Suki defense
I've been wanting to do this ever since those Suki-bashing secrets on F!S popped up.
(Shipping and romance will indeed be brought up in this post. Have whatever opinions you want, but please, no wanking over Bryke's ability to do romance.)
"Hell to the yes she's a total Mary Sue! She makes Sokka forget all about Yue by blushing cutely and everyone faps over her wall-climbing abilities!"
...how? So she's cool and kickass and pretty, that makes her a Sue? Then by that logic every female in the show is a Mary Sue, they're either pretty or badass or both. The wall-climbing was random, but given the kind of training Suki's had, it makes sense to me that she would be able to pull it off. Agility and dexterity and all that.
As for Sokka forgetting about Yue...first of all, he doesn't. His romance with her is referenced at least twice in season 3. Second, he already had feelings for Suki in "The Serpent's Pass" and his being reminded of Yue was more "I couldn't save her, what if I can't save Suki?". The next day he obviously realizes hey, by being so hung up on my failure over Yue he might've hurt Suki's feelings and he really likes her so why not patch things up.
"She gets in the way of Tokka! She should've died!" (This is going by what I've heard from others. I've got Tokka fans on my flist and I've never seen them bash Suki before.)
Sokka does not have romantic feelings for Toph. Her crush is entirely onesided and he just sees her as a buddy. Therefore, there is no romance there for Suki to "be in the way of". (Not saying you can't ship it, but still. You can do it without hating on Suki. I've seen it done.)
"How dare she just randomly become a member of the Gaang, she has to EARN her way in like Zuko did!"
No. The Gaang is not some speshul exlusive club, it's a group of people. If they like someone or reluctantly admit they'll need someone's skills, they let them join. Chit Sang was a member and he was a random newcomer Sokka and Zuko met at prison. Suki was an old friend of theirs and Sokka's girlfriend, she was already well-liked by the Gaang, therefore it was only natural they would accept her within their ranks after she'd just gotten out of prison and needed a place to stay.
"She's such a bitch!"
When? How? Where? Oh, you mean her frowning at Sokka when he's being a dolt about something? Or getting offended in "The Warriors of Kyoshi" when he, uh, offends her by being sexist? Yeah, how dare she not like being made fun of or ignored or having her and her warriors be called "a bunch of girls" like that was a bad thing!
[edit: Sokkla vs Sukka removed because capslock isn't srs bzns and it isn't that relevant. But suffice it to say, Suki is not a whore or a bitch for getting in the way of your never-gonna-happen OTP kthx]
"She's totally flat and has no personality! She's useless!"
Let's see, a determined and dedicated warrior who cares about her friends? Cute and happy and generally easygoing? Sounds like a personality to me. Not the most super-amazing original personality you might like, but it's still a personality. And useless, huh? What about the time she saved Sokka and Toph from certain death? Held the Boiling Rock warden hostage? Helped fight off Ty Lee and Azula while Sokka and Zuko were escaping said prison with Hakoda? Helped the Gaang get through Serpent's Pass? What, you expected her to fix them martinis and crab puffs while she was at it too?
Could the writers have done more with her? Sure, I would've liked to see more of her backstory and interactions with the Gaang aside from Sokka and Zuko. But that doesn't mean she was a flat useless pretty face just there to add another pair of X chromosomes to the Gaang.
In closing, Suki is none of the following: Mary Sue, bitch, in the way of another ship, useless, or devoid of personality. She is, however, awesome. :P
(Shipping and romance will indeed be brought up in this post. Have whatever opinions you want, but please, no wanking over Bryke's ability to do romance.)
"Hell to the yes she's a total Mary Sue! She makes Sokka forget all about Yue by blushing cutely and everyone faps over her wall-climbing abilities!"
...how? So she's cool and kickass and pretty, that makes her a Sue? Then by that logic every female in the show is a Mary Sue, they're either pretty or badass or both. The wall-climbing was random, but given the kind of training Suki's had, it makes sense to me that she would be able to pull it off. Agility and dexterity and all that.
As for Sokka forgetting about Yue...first of all, he doesn't. His romance with her is referenced at least twice in season 3. Second, he already had feelings for Suki in "The Serpent's Pass" and his being reminded of Yue was more "I couldn't save her, what if I can't save Suki?". The next day he obviously realizes hey, by being so hung up on my failure over Yue he might've hurt Suki's feelings and he really likes her so why not patch things up.
"She gets in the way of Tokka! She should've died!" (This is going by what I've heard from others. I've got Tokka fans on my flist and I've never seen them bash Suki before.)
Sokka does not have romantic feelings for Toph. Her crush is entirely onesided and he just sees her as a buddy. Therefore, there is no romance there for Suki to "be in the way of". (Not saying you can't ship it, but still. You can do it without hating on Suki. I've seen it done.)
"How dare she just randomly become a member of the Gaang, she has to EARN her way in like Zuko did!"
No. The Gaang is not some speshul exlusive club, it's a group of people. If they like someone or reluctantly admit they'll need someone's skills, they let them join. Chit Sang was a member and he was a random newcomer Sokka and Zuko met at prison. Suki was an old friend of theirs and Sokka's girlfriend, she was already well-liked by the Gaang, therefore it was only natural they would accept her within their ranks after she'd just gotten out of prison and needed a place to stay.
"She's such a bitch!"
When? How? Where? Oh, you mean her frowning at Sokka when he's being a dolt about something? Or getting offended in "The Warriors of Kyoshi" when he, uh, offends her by being sexist? Yeah, how dare she not like being made fun of or ignored or having her and her warriors be called "a bunch of girls" like that was a bad thing!
[edit: Sokkla vs Sukka removed because capslock isn't srs bzns and it isn't that relevant. But suffice it to say, Suki is not a whore or a bitch for getting in the way of your never-gonna-happen OTP kthx]
"She's totally flat and has no personality! She's useless!"
Let's see, a determined and dedicated warrior who cares about her friends? Cute and happy and generally easygoing? Sounds like a personality to me. Not the most super-amazing original personality you might like, but it's still a personality. And useless, huh? What about the time she saved Sokka and Toph from certain death? Held the Boiling Rock warden hostage? Helped fight off Ty Lee and Azula while Sokka and Zuko were escaping said prison with Hakoda? Helped the Gaang get through Serpent's Pass? What, you expected her to fix them martinis and crab puffs while she was at it too?
Could the writers have done more with her? Sure, I would've liked to see more of her backstory and interactions with the Gaang aside from Sokka and Zuko. But that doesn't mean she was a flat useless pretty face just there to add another pair of X chromosomes to the Gaang.
In closing, Suki is none of the following: Mary Sue, bitch, in the way of another ship, useless, or devoid of personality. She is, however, awesome. :P