ARTISTICALLY INCLINED MEMBERS?

[aiffe]

capslock_zutara HAS PCHAT SESSIONS. I'VE ASKED TO JOIN, BECAUSE I LOVE PCHAT AND I LOVE FANDOM GROUP ACTIVITIES. ZUTARA ISN'T MY FAVORITE SHIP, BUT I LIKE DRAWING ZUKO AND LIKE DRAWING KATARA, SO I THOUGHT I COULD GET AWAY WITH IT

Comments

[aiffe]

I KNOW THERE'S IRONY. I MEAN, THE CAPS, THE INTENTIONAL SPELLING ERRORS, THE LOLCATSPEAK....I DON'T WANT TO BE THE ONE IDIOT IN THE AUDIENCE THAT DOESN'T REALIZE THAT STEPHEN COLBERT IS MAKING FUN OF BUSH. (AND O'REILY.) BUT THERE'S A FINE LINE BETWEEN "WE'RE SAYING MISOGYNIST THINGS BECAUSE WE'RE MOCKING IDIOTS AND THAT'S WHAT AN IDIOT WOULD SAY," AND "WE'RE SAYING MISOGYNIST THINGS UNDER THE THIN VEIL OF HUMOR, LAUGH, MAKING FOOLS OF WOMEN IS FUNNY!"

I WANT TO BELIEVE THAT WE'RE "OWNING THE JOKE," BECAUSE THAT WOULD MAKE ME THINK SLIGHTLY LESS OF MY GENDER. IT JUST DOESN'T FEEL THAT WAY TO ME. I MEAN, IF I CAN GET REALLY UN-PC HERE AND GO RACIAL ON YOU FOR COMPARISON, THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN USING THE N-WORD TO MEAN YOUR HOMEBOY AND CHANGING THE MEANING AND OWNING THE WORD AND ALL THAT GOOD SHIT, AND USING IT TO MEAN SOMEONE WHO IS BLACK, STUPID, LAZY, CRIMINAL, AND ALL THE OTHER HORRIBLE STEREOTYPES THAT COME ATTACHED TO THAT WORD.

AND TO BE HONEST, I'VE READ A LOT OF ZUTARA FICS (AND ONE PARTICULARLY AWFUL DOUJINSHI) THAT WERE NOT ONLY COMPLETELY OOC, BUT HAD THE VERY WORST OF GENDER STEREOTYPING. I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THE VERY SAME PEOPLE COULD SUBTLY UNDERMINE ANYTHING.

IN CONCLUSION ON THAT TOPIC: SHOW ME EVIDENCE OF IRONICAL USAGE OF ZUKO'S "VAGINA," ZUKO DRESSED AS A PRINCESS, ZUKO MANIPED ONTO A FEMALE BODY, OR ANY FEMINIZATION OF HIS CHARACTER, AND I WILL CONCEDE.

AS TO THE KIKYOU-BASHING, I'M PROBABLY ONE OF THOSE IDIOTS WHO GOT EMOTIONAL ABOUT IT. (IN THE BACKLASH, THAT IS.) I JUST GOT SICK OF HAVING TO READ PEOPLE TALKING SHIT ABOUT HER ALL OVER FANDOM. IT'S NOT LIKE I HUNG OUT IN KIKYOU-BASHING COMMS. I'D JUST GO TO READ NEW CHAPTER SPECULATION, AND IT'D BE FILLED WITH SUBTLE DIGS AGAINST KIKYOU. AND FANDOM N00BS REALLY WENT OFF THE DEEP END WITH IT SOMETIMES. IT'S LIKE, IF THEY GOT THAT EMOTIONAL ABOUT BASHING HER, GIVEN THAT SHE WAS MY FAVORITE CHARACTER, IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO GET A BIT EMOTIONAL BACK AT THEM.

ZUKOGINA

[mistresskat]

DIS AITE?

Re: ZUKOGINA

[aiffe]

YES, BECAUSE HAVING A VAGINA MAKES YOU VAIN, INSECURE, WHINY AND ILLOGICAL. IT ALL MAKES PERFECT SENSE.

Re: ZUKOGINA

[manonlechat]

ONLY IF YOU IS A BOY WHO HAS A VAGINA. ON A GIRL, IT IS A POWER SYMBOL?

Re: ZUKOGINA

[aiffe]

NO, BECAUSE KATARA'S RAGE AND LACK OF LOGIC COME FROM HER VAGINA, AS SPARKLY AND MAGICAL AS IT IS. AND MAI IS KICKASS AND COOL, BUT BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T FRET OVER WHAT THE BOYS WILL THINK OF HER IF SHE DOESN'T WEAR MAKEUP, SHE MUST HAVE A PENIS.

I'M STARTING TO THINK I MIGHT HAVE ONE. MAYBE IF I TAKE A REALLY DEEP BREATH I CAN POP IT OUT.

Re: ZUKOGINA

[manonlechat]

BUT A PENIS WOULD NOT LOOK GOOD ON YOU!

