Sadly I have not had a chance yet to catch up on the goodness that is the last two episodes, but I am
loving how much the interwebz is all in favour of KorrAsami
no lies detected. In fact, there should be a Korrasami dump in each post in this thread imo
BRILLIANT post krisk. I know I've said it before, but it's always a joy to read what you have to write. Even when I don't agree with you on something at first, you always manage to persuade me by the end of it all.
aw jeez, thank you! And that's not my intention in the slightest, but I'm glad that - if it's a good thing - you're getting something like that from my posts.
I know the feeling you refer to when you say that we're being told to accept them, rather than feeling it out ourselves. But I didn't get that when I watched Ep9. I thought it was nostalgic in the way that they dubbed themselves the "New Team Avatar" referring to ATLA, and quite frankly I was relieved to finally see them rallying to Korra's side. As you said before, ATLA was a deep story that built over time, and I just don't think they have had enough time together as a unit. Although their teamwork under Asami's guidance was pretty good when they were chasing down the chi blockers.
I think the rationalization that they think of Korra first as a friend, and only second as the avatar comes from the fact that she hasn't made much progression in becoming a self realized avatar. So far, she's just a multi-bender, not the link between the spirit world and the physical, so that's how they perceive her.
while I do agree with Team Avatar's chemistry in EP09 being pretty smooth, for me, it was mostly because Lin and Tenzin were leading the pack. Bolin and Asami were just trailing behind and being used as plot-tools. However their lack of screentime is contributed by the pacing of the episode (and overall show) - it's unfortunate that the "Krew"'s potential is suffering from something so technical. That said, I won't be too harsh anymore.
also I think you're proving my point when you stated you were nostalgic. I avoided including a reference to ATLA because I wanted to see if it would be referenced in reply to my post. The fact that they pandered to ATLA fans by having the characters call themselves Team Avatar is, to me, a cheap-shot to garner belief in the audience. The ATLA heroes never called themselves "Team Avatar" or "The Gaang" - the fans did. The fans felt just how each and every single character in the group actually made what the team is supposed to represent. All of them have a stake in the main conflict and even deeper stakes to eachother, and we saw that beautifully done. I mean, when you think and say "Gaang", you don't think of it solely as a reason to give them a title to better your discussion, but instead you actually remember how much effort was put into their dynamics and feel the need to use the title for that (instead of just for conveniency's sake).
Korra's gang, does not, unfortunately instill this type of mentality within me - when I say Krew, I feel nothing and use it for conveniency's sake. And the fact that Bryke had to resort to such levels tells me they didn't have much to go on, and were desperate; they slapped a fake label on something I didn't order (i.e., false-advertisement)
also, when I mentioned the synchronisity of Team Avatar in LoK I didn't mean entirely in battle (which I admit they do/did okay), I meant with eachother. And when you say "time", I blame Bryke for not using the small amount of it building bridges to Team Avatar Town - instead we got lollovequadrilateral because they couldn't "help themselves" pfft.
however, don't get me wrong. We
did get at least some semblence of that Team Avatar that should have been. In EP03, Mako and Korra worked together beautifully. Korra and the airbabies do it together. Tenzin and Korra have a mutual understanding about Amon. And in EP09 we saw a little bit of everyone helping the situation - which is what I want to see.
in terms of in-battle (as well as sub/main-conflict): The Fire Ferrets have great dynamics (but it's still a sport, teamwork kind of comes with the package); Lin and Korra were the OPest team I've seen in bending for a while here - they helped eachother when needed, but also held their own (synchronisity at it's finest); Korra and the airbabies with Korra's relationships (be it romantic or otherwise); Lin, Korra and Tenzin stopping Hiroshi in EP07
e.g., based on listed above:
Mako/Korra - get Bolin back
Korra/airbabies - learn airbending
Tenzin/Korra - Amon's capabilities
Tenzin/Lin/Bolin/Asami/Mako - save Korra's life
Mako/Korra/Bolin - playing the Tournament Finals despite Amon's threat
Lin/Korra - stop Amon
Korra/Jinora/Ikki - help Korra with her insecurities
Lin/Korra/Tenzin - stop Hiroshi
examples like that is what I'm looking for as the parts of the machine we expect in a Team Avatar.
I guess you can say, when I'm in need for some in-group interaction and progress, I'm thinking about a mutual conflict that doesn't originate from fistacuffs. And even if it does, it's for personal stake in the conflict more than a "see-badguy-punch-badguy" type of deal.
re: rationalizationI don't buy it.
From what we've seen they had plenty of chances to perceive Korra's role as The Avatar - they just either ignored it, were too busy or are too self-centered to help her through it.
Remember EP04? She missed practice, and they knew why she did. They could have gone to Air Temple Island and asked her how she was doing, if she was busy with Avatar-business, or even offered to help. They didn't. I know they showed remorse and anger for her not being there, but from what I saw they were cursing her Avatar duties getting in the way of Korra-time (which, then, probably meant Pro-bending winning-time). They knew then.
or how about when Korra publicly stated that she was going to take on Amon, one-on-one. They were there when she announced it. So where were they before she took off? Why didn't they stop her, or offer themselves as back-up? Why didn't they at least play the waiting game to see if she'd make it back to them after the fight? They weren't there for her.
