else? well, funnily enough, we saw it in book two as well, just in a warped way, playing nuktuk. it just wasn’t truly him because it was created by varrick, and he needed to get away from varrick too. the question put forward by the narrative is who is bolin, and the answer given by the music is, he is a hero. and i don’t know why bolin is the only one to get a theme like this, but i think it may have something to do with the fact that, while everyone in team avatar has been a hero and saved people, he is the only one who has, from the start, solely been motivated by wanting to help people. he follows his heart, and his heart cares, about everyone. it’s been the driving force behind almost everything he’s ever done. and i love him so much

#so yeah those are my thoughts on bolin go forth and cry with me about five notes on a trumpet #legend of korra #lok #bolin #music

[chaotic-catra]

The Leyend of Korra reaction post: Book 1 [*S1 SPOILERS*]

Leyend of Korra is so much DARKER than ATLA, I just love how they decided to explore something totally different even if it didn't convince me much at first. It took me a bit to get used to the whole city atmosphere beacuse ATLA's weird ancient ( ¿? ) tech-free world was AMAZING.

The problems and villains in LOK really get to scare you, which is something that ATLA couldn't totally achieve. This time you even get to empathize more with their goals, despite being evil, and you understand why so many people join them.

I know that in order to have Korra Aang has to pass away, but everytime I remember he's gone I get really sad. Is like no one cares about anything that happened on ATLA (which is the natural course of life but I DON'T CARE, I MISS MY GOOFY CHILD) I REALLY need him to show up at least once like Roku did about mmm a fucking million times.

I can't begin to explain how much I love Bolin, he's the ultimate himbo

It is so cool to see Korra master 3 elements perfectly, she's aN UNSTOPPABLE MACHINE

ASAMI IS SO NICE AAAAAAAA SHE'S THE SWEETEST. I feel so sorry for her, she seems so clueless about her dad:/

Also she knows how to get people to like her

THIS WOMAN IS SUCH A BADASS

I can't believe how many people said that Korra was annoying on season one ¿? she's a fucking teenager how do u want her to act?? I think people had HUGE expectations on her because she is Aang's predecessor but if you look at any other Avatar they were all just as messy and dumb as she is SO LEAVE MY BABY ALONE.

This exact moment was Korra's gay awakening

I love how even after knowing about Mako's real feelings for Korra, Asami NEVER blames it on her. She never makes bitchy comments against her, never gets angry at her or tries to sabotage her. Mako has feelings for another girl? that's his problem. She never sees Korra as "the enemy".

IT WARMS MY HEART TO SEE HOW AIRBENDING IS A NORMAL THING AGAIN 😭😭😭 a little detail you may not know is that in spanish ATLA is not called "The last airbender" but "The leyend of Aang" and I always felt like the first name was so much more powerful. To think about the genocide of the airbenders always gives me goose bumps, and to think about how lonely Aang must have felt being the last proof that the world he once knew, along with all his teachers and friends, existed, is something that always seemed terribly tragic to me.

One of my favourite things about both TLOK and ATLA is how they show the avatar not as a hero who always knows what to do but as kids who are trying to figure things out and sometimes things are too much for them

And I love how Korra's journey is so different from Aang's like the way she doesn't have an special ability to connect with the spirit world

The last episode blew my mind. I loved how Amon literally showed that he was a water bender BY HIMSELF. Loved how his brother blew up the boat to put an end to their story. LOVED HOW WHEN KORRA IS CRYING SHE SAYS PLEASE TENZIN LEAVE ME ALONE AND IT IS AANG 😭

Something I LOVE about bending is how being a good bender it's not only about how physically strong you are but about how ingenious you are with what you have, this is something that is shown many times in both atla and tlok but it never ceases to amaze me. I love to see someone who is at a disadvantage in terms of power but turns things around by being smart and looking "beyond"

I understand that at first they planned the series to have a single season, and although it was INCREDIBLE, even more knowing the expectations that it had to exceed, it hurts me to think that it could've been the last. I'm so so so happy they renewed it. This show deserves all the best.

Additional content: me not being able to handle the last episode

#lok #me #leyend of korra #tlok

[malewifegradyruewen]

I want to talk about my Atla/lok OCs but are you in that fandom

i’m at s1 ep18 (ish) of atla!! so sort of? honestly i don’t know what comes after this except Zuko has a redemption arc, but i’m still happy to listen if you think you can do it without spoilers!!

