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Blazkowicz feels like an earth kinda guy what with all the kicks, Nukem is obviously fire nation... Doom Guy is a waterbender?
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Aug 13, 2021 14:43
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I rewatched all of Korra earlier this year and then rewatched all of Airbender. Korra is probably my favorite show of all time. I realized during episode 2 of season 4 that I'd never actually seen season 4 because of how Nickelodeon hosed with the schedule. It's still great but man, if they just hadn't had that one recap episode they could've really smoothed the pacing that got a bit rushed near the end. gently caress you, Nickelodeon execs. Korra season 3 is the best thing. Airbender is a great show. Yeah, it feels like a kids show at the start but its just so charming. Aang is so much less annoying than most kid protagonists, all the voice actors are doing a great job, there's so much detail and emphasis in the right places, the world building is top notch, Iroh is a treasure, etc. I have minor quibbles with certain episodes, like The Great Divide sucks and in Sokka's Master a training montage that seems like it should take weeks goes by in a day. Lion Turtle could also have been foreshadowed better, along with energy bending. Still, it hits all the emotional and thematic beats and thats what matters. I highly recommend this youtube channel where a guy is doing in depth discussions of every Avatar episode. They're fairly compact, funny and informative! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCarhVHQDU63divhaYPScVnQ Edit: Also on my rewatch Korra season 2 wasn't as much of a trainwreck as I remembered. It's definitely a huge step down but I remembered it as a disaster. There's still a lot of good stuff, but Unalaq is just so transparently evil. Varrick is great though. Ccs fucked around with this message at 15:20 on Aug 13, 2021 |
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Aug 13, 2021 14:51
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josh04 posted:Doom Guy is a waterbender? He just loving loves Bloodbending
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Aug 13, 2021 15:00
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Ccs posted:I have minor quibbles with certain episodes, like The Great Divide sucks and in Sokka's Master a training montage that seems like it should take weeks goes by in a day. How dare you besmirch Sokka's Master! That episode does so much to just nail home how critical Sokka is, and is perfect as is. Also, when looking at these tweets with the casting announcement, I saw someone talking about the final fight with Hama in The Puppetmaster. There's a part when Hama throws a big ole thing of water at Katara, and Katara just smashes the water and it cuts to Hama looking shocked. I always just felt this was Hama reacting to Katara's power. But someone commented that it can be read as more than that, because just smashing an attack is an Earthbender or Firebender move. You see them do it all the time. And Katara had been training with (and fighting against) earth and fire benders for years now. And it speaks to how much of a big deal Iroh's talk before teaching Zuko lightning redirection is.
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Aug 13, 2021 16:29
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Don't forget Commander Keen.CainFortea posted:How dare you besmirch Sokka's Master! That episode does so much to just nail home how critical Sokka is, and is perfect as is. An easily missed theme in Avatar is how much all of the best benders have distinctive and very different bending styles, and a lot of which borrow from other forms. As early as Jeong-Jeong whose Firebending clearly borrows from the Waterbending he enviously admires, Iroh is just one of the few to spell it out with how he learned lightning redirection by studying Waterbending techniques.
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Aug 13, 2021 17:07
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Ghost Leviathan posted:Don't forget Commander Keen. It's a real "mechanical" reinforcement of the idea that balance and harmony between the elements and the nations is where true power lies, and fanatical extremism is ultimately a dead end.
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Aug 13, 2021 17:30
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Ghost Leviathan posted:Don't forget Commander Keen. The overall theme I think isn't easy to miss. But there are lots of examples I think that are. Like you notice Toph starting to catch bolders and flip them around back at people instead of just smashing them later on in the show.
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Aug 13, 2021 18:24
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I don't know if any of these kids can act but Sokka has some serious Sokka face goin on and Aang skates so that's cool. That Zuko kid better bring his A(for angst) game, I want maximum sad boy energy. I'm just glad they're not white.