Korra has shown she's the Avatar (not the best, but we see her obvious effort), many a time. And as much as I get that the pro-bending bros are professional athletes when they meet her (and that they probably have to deal with eleviating their poverty), they still seeemed to be friends after she joined the team. They didn't meet her half-way when she needed them the most, and despite their other responsibilities, I hold them in SOME contempt for not at least showing
some semblence of concern for her duty.
so yeah all in all, I don't fault others for wanting to believe that our new Team Avatar is as tight as our other one or tight enough to be deserving of the nicknames (e.g., Team Avatar; The Krew), and I admit that there are various other factors that hinder it from being what it was meant to be - but I don't like that we
were supposed to believe they were off the bat in EP08, just because Bryke uses the characters as their mouth-piece to say so. I'd rather them not outright
saying they were Team Avatar, because then it makes it so much more obvious that the writers didn't have a leg to stand on.
And now that brings me to my own actualization. I've officially (reluctantly) joined in with the "Team Avatar is here" group. We saw what makes the team in EP09 and I'm convinced (enough) to agree that The Krew (kind of) lives. (and gee look at that! I didn't even need Mako or Bolin to scream Team Avatar Go! to save Korra, whodathunk it, Bryke?) Also, I mentioned how the brothers don't care about The Avatar? Mako's behavior has confirmed his character growth in displaying his acknowledgement of Korra's title - he realized she's definitely in mortal danger because of her status and reacted justly. Mako's membership has officiated for Team Avatar - congrats, jerkbender!
TBH it was just a hypothetical plot line. I didn't really consider that Ozai supporters would think his punishment was worse than if he had been killed, but you're right it probably was.
But as for Zuko's birthright? How do you know the Fire Nation values the line of succession more than anything? Iroh was treated with respect, but he was never "the King that should have been" from anyone's POV. Anyway, I didn't mean Ozai could be replaced as a monarch but as a military leader pursuing a righteous goal with a clenched fist. His hypothetical replacement wouldn't come from a perceived problem with the monarchy but a collective agreement that his was the right course.
I'm just going by what I'd perceive as post-war circumstance. I strongly believe that they did a terrible job at presenting genocidal war, and will rely on guesswork to make up how it should have been. I'm not treating it lightly, just because it's a kid's show since this kid's show tackled a very adult situation.
re: value in royal successionI'm mostly going off how they incorporated their reverence for their Kings in their institutions meant to mold the youth, their history, and the fact that they disregard mostly everything the ruling family does when they really shouldn't. It's all slathered with praise and the utmost blind worship - they treat them like gods. In fact, the lack of revolution during the reign of Zuko's predecessors speaks alot about the people. I do admit that a large section of the population (particularly the poor) might have seen the glaring problems of the monarchy, but for the most part I'm taking those who had influence but chose to keep overbearingly silent as a sign of the Nation's acceptance, and therefore approval in things directly related to the monarch. (which I admit isn't the most unbiased representation, but what're you going to do? ATLA didn't show how the other side of the Fire Nation felt about anything, so I can't use any factual evidence).
And Iroh, wasn't it royally decreed that the throne be given to Ozai instead? The people still followed Azulon, even in his dying days - they were more than accepting of his dying command. Also Ozai showed strength and a hungry eagerness to govern, what the Fire Nation people "love" and so I'm not surprised they moved quickly past Iroh without difficulty considering this other Royal Son demonstrated the "power" in his "blood". It's all conjecture by this point, though - imo, if Ozai wasn't there and a strong military General took up Iroh's slack, the people most likely would have argued that he wasn't of royal blood, thus being unfit to rule. On the otherhand, if Azulon himself appointed this make-believe right-hand man, I think the people wouldn't have that much of a problem because their Fire Lord gave his blessing on the unorthodox succession.
It all depends on a line of events that are too intricate to induce anything strong. However, all of my hypothetical happenstance is based on the fact that the aforementioned events would happen as a result of a Royal Decree, and not based on if they were desperate enough.
re: militaristic rulerHm, well I do agree with you there. I guess I can concede to the fact that the line between Royalty and Military is very blurry for the Fire Nation. So much so that it would prove too difficult to tell the difference (Fire Nation management has many connotations, one being in this case, "power" - be it royal or not, it's hard to tell).
However, I just truly believe that the Fire Nation wouldn't sit on their hands on this issue. The monarch bloodline being treated god-like has allowed the Kings and Queens the necessary amount to rule as they see fit - be it unjustly or not. And the people have been fine with it, since the start of the Fire Nation's history.
Also, the Fire Nation Royal Family hadn't always strived for total-world dominance - that was only after Sozin took the throne. If the Avatars (probably Yangchen, Kuruk, and Kyoshi?) living during those dynasties didn't interfere with Fire Nation business, I'm guessing that the Fire Nation was content and/or there was a decidely lack of Fire Nation-threats to global security. It was only until Roku failed to do what was needed that we had an unstoppable nation. The citizens of fire weren't always bad, the monarch that ruled over these people wasn't always bad. If there was some semblence of goodness and pride within the people, I can't see them fighting so hard against the son of god-blood, just because he's "different." It's quite ironic actually. Zuko's reign was probably more remiscent of real traditional Fire Nation blood (i.e., when pride wasn't synonymous with power) than Sozin's, Azulon's, Ozai's and Azula's. Zuko is needed, more than ever.
But I digress; I get what you're saying, and it's a sound argument. If the Fire Nation's active generation then was blood-thirsty and uncontrollable, they probably might have dropped their pride like a cold potato and embraced whoever could ensure victory - the only opposition being made up of older generations and the poor; those who have weak to no voice in the matter. It's unfortunate that the education system, and as a result the people's influence, might have faired better if Sozin hadn't manipulated it so severly just to gain ignorant troops in his armies. Smart militaristic move, but kittenish overall haha.