[shrinkthisviolet]

happy ffwf!! what's the smallest fandom you've ever written for? how was that experience different than writing for a larger fandom? alternatively, if you've never written for a small fandom, what's the smallest subsection of a larger fandom you've written for? what was that experience like? (- thinkingisadangerouspastime)

Ooh well the smallest fandom I’ve written for is Cobra Kai! I have an ongoing WIP for that fandom here, an ambitious AU that’s my baby and I love it 🥰 fun fact: it’s existed basically since I watched S2, which was only a couple days after I watched S1, so really it’s colored my whole experience in this fandom 😂 and my whole perception of the characters!

I also have another CK oneshot here (spoilers for the S3 finale) and I plan to write a bunch more in this fandom!

It’s so different from writing for a fandom like ATLA! The fandom is tight-knit, it feels like talking to a group of friends who keep coming back (I find the same people on a lot of my favorite CK fics to read!).

The feedback on my fics is similarly great in high fandoms, but...there is something that frustrates me about writing for a “small” (midsize, really) fandom. I feel like my ATLA fics get more attention in general? Or I guess...I feel like ATLA is EVERYWHERE, while CK is like...in nooks and crannies (advertising my CK fics feels harder than advertising any of my ATLA fics).

They’re both kinda joint fandoms in a way, with ATLA being merged with LOK, while CK is merged with KK. I guess I’m drawn to those fandoms 😂

Also...I might be adding Mysterious Benedict Society to my list of “small fandoms to write for” soon 👀

#avatar the last airbender #atla #cobra kai #the karate kid

[e-e-e-s-the-avatar]

(I don't know if this was raised before - if it was, sorry for repeating.) I just can't get this thing out of my head. Hama, who was practicing and perfecting bloodbending for years, said that "it can only be done during the full moon when your bending is at its peak". But then, in The Southern Raiders, Katara just straight up bloodbends without the full moon, after only doing it once before. Like how much power does this girl really have?

Howdy howdy!

One of the things I love about ATLA is just how much attention they pay to these kinds of details and in-universe rules. Because look:

When Zuko goes to talk to Katara (and she basically tears him to pieces) they make sure to fit in a shot of the waxing moon. It's a dramatic setting for a confrontation, but it also foreshadows what's to come. The next night, on their mission, we see this shot of a full moon:

And the next night:

She bloodbends the southern raiders' captain and scares the crap out of Zuko.

I did a quick Google and apparently the technical full moon lasts just an instant, but to the naked eye, the full moon lasts for three nights. So if we see a waxing moon on night one, and a full moon on night two, then the moon would be full again the night Katara bloodbends.

All that is to say: Katara isn't overpowered - she's just using the power of the full moon and the technique Hama taught her. The episode is actually really careful to keep within the rules that were set up for bloodbending!

Unlike what happened later.

!!!Spoiler alert for LoK s1!!!

I'm trying to not be salty about Legend of Korra since I know a lot of people are discovering it and enjoying it rn, but...... It really really bothers me that Yakone and Amon could bloodbend whenever they felt like it.

The whole defense case for Yakone during the courtroom scene was "nobody can bloodbend outside a full moon. So he couldn't be the culprit!" But then he was bloodbending outside a full moon, and there was no explanation for why, besides Sokka saying "some people just have powers!"

It felt like the writers were staring us right in the face and saying "remember that rule we told you about in ATLA? Yeah, we just don't feel like obeying it anymore."

Which is a large no-no in world building, I believe.

#communication with the outside world #atla #the southern raiders #katara #bloodbending #hama

[the-hopefulpenguin]

17 and 25 for the fanfic writer's ask

Thanks for the ask! 

17. A trope you’ll never, ever write for.

I guess to some extent this is a lazy answer, but anything Omegaverse or within that family of tropes is a hard no. In general, anything sexual/strongly NSFW is off the table for me – there are people who can write it well, but it’s not something I have any particular interest in.

For a slightly less lazy answer, I don’t think I’m likely to write Modern AUs or College AUs, outside of random crack stuff like counter pining operations anyway. This isn’t out of any animosity towards the genre – I regularly read and enjoy them! – but rather because I love worldbuilding and a real life setting wouldn’t let me get into that. Plus, for someone like, say, Kuvira, the specific setting of the Earth Kingdom is vital to the evolution of her character in a way I’m not sure one can easily replicate in a Modern AU.

