Avatar episodes 4-6

[edenfalling]

Episodes 4-6 (The Warriors of Kyoshi; The King of Omashu; Imprisoned):

1. I had such a sympathetic embarrassment squick moment for Sokka when he first asks Suki to fight. I was not at all embarrassed about him dressing up as a Kyoshi Warrior, though. I think this is because of the expectation clash thing: in the first embarrassing incident, Sokka thinks he's going to come out on top, so I am watching him be unexpectedly embarrassed (to clarify, it was unexpected for him; I knew it was coming). In the second incident, he knows from the get-go that he's going to feel stupid. Also, in the first case I am watching him do something he ought to be ashamed of -- being a sexist ass -- whereas in the second, there is nothing wrong with guys wearing dresses and makeup. (He actually looks damn good in that face paint. He looked pretty good in his face paint back in The Avatar Returns as well. The boy can rock some make-up, you know?)

2. In re: Omashu -- what is up with these cities on unreachable mountaintops? It's great for defense, but not so much for getting adequate food and water supplies into the walls, nor for trade. And if your population grows, where are you going to expand? (I suppose, being earthbenders, the people of Omashu could just keep digging deeper and deeper basements, but that would cause structural support issues eventually.)

3. I am intrigued that Katara chooses to bend water out of Haru's mother's outdoor pump rather than press the handle. I am not sure if that's because she doesn't know what pumps are (the Southern Water Tribe's village is fairly primitive, and because they're at the South Pole and on a shelf of sea-ice -- you can tell by the way Zuko's huge, deep-draft ship cruised right up to the village wall -- any liquid water in the area is all saltwater anyway; they probably get drinking water from melted snow), or because she wants to practice, or both.

4. Aang and Gyatso in happier days... oh. *is heartbroken* And the flashing temple lights and the shocked people all over the world... oooh, world-building and foreshadowing and all kinds of nifty tantalizing hints! (The people running this show really know how to tell a story, don't they? *applauds*)

5. You know what I love? The whole setup of the earthbenders' prison. When Katara makes her inspirational speech and the warden is watching from above, I thought at first he'd have her shot and interrupted, but no. He lets her talk, because he knows he has the prisoners broken. He doesn't have to fight them; they've already defeated themselves. The warden may be a very short-sighted, self-centered, and foolish man, but he knows that one trick and he knows it well. (And I think some of his seeming ridiculousness in the introduction scene may be for effect, to show how little control the captives now have over their fates.)

6. It's interesting to compare Aang's admirers to Katara; if he's twelve and she's fourteen, the fangirl pack must all be about 9 or 10. The overall effect (for me) is to make all the relationships seem more platonic.

7. I am still trying to understand the Zutara thing. So, okay, seeing Katara interact with Haru, I can see how people might look at her and Aang and say, "Oh god, total age and maturity mismatch, must find her another guy!" but I think... she's not looking for a guy, you know? She treats Haru as a potential friend, nothing more. Also, if Katara must be shipped with someone -- which I do not grant; shipping is not the be-all and end-all of life -- I think she'd probably do better with somebody who can counter her seriousness. Remember that she's grown up with Sokka; she's used to counterweighting and playing off his goofy antics. I'm not sure she'd know what to do with somebody more serious than she is.

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In real life news, today is Halloween. Yay! I am not dressing up this year (it's my day off, so I decided to stay home and be antisocial), but I have put out a basket of candy and left the porch lights on. This is more efficient than trying to answer the door and hand out candy in person, because my building does not have doorbells.

Comments

[supplanter.livejournal.com]

I think she'd probably do better with somebody who can counter her seriousness. Remember that she's grown up with Sokka; she's used to counterweighting and playing off his goofy antics.

I think that explains the Katara/Sokka shippers nicely, if there are any.  I've read some fic but not in the thick of it, so I don't know how active that ship was, but I recall, at the time, ppl posting about the show would always remark on the sibling chemistry. ^^;;

Katara and Zuko get a bit more fuel later on when they interact more, but I'm still not really a fan.  As far as the shipping goes, I have been Not For Any of This, You Ppl Are Twelve (because I have become old and stodgy, I guess?)  Then again I haven't watched s3 yet. ^^;;;

[edenfalling]

I know there are Zuko/Azula shippers and fics -- I've read a couple, actually -- so I would be very surprised if there were not also Sokka/Katara shippers and fics.