Anyway, personally, I see some good in the people as a whole, and believe that the majority didn't want the bloodshed that Ozai demonstrated. And if they
did, I see them more likely revolting to put Azula on the throne, instead of some random general who reminded them of Ozai. I guess I'd rather see them as being ignorant (i.e., they believe Royal Blood means Right To Rule) than sadistic animals (i.e., burn them all and take their land, no matter who leads us).
Ok, that might not have been the best wording for this points, but I still agree with some core elements.
You are right, the show isn't trying to makes us empathize with Korra, it's trying to make us empathize with Makorra, aways pushing toward an pairing that on a moral point of view, it's very wrong. It might be subtle, but it's still there.
No, you're concentrating on the audience's emotions too much, in terms of shipping. You're doing it right now by stating that it's "morally" wrong, just because you've a problem with it.
Bryke isn't working to meet the needs of the audience when it comes to their romance. It's not up to the audience to dictate how much shipping, which pairing gets more uh, "push" than others - that doesn't matter to the writers. It's THEIR romantic narrative and they're gonna do what they want with it. Who cares if the audience doesn't approve? It's not like the audience is an active participant in the romance (unless they self-insert, which is hilarious and sad). In fact, the wrong word you're using is "empathize" which is, more often than not, the opposite of what the writers intend the audience to do, in terms of romance. Sympathize is what you're looking for, and if not, acknowledge and respect follows.
All our job is is to
respect how the characters feel. That's it. Your frustration with one pairing getting more screentime is baseless since Bryke didn't gift this show to you, or part of the audience that shares your views. They're telling their story how they want to, not how their audience wants it to. Be a fan and respect their MC's preferences in boys.
and just because it's "omg bad" doesn't mean they shouldn't utilize it like they are. LoK has presented many realistic situations - and the romance is no different. Frankly I like that the writers didn't let potential disapproval from the audience stop them from doing the whole Mako thing. They're challenging the status-quo of traditional romantic narrative in cartoons (i.e., "you're my forever girl") and doing something complicated - I respect them for that. Their characters are teenagers, teenage love is never easy and the writers kept this in mind and thereafter applied it appropriately.
regardless, I've already replied in bulk below to the complaints implying that our canon-romance is "morally bad" as unfounded below, take it as you wish.
And man, I absolutelly disagree, the show was trying to make the audience "squee" when Mako carried Korra away and carassed her face, that was obviously supposed to look romantic, just ask anyone, they would agree. I dare to say the whole freaking episode Mako was acting as an protective lover who was separated from his girl, I'm afraid he wouldn't get that mad if this happened to Asami. I understand that he gets worried, I understand that he gets mad, but what really annoy me is how seems so... possesive of Korra, I don't know, I get a really weird vibe when Mako is thinking about Korra in this episode, I think he wasn't this mad when Bolin got captured, and the guy is his only family left. At that time Mako at least managed to keep some of his cool during the pursuit for his brother.
then, with you, it's ultimately subjective. You're juxtapositioning that scene with previous exposure to a thought process that "carrying" as "bridal style" is always romantic, and it's influencing your response. Changing another person's position like that is not always romantic. In fact, how else was he supposed to pull her from Naga? Drag her so she's standing and support her like that? (she's about to pass out again, it'd be counter-productive for her). Throw her over his back?
I never said that him caressing Korra wasn't romantic, I agreed with the general consensus that he was in the wrong because it was, in fact, romantic. You're taking the whole thing and making it mean something. I'm splitting my judgment based on them being two separate actions, instead of one long one. I agree with you on the caress (that was obviously romantic, I'm not fighting this blatant move) however I very much do not believe him pulling Korra
away from all that political bullsh** was wrong and romantic. Don't disregard what I actually wrote by putting words in my mouth that imply I was being contradictive - I wasn't.
re: Mako's behaviorthat's on you then, and I wish you good luck because you're conveniently dismissing important events that lead up to Mako's (separate) reaction(s).
first, I don't see how he showed possessiveness. He didn't exactly tell the others to let him save her alone or lament the fact that he should have "been there for her". All he did was freak out by showing emotion, and the right type of emotion - it was easy to perceive it as extreme because everyone else was so chill in comparison. You're expecting him to slow it down because everyone else was.
second, it's pretty obvious why you got the vibe of him acting like Korra's lover; Mako has feelings for her. Also what? The fact that he doesn't have anything "official" with Korra equates his feelings and behavior as unfounded or outrageous? Um, he (or any other human being) doesn't need an official "title" to validate a response - only that they have the emotions to back it up. Are you implying that you need to be in an official relationship with someone (bf/gf; marriage; kin; etc) to have your emotions validated? That doesn't make sense, we're not robots that get inputted with an Relationship Validation Chip (i.e., I-Have-A-Significant-Other chip) when we meet someone new. We don't have an emotion-program.exe installed that keeps our feelings "in check" and our corresponding actions regulated, only responsive to one person (i.e., our significant other). The fact that Mako strayed from Asami with his heart shouldn't be demonized whatsoever. He's human, and expecting him to be something other than that is impossible and, frankly, immature.
re: Mako with AsamiYou're making presumptions on a situation (i.e., Asami being kidnapped) that hasn't happened. So I can't give you anything for that.
On the otherhand, you bring up Mako not caring - but he does. He HAS gotten worked up over Asami's protection.
Remember EP07? Mako was Douchebag King in that episode, because something was threatening his girlfriend and the foundation of her life (i.e., if Mako didn't protect his girlfriend from the "truth", she'd suffer by losing her father, her sense of security, and be forced to make a very difficult choice that would shape the rest of her life). He
reacted on a level that was almost parallel to how he reacted to Korra's kidnapping.