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Aug 13, 2021 21:30
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I don't know the Sokka but Katara is a First Nations canadian actress. I saw her in the netflix Anne of Green Gables that came out not that long ago. It's quite good, especially for a remake of such a story, and only got cancelled because CBC didn't want to work with Netflix anymore. The character is Katara-ish in some respects too! It's understandable to cast a wider net than just inuuk but I definitely hope the water tribe characters and extras all end up being indigenous americans. We're barely removed from when "white guy in redface" was all-but-the-only indigenous characters and still when they appear they're almost always sidekicks to a main white guy. (Like in Anne with an E! Women at least in that case. Congrats to the actress for a starring role.) I also think the Sokka guy looks the part really well. I like the image of a live action Sokka having boy band handsome face, but being an absurd goofball with the world's worst Warrior's Wolf Tail. Would've been nice if Mako got another 15 years of working health even if they'd have to stick him in a fat suit.
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Aug 13, 2021 22:42
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CainFortea posted:The overall theme I think isn't easy to miss. But there are lots of examples I think that are. Like you notice Toph starting to catch bolders and flip them around back at people instead of just smashing them later on in the show. Yeah, the protagonists in particular are interesting, and you don't really have them talk much about it but it makes sense that they're all being influenced by each other. Especially since all the other benders are actively teaching Aang- it's said there's no better way to learn than to teach. Bitter Work is probably my favourite episode to rewatch just for how it drives home that theme, mostly for the Iroh stuff but Toph trying to teach Aang a style that's the complete opposite of what he's used to.
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Aug 14, 2021 04:16
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Ghost Leviathan posted:Yeah, the protagonists in particular are interesting, and you don't really have them talk much about it but it makes sense that they're all being influenced by each other. Especially since all the other benders are actively teaching Aang- it's said there's no better way to learn than to teach. Is that the one that also has the wonderful side plot of Sokka stuck in a hole with a cute critter that sits on his head?
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Aug 14, 2021 08:48
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Edgar Allen Ho posted:Is that the one that also has the wonderful side plot of Sokka stuck in a hole with a cute critter that sits on his head? That's the one!
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Aug 14, 2021 09:46
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TWO enlightened guru characters in TLA state very matter of factly that the division of the Four Elements is an illusion after all. Also another cool example of Innovating Bending By Copy Other Elements that I missed until a recent twitter texcursion was Zuko in the Boiling Rock's coolers. Its a minor lore tidbit that Aang never needed to dress for his environment like the other characters even in the North and South Pole because Airbenders can control their breathing to a degree that it regulates their body temperature. Zuko mimics that technique using Fire Breathing.
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Aug 14, 2021 11:33
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Sanguinia posted:TWO enlightened guru characters in TLA state very matter of factly that the division of the Four Elements is an illusion after all. I don't think that's a airbending copy though, Iroh tells him "Remember your breath of fire" before Zuko goes on his covert ops mission in the Northern Water Tribe, and he uses it after getting out of the water to stop himself freezing to death.
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Aug 14, 2021 12:28
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Gravitas Shortfall posted:I don't think that's a airbending copy though, Iroh tells him "Remember your breath of fire" before Zuko goes on his covert ops mission in the Northern Water Tribe, and he uses it after getting out of the water to stop himself freezing to death. Yeah, but presumably Iroh taught him that. He was a master Fire-breather AND Mr. Element Copier. Zuko also uses those big Fire Whips to fight Katara's Water Whips in the cave under Ba Sing Se, which we never see Azula do despite being the big Fire Bending Prodigy. So that's also neat.
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Aug 14, 2021 12:43
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Sanguinia posted:Yeah, but presumably Iroh taught him that. He was a master Fire-breather AND Mr. Element Copier. There were no airbenders around for Iroh to learn from/copy.  (also, breath control is a big thing in martial arts in general, and we see firebenders breathing flame several times during the show, not just Iroh)
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Aug 14, 2021 15:28
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Firebending is implied to be quite similar to airbending and has a lot of synergies. Almost too much, since air empowers fire. A recurring deal with Zuko is that while he lacks the fancy techniques and raw talent of other Firebending prodigies, his basics are rock solid.
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Aug 15, 2021 09:16
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One of the reasons Zuko is my fave is that he's the only one of the main group that isn't a prodigy. I say that as I think of Toph, who is the exact opposite and also my fave.
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Aug 15, 2021 10:42
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who needs prodigious skill when you're the literal toughest and most determined man alive, anyway?
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Aug 16, 2021 02:25
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I like Toph because her name sounds like "Tough", and she releases a sonic wave from her mouth.