25. Have you ever daydreamed about side adventures/spin-offs from your fic? Tell us about them!

Oh wow have I ever! So, some of these are daydreams and some are semi-planned out in the vague and speculative future stuff, but I’ve got a collection.

The first one is a ‘Wars of Unification’ fic series, from Kuvira’s perspective, covering the entirety of her three year campaign in the Earth Kingdom in a canon compliant style, showing how she descends into tyranny and so forth. I’ve written Call it Peace which is part of that, and have thought about Cause and Comrades which would be about the capture of Ba Sing Se. I also have thought about another fic in that continuity – possibly entitled Armies of Deliverance - about her crushing a noble uprising.

A second one, also Kuvira related, is actually writing her autobiography which I mention in the Avatar Academia series. To be fair I want to write most of the books I mention there; but the combination of scarce canon details and I’d suspect lack of interest (plus – they’d need maps, and I’m terrible at drawing maps) puts paid to the idea (also - a lot of work!). Still, doesn’t stop me from daydreaming about titles, cover art, and fictional university library systems…

I have a bunch relating to Set Condition, my nuclear war post-canon AU thingy. My favourite is probably Kuvira’s daughter and Korra’s daughter both getting accidentally thrown back in time to S1 LOK in an effort to try and fix the situation, and the absolute shenanigans which would ensue in such a scenario.

And, finally, I’ve got some number relating to Polaris, but they would unfortunately be spoilers for how it ends!

[beyond-far-horizons]

BFH watches LoK Epi 4/S1

Spoilers obv!

Wow this is an action packed episode!

We get introduced to two major characters, a new romance starts, there’s a date, a gala and two fights! Plus a ton of character development for Korra.

Let’s talk about this sweet girl, I’m really liking her more and more. Talk about a waterbender out of water. She’s in a completely new environment and trying her best, not just at airbending (which she still can’t do) but at socialising and shouldering the huge burden of being the Avatar. What I love about Korra is her enthusiasm, her joy in her powers and her willingness to do her best for people.

Sadly given the introduction of smarmy politician Tarlok and full villain mode!Amon all of those things are under threat. I’m usually able to separate my fiction from RL quite well, even while critiquing for sociological storytelling and problematic tropes etc. I also have a confession to make - I’m a huge heroine x villain/anti hero shipper/enemies to lovers enthusiast and having seen some great Amorra content I was fully onboard with the ship despite knowing his behaviour was dark and unacceptable in the main story (he is a villain after all!). Still having watched this episode, it’s getting a little too close to RL. Seeing a confident, powerful young woman, full of life, not only manipulated by a much more savvy, older male politician and then overpowered and terrorised by a masked man and his gang was really hard to watch in some ways. 

I know, I know, it’s fiction and and all, but seeing her lose her spark and cry childlike in Tenzin’s arms afterwards is heartbreaking. (BTW Tenzin and Korra’s mentor relationship continues to grow and delight me.) I just want a cut scene where she goes Avatar mode, bypassing Aang and Roku and goes full Kyoshi on Amon’s ass, then we’ll see who’s going to be destroyed!

Speaking of Amon, does he practice his villain speeches in front of mirror? Also how long was he and his crew lying in wait in the dark? I always wonder about this trope - Character A waiting for hours in the dark for Character B to turn on the light and be shocked, like Bond to M in Skyfall. It’s a bit ridiculous when you think about it. Don’t get me wrong, I still love Amon and he’s intimidating as hell but yeah not cool, Phantom, I mean Amon, not cool. (”I received your invitation, young Avatar...” “Yeah well you’re late aren’t you?”)

The animation sequence of the ambush was amazing, great use of light, dark and fire effects, not to mention music. Also while I’m not a fan of the Statue of Liberty!Aang and the whole Americanisation of the Avatar world (see this blog by author Jeannette Ng for more), it was really powerful to see Korra psyching herself up for the showdown in Aang’s shadow, both a comfort and a burden to live up to. 

