Welcome to my mess of a blog full of whatever the hell my brain has decided to hyperfixate on at the moment. Big fan of Doctor Who, spreadsheets, and Doctor Who spreadsheets. Currently making my way through Stargate SG-1
my wip bingo for seven havens's first season. there's at least five squares on here that i would consider to be absolutely guaranteed (JZ's score going hard could also be used as a free space lmao)
Idea: the whole end of the world had been building for decades in an analogy for climate change/radioactive pollution/spiritual Cold War, and Korra had been screaming about how stupid the world powers were and constantly stuck doing damage control, and instead of addressing it they kept building the seven havens and ignoring her and when things inevitably reached a boiling point instead of taking some goddamn accountability for their actions the leaders of the world went “obviously this is Korra’s fault!!!”
Thinking about how Aang returned to a world that forgot the Avatar, Korra struggled in a world that outgrew the Avatar, and now Pavi must face a world that hates the Avatar.
Aang grew up overwhelmed by the responsibilities of the Avatar, and when he awoke he had to contend with a greater evil than he'd ever imagined while also finding ways to restore faith and joy to a jaded world.
Korra grew up hearing stories of Avatars that basically painted them as superheroes, and while she felt fully prepared to punch evil in the face she didn't know how to handle a modernized society in which the Avatar must fill a political role.
Both of them face a conflict between their internal selves and their duties as the Avatar. Aang is peaceful in a time of war, while Korra is direct in a time of intrigue. In other words, they seemed at first like the wrong Avatars for their era. The world obviously needed Aang, but they didn't believe that he'd ever be able to save them. The world didn't seem to have a place for Korra, but she nevertheless proved that she could bring balance.
I'm curious to see how this trend continues with Pavi, since at first glance she seems pretty well-adjusted to her setting. Unlike Aang and Korra, who were thrust into new worlds where their previous skills weren't very useful, Pavi grew up in this post-apocalypse and seems to navigate it fairly well. Additionally, despite people hating the Avatar now, a period of strife with some obviously bad stuff happening to everyone is kind of perfect for an Avatar, since it's an opportunity for a hero to save the world.
At first, Pavi's situation looks very similar to Aang's: the world is in danger, and it needs an Avatar. However, since it seems like Korra had something to do with the creation of this new setting and I refuse to believe that she will be wholly in the wrong, I wonder if this new series might go even further into the nuance zone. It could be that Pavi's conflicts will combine the apparent simplicity of Aang's era with the genuine complexity of Korra's, so that the only way to save the world is to ignore the big looming threat and instead do some other (far less simple) reconstruction. In that case, everyone hating the Avatar would really add to Pavi's conflict, since she is already dealing with a world that doesn't expect her to do the right thing. Maybe she'll be torn between the easy thing that seems right but doesn't actually fix things and the difficult thing that seems wrong but will somehow be what the world needs. It could reinforce that being a good Avatar isn't about blending into what people want from you. Aang proved that peacefulness is necessary in order to end war, and Korra proved that strong direction can lead to the root of a complex conflict. Maybe Pavi will prove that being hated isn't as bad as being cruel.
ive been very skeptical of seven havens for a long time based on its premise, but i think the trailer actually seems pretty promising from a lot of angles.
i think the idea of the avatar being something that’s hated is a really interesting way to continue the themes of tlok. in tlok, korra’s authority is constantly being undermined by those around her because the world has changed; not only are things (relatively) peaceful now, but the world is uniting and giving power to those who previously had none. the avatar, in this world, is seen as the largest threat to the status quo. korra has to learn how to strike the balance between fulfilling her duties and accepting when things are out of her control.
in seven havens, the worst fears of korra’s time have been brought to life. pavi will likely face active hostility and scorn due to her identity as the avatar. yet, unlike in korra’s time, the world isn’t in a state in which they can reject the avatar’s help. they need pavi.
tlok asked the audience to justify the avatar’s existence in a time of prosperity. seven nations will ask the audience to justify the avatar’s existence, if their actions lead to This. and i think that’s great.
about korra herself….
ok i think everyone with basic reading comprehension knows that we don’t have the full story. korra, for all her faults, isn’t a malicious person and wouldn’t ever try to jeopardize the world. i do see a lot of people saying that whatever she did was her being misguided though, which is a possibility, but one i dislike.
i personally think that korra did the very best she could. perhaps she was faced with an impossible decision and chose the lesser of two evils, perhaps when faced with a world-ending event, she sacrificed herself without anyone knowing that she mitigated the damage significantly.