(also before you jump on me for validating his behavior in EP07 when I explicitly have damned him for it previously, keep in mind that "validation" does not coincide with "absolve" - I don't excuse him like I did in EP09, but merely ratified why he did. In the former, Mako voluntarily let his reaction cause collateral damage to someone who's supposed to be his friend. In the latter, Mako's crazy reaction hurt no one except scaring some Equalists. Asami was hurt, yes, but Mako did not do this voluntarily - he wasn't aware that his behavior exacerbated Asami's already present insecurity [and if Asami hasn't expressed disapproval about his straying eyes, he can't really have something to base his potential restraint on]; he simply doesn't know Asami is jealous.)
Regardless, he did in fact show his craziness before, Asami was the center. He cares. Alot.
re: Mako with Bolin You can't really compare Bolin and Korra's situation because Mako didn't know just
what Bolin was doing.
Mako stated that Bolin has a penchant for always getting into trouble and he's usually the one to get him out of his self-inflicted shenanigans - wouldn't you be more relaxed if you had a plentiful amount of experience with the same situation? Why freak out if a part of you is rationalizing your emotions in check because it may very well turn out to be a wild-goose chase, and your bro more than likely turns out safe and sound in the end? Mako merely based the way he was supposed to act on his previous experience (like how someone usually treats a situation they've had continued exposure to, throughout their life). With Bolin's situation, Mako could definitely rationalize away his fear enough to keep his cool (i.e., Bolin's gone? He's either gambling or eating or getting into other non-fatal trouble - again. No big deal, I'll just go see if I can track him down, once I find him I'll scold him, he'll ignore me and we can eat some din-dins -
as per usual.)
|
|
L_> line of events in EP03:In this episode's case, Mako guessed that his brother was with Korra. No big deal. So Mako goes to ask her if she'd seen his brother (to confirm his guess). When he finds out that Bolin's not there, he wants to move on instantaneously. He doesn't linger, he doesn't chat, he doesn't waste time - he turns around with plans to head straight back into the city to see if he can ask his other sources. He's stopped by Korra's insistence and only after she works on him, does he give acquiesce to her helping him find his brother. He knows Korra isn't prone to serious-biznes, and didn't want to waste time trying to convince her that she'd just goof off instead of finding his brother. This ALL tells me that Mako is starting to freak out. (Mama-Bear Mako Tension Rating: 4.0)
And then, throughout the episode, you see his demeanor deteriorate from a "dammit bolin" to a "kitten got real" response, as he races against time. He kept his cool because he covered more ground as they progressed and began to find out where Bolin was (i.e., the Triple Treat Triads are involved, and given his history with them, Mako probably rationalized that they wouldn't harm his brother, only just use him unfairly - which tells me that Mako knows not to freak out just yet.) He's placating himself because he
knows what the threat is, and the threat-level of Bolin's situation. He
knows the Triads are involved, he knows they wouldn't kill Bolin. Furthermore, if you keep EP09 in mind, Mako couldn't have
afforded to freak out simply because he was the only one who could do the job.
In EP09, Lin and Tenzin were there to pick up the technical slack: Mako didn't
need to be in total control because Tenzin and Lin played "grown-up" and more than likely would have handled the situation if he did freak-out - and he/they did. Mako let himself loose because he
knew he wasn't Korra's only hope, he knew he wasn't the only part in the machine that might find and save Korra. Whereas, in EP03, Mako
by himself made up the rescue-team and was the only thing that would actually ensure Bolin's safety. Without him, Bolin would probably end up dead.
This is extremely important and I'm sorry to say that I almost missed it completely. The fact that Mako held himself in check because
he had to really made me... respect him. He truly is responsible in the sense of acknowledging just how far he can/is allowed to push his limitations regarding a catastrophe. He's genuinely aware of his environment and situation before emoting as he wants/needs to. As such, he didn't completely lose his kitten with Bolin's kidnapping, because if he
did, no one would be there to save Bolin. He couldn't afford to, so he held himself in check for as long as he could. He's more aware of himself than we give him credit for, regarding saving his loved ones.
I digress: with Mako establishing what Bolin's situation was thus far, he did two things: didn't have a total meltdown (as aforementioned) and he upped his game. (Mama-Bear Mako Tension Rating: 6.0 to Mama-Bear Mako Tension Rating: 7.5 following him finding out that the Equalists are involved)
And then finally, only until he saw Bolin on that stage and saw what Amon was planning for him did he move his mama-bear mode into the red and thereafter start demanding Bolin's safety. He gives up his
scarf (something extremely important to him) to
Korra (chaos incarnate) in hopes of somehow getting Bolin back. It's not as obvious as him losing his kitten with Korra's kidnapping, but it definitely speaks of the same volume. (Mama-Bear Mako Tension Rating: 10)
All in all, with Mako, he knew from the get-go that Korra had been kidnapped. He'd never had to deal with a girl he's had feelings for getting taken away like that and more than likely in mortal danger (she's the
Avatar; her enemies won't
deal with it kitten around). Him freaking out to that degree displays his acknowledgement that Korra's situation is very different than Bolin's or Asami's. Korra could be possibly dead, while Bolin and Asami's situations were either inconclusive and/or non-fathal - there's a huge difference. In fact, he still acted like a crazy person with all three situations - the severity of his response directly coincided with the threat, and how he was cathartic about his Code-Red responses, in three different, but similar, ways.
