#it’s funny cause I expected to hate it

[heizerux]

This whole review is a C+ to me lol

Did we watch the same fucking Iroh? The entire time he’s watching over and guiding Zuko to his conclusions that this obsession with finding the avatar will not fucking fix his daddy issues. He’s not entirely being direct with it, sure, but he’s doing it in his own way. I mean is he wrong? Clearly he’s not.

Now on the Iroh doing THAT to Zhao. It’s like we forget who Iroh USED to be capable of before he lost his son. Yes it was a bold fucking move to add that in, but it’s pretty telling that Iroh would never allow harm to come to Zuko’s way. I just didn’t take too much issue with this. You say it’s bad because it took Zuko’s moment of compassion away, but he gets that in other moments where he talks to Aang about handwriting and what he did to get the 41st Division.

As for growth, WELL. You’re talking about 1 season written into 8 episodes based on 20 episodes from a cartoon that’s over 10 years old. Katara had a lot of growth within her bending. Sokka was trying to get over his insecurity of not being good enough because of his daddy but that’s not entirely an overnight thing to get over. I think the live action did well in portraying Aang as a literal kid that woke up thinking he just got lost in a storm to the reality his entire race had been cleared, he is indeed the avatar as in his pov he was o ly told just earlier that “day”, and the world is at war. I just don’t think it was unrealistic for him to not have this major growth arc right away in the live action as he was barely trying to understand what it means to be the avatar. They’re all litterally just fucking kids and in this version, they’re barely at step 1/20 at becoming a better version of themselves. Zuko too as we last see him reflect on his journey up to that point and what the entire point even was for him.

Look, how do I put this.

ANYTIME there is a LIVE ACTION of something coming out, especially with young characters involved, it will NEVER be a direct copy of the original because not everything can translate to live action.

For example some changes they made in the event of this gets renewed, they will have to do small time jumps to work with the aging actors. This also goes as to why some “character growth” seemed to lack in this first session, as it’s meant to happen over “several years”. Now sure, you can complain about this too and say how awful it is, but that’s the reality of working with real life kid actors and overall, translating a work like this into a “real life adaptation”.

Ppl complain a lot about the pacing and how it didn’t correlate to the original, but … you’re talking about 20 episodes worth of plot needing to be squeezed into 8… Like bffr right now.

Sure, the easiest thing would have been to not bother committing to even creating a live action because the task will never be easy. I bet you that’s probably also why the original creators left this project too as they realized they weren’t gonna be able to tell or show everything down to 8 fucking episodes and knowing how critical this fandom is, it wasn’t looking good. Then there’s the uncertainty that it will even be received well (as you can see here). In their stand point, it’s wise to move on and distant from this project. Instead I hear they are just making a movie where they are all young adults (but rumors are rumors at the moment).

The show is not that bad. It even had the support of the original voice actors to the new actors. If you watch it blindly with putting what you know about the original to the side, you’ll find yourself to actually enjoy it and interested in where it’s going. If you go in fully expecting a replica of an old cartoon, well… you’re gonna have a take like this post as well as the many others in these notes.

See it as a literal retelling and reimagining because that’s exactly what it is.

Once again, this is the first love vs new partner analogy all over again. They will never be the same no matter how badly you want it to be and a very hard pill to swallow for everyone.

So, uh, Netflix Avatar, huh? Yeah. I guess I'll make a really long post about it because ATLA brainrot has is a cornerstone of my personality at this point.

So.

It's okay. B, maybe a C+.

That's it.

Now for the spoilers:

The biggest issue with the Netflix version is the pacing. Scenes come out of nowhere and many of the episodes are disjointed. Example: Aang escaping from Zuko's ship. We see him getting the key and going "aha!", and in the next scene he's in Zuko's room. And then he just runs out, no fun acrobatics or fights, and immediately they go to the Southern Air Temple where he sees Gyatso's corpse, goes into the Avatar state, and then sees Gyatso being really cheesy, comes out of it, and resolves that conflict. Nothing seems to lead into anything. The characters don't get to breathe.