The concept of the Avatar is one I’m fascinated with and have been even since learning about the Dalai Lama and various Eastern spiritual traditions as a child. Rebirth as a spiritual notion is what captured me, but here we are starting to explore it as a character development tool. This was always fascinating in A:TLA with Aang having to deal with the fallout of Roku’s epoch and Roku being a reaction to the strictness of Kyoshi etc. But also because most of us start the series having bonded with the previous characters of A:TLA it actually mostly reminds me of Star Trek Deep Space Nine and the character of Jadzia Dax who is one in a long line of hosts to a benevolent symbiote and retains its previous hosts’ memories including a previous friendship with Commander Sisko (now I’m also thinking about the Tokra from Stargate too.) 

Jadzia Dax in DS9

Korra dealing with the feelings of inadequacy compared to her predecessor and trying to find her own place in the world are feelings we can all relate to esp young women and I continue to love Korra being allowed to have these feelings whilst still being a badass and looking gorgeous at the gala in her traditional dress and having awkward crushes. The fact that no-one brings up ‘bUT you’RE JusT A gIrl AvaTar’ is so refreshing. The lack of sexism and the presence of empowered multi-faceted women throughout the world so far is wonderful (apart from Katara, shakes fist endlessly!)

Talking about looking gorgeous and awkward crushes...I guess I better mention the entry of Asami and the start of the love triangle.

Now frankly I can’t blame Mako, every time I see Asami I feel like I’ve been hit by a moped too. The woman is one of the most gorgeous characters I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen ALOT of anime. Plus she’s got the femme fatale and kooky sweetness with the cool motorbike fashion and I ugh, wow! The romance is too fast and it would make me suspicious if (spoilers) but damn if Asami asked me on a date I would go with her 100%. So Mako got himself a super hot rich girlfriend AND met Henry Ford  her dad who’s gonna pay for them to enter the tournament - good for him... probably.

Sigh, Korra’s jealous and I get it, I would be too if I was her. I think I’d be into this dynamic a lot more if I was younger but also given (spoilers) how we know things are going to go I just want Mako and Asami to declare themselves ‘Unicorn hunters’ right now and ask Korra to join them - Makorrasami FTW. Not usually a fan of that sort of relationship but I’m totally on board this time and it would be a completely balanced mutual love fest (even though Korra likely should be a bit older though before things get too intense) 

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Finally I’m sorry but when Korra launched into a rant and challenged Amon to a duel all I could think of was - 

Like imagine if Amon turned up like - 

“You’re a third rate Avatar, Korra, with a fourth rate gaang!” (Kaibaman’s a fanboy of the original series, clearly!)

#legend of korra #lok #korra #amon #asami #mako #tenzin #kaibaman #jadzia dax #BFH watches LoK #flashing gif #tw epilepsy #slight trigger warning for implications of potential assault #tarlok #yugioh #makorrasami

[undertowdrifter]

Spoilers for.. S1 LOK I guess?

Was thinking of cute screencaps I could use to redraw the Gaang V2.0 and was thinking of iconic Asami hairflip on motorbike scene. Ended up redrawing the cute interaction between Mako and Asami soon after. Asami feels a bit body-less.. because she is and I couldn’t figure out how to place everything underneath all that hair lol. Can’t tell if Mako looks younger than I meant him to or if I’m tripping. Also trying out shading + lineart for posts now, think it adds nicely to some things (like Mako’s hair) but is too much for things like Asami’s hair.

#mako #asami #masami #legend of korra #LOK #screenshot #redraw #ink #pigma-micron #traditional art #WIP

[ambrosiadarling]

went on a road trip today (safe don’t worry it was more for the actual drive than any destination) so i got to finish s1 of lok and honestly? i really liked it. i like all the characters and their ability to actually develop them despite the short time frame. i do think they could have extended the ending a little  more but i do understand that lok had different restrictions than atla so it makes sense

some thoughts! (spoilers! beware)

i actually really really liked korra the character. quite a few people kept warning me saying it would take me at least a season plus a little to warm up to her but i absolutely love her. yes she can be stubborn and impulsive but she has a killer instinct and is incredibly passionate i cannot Wait to see more of her

bolin deserves the WORLD he is my favorite and deserves to be the happiest. i want to see an arc for him

speaking of him being the best, mako annoyed me towards the end in his treatment towards asami. him having feelings for multiple is valid as long as he doesn’t hurt people. he hurt asami and now the aftermath of the finale kiss is gonna be baaaaad 