I am... well, I am opposed to any sexualized shipping of people younger than fifteen-ish (I will be old and stodgy along with you!), but I have no problems with crushes and kissing and so forth. That can be cute. Unnecessary, but cute nonetheless. *grin*

[supplanter.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm certain there are, I just don't know if they're fringy or if it's considered a relatively mainstream ship. ^^;;

To be fair, I think my stodginess may be pretty particular to Aang/Katara, a lot because Aang is 12 and for whatever reason that is So Much Worse than 14 (I think partly because 12-year-old kali could have become anyone—she was practically not identifiable as a precursor of present-day kali—but 14-year-old kali I recognize as being in the continuity. XD)  And Aang, in spite of his Huge Destiny (which he's not too keen on anyway) is very immature in lots of ways and I can't help but think his attraction to Katara was a sort of imprinting, since she was the first person he saw post-freeze and possibly the first (((((pretty))))) girl he's interacted with at length—we find that he did get off the mountain where he was raised by monks (not in the company of any females I can recall) but I don't think any of the friends he thinks of from back then were girls, either?

It also might just be that I am not too fond of Katara and how moral and self-righteous she gets; somehow I liked her less and less over the series, so I must project that onto Aang.  Like, I would be more ok with the whole deal if it were Toph instead (but if it were Toph it would all seem a bit less serious and thus all the more harmless and cute (because she also looks 12)). ^^;;

(Although Toph does have the advantage or not falling prey to a guy's physical appearance and is basically Not Impressed By Anyone, which I think is helpful.)

(Er, I hope you will enjoy Toph. XD)

Gah, sorry for the incoherent and self-centered comment. ^^;;

[edenfalling]

Given that so far I like every character I am meant to like, that Toph sounds awesome, and that I enjoyed her in one random clip I saw on YouTube, I am pretty sure I will like Toph, too. *grin*

I think partly because 12-year-old kali could have become anyone—she was practically not identifiable as a precursor of present-day kali—but 14-year-old kali I recognize as being in the continuity. XD

Interesting! I can recognize myself as far back as, mmm, six years old. Five, not so much (I was apparently very outgoing, which is just weird to think about), but by six I was already doing the antisocial read-in-a-corner thing, telling stories and inventing bad songs, making irritable snap judgments, obsessively organizing certain aspects of my life (I started alphabetizing my books when I was six; yes, really), procrastinating like a champion, and so on. Aside from the hair-trigger temper I managed to (with great difficulty) mostly get rid of, the discovery that I like teaching, the resolution of a slow-motion religious crisis, and just the general experience and perspective of age, 6-year-old Liz and 27-year-old Liz are in a pretty direct personality continuity line. Granted, I did not expect to end up as a college dropout store clerk, but that's a life circumstances thing more than a personality thing.

[supplanter.livejournal.com]

Well, looking back I guess it's fairly obvious why I changed around 12—my parents got divorced, so my living circumstances changed and I moved across the state to a new school system, and then into another school system the following year, and I simultaneously discovered the internet, which drastically altered/defined the way I consumed entertainment (I started reading so many fewer physical books, it is depressing—I'm still not quite in the habit, and whenever I finish a new book now it's like HURRAY :D :D :D, lame, I know >.>—and a couple years later I'd all but stopped watching tv) and interacted with ppl, so.... >.>;;

Man, your rxn posts make me want to rewatch avatar!  Or maybe I'll finally be provoked into watching season 3? ^^;;

[uminohikari.livejournal.com]

Well, if they're earthbenders, surely they have some way of keeping earth packed and in one place, even if it would normally collapse?

[edenfalling]

Maybe. But if you need earthbenders constantly shoring up your foundations, I don't think that's very practical in the long run. It would be better to use earthbenders to widen the mountain by bringing up new stone.