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Aug 16, 2021 07:24
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Ghost Leviathan posted:
"He no can shoot lightning, but have good fundamentals! That more effective in battle."
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Aug 19, 2021 14:11
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He's not just able to stay warm, he's able to keep fire bending even when locked in a chamber designed to prevent it.
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Aug 19, 2021 18:30
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That and nearly all Firebending currently practiced is basically the equivalent of the Dark Side, and Zuko has to re-learn the basics when he stops being motivated by rage by the time he's teaching Aang. Heard a funny theory that this is why the Fire Nation outlawed dancing, since there's a chance of people rediscovering the original method of Firebending while doing it and then there's a rebellion of Firebending hippies protesting all the imperial aggression.
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Aug 20, 2021 07:06
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzj1Fhy2P_0
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Nov 24, 2021 04:47
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7E-D1KvXxE Sometimes I watch this just to cheer myself up
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Dec 29, 2021 03:39
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Kind of hoping for a live action Avatar show/movie that's basically a Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan movie but with pyrotechnic effects. Would be pretty sick.
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Jan 28, 2022 17:47
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I dunno if you can even get live action movies with actual choreography anymore.
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Jan 29, 2022 18:38
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Thread revival I know, but I binged my way through both Avatar and Korra over the last month, and then I bought digital versions of the post-AtLA comics too because I guess this universe lives rent-free in my head now. Pretty much had a good time with all of it! Even the parts that felt worse after I stopped to think about them like Korra S2 were enjoyable in the moment. There were a few cringey episodes at times in early AtLA, but they were easy enough to plough through and the nice thing was that often the cringe had resolved itself well by the end of the episode. And when things were great, they were great. The comics dropped some balls at times (Zuko, Aang, that was a really dumb and kinda cliché promise and I'm glad Katara was around to talk some sense into Aang over it (even if *rereads relevant comic panels* she gives Aang a subtle nod to make the promise early on)), but I enjoyed a lot of stuff about them too and just generally had a good time with them. [insert all the usual gushing about the characters and their development, the worldbuilding, etc. here. You know the drill. It seems like over half the internet knows the drill  ]
Paul.Power fucked around with this message at 17:46 on Jun 7, 2022 |
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Jun 7, 2022 00:33
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I've found that whenever I want to re-watch Korra I just start at season 3. The first two seasons annoy me too much.
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Jun 7, 2022 07:27
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Gravitas Shortfall posted:I've found that whenever I want to re-watch Korra I just start at season 3. The first two seasons annoy me too much.
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Jun 7, 2022 09:28
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I've read some of the comics, and while it was enjoyable to read more Avatar media at the time, thinking through it later on made me realize how much parts of it sucked. Zuko going to loving Ozai for advice when Iroh was right there, breaking up Zuko and Mai for no good reason other than leaving it open to fans who Zuko really marries, the whole promise between Zuko and Aang. So many bad choices that makes no sense for the characters. And the less said about how it handled Zuko's mom, the better.
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Jun 7, 2022 12:35
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What is this promise? I'm not going to read the comics to find out, so if someone could explain it that would be rad.
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Jun 7, 2022 14:41
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Basically, the first story of the comics after the war is about how Zuko is planning to pull the Fire Nation out of the Earth Kingdom's continent entirely, but he meets pushback because it turns out that a lot of the people in the oldest colony had assimilated into the Fire Nation way of life and economy and between assimilated Earth Kingdomites and Fire Nation people who have been their for over a hundred years, so their whole lives, "decolonization" would involve a massive displacement of people, so it was tough. Zuko didn't know what to do to do right by people, he lacked support both with the Earth Kingdom natives and his people who he was sovereign over. Aang didn't want to hear about complicated politics, especially with Avatar Roku's ghost telling him to just undo the Fire Nation's colonization. It was a tough situation, Zuko had very few people to turn to, so it made sense for him to at least ask his dad even if he didn't listen. Eventually that colony that couldn't be properly decolonized would become Republic City, the not-Hong Kong that Legend of Korra took place in for just the one season. The main titular "promise" is that towards the beginning Zuko makes Aang promise to kill him if he becomes another tyrant like his papa, but it also refers to the fact that he promised to decolonize but stopped once he met resistance, and at the end of the arc, both promises have been discarded because the world turns out to be more complicated. Roku also is focused on his own promise to stop the Firelord's colonization efforts back in his day. That arc also has Toph starting a metalbending school and Aang discovering some air nomad-weebs/fangirls to help rebuild his dead culture. The comics are real good, they're fun, they have the characters from the show, more worldbuilding and politics than Legend of Korra, and the art's pretty, by Gurihiru who also did work on Gwenpool and Power Pack.