Re: ZUKOGINA

[aiffe]

BUT, BUT...THINK OF THE WANKING I COULD HAVE!

Re: ZUKOGINA

[bebopsamurai]

KILL BILL REFERENCE FTW XD

[manonlechat]

AND TO BE HONEST, I'VE READ A LOT OF ZUTARA FICS (AND ONE PARTICULARLY AWFUL DOUJINSHI) THAT WERE NOT ONLY COMPLETELY OOC, BUT HAD THE VERY WORST OF GENDER STEREOTYPING. I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THE VERY SAME PEOPLE COULD SUBTLY UNDERMINE ANYTHING.

I DUNNO IF THAT IS ENTIRELY FAIR (OR MAYBE I IS JUST TOUCHY BECAUSE I IS ONE OF THOSE VERY SAME PEOPLE). ;) THERE'S A LOT OF CRAP ZUTATRA FIC OUT THERE TO BE SURE, BUT IT'S ALSO THE LARGEST SHIP IN THE AVATAR FANDOM AND THEREFORE THE SHEER QUANTITY OF BAD FIC IS GOING TO BE HIGHER. I COULD POINT YOU IN THE DIRECTION OF SOME EXCELLENT, IN-CHARACTER FIC WHERE KATARA IS ANYTHING BUT A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS.

TO USE ANOTHER INUYASHA ANALOGY, SESS/KAG HAS THE WORST REPUTATION FOR BAD!FIC IN THE FANDOM (AND NOT WITHOUT REASON!). BUT FOR EVERY TEN GAWDAFUL FICS ON A*S*S, YOU FIND SOMETHING OF HIGH EMOTIONAL AND TECHNICAL CALIBER LIKE RESMIRANDA'S SESS/KAG STORIES.

THERE IS INTELLIGENT AND SUBTLE ZUTARA SHIPPERS AND WRITERS, JUST AS THERE IS INTELLIGENT AND SUBTLE SESS/KAGGERS.

[aiffe]

I DIDN'T MEAN TO IMPLY THAT ANYONE WHO LIKES ZUTARA IS AUTOMATICALLY GOING TO WRITE SOMETHING OOC AND UNSUBTLE, JUST THAT SO MUCH OF WHAT I'VE READ OF THE PAIRING HAS BEEN THAT WAY, THAT SOME OF THE PEOPLE WRITING AND ENJOYING THE CRAP!FIC MUST ALSO BE ON THE LJ SIDE OF FANDOM. WHICH DOESN'T MAKE THEM BAD PEOPLE, OR STUPID PEOPLE. I HAVE SOME RABID SESS/KAG FANS ON MY FLIST.

I MUST BE ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE THAT DIDN'T FALL ALL OVER THEMSELVES FOR RESMIRANDA'S SESS/KAGS, AS MUCH AS I ADMIRE HER WORK AS A WHOLE. (ALTHOUGH WHEN I SAY THAT, SOMETIMES PEOPLE JUMP OUT AND SAY THEY FELT THE SAME WAY, BUT WERE AFRAID TO SAY SO. BUT THEY COULD HAVE JUST BEEN SUCKING UP TO ME BECAUSE I'S AWESOME.)

AS TO ZUTARA FICS I'VE READ AND LIKED: I READ THE MUCH-TOUTED AR "TEMPEST IN A TEACUP," AND FOUND THE WRITING STYLE TO BE EXCELLENT, ALTHOUGH I WAS AMBIGUOUS ABOUT KATARA'S CHARACTERIZATION. ON THE ONE HAND, SHE JUST DIDN'T FEEL LIKE KATARA TO ME, BUT ON THE OTHER, HER UPBRINGING WAS SO DIFFERENT IT WOULD BE UNREALISTIC TO MAKE HER EXACTLY THE SAME. I COULDN'T DECIDE IF SHE WAS THE MARY SUE OF A TALENTED WRITER OR JUST A KATARA-THAT-COULD-HAVE-BEEN. EITHER WAY, I DON'T QUITE CONSIDER IT A "ZUTARA" FIC, BECAUSE WHILE KATARA IN THE FIC IS A FASCINATING PERSON, SHE ISN'T THE KATARA OF CANON, SO THE DYNAMICS JUST AREN'T THE SAME. REGARDLESS, I WILL READ ANY UPDATES TO "NO MAP WITHOUT WATER" AS THEY ARE POSTED.

THE ONLY OTHER ZUTARA FIC OF NOTE I'VE STUMBLED ACROSS WAS ONE CALLED "MENDING," WHICH WAS REALLY MORE ZUKO + KATARA PLATONIC INTERACTION. BUT I LIKED IT.

IF YOU HAS RECS, PLZ TO BE SHARING. YOU KNOW I LIKE GOODFIC OF ANY PAIRING. BUT BE WARNED, IF I DON'T LIKE IT, I'LL TELL YOU WHY!

OUR CONVERSATION IS GETTING LONGISH, YOU WANNA JUST IM ME? MY AIM AND YIM HANDLES ARE THE SAME AS MY LJ HANDLE.