Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Only the Avatar, master of all elements, can save me from this fic: Avatar the Last Airbender, Legend of Skye (part 2)


Previously, On Fanfic Masochism…

We were introduced to the worst Avatar ever, one who cares not for friendship and only that Zuko can… you just fill in the disgusting metaphor for sex that has something related to the Avatar universe. Then go and die.

Really, my big hope is that, somehow, this story will get better, admittedly because Aang is gone and now Skye (worst Avatar ever) will actually have to get off her lazy butt and do something, and maybe this won’t just be a rehash of the original series.

 

SHUT UP OBAMA! I NEVER VOTED FOR YOU! (Because I was too young).

So, let’s pick up Avatar the Last Airbender, Legend of Skye where we left off, and hopefully this won’t cause too much brain damage.

So, Aang leaves the group to head to the somehow still standing Eastern Air Temple with Skye’s guardian (who we know jack all about) and the other sick people. I didn’t bring this up last week, but this kind of made me mad because “The Northern Air Temple” was actually the first Avatar episode I ever watched, and I remember it being cool. Just kind of glossing over it makes me feel like there should be more.

Then again, this isn’t the first time AvatarAvani has spat upon my desires.

Our heroes land on a hill and find a battlefield littered with Water Tribe weapons, obviously leading up to the introduction of Bato. I won’t go further into detail, because hey, it’s basically canon except Aang’s a chick. We then cut to Zuko and his group when they are boarded by a woman riding a sheershoe… I really wish I was making that up.

It’s spelled SHIRSHU! Sheershoe just sounds like boots you put on before going to shave the wool off of a sheep. THIS ISN’T EUROPE, SO IF YOU SPELL THINGS LIKE THAT IT’S GOING TO SOUND STUPID!

Anyway, this woman who I assume is supposed to be Jun captures her bounty and leaves on her sheering shoe. Zuko wants to get a date with Skye without the messy issue of asking her first, so he and Iroh follow.

Anyway, back with our heroes they’re woken up by Bato. Sokka and Katara are happy to see him again, as he’s the first Water Tribe citizen they’ve seen in several months. Oh, and they do the smart thing and completely forget Skye is there.

‘And completely forget about me.’-Skye

I WOULD, CONSIDERING HOW MUCH YOU HAVEN’T DONE TO SAVE THE WORLD, YOU ATTENTION WHORING BITCH!

Oh yeah, I still hate Skye. Considering what happens in this episode, I am not going to be too kind on her.

On that thought, this is probably the worst possible episode to repeat, mainly because it goes against canon in the show and canon in this fic. Skye obviously hides the map that would tell Katara and Sokka where there father is, because she believes that they’ll abandon her. The reason it fails is because, if you apply logic to it, Aang had a better reason to hide the map than Skye: he was alone. All the Air Nomads were dead, most of Aang’s friends were either dead or incredibly old, and now the closest thing he has to a family is considering leaving him to go be with their own family. Of course, Poor Communication Kills and they weren’t actually going to do that, but Aang still had reason. Skye, on the other hand, has none of Aang’s emotional trauma: her friends are still alive and around her age and the Air Nomads are holed up in the Western and Eastern Air Temples. And why is she worrying about getting to the North Pole anyway?

Oh wait, Katara. That’s still stupid.

All in all, it makes Skye look even more self-centered and unsympathetic than Aang was in “Bato of the Water Tribe”.

Meanwhile, Zuko, Iroh, and June (not Jun, so she must be busy elsewhere) close in on the heroes with June’s shoe Nila (Even though the background materials for the show spell it NYLA). Rinse and repeat at a few places the heroes visited, except with Zuko loudly protesting that Skye is not his girlfriend.


Anyway, Sokka and Katara get mad at Skye for hiding the map, the bad guys show up, fight, next scene. Oh, and Skye goes Yandere on Zuko’s ass when she sees that he still has her necklace.

WHY DIDN’T YOU DO THAT THE LAST TIME YOU FOUGHT HIM?! IF THIS NECKLACE IS SO IMPORTANT TO YOU, WHY DIDN’T YOU WORRY ABOUT IT MORE? MAYBE THIS COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER IF YOU’D FLESHED OUT THE BACKSTORY A LOT MORE THAN JUST SUMMARIZING EVERYTHING!!!

Oh, but the worst is yet to come.

They head north and run into the Northern Water Tribe. Skye recognizes one of them as her friend, and prince of the Northern Water Tribe, Tyler.







There are no Penitence Crusades that can save me now. Once I get enough money, I am swearing myself to the Dark Gods and building a Chaos Space Marine army. Praise be unto Khorne, Tzeentch, Nurgle and Slaanesh; for them I will paint the galaxy red with the blood of the innocent and the lapdogs of the False Emperor.