Summarily of Mako reaching his peak (i.e., this MC's characterization demonstrated by the climax of the conflict):Bolin (kidnapped but safe) - INFILTRATING THE ENEMY'S BASE; GIVING UP HIS MOST PRIZED POSSESSION; DESPITE POOR CHANCES OF WINNING, FIGHTS GANG OF NEW ENEMIES (AGAIN)
Asami (completely safe, but deeply emotionally threatened) - KING DOUCHEBAG TO ALL
Korra (definitely not safe, could be dead, might not get back) - COMPLETE AND TOTAL MELT-DOWN
CODE
INITIALIZING...............LOK-EP07
SUBJECT....................Asami Sato
ALT. CLASSIFICATION........Girlfiend
input:::
Threat-Response system protocol src="Mama Bear Mode Vrs. 18"
First Priority=src "Asami's emotional safety"
Disregard: Friendship
Threat not available: death
Response not available: physical altercation
Threat available: emotional pain
Response: ultimate jerkbending
trouble-shooting ... .... ... run "DouchebagKing.exe"
Start-up...
Situation available...
Analysis confirmed::
- gf is emotionally distressing by accusations
input: anger, distrust and warnings to anyone that is a threat ("Korra, stop or we're through!")
- truth promises a complete negative impact on gf's lifestyle
input: keep gf physically away from learning about her father ("Stay here, Asami")
alt. input: if situation is as expected, can placate gf by lying or down-playing Subj: Hiroshi Sato's betrayal to protect
Disengage "DouchebagKing.exe" :: Subj: Asami is hurt, this unit failed to protect, will take advice of TheAvatarGottaDealWithIt.exe and stay with Subj: Asami
Engage Auto-pilot:: Boyfriend.exe
[beep]
[boop]
[beep]
INITIALIZING...............LOK-EP03
SUBJECT....................Bolin
ALT. CLASSIFICATION........Brother
input:::
Threat-Response system protocol src="Mama Bear Mode Vrs. 18"
First Priority=src "Bolin's location"
Second Priority=scrc "Bolin's bending"
Third Priority=src "Bolin's safety"
Disregard: Pleasantries; scare-tactics; Police; DeadFather.exe 's scarf
Threat not available: death
Response not available: melt-down
Threat: kidnapping; bending
Treat_Kidnapping confirmed // Permission to Respond Emotionally? Negative [this unit is alone in saving Subj: Bolin (Subj: Korra's capabilities are inconclusive)]
Response: rescue
trouble-shooting ... ... ... run "SurrogateMother.exe"
Start-up...
Situation available...
Anylsis confirmed::
- bro is missing location inconclusive; must-be somewhere I know of ("Love-bird must be making a call at Korra's")
input: exasperation, search calmly
- bro not where I thought he was
input: worry, immediately ask sources ("You have anything, Skoochy?"); give money this unit doesn't have for information
- bro is apparently with Subj: Shady Shin; Triads.exe is involved; death not issue, but still bad
input: serious up, controlled anger at them taking advantage of his brother, objective makes this unit disregard everything else
- find bro, but a new enemy has him; Equalist.exe not interested in murder, but bending is at stake
input: no thinking to consequences give chase; fight enemy this unit knows is better at freestyle fighting (their cqc > this units cqc) fight anyway; lose
- bro is with Equalists but location unknown
input: search all night till exhaustion
- bro is with Equalists but location is unknown; the protestor knows where the Equalists are, thus knows where Subj: Bolin is
input: not stop Subj: Korra in threatening the protestor even though this unit should (Tarrlok: "You go to extremes, Korra, to get what you want"); whatever it takes to find location
- bro location found
input: under-cover is smartest route; go in enemy terrority where the odds are vast (2:50) - danger level: extremely high
- bro's bending at risk; mentality and well-being in danger
input: Code Red.exe, give this unit's most-prized-possession.rar to Subj: Korra with knowledge that Subj: Korra is also TheAvatarGottaDealWithIt.exe; no choice, Subj: Bolin is in danger
- bro is almost safe; Equalists blocking route; have to escape
input: throw Equalist-grunt.exe across the room; grab bro and make a run for it
Disengage "SurrogateMother.exe" :: Subj: Bolin is safe
Engage Auto-pilot:: Brother.exe
[beep]
[boop]
[beep]
INITIALIZING................LOK-EP09
SUBJECT.....................Korra
ALT. CLASSIFICATION.........Friend
ALT. CLASSIFICATION.........LI
ALT. CLASSIFICATION.........Avatar
input::
Threat-Response system protocol src="Mama Bear Mode Vrs. 18"
First Priority=src "Korra's life"
Disregard: Mental-state; potential response LoseMykitten.exe may cause in by-standers (gf, adults)
Threat not available: Not found
Response not available: ERROR
Threat available: kidnapping; death
Treat_Kidnapping confirmed // Permission to Respond Emotionally? Affirmative [this unit is not alone in saving Subj: Korra (Subj: Lin and Subj: Tenzin are available)]
Response: no-holds barred
trouble-shooting ... ... ... run "Untitled.exe"
Start-up...
Situation available...