The show's worst mistake (aside from Iroh fucking murdering Zhao) is its' first one: they start in the past. Instead of immediately introducing us to our main characters and dropping us into a world where we have a perfect dynamic where Aang doesn't know the current state of the world and Katara and Sokka don't know about the past, thus allowing for seamless and organic worldbuilding and exposition, they just... tell us. "Hey, this is what happened, ok, time for Aang!" There's no mystery, no intrigue, just a stream of information being shoved down the audience's throats and then onto the next set piece.

The visuals are for the most part great, but like with most Netflix productions, they just don't have great art direction. It feels like a video game cinematic, where everything is meant to be Maximum Cool - and none of the environments get to breathe. It's like they have tight indoor sets (with some great set design) and then they have a bunch of trailer shots. It's oozing with a kind of very superficial love.

Netflix still doesn't know how to do lighting, and with how disjointed the scenes are, the locations end up feeling like a parade of sets rather than actual cities or forests or temples. As for the costumes, Netflix still doesn't know how to do costumes that look like they're meant to be actually worn, so many of the characters seem weirdly uncomfortable, like they're afraid of creasing their pristine costumes.

The acting is decent to good, for the most part. I can't tell if the weaker moments come down to the actors or the direction and editing, but if I had to guess, I'd say the latter. Iroh and Katara are the weakest, Sokka is the most consistent, Zuko hits the mark most of the time, and Aang is okay. I liked Suki (though... she was weirdly horny? Like?) but Yue just fell kind of flat.

The tight fight choreography of the original is replaced with a bunch of spinny moves and Marvel fighting, though there are some moments of good choreography, like the Agni Kai between Ozai and Zuko (there's a million things I could say about how bad it was thematically, but this post is overly long already.) There's an actually hilarious moment in the first episode when Zuko is shooting down Aang, and he does jazz hands to charge up his attack.

Then there's the characters. Everybody feels very static - Zuko especially gets to have very little agency. A great example of that is the scene in which Iroh tells Lieutenant Jee the story of Zuko's scar.

In the original, it's a very intimate affair, and he doesn't lead the crew into any conclusions. Here, Iroh straight up tells the crew "you are the 41st, he saved your lives" and then the crew shows Zuko some love. A nice moment, but it feels unearned, when contrasted with the perfection of The Storm. In The Storm, Zuko's words and actions directly contradict each other, and Iroh's story gives the crew (and the audience) context as to why, which makes Zuko a compelling character. We get to piece it out along with them. Here - Iroh just flat out says it. He just says it, multiple times, to hammer in the point that hey, Zuko is Good Actually.

And then there's Iroh. You remember the kindly but powerful man who you can see gently nudging Zuko to his own conclusions? No, he's a pretty insecure dude who just tells Zuko that his daddy doesn't love him a lot and then he kills Zhao. Yeah. Iroh just plain kills Zhao dead. Why?

Iroh's characterization also makes Zuko come off as dumb - not just clueless and deluded, no, actually stupid. He constantly gets told that Iroh loves him and his dad doesn't, and he doesn't have any good answers for that, so he just... keeps on keeping on, I guess? This version of Zuko isn't conflicted and willfully ignorant like the OG, he's just... kind of stupid. He's not very compelling.

In the original, Zuko is well aware of Azula's status as the golden child. It motivates him - he twists it around to mean that he, through constant struggle, can become even stronger than her, than anyone. Here, Zhao tells him that "no, ur dad likes her better tee hee" and it's presented as some kind of a revelation. And then Iroh kills Zhao. I'm sorry I keep bringing that up, but it's just such an unforgiveable thematic fuckup that I have to. In the original, Zhao falls victim to his hubris, and Zuko gets to demonstrate his underlying compassion and nobility when he offers his hand to Zhao. Then we get some ambiguity in Zhao: does he refuse Zuko's hand because of his pride, or is it his final honorable action to not drag Zuko down with him? A mix of both? It's a great ending to his character. Here, he tries to backstab Zuko and then Iroh, who just sort of stood off to the side for five minutes, goes "oh well, it's murderin' time :)"

They mess with the worldbuilding in ways that didn't really need to be messed with. The Ice Moon "brings the spirit world and the mortal world closer together"? Give me a break. That's something you made up, as opposed to the millenia of cultural relevance that the Solstice has. That's bad, guys. You replaced something real with something you just hastily made up. There's a lot of that. We DID NOT need any backstory for Koh, for one. And Katara and Sokka certainly didn't need to be captured by Koh. I could go on and on, but again, this post is already way too long.