 
The guy’s name is TYLER?! Forget Skye, that is the most European name I have ever heard coming from an Avatar fic. At least Shyamalan tried to stick to what he believed were the true Asian roots of names (he was wrong; Sanskrit doesn’t even have an “ah” sound, so “Avatar” is pronounced as it looks, not like “Ah-vatar”). Even if you try to justify that the Water Tribes are based off of Inuit culture, that’s still a very European name. Why didn’t she give him an Inuit name? It wouldn’t have been too hard; just go to Google and type in “Inuit names” and pick your favorite. Boom! New character name.

I think I understand now; AvatarAvani did not care. She cared only about shipping her OC with Zuko, and making that OC the Avatar. Screw continuity and canon and understandable names, if Skye’s not having sex with Zuko by Sozin’s Comet then everything’s gone wrong! This author blatantly disregards and disrespects everything Mike and Bryan set forth to produce to create her own little world to fulfil her wishes. My Immortal was at least so over the top that the canon defilement became hilarious, but this is Canon Rape, and it’s neither funny nor clever.

I was really, really hoping that this story might improve, but it’s actually gotten worse. If I could, I would stop reading and never touch this piece of shit again, but I won’t. Because these problems can’t be ignored, they must be addressed.





Let’s just get this over with. I think I’ll just call Skye and… Tyler “Dumbass” and “Canon Rape” from now on.

Dumbass and Canon Rape lead Sokka and Katara into the Northern Water Tribe. Sokka teases Dumbass about having a boyfriend, first in Canon Rape and then in Zuko.

‘Let me name off some proof. You kissed him on the first day you met him, he stole your necklace, he tied you to a tree, he protected you from pirates, he caught your falling body after the Avatar State, you dreamed about him. Am I missing anything?” Sokka stated matter of factly.

Because that’s the hallmark of a loving, stable relationship!

THANK YOU FOR SAVING MY LIFE, COMMISSAR FUKLAW!


So in between this “amazing” romantic drama, Zhao gets ready for his fish punching and shanghaies Zuko’s crew… oh, and blowing him up for good measure.

Those of you who have seen the show should probably know that.

Back at the Northern Water Tribe, everyone’s partying because the Avatar arrived… Why, she’s only been gone for a few months. I know the Avatar is a big important figure, but throwing her a party every time she shows up is a little obsessive.

Also, shouldn’t Skye be doing something about the WAR GOING ON?!

So, Sokka meets Yue and they hit it off. Meanwhile Zuko’s having his daily brooding session and tells his uncle he doesn’t want to play the tsungi soongi horn.

THESE ERRORS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF AVATARAVANI EVEN BOTHERED TO READ THE AVATAR WIKI! THAT’S HOW I FOUND OUT KYOSHI WAS ACTUALLY 41, NOT 180, WHEN SHE FOUGHT CHIN THE CONQUEROR! (I was researching for my own Avatar fic, and because Kyoshi is awesome)

Eh, the author doesn’t care, why should I?

But really, Iroh’s there to inform Zuko that he has a boat with no crew, thanks to Zhao. Zhao kind of figures out Zuko’s the Blue Spirit, then tells him of a new outlaw, the Red Spirit, who’s supposed to be the Blue Spirit’s lover with powers equaling the Avatar.



For the next video, replace any mention of Typhon with Avatar the Last Airbender, Legend of Skye.

Yeah, I think that’s stupid, and more importantly it rams the idea that “Dumbass and Zuko are so in wuv with each other!1!!” down our throats. WE KIND OF GET IT AFTER SKYE SNOGGED HIM A FEW TIMES!

Whatever.

Back at the Northern Water Tribe, Dumbass approached Pakku and asks if he’s willing to each Katara Waterbending. He says no, citing that a) women can’t learn combat Waterbending in the Northern Tribe and b) he’d made an exception for Dumbass because she’s the Avatar.

Well, that trip was pointless. Don’t worry, Dumbass’s a master, so she can teach Katara how to Waterbend on the way to Gaoling to pick up Toph, right?

Well, she actually decides to be smart and goes to the chief to complain. HEY, YOU’RE ACTUALLY USING YOUR POSITION AS AVATAR, FOR ONCE!

I still hate you.

Oh, and we get an Author’s Note that says she’d thrown in Tyler Canon Rape as one of the guys that fawns for Avatar Dumbass.

I still hate him too.

Sokka strikes out with Yue, sort of, next chapter.

Zhao plans to blow up Zuko, and does so.

ZHAO, I LOVE YOU! YOU TRIED TO SAVE ZUKO FROM THIS SHITTY FANFIC!

But that comes after we get a Ship Tease between Dumbass and Canon Rape. I HATE THIS CHARACTER, AND I THINK THAT DUMBASS DESERVES BETTER, AND I HATE DUMBASS! Oh, and Sokka strikes out with Yue again and then suggests that Dumbass train Katar.