Analysis confirmed::
- korra is kidnapped
input: denial; it's not true, Subj: Korra wouldn't be just taken like that, Subj: Korra is too strong
- korra is kidnapped, apparently, by Amon
input: oh kitten son, utter distress; move Threat Level: High-to-Severe
- korra's airbending teacher may know
input: demand leads; probability higher than normal, hope for progress
- korra may be somewhere! hope is restored
input: go there directly
- korra may be underground
input: straight serious business; react in anger when gf questions solution (if this unit does not have a solution, it cannot save Subj: Korra's life)
- korra may not be underground
input: make-sure with Subj: Lin; follow regardless of denial
- korra most definitely may not be underground; time is running out, thought process: Korra has died a possibility
input: melt-down initiated; grab Equalist and demand answers - Equalist denies Amon's involvement, but Tarrlok (different threat, possibly different consequence)
- korra still missing
input: stay awake all day and night searching with everyone else; essentially accomplishes nothing and thus does not help alleviate this unit's reaction
- korra is found and alive; looks almost dead and is being interrogated
input: demand for Subj: Korra to have space; pull her away as well to ensure Subj: Lin and Subj: Tenzin do not negatively impact Subj: Korra's health
- korra is alive
input: relief; over-stepping this unit's responsibilities as Boyfriend.exe to Subj: Asami - Untitled.exe using majority of this unit's resources to be aware
Disengage "Untitled.exe" :: Subj: Korra is safe
Engage Auto-pilot:: Unknown.exe
[beep]
[boop]
[beep]
by the beard of zeus this was fun to write. thanks alex for the inspirationYou said that person was disregarding Mako feelings for Korra, but you are also disregarding that these said feelings are beseless and without origin, they were literally created out of thin air in episode 5 for the sake to further the romantic drama between the characters. Untill episode 4 Mako only saw Korra as an friend and nothing else, only to drastically change that a episode later, so I think his reaction to Korra being kidnapped is NOT justified, it's exagerated.
I'm not sure what kind of protection you mean, because to me, Asami is in more in need of support then protection at this point. And those two are different as far as I know.
Ok, you got that one right, indeed Asami gave up of a lot of thinks because of what she believed, and not because of Mako, I totally agree, her character goes beyond that.
LOL dude that's not my problem (nor is it anyone who's defending Mako 's problem either). I'm not here to validate just
why Mako feels the way he does
about Korra, just to defend that he does and what he chooses to do about it.
Obviously I agree that his feelings were pretty poorly introduced (I have stated it before in this thread) but my arguments are centered on him being able to express them as he did because it's been established already. (i.e., the only thing my defense is based off of is the fact that his feelings for her were/are established, and not how/why/when they came to be.)
I'm going off the plain reactive facts. I can't get any more objective than I am now:
A: Yes, Mako likes Korra.
B: Yes, Mako is a protective dude.
C: Yes, Korra is in mortal danger.
D: Yes, Mako wants protect Korra
E: Mako wants to protect Korra but can't, because she's in mortal danger, and as a result, reacts as does
in mathematical terms:
(A + B + C) - D = EYou act like I'm trying to convince you to ship Makorra, but that's definitely not my intention. My defense is centered around Mako himself and against the witch-hunt that's going on - he shouldn't be receiving animosity for what he did simply because he has feelings, it's unfair. People are getting seriously touchy about this, projecting their indignation without considering that what's happening
happened as a result of something
else happening. That said, his reaction is justified partially because he FEELS for Korra (no matter where and how he began to: I'm concentrating on the fact that we're aware that he feels something and reacts as such, not if the origin of his feelings is strong enough to in someway justify just how much Mako loses his kitten. It's not my duty: the writers sucked at inserting Mako's romantic reciprocation into the narrative properly and it's not my job to defend why I'm defending what I'm defending because of this), he has ROOM to (Lin and Tenzin are there to pick up his slack, if he does lose it [which is pretty damn evident in the episode]), and Korra may be DEAD (I'm not mincing words here, whoever thinks Mako should've cooled his jets for whatever reason either doesn't know the definition of "dead" is or isn't aware of Amon's capabilities [and I'm aware that Amon didn't kidnap Korra, but Team Avatar wasn't prior to Tenzin's DUNDUNDUN moment]).
I just don't understand how people don't understand the latter. Are the people who are angry at Mako for not acting more chill forgetting that it's established Korra may die? Or that his reaction is completely believable simply because he CARES for her - as a friend, lover, whatever? Korra may be dead and Mako can't do kitten about it - it's justified. (seriously omg even if he didn't have feelings for her, I'm still glad he freaked out - Korra could be possibly dead and you want him to calm down because he apparently he's not
allowed to? Okay.)
tl;dr, his feelings are established in the romantic narrative. His reaction is justified because of his consistent characterization in dealing with 2 other instances, and the fact that the situation allows him to and that's my evidence.
re: protectionuh.. you're arguing semantics, which isn't really worth throwing in as defense since it's plainly too weak of a subjective stance to take and apply in a debate.
If you can't surmise that "support" comes hand-in-hand with protection, I don't know what to say. You treat them as different things, so I can't do anything about it.
Regardless, I brought enough to the plate to support my argument. For instance, when I directly quoted Korra, I exemplified my agreement with Korra's conclusion that Asami needs
him. Mako embodies what Asami needs as a boyfriend - protection, support, care, etc. Significant other encompasses all of these traits, and that was my main point. No matter the
one word I used (which again is semantics and frankly irrelevant).
Besides, I'd already been associating Mako with "protection" in my post - it's not hard to see that I'm applying the word more so as paradigm to encompass Mako and his characterization entirely, than a sole descriptor limited into one definition from dictionary.com
or or...lets make it interesting! maybe she gets bolin to make mako jealous!! i mean if korra can kiss mako while hes still dating asami i dont see why she cant fight back.
wait, who would she be fighting against exactly?