now, i have no problem conceptually with korra making a mistake of this scale. we know she’s made plenty of mistakes before, and we know that previous avatars (roku) have made mistakes on a similarly catastrophic scale.
my problem is that the entire story of tlok is about korra becoming a better person. if seven nations were to say that she fell back on old habits, that she did something out of arrogance and brashness, that would defeat the entire point of tlok. like seriously that will have made those 4 seasons feel like the biggest waste of my life.
additionally, i think it’s important to consider this picture:
this is not korra. i think it is far more likely that this is instead the way the world sees korra, due to the consequences of her actions.
misc. things i’d like to see come out of this show:
very minimal overt references to previous avatar media. it would strengthen the impression that this is a post-apocalyptic world with minimal access to history if in-character references to these things were kept to a minimum.
in a similar vein, perhaps seeing some rare forms of bending we’re already familiar with (e.g. lava, lightning, metal, etc.) become lost arts, something people would need to rediscover.
i would really like to see pavi being a relatively average bender. aang and korra were prodigies, but most avatars don’t master the elements until they’re well into adulthood. i’ll be pretty disappointed if we get 3 avatars in a row who are all naturally gifted in several elements, but i understand that there are restraints due to pacing.
pavi finally connecting with korra and korra being overjoyed. so happy she isn’t alone anymore. so protective of this little girl.
pavi’s animal companion being actually useful because naga was done soooo dirty
my safe clothing items that I wear day in day out for years and years should never break or rip or wear down. the power of friendship should stop that kind of thing
It’s called The Kaleidoscope, it’s a novel, and the thing I’m personally most excited about is that it’s actually written by Jo Martin!!!!
Fans with more knowledge will have to chime in but I don’t know if we’ve ever had one of the Doctors write a full novel before, and the writing of Dr Who (both for the show itself and for extended universe material) has been so dominated by writers who are white men, so it’s incredibly exciting to have a writer come from a different demographic. Black fans - and Ncuti Gatwa too - have been saying for years that we need more diverse storytellers, not just to combat racism but for the sake of the art itself!
It’s coming out 3 September!
When memories lie, the truth can be fatal.
In the aftermath of an improbable mission, the Fugitive Doctor and Martha realise that something is interfering with their minds. Something that doesn’t want to be found.
Their investigation leads to a curious artefact in the British Museum: an apparently medieval toy known as the Kaleidoscope. But the object refuses to stay in one place, one time – or one identity. And when the Doctor is repeatedly mistaken for someone she’s never met, fragments of unfamiliar memories begin to surface.
Across the Earth, a hidden pattern emerges; evidence of a secret that someone has gone to extraordinary lengths to conceal. As ancient enemies close in and innocent lives are put at risk, the Doctor learns the hard way that some truths were buried for a reason…
A key instalment of the Doctor Who transmedia event Circuit Breaker, this novel is written by the Fugitive Doctor herself, Jo Martin – and also features Martha Jones (as played by Freema Agyeman) together with the Unified Intelligence Taskforce, or UNIT.
From https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/481708/doctor-who-the-kaleidoscope-circuit-breaker-by-martin-jo/9781911743101
When memories lie, the truth can be fatal.In the aftermath of an improbable mission, the Fugitive Doctor and Martha realise that something i
You can also go to this Cultbox article to see pictures of the sonic screwdriver they gave Fugitive Doctor.
The Fugitive Doctor wields a previously-eschewed sonic screwdriver as she teams up with Martha Jones in a new Doctor Who novel penned by Jo
There’s also this really wonderful interview with Jo Martin where you can find out more about the premise. She talks about what it was like to be cast and how her son is a huge Whovian who helped give her pointers while writing the book. And this lovely bit:
I really did grow up with Doctor Who; I used to dress up my cousins in tin foil – they had to be the Daleks! And I would fashion some kind of costume for myself and play the Doctor. And they’d be like, “Okay, now it’s my turn to be the Doctor. You have to be a Dalek.” And I’d always say, “Nah, nah, nah! I want to be the Doctor.” And they’d be like, “You can’t be a doctor, you’re a girl.”
Back then, the show had a long tradition of white males in that role, so it really was wonderful that we got Jodie. But, as you can imagine, I never saw myself represented – and to be seen is so important. So to be standing on set the day when I had to say, “Hello, I’m the Doctor…” Well. I mean, we had to retake that a few times because I’d get really choked up… I could see that little girl in me.
