is that the smell of newfandom?

[salinea]

Yeah so I'm deeply obsessed with Avatar. Sadly from what I've seen so far, the fandom appears to be totally nuts. Shipping wars galore, and bashing, and CAPSLOCK humour (capslock humour is indeed funny... for all of 10 minutes. Okay, the Atla capslock community still appears to be best things for discussions on Atla) and I won't mentionned the jokes based on BUTTRAPED LOLZ. And finding good fics has been difficult (but not entirely impossible). Thankfully there are a few sane people here and now (and I started friending those people. Hi!)


To give you an idea of how obsessed I'm getting with Avatar, I'm watching it all again with a friend. He doesn't like it as much as I do, of course. (I may have over-pitched it), but now that we've finished watching season 2, he's definitly somewhat into it. Although he was all pouty about Zuko going with Azula's plans in CoD. Thought it wasn't in the logical conclusion to the previous characterization (which I disagreed with, way too early yet given the developement given), and that Zuko had no reason to trust Azula (which I agree with, although you can argue he acts anyway without trusting Azula).

On the other hand, that friend is just as in love as I am with Toph. I guess the whole world is ^_^

Hilariously, within a couple of episode of her introduction, he started going on how Toph should hook up with Aang given their personnality and the whole Earth+Air are complements.
me: O_o
friend: And Zuko and Katara would fit better together as well.
me: o_O
me: I kinda like Zuko better with Azula because I love mindfuckery.
friend: O_O;;
me: hey, you're doing more shipping about this show right now than I've ever done!
friend: Nooo, it's not shipping. It's... based upon which personnalities I think would match. I'm not hooking Snape and Harry together because they hate each others and thus it would be subversive and whatever.
me: (But I've never shipped Snarry, wtf?!) Yeah, that's shipping's definition.

Yeah, I guess there really is shipping and shipping XD being involved into a canon relationship's development is utterly different to being intrigued by the idea of a pairing in fanworks. I kinda of like both kinds of shipping in theory, though ^^

To be honest I'm also kinda intrigued by the idea of Toph/Zuko XD They could bond over having had secret identities. In a "He is the Blue Mask, a banished Prince with scores to settle. She is the Blind Bandit, an Earth Bender genius escaping her family's smothering overprotection. Together, they fight commit crime." way.

(why does Toph's 12-year-old-age doesn't squick me when Aang's 12-year-old-age does? Makes no sense)

Otherwise I shared my theory of Exalted!Avatar with him (an Eclipse who disliked Wood as a fifth element for some reason, went out in the Wyld with retinue of other four Aspects of DB. Wyld energies warped their essence and made it more primally elementally focussed. Creation of plenty of weird fuzion of animals due to Wyld as well. Eclipse creates little own world with Wyld shaping charms. Re-tools his own essence so he reincarnates in classical Avatar patterns. Eclipse goes and learns DB charms. Ta-da!)

And on the topic of Exalted/Avatar fuzion check out this : http://forum.200x-rpg.net/viewtopic.php?id=346

(Don't ask me why, but after TV tropes wiki and sane!people from LJ, RPG.net is the best place to get interesting Atla discussions).

Comments

[werthead.livejournal.com]

I am thankful that my net connection is too unreliable for me to sample this series, as I really don't need a new TV show to be addicted to. The Wiki article for the series makes it look pretty interesting. Apparently James Cameron is really annoyed that lots of people think his forthcoming new movie Avatar is based on the series ;-D

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

lol poor James Cameron *doesn't feel sympathetic in the slightest*

it is a pretty nice show. Good worldbuilding, great storytelling and characterization. Very funny. Quite refreshing from an American cartoon ^^

[catiechu.livejournal.com]

If you want fic, do check out retad's and foxysquid's stuff! The former writes a lot of gen while the latter is pretty much the queen of slash in the fandom.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

Thanks! yay recs!

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

you were totally right about foxysquid!! ♥ thanks so much for reccing her.

retad has a good grasp of characterization, but I think she's lacking in plotting and pacing.

(btw, tried to read your fic, but I found the formatting too difficult to read, without space between paragraphs :()

[sakanagi.livejournal.com]

You're at least the third person on my flist to be extremely positive about Avatar. It must be every bit as good as they say. ^^ Well, I'm glad the DVDs don't look too expensive...I wish I'd watched it when it was actually on TV!

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

yeah, it is pretty awesome. For a kid's show. It grows on you ^^

*cough* avatar_episodes

[rebbe]

Oh yes, yes, yes, I love Azula/Zuko. Mindfuckery at its very finest ♥

And yeah, most of the Avatar fandom is pretty batshit D:

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

yes, yes, yes, i know ♥ you know what else I'd read? Ozai/Azula. I'm so going to the special hell >_>;

it's an impressive level of batshit, and I used to be in the Harry Potter fandom O_o;

[the-fox-bandit.livejournal.com]

Flaming Knives has what I'd consider to be the most intelligent Avatar discussion anywhere in the fandom, but it is a Mai/Zuko forum, so if you post there you'd have to avoid Maiko-bashing (not that I'm saying you would do that!).

And, wow, your friend has no clue about how personalities would fit together in romantic relationships. Oh well. I can see why your eyes bugged out at him! Heee.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

so if you post there you'd have to avoid Maiko-bashing (not that I'm saying you would do that!).
I hate bashing in general. Characters bashing, ships bashing, shippers bashing, authors bashing... it all bores me. Actually I rather liek the Mai/Zuko, it's kinda cute in a horribly awkward teenage way. If you'd ask me my favourite canon ship, I think I'd have to say Maiko. Then again, this is not a series for which I feel very shippy in an involvement with canon way ^^ More like taking it in stride of the show's (excellent) character development.

And, wow, your friend has no clue about how personalities would fit together in romantic relationships.
lol well there's not one receipe for romantic relationship. It was kinda of funny to see a non fandom guy person come up with such ships ^^

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

oh, and thanks for the Flaming Knives tip. Do you have a link?

[the-fox-bandit.livejournal.com]

http://flamingknives.proboards54.com/index.cgi

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

This thread needs more Transformers slashfic. :p

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

I don't think I can help you there.

[andy-longwood.livejournal.com]

That thread has me laughing my ass off, omg. XD XD XD Especially the Exalted cover. So fucking true!

Playing an Aang-based Eclipse who's masquerading as a super special dragonblooded would probably be fun.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

^_^

Yes, it would! But then I'd have to make him into a Dynast (because I ♥ the dynasts to much) and it wouldn't be Aang anymore which would be sad.

On the other hand you can totally make Toph with the DB Earth Awareness charms ^_^

[andy-longwood.livejournal.com]

On the other hand you can totally make Toph with the DB Earth Awareness charms ^_^

Already did! XD Actually she's turning more and more into some bizarre combination of Toph, Mai, and Buttercup the Powerpuff Girl, but I play her in the other game my friend David is running and she's made of win. Hooray for pwning dragon-bloods before you've even Exalted!