See, from the get-go I wanted Mako and Korra to get together because...he's pretty XD and for some reason it felt right because at first it didn't seem like Mako really had any interest. Gradually though you sort of saw that build-up (okay not gradually it was more like someone threw a rock at Mako's head and he realized something). Anywho, after episode 5, things started feeling weird. It felt too rushed. And I can see that it adds a bit to Mako's character flaws and humanity but...the way the writers went about it was abrupt and just meh. ANYWHO, 'NUFF ABOUT THE SHIPS~
BUT SHIPPING IS EVERYTHING WAIFU PLS.
lmao the weirdness comes from the Masami being thrown needlessly into a recipe that's now a goddamn tainted hot mess.
It's like, we're gonna have some kittening tasty as kitten din-dins at the end of the day right? We're sitting here, watching the cook (Bryke) prepare our meal.
oh god fake cut for space, this came outta nowhere and was totally unintentional lmaooo
--Click here to view--The pan is sitting there, huge and daunting but hey it looks like it can hold it's own with whatever goes in. The stove is powerful too. And so are the utensils. Ultimately, the necessary equipment is good enough to produce and eat a healthy and filling meal.
The ingrediants are sitting next to the pot, all of the main characters look hot er, I mean the ingredients are
fresh while their characterizations look strong er, quality looks
juicy. We've got a good helping of Korra-meat and Mako-veggies - we're to expect a great goddamn filling meal, with what we've seen so far yeah?
So our cook gets to work. He opens up the fresh ingrediants - Korra-meat looks of the highest quality known to man. The Mako-veggies different, but still oh-so gud. Both look sexy and great there, sitting together, ready to be cooked together for us. We're excited! And we watch, happy, as our cook throws in both the Korra-meat and Mako-veggies into the pan - seasoning, salting, peppering, appropriately. They sizzle together and our mouths water.
But then suddenly our cook stops altogether. We look up, confused. "What's wrong, Bryke?" we ask, innocently. "Why'd you stop?"
And slowly, our cook gets this weird look on his face. His mouth stretches to his ears, his eyes squint and develop this strange sadistic sparkle and wrinkles break his skin like fissures after an earthquake. He starts making this weird noise, raspy high-pitched sound that grates on our ears. Our eyes widen as the devil's music starts whispering out of their ugly cracked lips: "trololololo" ...OH SHI- and then SUDDENLY HE PULLS OUT TWO SURPRISE INGREDIANTS!
Asami-pie and a can of cheese-wizBut we don't have time to figure out what's happening, because slowly but surely, our cook's hips start moving. Back and forth, back and forth, gyranting almost to
a familiar beat, it's horrifically mesmerizing; we want to, but we can't look away. And soon the implications of what's happening smack us in the face, but it's too late - our cooks have already started adding their "special artistic integrity" into a recipe that was fine on it's own.
The Mako-veggies are picked up and ruthlessly SHOVED into the Asami-pie. Our jaws drop, mouth's dry as the Sahara, as we watch Bryke air-hump the monstrosity that is the Asami-pie, tainted with the Mako-veggies. But it's not over. Bryke lifts up the abomination-pie and SLAMS it into the pristine pan, which was once so beautiful. And now, the ingrediants are all warring with eachother, as if pleading to be taken out of the hell they are in (
Why dad? Why you do dis?) - but our cook pays them no heed, concentrating on our horrified faces.
"Wh-what are you doi-" we try, but cut ourselves off when Bryke moves again.
Our cook shakes the pan violently, forcing the ingrediants to break against eachother and remnants of meat and veggies and pie mix disgustingly. Then, Bryke turns and pulls out the once-forgotten can of cheese-wiz and SQUEEZES THAT kitten EVERYWHERE.
"OH GOD, WATER YOU DOING YOU MONSTER"
Our shouts fall on deaf ears as the gyration of Bryke's hips speed up, their giggling intensifies as they pull out a ladle and start mixing whats in the pan. The Korra-meat is undeservingly being mixed with pie-covered veggies, and the cheese is making the meat's overall quality almost wilt. The veggies are inscrutible from their respective food group, and the pie is sadly so confused as to why it's in a sizzling pan in the first place. The Asami-pie believes it should be on a clean plate somewhere else, being enjoyed by itself since it knows it's amazing alone - without goddamn veggies messing up the flavor.
We watch in silence, numbness creeping into our bones as our din-dins become the Devil's plaything.
It's not over, just yet - Bryke pulls the meat out, with orange-stained fingertips and THROWS IT ACROSS THE ROOM.
"UMAD UMAD UMAD UMAD?" Our cook taunts, gleefully, as he dances around the meat on the floor. "No, just upset" it replies. Our cook pauses, before shrugging and moves back to the pan. The pie and the veggies are sitting in the pan, "um.. I guess we could stay here," they say to eachother. "Yeah, you're hot I'm hot, why not be hot together?"
We sit by, our brains whimper, "it.. it doesn't work like that."
But we can do nothing now.
And after a bout of horrific silence, amazing ingrediants thrown into places undeservingly so - its a culinary massacre - the cook seems to realize his mistake. His face relaxes, the smile is gone, the devil's tune fades away - Bryke has this look on his face, an almost sad look, before shrugging. He then turns to our husk-like body, "You'll still eat this. I don't really care if you like it or not - there's that shot of Linzin whiskey to numb your tongue over there if you want, but that's about it."
"W-what.."