It's, um, very disappointing. A lot of telling and not very much showing, and I feel like all of the characters just... sort of end up in the same place they started out in. I feel like we don't see any of the characters grow: they're just told over and over again how they need to grow and what they need to do.

To sum it up: Netflix Avatar is a mile wide, but an inch deep.

[offkilterkeys]

I think that this was the first time one of my posts truly broke containment which was horrible, anyway here is the original version I made a million years ago, Karkat actually gets to hold the honorable fujoshi title because he would the end.

[wishchip106]

i genuinely think if moira didn’t interrupt them this scene would’ve built up to a kiss scene

GAHHSHRHEHHW

once again back on my moira mactaggert hate train

erik should’ve shot her the gun is right there

who cares what the president has to say let the gays have their moment! god woman give it a rest!

IM SORRY THIS IS MEAN BUT SHE PISSES ME OFF WHENEVER SHES ONSCREEN

the first time i watched this movie i actually cheered when erik started choking her

crying

does anyone have any fics where they weren’t interrupted? there’s probably a few but idk what exactly to search up

moira has some kinda plot armor

knock charles out and then kill her idk

need to call up magneto for this

they couldn’t show the rest of the mutant road trip cause they were getting touchy feely with eachother 🤨

erik went to go cry in his bedroom afterwards

moira gives me “move over boys! let a real woman deal with this 😏😌” vibes WHILE SHE DOES NOTHING

for some reason i can appreciate moira in other things like the animated series or maybe the comics (i haven’t read many) but with the movies i want to bring back public execution

people write her way better in fanfics honestly

anyway gonna go buy a dart board then print a picture of her and use her face as target practice toodles

[cheriafreya]

Penacony's 2.0-2.2 patches: genuinely HSR's peak, full of unforgettable moments. I still get chills watching the cutscenes and some of them still make me cry like the first day.

Penacony's 2.3, 2.6 and 2.7 patches:

[skoulsons]

Being depended on is so strange. Am I not still a young child or teenager? Am I not the one who looks up to the people that I find comfort and leadership in? What do you mean I’m That person to people now?? What do you mean I’m being refined into a mentor and leader and someone that young people look to? What do you mean they come to me with questions and concerns and hardships. what do you mean I’m not eternally young

[thevegetablewhichnoonedaresname]

507 is in the running for my least favorite episode, which I think is actually a compliment because I don't hate it, it just feels less funny to me because the singing makes it take longer and lowers the JPM (jokes per minute). also, I do enjoy musicals, but I have to fight a very strong natural cringe response when people start singing in non-musical stuff, even if it's not bad

[arson-09]

when you and the homies catch a hater on tumblr defying their own logic and gotta laugh about it in the gc

[da-riya]

Highlights from my EU4 Austria game up to 1600s

[princeof-flowers]

Dragon Age 2 companion relationships are so fun to me.

Like...Fenris is close with Isabela and Sebastian specifically. He's also good friends with Aveline's husband, Donnic, and seems to be on good terms with Aveline herself. He also seems to have a decent relationship with Varric (most do, it seems).

However. He and Anders fucking hate each other's guts. Anders more so than Fenris, who I think just like. Doesn't really care much for Anders and distrust him due to Justice/Vengeance. The only time he and Anders agree is when they're joined by their mutual dislike for Merrill.

Merrill gets along great with Isabela and Varric tho. They both seem very invested in ensuring her safety in Kirkwall, and just overall teaching her stuff.

Isabela and Aveline are worsties. They hate each other and it's that hate that you're never quite sure if it's like a friendly hate or if it's a "we have the same friend group so I have to be somewhat civil but also fuck you".

Honestly, out of all of the companions, I think Anders doesn't really get along too much with any of them due to his downward spiral actively causing him to push everyone away. That, and his writing gave him this push of like. Elf rights vs mage rights, so him interacting with Fenris or Merrill is always like. Awful. I genuinely feel like the only reason most of the group puts up with him is because he's their healer and/or Hawke is close to him (depending on how you play Hawke).