but! on that note i’m happy they didn’t pit asami and korra against each other with mako. like yeah, asami is a lil wary but she knows korra isn’t doing anything wrong or intruding, it’s mako’s behavior that set her off

i’m excited to see asami and korra get closer too! (i wonder why akdjhf) they didn’t have that much of a relationship this season but i’m sure that’s gonna change

also korra is a gifted kid change my mind. she was so good at water earth and firebending for most of her life and then she cannot get the spiritual connection or airbending and she gives up immediately like if she cannot get something she assumes it’s a lost cause. that’s gifted kid behavior my dudes! it made me laugh

i LOVE lin every single scene with her had me screaming thank god she got her bending back. also her with tenzin! post break up is so funny like she was like i love aang but tenzin can leave

but also she actually loves tenzins family!

and ALSO her feeling the vibrations that she learned from toph?????? extraordinary that is my SHIT right there i loved that!

also mako redirecting the lightning that he gets struck with! and escaping freaking bloodbending with lightning???? beautiful incredible

and asami! my girl fighting with her electric glove she takes out like ten people in a row she KILLS it

and tenzin’s kids are a joy! love them

(also sks to sidetrack the awkward moment when they tried to make that waterbending rat guy from the probending match be “snarky” and pronounce avatar as uh-vatar when the second way is actually correct hahhahahaha

and the whitewashing of saikhan but it’s fine! i’m fine)

but i do like the show. season 2 tomorrow baby!

#lots of thoughts oops #that was longer than i thought it was gonna be #ambrosia watches things #lok

[disasterganes]

do you mind going further on the "bryke is trash" point? i may have liked a:tla and thought a:tlok had issues, but i feel like i'm missing info or haven't thought about certain things critically enough.

i will definitely do my best -- full disclosure it’s been years since i’ve come into Close Contact™ w/ k*rra, so feel free to take with a grain of salt. it’s just my opinion, and it’s a heightened opinion because i was B I G into the fandom & show when it was dropping. i had a friend group formed through atla / k*rra before it launched, it was a real cornerstone of my online life so of course i took its bad writing way more personally than a more casual fan. i also can’t watch a show as a show? i’ve done too much work (undergrad & graduate) in writing & narrative studies, so i can Only See Story -- when it falls apart, i can’t get past it. 

behind the scenes, atla likely triumphed because it was a team effort, and a bit of a first effort. not that these people hadn’t written before -- but part of what k*rra suffers from is the “how do we level up” problem that is typically answered (esp by white male writers) with make it darker. atla shone because it didn’t need to darken its tone in order to convey a more serious story -- it had room to breathe and a gentler humor that never really felt malicious in the way lok would feel malicious at times. atla was content to be what it was -- lok was always trying to be grittier than it had to be, given how well atla conveyed its difficult themes with a lighter hand. 

anyway! two parts: shitty writing, & racism. 

abandoning its premise 

my biggest pet peeve is when a show sets up something -- and doesn’t deliver. it’s why i noped out literally s1. (and, of course, kept up quietly from the sidelines bc once i start something i’m physically incapable of letting it go. but emotionally i was gone.) in its first two episodes, lok had incredible worldbuilding. it was beautiful! well drawn! interesting! organic to the world atla built! there were problems introduced that were new and different from atla. atla read a lot like a sprawling, classic hero’s quest. falter, then triumph. lok was more intricate. in its first two episodes, it posed a question: how do you navigate heroism in a world where heroism has been redefined? how do you balance staying true to yourself and allowing yourself to grow, under the scrutiny of the “celebrity” of avatardom? and how do you perform as an avatar, the person meant to keep the balance of the spirit world, when the mortal world is out of balance? this could have been four series’ worth of content. there was enough rich, complex worldbuilding in the first episode to sustain four seasons of a show. 

and then they just -- forgot about it. it was set dressing, and every half a season they artificially upped the stakes. nothing was organic to the world or the story. it was all some -- contrived plot. the conflict between benders and nonbenders could have been really interesting and then it was just -- black and white. here and gone. k*rra’s too brash and bratty to understand! and nonbenders don’t matter anyway! let’s forget about this plot and skip to some !! uh !! political upheaval! and then like! assassins and genocide or smth!! haha yeah big fights! 

