Legend of Korra Open Thread!

[amarie24]

OMG.

So, like, Silver & Wingedbeast have started a very, very long conversation over at my last ATLA post ("On Rape and Empathy"). They've mostly started talking about Mako both as a character and as his position as a potential polyshipper with Korra & Asami.

It's...amazing. I usually don't get such long conversations like that in my comments! Hah! And I've had other people inbox me about LoK, too. So...

Here's my first-ever open thread for you guys. I know it's late, as the finale was quite some time ago. I also know that I'm not the best person to participate myself, as I stopped watching in the middle of Book 2 (I know, but the bullshit was getting to be staggering for me). But! I know a lot of my readers have finished watching LoK and have a lot of thoughts on it. And you guys have a lot of thoughts on ATLA, and it's okay to share those too!

...But do not scorn Zuko's hair. I will destroy you with my homemade pancakes & bacon. I mean it. I got my mother addicted to that kind of breakfast and I'll do it to you through a computer screen. No one touches Zuko's glorious hair. For the record, his Book 2 hair was my favorite. Just a little on the shaggy side, with that smexxy spikiness in the front. Flame-o, hawtman.

Other than that, please mind your trigger warnings, be nice, be safe, have fun and happy January to one and to all! :D :D


--Amarie

Comments

[silveradept]

I can get on board with Bolin being spiritual successor. Which is a bit interesting, considering Korra is supposed to be the actual spiritual successor to Aang.

I also think Bolin gets the reputation of being Sokka-lite because he's trying very hard to be like his brother, who is apparently effortlessly a ladies man, and it doesn't really work out for him. Once he's confident enough to be himself (which lava-bending does for him), then he and Opal start having a good relationship.

[wingedbeast]

She's the positional successor. She has the power and, therefore, the political position and the responsibilities. I'm not taking away from what she did at all. And, if we include the creation of the Republic in Aang's column, we can argue about whether she accomplished more or Aang did.

Bolin has the temperament of Aang.

[silveradept]

I meant more in the irony sense, since Korra is supposed to be Aang's reincarnation, rather than with what she did. Korra seems better-linked to Kiyoshi, rather than Aang. (And, for that matter, Toph, even though it's a Beifong trait to be grumpy at kids on principle.) Korra lacks Aang's reticence to be the Avatar, among other things.

Bolin really is more Aang than Korra will be. (Much to Tenzin's...?)

[wingedbeast]

It's questionable whether Korra is actually Aang's reincarnation.

I mean, the Avatar doesn't actually seem to be the previous Avatar reborn, because they have their completely separate emotions and thoughts that can advise a current Avatar but not be shared by a current Avatar.

[silveradept]

That's true, although it's not completely said how Rava changes from person to person. But since they refer it as "past lives", it makes things seem like a reincarnation of some sort. It's just not always clear what's going on there.

[wingedbeast]

I think it works best if we see each Avatar as a separate soul/person/whatever. Otherwise, you have the whole issue of reincarnation either requiring that the Avatar's significant other being an essential reincarnation... or Aang cheating on Katara with Asami through Korra... which is...

So, I'm going to go ahead and think of them as separate souls... with an extra connection through Rava. I won't go into too much detail as to how Avatarworld afterlives exist (or if they exist) and just hope it's all... well at least kinda fair.

[silveradept]

I hope it's fair, too. Might be that many of the previous Avatars make their way to the spirit realms, and live an Iroh-like afterlife. That seems at least a little fair.

[wingedbeast]

I'm choosing to believe that there's a very far spirit-world in which the afterlives happen and that people can make their way to the closer spirit world for dealings with their loved ones.

In that thinking, Iroh would have died, but still made his way back, because Zuko still needs looking after... and I just gave myself a lump in the throat thinking of that.

Future scene, Zuko's lived his long life and passed on, he eventually meets up with his uncle and can sit at tea as a young child, and even later on introduce Iroh to his wife.

[silveradept]

That would be a touching scene to have somewhere. And reuniting all over the place for those old enough to have been part of the original series.

[wingedbeast]

And, Ozai's there, just being ignored by everybody.