tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3889388775673754833.post8082361986606821224..comments2024-02-24T03:34:18.060-05:00Comments on Stealing Commas: Lonespark don't read this, anyone else: Venting you probably don't care about and commentary on the Legend of Korrachris the cynichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06872875475212333027noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3889388775673754833.post-84904308206449951932015-02-24T13:42:04.959-05:002015-02-24T13:42:04.959-05:00A part of the problem with season 2, where Tenzin&...A part of the problem with season 2, where Tenzin's family issues are among the more interesting of the stories, is that it was a rush job because of how Nickelodeon treated Bryke. They gave them only one season, then said "hey, rush and do another one".<br /><br />If Bryke had been given a full 3 season thing, I think we'd have come out with a much more satisfying exploration of the Equalist issue, rather than having the most interesting developments on that front happen off-screen and in a flashback during the Remembrances episode.WingedBeasthttp://wingedbeast.dreamwidth.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3889388775673754833.post-15771267113584993772015-02-24T13:39:32.799-05:002015-02-24T13:39:32.799-05:00I'll agree on that much. That whole "get...I'll agree on that much. That whole "get over it" and "let it go" push that we keep on getting regarding past wrongs is... not good for multiple reasons.<br /><br />But, the nature of the wrongs, focus on specific family members, and bullying siblings... there might be a bit more to it than just Tenzin being uninterested in his siblings.WingedBeasthttp://wingedbeast.dreamwidth.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3889388775673754833.post-58907881484135790202015-02-24T06:17:51.106-05:002015-02-24T06:17:51.106-05:00Where is my other comment? Woe.Where is my other comment? Woe.Lonesparkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16278753827545905559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3889388775673754833.post-12948963875288150612015-02-23T13:33:52.597-05:002015-02-23T13:33:52.597-05:00when Zuko seems the most functional of the group, ...<i>when Zuko seems the most functional of the group, things have taken twists and turns that I want to see.</i><br /><br />I don't know that I want to see them... it is interesting in that we do get to see a hell of a lot of Zuko's personal growth. Aang, on the other hand, has a lot of it left to do, in the public eye, without family, without his culture...<br /><br />LoK leaves a lot of threads hanging, so far (Equalist argument says whaaaat?) and it's frustrating. I feel like AtLA was similar, yet more self-contained, kind of? I wonder if LoK will have comics continuing the story or filling in bits...Lonesparkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16278753827545905559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3889388775673754833.post-79742530836765230832015-02-23T12:21:58.554-05:002015-02-23T12:21:58.554-05:00What bothered me most about the episode reflecting...What bothered me most about the episode reflecting on the childhood of the Aang-spawn is that the Bumi, Kya, and Tenzin all decided to put everything behind them and not bring it up anymore when there was a very good reason <b>not to do that</b>. Ikki ran away after her siblings treated her the way that Aang and Tenzin treated Bumi and Kya which was also the way that Kya and Tenzin treated Bumi.<br /><br />Which is to say: the childhood issues they were discussing weren't something in the past. A real child (daughter and niece to those involved) was potentially in danger because the cycle continued into a new generation. Yes, when searching for Ikki might not be the best time to sort everything out, but given that it's the reason they're searching for her maybe it would be a good idea to sort it out at some fucking point so that they can stop the cycle that made her run away in the first place.<br /><br />What's been going on clearly hasn't been good, and it's persisted for at least two generations. Settling things with, "Well our childhoods are over so we should let it go," isn't a good thing because it's putting the people who are still children in danger.chris the cynichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06872875475212333027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3889388775673754833.post-50809744711754057062015-02-21T19:10:27.207-05:002015-02-21T19:10:27.207-05:00Warning: Overly long response coming.