And then, our cook's face stretches again, his hips start vibrating again. His giggling fills the air as he skips back over to the Korra-meat sitting alone and covered in overly processed canned-cheese, picks it up and throws it in a new but cold pan. Then he reaches back in his first pan and starts picking out the cheese and pie covered veggies before throwing them with the tainted meat. The sweetpie is sitting, confused and sad and hurt because it had just gotten to like the cheese-covered veggie's presence. "Why did you put my veggies in the other pan, dad?" it asks - but the cook doesn't answer. He goes on to cook what's in the second crack-covered pan, which looks stained with... tears. The cheesy taint seeps into every crevice of the once-delicious ingrediants, into what was going to be a badass meal.
"
Get reaaady!" He sings to us, as we sit with an empty plate and a loss of appetite.
TO BE CONTINUED IN "TURNING THE
STOMACHS TIDES"
--
omfg where did this come from it became a whole story i'm sorry chew holy kitten bahahhaha
The plot of Korra itself is awesome. In some respects I prefer this spin-off to the original ATLA series. Korra gives off a more mature and dark vibe, which I personally prefer. ATLA was fantastic and epic and is my favorite American animated show, but it seemed a bit childish at times (especially when Aang did his random circus tricks). Of course, it was intended for a younger Nickelodeon audience so that's understandable. Korra, on the other hand starts off with an older Avatar (she's 16 while Aang was 12), but also starts off with more internal struggles than simply mastering all the elements (though there was a bit of an internal struggle with the pressure Aang faced, Aang for the most part had his morals and sense of self defined). TLOK starts off with Korra being a hot-headed and impulsive teenage girl who has already mastered 3/4 elements and is said to be very strong from the get-go; however, she can't airbend and is described as spiritually handicapped (in essence) and lacking discipline- the complete opposite of Aang. It is because of this very fact that I feel that TLOK's plotline revolves around more internal struggled than quests and element mastery. Aang had an established sense of morals ('Thou shalt keep peace etc), where as Korra constantly questions her strength, resolve and usefulness. Even when trying to master airbending, she continuously asks herself why she "can't do it", and at the same time tries to prove something to herself, which leads to internal clashes and several instances of an identity deficit. I feel that Korra knows what THE Avatar does and what other Avatars have accomplished- but I don't believe she knows what HER duty as the Avatar is yet. She follows in her pre-incarnations footsteps, but hasn't formed a complete idea of what she as the avatar should do (if this makes sense). Bolin and Co. establishing themselves as Team Avatar 2.0 seemed to give her a sense of that, until Tarrlok took that away.
In relevance to how this brief character (and series) analysis plays into future plotlines, I think (and hope) that the next few episodes will revolve around Korra's personality development and establishment of her identity as Korra, both as an Avatar and a 16-year old teenage girl with normal feelings.
To be continued...when I'm not on my phone
Edit:
...ah, now where were we. Right, Korra character development. To tie all of this together, in ATLA, Aang already had a set of morals and principles that weren't necessarily heavily questioned until the final arc when he was going to face Fire Lord Ozai. Korra however, as previously mentioned, has a spiritual deficit, and doesn't really know who she is or how she's supposed to take on all of these tasks that were handed to her because she's the Avatar, all the while dealing with typical everyday issues. The fact that identity crisis/deficit is a prevalent theme in this show, imo, gives it a more realistic and hence darker atmosphere. I personally prefer TLOK over ATLA simply because of this, although I wish the story would go on for a bit longer
/end random Korra speech
omg this speech is amazing, I want to read it to some Marvin Gaye while eating chocolate covered strawberries it's that good.
I mean, I gotta agree with you, chew. Korra's a girl after my own heart, and I can't help but think this MC is such an improvement from the last. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind Aang (much) I just didn't feel anything with him. Korra on the otherhand is seriously doing it for me. She's brash, impulsive, kicks ass, wants to save
everyone and wears her feelings on her sleeve. She's honest to a fault and she sees no problem in trying her hardest to do what she believes in. She also gives up what she wants - something that Aang never did, and that to me is what I needed in an Avatar.
I admit she's not perfect, but her flaws are more approachable and she's
learning. I needed a MC who does something of the lowest kind (she wants to get to the result as fast and efficiently as she can despite the consequences, very real) and then learns that no, she can't do that. I mentioned how each episode the heroes (in this case Korra baring the brunt of it) lose at the end? What I'm loving from it is that Korra's ass gets kicked each and everytime - and I feel that the writers choice in going this route was very smart. Korra's a fighter, through and through, and a way for a fighter to actually
get that they lost something is when they get their asses handed to them in a
fight. Korra heart is of a fighter, and when she loses a fight she can't win - the lesson is full-force clear as crystal. I may be being very black-and-white, but I'm so loving seeing Korra visibly
pick herself up, brush herself off and reasess what she did wrong - and then ultimately fight again. aw yiss!
also you mentioned ATLA. Couldn't have said it better myself. I'd also like to add the "internal" and "self-contained" portion of what you said about LoK.
LoK is doing something very difficult here, what with it being shoved and nailed under it's predecessor's shadow: each episode is self-contained in ONE setting, while ATLA got away utilizing it's countless settings. With ATLA, they moved to a new location every single episode. They didn't stay in one spot and the sub-plots that corresponded with their "adventures" were influenced by each new environment they settled themselves into. With LoK on the otherhand, the complete "adventure" sub-plot is thrown almost completely onto the character's shoulders - not the stage itself. It's extremely difficult to play out a narrative subplot when your environment doesn't change with each episode, and I think the LoK cast is doing a wonderful job - if you consider how well the show is doing overall. People need to give credit where it's due, tbh. Kinda tired of seeing ATLA being praised for something that should be considered an unfair advantage within a comparative stand-point of itself with LoK.
/circle-jerks with waifu
Edited by krisk, 14 June 2012 - 08:56 PM.