But now it is – and, of course, the fans have always been very inclusive. So to have that acknowledgment from Brazil to America, from France to Australia – from Aboriginal girls sending me a message – means a lot. It’s great to be able to cosplay as someone without anyone look being able to look at them and say, “Well, you can’t be wearing that.” You know? The girls can dress up as Jodie or anybody else; they can be who they like. And then, as a Black child, you can look on me and go, “You know what? I could do this.” Because Doctor Who is for everyone.
The thing I’m probably most excited about is that it sounds like the Fugitive Doctor being Black isn’t just ignored, there is some cultural diversity there or touching on how being Black might shape her experiences - and we are going to that written BY someone who is actually Black, which was one of the things I loved so much about The Storyteller and the Engine.
So we lean into a bit of the Fugitive Doctor’s heritage; the fact that she’s a Black woman. We’ve gone into what happened when she left Gallifrey – we’ve also gone to Jamdown, my dear! So we’re in Jamaica in some of the story.
Doctor Who: Circuit Breaker and the Fugitive Doctor: In conversation with Jo Martin and James Page.
"The only time we got him [Richard Dean Anderson] to behave, if you could call it that, was when he had to do scenes with Thor. He loves working with that little guy; the scenes between Thor and O'neill really were a riot to do," says Wood. "Rick had the best time. Each time he walked over to talk to Thor, the puppeteers would make him talk back, but with hilarious ad-libs. There are so many outtakes of Thor yelling things like, 'Dammit! What's my line?'"
-Stargate SG-1 The Illustrated Companion Season 3 and 4, Fair Game, p. 19
Screenshots that I liked of the new seven havens trailer below the cut ✂️ [edit: screenshots and a little commentary from me]
Can't believe they pulled a Parent Trap on these little girls! If anyone hurts them I start throwing knives 🔪
Some kinda airbender statue thingy in the background here! ^
CITIES
LOL RIP TO THESE CITIES I HARDLY KNEW YA
AIRBENDER HOVERBOARD LETS GOOOOO ^
Korra I know you didn't turn evil and this is some unreliable narrator situation, but even if you did turn evil, you deserve to go apeshit if you feel like it. I love you.
Evil diamond shape that looks really familiar hmmmmm???????
Okay, on a more serious note about “Avatar Seven Havens”, the one thing I’m disappointed about with the series is that it seems like Avatar Studios is too afraid of continuing the thread from Korra. I feel like there was a lot of room to really explore the state of the world after Korra, such as the new Airbenders trying to form their own nation, new alliances being formed, the Avatar feeling more and more like a relic of the past due to the advancement of technology.
Instead, they went the post-apocalyptic route. Sounds interesting, but it also feels like it was done because the writers were either afraid of continuing the world expansion started by Korra or just didn’t know how. Personally, I’m leaning towards they didn’t know how considering how Legend of Korra approached more serious topics (coughnonbenderdiscriminationcough). So instead of dealing with things that are beyond their capabilities, such as complex politics, they wipe the board clean so that it’s back to spirits and magic.
That’s the one thing I’m disappointed by. I’m actually fine with everything else. Korra being a hated figure could work as a meta-narrative on Korra’s actual reputation in the fanbase. The Avatar being a hated figure is something I actually really like since that’s a natural development for this kind of character. If there’s a superhuman figure existing in the world whose main responsibility is keeping the peace between the nations, then none of the nations actually have freedom/autonomy since the Avatar is the world police. It makes sense that the Avatar would eventually be hated once the people realize they have to abide by this superhuman’s authority, especially since the Korra series introduced democracy.
But the post-apocalyptic setting…it feels like a cop-out. In my opinion, it feels like Nickelodeon didnt want the Avatar Universe to get too complex, so they reset the world in a way that the main focus will be on more cartoonish concepts. Sure, post-apocalyptic can still be dark, but the politics of Korra (and even ATLA) are gone now. Even though I have MAJOR gripes with how Korra approached politics, the show at least had the courage to take it on. But now, Nick seems to be pushing for the Avatar Universe to be a lot safer and to take less risks. I mean, look at the ATLA Netflix show, they took away Sokka’s misogyny because they thought it was too much for present day audiences.
I guess we’ll see how this goes. I like some of the ideas, but I’m skeptical overall.
deluding myself into believing that actually the writers saw the undeserved hate audiences have been giving korra since the show and decided to play with it in seven havens. yeah. that one shot of her looking evil is going to turn out to be from the perspective of an unproven story about her. anti-korra propaganda became a huge issue by the end of her life and not even a final sacrifice could right her in the eyes of the public. right guys? guys? wait where are you going
turnnoffyourmind
yousharknotpass
prguitarman
baratheonpilled
areudirty
blakekathryn
stormborns