I had a bit...Warning: Overly long response coming.<br /><br />I had a bit of a different read on Tenzin's faulty memory than that. Not that Aang was a much better father than your read, but with a bit of context from Tenzin having dinner with the family before they all got to the air temple.<br /><br />Boomy and Kya were harassing, poking, and mocking Tenzin. None of that behavior struck me as something that started in adulthood. It all looked, to me, like carry over of habits started in early childhood, in which elder siblings picked on the younger and Tenzin, likely, took it.<br /><br />That's not an insult to Tenzin, just that his survival strategy probably involved less fighting back and more enduring, particularly when he's got two older siblings that seemingly combine forces against him. Air Bender philosophy, not to speak ill of that, probably didn't tell him to fight back, but to do things like "let go". The funny thing about letting go of someone harassing you like that, they still do it.<br /><br />Who wants to bet that he got told, repeatedly, not to give them a reaction?<br /><br />That leads to Tenzins memory of those vacations with Dad. If you're a child in that kind of situation, you don't feel safe around your elder siblings. You just know that it's waiting. You can't feel safe unless you know they're gone.<br /><br />Tenzin remembers enjoying those excursions with fondness, perhaps in part, because he felt safe. What he doesn't remember is that the reason he felt safe was because his two elder siblings weren't present.<br /><br />This is not to say that they were monsters or that their actions towards Tenzin were completely absent context. Tenzin had a connection with a father that, quite possibly, didn't know how to be a parent to children who weren't airbenders. All the cool things he had to teach about air-nomad tricks, games, and jokes... most of them just didn't apply if they didn't fly. So, he didn't do the extra work that it would have taken to connect to them like he connected to Tenzin.<br /><br />So, I don't think Tenzin was so uninterested in his siblings that their absence was the same as their presence. I think he didn't want to admit, to himself, to having preferred their absence.<br /><br />Although, when Toph talked about how she had forgiven... yeah, I did kind of want her to get some kind of smack or a talking to or something to put a dent in that wall of self-delusion.<br /><br />In general, it does make me want to get the stories of the adult Team Avatar, to see how they managed to... well... when Zuko seems the most functional of the group, things have taken twists and turns that I want to see.WingedBeasthttp://wingedbeast.dreamwidth.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3889388775673754833.post-67126511858842468072015-02-17T06:59:03.477-05:002015-02-17T06:59:03.477-05:00The "how the kids turned out" thing remi...The "how the kids turned out" thing reminds me a little of one of Anne McCaffrey's tropes. Young heroine has parents who Don't Understand, goes off on her own, has adventures, meets nice boy, etc., fair enough. Then in the sequel her own daughter has parents who now Don't Understand… no, sorry, Original Heroine was not <i>that</i> stupid. There are plenty of ways to have a sympathetic mother who did neat stuff when she was younger, maybe even still does do neat stuff, but gets out of the way to let the new protagonist have her own story.<br /><br />Not seen any Avatar or Korra.Firedrakenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3889388775673754833.post-18081911377556950352015-02-16T10:28:21.929-05:002015-02-16T10:28:21.929-05:00I've not seen much of Korra or of DS9, but I k...I've not seen much of Korra or of DS9, but I know I haven't heard much criticism of either show along the lines you take here. I remember seeing a scene in Korra where Prince Wu [rot13]<a href="http://rot13.com/index.php?text=pnyzrq%20qbja%20rirelbar%20va%20gur%20pvgl%20qhevat%20na%20rinphngvba%20jvgu%20n%20fvatyr%20fcrrpu%20ba%20gur%20enqvb" rel="nofollow">pnyzrq qbja rirelbar va gur pvgl qhevat na rinphngvba jvgu n fvatyr fcrrpu ba gur enqvb</a>[/rot13], and thinking, "That worked unrealistically well because the writers wanted a lighthearted, funny scene", but I don't know if that's a manifestation of the same kind of thing.<br /><br />I'm sorry that you and Lonestar had a stressful time around this. I wish it were not so.Packbathttp://packbat.net/w/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3889388775673754833.post-58202074100136320622015-02-16T02:02:23.666-05:002015-02-16T02:02:23.666-05:00I had some difficulties with 'Legend of Korra&...I had some difficulties with 'Legend of Korra' too. Particularly after how much I adored 'the Legend of Aang.' I won't add some of my list here as I've seen the whole series and don't want to do spoilers, but yes on the stuff you've added above. Lack of continuity, holding fast to a certain attitude only for it to change off-screen. And while the idea of giving the heroes of 'Legend of Aang' some significant flaws could have been done really well, it wasn't here. Show that Aang loved all his children but paid too much comparative attention to the only one that could air bend because he because too obsessed with trying to regain the culture he lost so many years ago. Give evidence of Katara calling him on it when his focus gets too narrow and the regret he felt at making the others feel 'less than.' As you say above, be a little clearer about Toph's motives, make it more complex. Toph could be gruff but she was deeply affectionate and caring and interested in connecting with people - if circumstances changed to change that I want to know what they are. The idea of people being remembered only through memories of those who succeed them is an interesting one but it isn't handled well. I also wish they'd shown the legitimacy of the complaints made by various dissenting groups in the Korra time of the Avatar Universe rather than going reverting to 'rebellion = bad' most of the time. There are elements of the show that I find fascinating and interesting - I'd get into a story line but then something would happen to put me off it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com