it was so shallow, and that’s not how the show started. in the first seven episodes, i thought i’d called the overarching. i thought the show would spend however much time it had (initially, bryke said they were only doing two seasons to “focus on a tight story” and, like a fool, i believed that this wasn’t just a cash grab :/) setting up this story: k*rra will unlock her full potential when she realizes that it’s not just the spirit world that needs an avatar, but the mortal world as well. 

that’s it! that’s all you need! it’s a similar premise to atla but it expands atla. i distinctly remember the quote from one of those s1 episodes, where a nonbender says, “but you’re our avatar too.” that’s it. that’s the show. you have a show!! you have equalists, you have a bender-centric world, you have progress at the expense of those that can’t fit this new world’s design -- and then the equalists are all fake and we’re going to just brute force a solution and move onto the next crisis. 

... what ?? what put the nail in the coffin for me was when the gang or crew whatever the fuck they were (spoiler alert: they were nothing, none of them liked or cared about each other) were being aided by a homeless community or w/e and b*lin jokes about a “wise and noble hobo.” this orphan. who grew up homeless. and has built himself up from nothing with his only family left. is not utilized by the writers to comment on the epidemic of poverty, homelessness, and very thinly veiled racism / ableism (another spoiler alert: don’t expect white dudes to write a coherent metaphor for a real world issue). this was the opportunity for actual depth and even darkness -- below the glittering world of republic city is a serious problem that “”””defeating the fire lord”””” won’t solve. this is a mature and complex story, and it was never ever explored. in fact, in s2 that rich dude asks b*lin if he’s “ever seen the arena at night.” and b*lin says no. the, uh, the arena he lived in bc he was homeless and crushed under the wheel of this new society. 

what ,, the fuck ,, bryke. 

it’s the problem where a writer is constantly trying to outdo themselves -- and they sacrifice the story they could have had. the actually mature one. it’s a problem of thinking fight scenes and a villain Bigger and Badder than the last constitutes grittiness or maturity or w/e. (spoiler alert again: it doesn’t.) 

torturing k*rra 

atla was a story about raising a*ng up. lok was a story abt breaking k*rra down. 

shitty writing is one thing. racist writing is another. from the fucking moment she’s on screen, k*rra is told that she’s too much -- she’s too confident, she’s too loud, she’s too stubborn. and maybe she’s confident, loud, and stubborn, but the narrative does nothing but punish her for this. 

a*ng is a flawed character. a*ng runs away from his responsibility and, subsequently, the fire nation takes over the entirety of the known world. do i blame a*ng for this? absolutely not. and neither does the narrative -- not in a way that counts. people in the story do, but does the narrative beat him bloody? no. the narrative gives him friends. the narrative gives him room to make mistakes and then apologize for them. the narrative lets him learn without making his failures into something that he is literally tortured over. he struggles, but in his worst and most dire situations -- his friends are there. when he dies, it’s not shown in all of its gory details, and in a beautiful, quiet scene, k*tara heals him with spirit water. they stay by his side, and a*ng is given love, care, and support. 

k*rra is constantly, viscerally tortured on screen. k*rra is blamed, threatened, abandoned, poisoned, and temporarily disabled. k*rra is treated like a punching bag in direct response to her supposed “flaws.” we know this to be true because she “learns” from these moments of being violated, abused, and tortured -- the narrative tells us that she had to go through hell, on her own, in order to “learn humility.” 

why did k*rra, a brown girl, need to learn humility? when did she ever come across as someone who couldn’t learn, given the kind of time and space that a*ng had? why were her lessons literally beaten into her, while a*ng’s were simply a process of trial and error, with his friends at his side every single step of the way? 

people will always argue that it’s not so bad, that it’s not necessary to be as gentle with k*rra. but tell that to young brown girls watching this incredible, smart, kind, strong brown heroine get physically and mentally assaulted and broken down in order to properly “serve and save the world.” that shit? that shit’s traumatizing. k*rra is treated like garbage by m*ka, by as*mi, and by the entire world -- she is killed and tortured and isolated, and she is still expected to be grateful for what little she’s given by the end of the series. 

i hate that k*rrasami is praised so highly. because it uses the lesbian card (which i carry as a member) to reinforce some really disgusting colorism and, quite frankly, shitty ass writing. bryke can’t write without a team. end of story. 

that shit!! does NOT fly with me !!! 

#!answered #anti lok #lok hate #bryke hate #Anonymous