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Jun 7, 2022 15:57
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SlothfulCobra posted:Eventually that colony that couldn't be properly decolonized would become Republic City, the not-Hong Kong that Legend of Korra took place in for just the one season. I feel like something I ought to mention about The Promise (and subsequent comics too, but especially The Promise) that I've seen a lot of summaries gloss over is that I hope the reader likes *checks notes* Kataang. I mean, cards on the table I'm definitely a fan of it (people were posting their ships upthread, right? ) so from my point of view it's enjoyable and they make a cute couple, but even I think there's one or two jarring bits, most notably their choice of pet name for each other, "Sweetie". Which... I don't mind on general principle, it's maybe a bit old-fashioned but hey, this is a world of industrial revolution nations alongside feudal ones for entirely sound reasons so whatever. And we do kinda see in subsequent comics that Aang and Katara can both be a bit traditional at times - of course they both have a "last of their kind" vibe going on, which makes them more concerned about preserving the past compared with the more forward-thinking Sokka and Toph. The actual problem I have with "Sweetie" is that if I recall correctly that was Katara's mum's pet name for her. Which um... if that's deliberate then uh.... ?????. So you know, forwarned is forearmed. Their relationship mellows a bit over the course of the comics, which I feel like is them going from "puppy love" to something more steady, but they are particularly lovey-dovey in The Promise.Funnily enough, their relationship is kinda pivotal to the whole resolution of the main conflict in The Promise: When Zuko shows Katara and Aang the situation on the ground in Yu Dao, particularly the intermarriage of Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom people, Katara starts to change her mind on whether this plan of separating out the old-established colonies is actually a good idea, even as Aang remains adamant that it is (separating the four elements being, in his eyes, the only way to ensure that one element doesn't come to dominate over the others again). Eventually Katara says to Aang that if the four elements being separate is the only way to restore harmony to the world then... well, what does that mean for the two of them? She admits that's a selfish way to look at it, says it's his call, and she's willing to stand by whatever decision he makes. After thinking it through, Aang decides that Katara and Zuko are right and that Yu Dao represents a new kind of world - risky, yes, but potentially also rewarding. Paul.Power fucked around with this message at 19:56 on Jun 7, 2022 |
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Jun 7, 2022 17:17
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Seems like it kinda runs into/acknowledges that the whole mystical underpinnings and how they relate to human civilisations are kinda messed up if you think about it.
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Jun 8, 2022 06:47
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It's worth noting that becoming the Avatar also seems to make you kind of an idiot. Kinda maybe not so much Kiyoshi, but that's about the best I got.
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Jun 8, 2022 15:22
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grassy gnoll posted:It's worth noting that becoming the Avatar also seems to make you kind of an idiot. Kinda maybe not so much Kiyoshi, but that's about the best I got. Aang's a teenager, all teenagers are idiots.
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Jun 8, 2022 16:02
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Gravitas Shortfall posted:Aang's a teenager, all teenagers are idiots.
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Jun 8, 2022 17:38
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grassy gnoll posted:It's worth noting that becoming the Avatar also seems to make you kind of an idiot. Kinda maybe not so much Kiyoshi, but that's about the best I got. being powerful makes you stupid, and the avatar is metaphysically if not politically the most powerful person in the world, so they're at least metaphysically the stupidest person i give korra some credit for seeking advice from the anarchist she imprisoned
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Jun 8, 2022 18:02
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Gravitas Shortfall posted:Aang's a teenager, all teenagers are idiots. He's a big dimwit in the Korra flashbacks as an adult, too. Roku's terrible at giving advice and possibly the worst judge of character in the series, Kiyoshi is cool but can't read a room, and Korra's dumb as a sack of rocks. Though admittedly that last one is part of her character arc.
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Jun 8, 2022 20:31
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