#b2e7

[mametupa]

[writingfail]

....i don’t remember Wan’s episode being so boring to me.

Yeah, it was gorgeous (the animation is flawless here!! and it’s beautifully stylized), but I had trouble concentrating on this brand new character, Wan, without any real breaks to check back in on the characters we know. Like the writers got overexcited with this new character and thought that making a whole episode about him and him only was a good idea.

Moreover, the logic behind the episode is strange. Wan steals fire from the lion turtle and doesn’t bring it back...and apparently he’s the first to do something like that? Uh, ok, whatever.

What’s even weirder is that the lion turtle is totally chill about it. He’s like “ok whatever you’re banished, but you can keep the fire” but???? then???? what exactly kept people from stealing from the lion turtle when he clearly seems not to give a fuck when someone takes his power??

Also! Raava and Vaatu are supposed to represent yin and yang, right? However, it seems that the Western dichotomy of good vs evil has infiltrated LOK’s understanding of this Daoist concept. Just because yin means darkness, does not mean that it is evil. Similarly, just because yang is light doesn’t mean it’s good (can we just take a moment to acknowledge the fact that LOK mixed up the genders attributed to yin and yang? oh boy, guys, what a sorry depiction of this timeless Chinese belief). I really dislike that the writers completely overlooked all these complex nuances just to get a cheap story rolling.

Just...I think back to the other Avatars’ stories and think that their stories were a bit more engaging. Roku’s episode, for example, didn’t bore me--if anything, I was very much interested in his tale of mercy, of political tensions, and of betrayal. Wan’s story, on the other hand, seems very average and predictable to me. Which is a shame since I feel like his story could have been a lot better.

[writingfail]

agentsokka replied to your post: antifabrony replied to yo...

WRITING SHE’S MINE >:| NO HITTING ON HER KK? *SNUGS HER TIGHT* I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING ELSE THOUGH YES

bUT...SHE DIDN'T TELL ME THAT SHE HAD SOMEONE ON THE SIDE???

castielsmut replied to your post: antifabrony replied to yo...

You know what’s depressing? The fact that this very archetypal character progression and epic story probably wouldn’t fly if Wan were a woman. This type of ancient, eldritch, classical mythology somehow evokes manhood. Patriarchy what’s that?

It's great that you mentioned it because that occurred to me randomly during the second half of the first episode. Had Wan been a woman, it would have gone differently. It's clearer to me now that the Legend of Korra has gendered stories. When the men are the main characters, the romance takes a backseat, as it should. When it's a woman, expect there to be romantic subplots abounding at all the wrong times.

It evokes manhood because all but one of the characters in the story with lines were men. Women appeared in the background or were rendered helpless. I suppose the reason for this is because the era he lived in wasn't quite as encouraging about gender equality, but I don't think that should sway the general competence of women in any story. I also understand that the characters in Wan's story that really mattered in general were Wan, Vatu, and Rava. Still leaves me a little upset when you consider everything else.

[writingfail]

That was...good

Great, in fact. For the first time since episode 5 of Book 1, I feel inspired by the Legend of Korra. My brother and I had watched The Beginnings Parts 1 and 2 and we were taken aback by the beautiful animation and the engaging story. Wan developed from a thieving human to a man with great power and responsibility. He suffered from his actions, learned from them, and sought to change himself because of the consequences that he had faced.

In two episodes, what I had been asking for for 18 episodes has finally happened, and only in the span of 2 episodes.

I'm not trying to glorify Wan's story nor am I trying to sell the idea that the Legend of Korra has changed for the better. If anything, this only makes me feel even more trepidation for episodes to come.

Wan's episodes were handled far, far better than Korra's. I have an idea of WHY this would happen when Korra is the main character, but I am loathe to say it now. However, from what I can see, Wan was clearly liked more than 95% of the actual characters of LoK, including Korra.

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aren't you happy that at least the Avatar spirit itself is female?

not really, no

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ultraericthered replied to your post: “¦this is the avatar i remember not as good or poetic but it’s there...”:

It's glorious, isn't it?

not "glorious" more like..."good"

compared to the rest of lok, then, yeah, it's glorious

[writingfail]

...this is the avatar i remember

not as good or poetic

but it's there and it's making me feel nostalgic

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lmao this is what you get for fighting a fight that you don't understand

now i see where korra got that trait from