Idk I just. Like the dynamics of da2 companions and how they flesh them out as ppl outside of Hawke and outside of what we play or see. It feels more homey and believable than dai or veilguard.

[holydongbird]

ever since i came out as lesbian/sapphic to a close group friends it’s been okay. except now they dont even talk to me about my hobbies or my life anymore and literally only prod me about my sexuality ahaha. also WHY WOULD YOU YELL IT IN A PUBLIC FUCKING AREA TO EMBARRASS ME

[ilkkawhat]

I’m sorry if you don’t want people weighing in here so feel free to delete and ignore - but in a good workplace your boss would work with you to find a solution, rather than just telling you to struggle harder. And idk, maybe your boss is working with you and you’re the one telling yourself to struggle harder - but you DO deserve better than that!

oh i am the number one defender of my boss, she definitely is going out of her way to help me and for that i feel bad about it, i always have when she's had to step in but now it legit feels like...crisis level i guess? which it also did earlier this year and she started dishing out some feedback to me that yeah i needed to hear but it hurts to hear nonetheless and one of my co-workers tried to comfort me in saying that my boss is just genuinely concerned about me but for some reason i can't believe that, any little fucking mistake i make i just immediately worry my boss hates me and i'm gonna get fired. i've been that way since day one. it's a definite me problem lol

hell maybe my techs didn't outright complain about me to HR but maybe it was like, a general statement about the department which is why it escalated to my boss cause i know HR has threatened me that if i don't take it easier on myself that they would tell my boss to force me to take time off and i guess that finally happened?

idk though i just still got the sense my boss wasn't happy about the situation, I don't think anybody is and maybe i am being too hard on myself but...if i'm not, then what am i? i can't let myself get off the hook that easily for fucking things up so bad, i should have done my job right in the first place and maybe we as a team wouldn't be in this mess.

[istherewifiinhell]

First reprimand for shitty customer service <3. Well first one that wasnt just just my boss laughing and saying a local famous person accused me of stealing their wallet [left it on a shelf].

[todayisafridaynight]

three months later and i still think it wouldve been the funniest thing in the universe if daigo and masato were A Thing at any point in time

[antics-of-a-spiteful-stickbug]

Bro I have to write and record an argumentative speech, write a literary analysis, get started on a short story with a pre-determined theme, write a reflection of the previously mentioned tasks and what knowledge and experience I got from them, as well as start planning for my oral examination which I apparently have to choose a subject for??? and make a powerpoint for???? Why did they not give me more details about the *final, most important examination in my course*?????

All in FOUR DAYS

The only redeeming qualities of these tasks is that I get to choose the movie I write my argumentative speech about (I'm supposed to argue for why it should be movie of the year, aka just infodump about why it's awesome), and that the only requirement I've been given for the short story is that it has to be about "the unknown" in one way or another

But none of that matters because they didn't tell me anything about needing to write a text for the final oral examination???? Or that I need to have a powerpoint???????? What do you mean "What subject have you chosen for your oral examination?"?????? I WASN'T TOLD THERE WOULD BE WRITING INVOLVED

MY ORAL EXAM FOR THE ENGLISH COURSE REQUIRED NO WRITING OR POWERPOINT PRESENTATION, MAYBE YOU SHOULD BRIEF YOUR STUDENTS ON WHAT THE FINAL ASSIGNMENT WILL EVEN BE BEFORE YOU THROW THEM INTO THE COURSE???

Smh I hate private-owned education-based companies

Like bro maybe put some money into an actually comprehensible website, teachers that don't hate their students, and classrooms that actually have heating instead of buying that new car that just entered the market, just a thought

I am very angry about this entire system, this company is ass and it's no wonder they're closing later this year (something I found out ***after*** applying for and accepting two courses and showing up for the voluntary in-person introduction.)

[neverendingford]

.

[halfricanloveyou]

i think we should make ‘be normal to people who don’t like whatever piece of media or art you’re obsessed with’ into a normalized concept.

i think we should go even further and be normal to like…people who HATE what you’re obsessed with instead of vague blogging about them. even if they only hate it based on a surface level and don’t wanna give it a chance.

it’s always ‘let people like things as much as they want’ but for some reason ‘let people dislike things as much as they want’ is unforgivable.