WHY DIDN’T THEY DO THAT TEN CHAPTERS AGO?! WE COULD HAVE MET TOPH BY NOW AND NOT WORRIED ABOUT THE NORTHERN WATER TRIBE!

Oh wait, that story would have actually been good.

Anyway, Pakku finds out and is pissy about it, so Dumbass goes and tries to pull a Korra and say “I’M THE AVATAR, AND YOU GOTTA DEAL WITH IT!!!”… You know what, let’s watch that scene again so we can see how it’s really done.

 
Cora Baker, welcome to voice acting.

Dumbass challenges Pakku to a duel and… what.

Why does SHE get to fight Pakku?! It was awesome when Katara fought Pakku, because she was defending her position that girls should be taught combat Waterbending, and most of Pakku’s issues were with her. But having Dumbass fight Pakku instead makes no sense since she’s already a master Waterbender and it’s KATARA who needs to prove herself and win Pakku over. AT LEAST SHYAMALAN GOT THAT RIGHT, AND THAT WAS IN A DELETED SCENE!

Even THIS is better than this story

To further add to the fail, Dumbass suggests Katara start the fight… WHY DOESN’T KATARA FIGHT ON HER OWN?! SHE DOESN’T NEED YOUR HELP!!

This is bringing up more unfortunate implications than I originally anticipated. Katara, a strong female character and Team Mom of the Gaang back in the original show, can’t stand up on her own without the help of the perfect, highly skilled, unusual looking Avatar. Katara can’t have her own frustrations or subplots, they must be placed upon the shoulders of the perfect, highly skilled, unusual looking Avatar. Katara can’t develop relationships, we must focus on the perfect, highly skilled, unusual looking Avatar. Everything that has made Katara the character I remember from the show has been stripped away and replaced with a rather narrow and flimsy frame, all so that Dumbass Avatar can have her moment to shine and seduce the troubled Zuko.

I. Hate. This fic.

Well, the Fire Nation’s on their way to burn everything to the ground. YAY!!!

Why am I rooting for the genocidal bastards?

So, while Katara trains Dumbass acts true to character and spends most of her time messing around with Canon Rape INSTEAD OF BEING THE AVATAR! I know Aang liked to have fun, but when the time called for it he stepped up and did his job. Dumbass here spends her time going on pointless side quests and flirting with boys.

YOU ARE A WATERBENDING MASTER ALREADY! YOU SHOULD HAVE JUST TRAINED KATARA YOURSELF AND GONE TO FIND TOPH!!!

Oh, and Canon Rape asks Dumbass if she wants to marry him. She doesn’t because she likes Zuko more.


Yes, the Fire Nation has come to our rescue and is launching its attack on the Northern Water Tribe. Sokka, having relationship issues with Yue, volunteers for the suicide squad that will go and assassinate the great Admiral Zhao. The squad is being led by Haun, who I guess is somehow related to Hahn, Yue’s douchy fiancé.

After failing to fight of the Fire Nation, because her powers as the Avatar are horrendous, Dumbass is joined by Katara, Yue and Canon Rape as they go to the Spirit Oasis. Zuko shows up, he and Katara fight-

Pakku watches the sun rise… she wasted an entire scene cut for that.

-And Zuko wins and drags Dumbass out into the tundra for cuddles. Eventually the others go after her and we get a scene were, in the Spirit World, Dumbass has a dream where she receives Canon Rape’s betrothal necklace, along with some love notes:

You will forever be the Yin to my Yang.

Zzzzzzzz

… What was that? I fell asleep. That was a rather boring and clichéd attempt at love. I’d get more emotions out of a Sister of Battle confessing her love for Holy Prometheum as she uses a few heretics for kindling.

Someone go write that fic. For a visualization, imagine Lady Gaga dressed in medieval plate armor burning people with a flamethrower. Actually, someone go write a fic where Lady Gaga finds some plate armor and a flamethrower and starts burning people. I might actually start listening to her music then.

Nah, it’d still be terrible.

So, Dumbass meets with Koh (WHOSE NAME IS ACTIALLY SPLLED RIGHT!!! :D) and learns about the location of the Moon and Ocean Spirits, whom Zhao wants to punch. Back in the real world. Zuko monologues and mopes about his feelings for Dumbass before the others arrive and spoil his fun.

Meanwhile, back on Zhao’s flagship, he describes about serving under General Shoe-
 
Really, that’s how it’s written. Did the author have a shoe fetish or something? (don’t worry, it gets worse)

Anyway, you should know this and he says that he found a SUPER SECRET SPIRIT LIBRARY!!!1!11!! and learned that the Moon and Ocean are magical fish, and you can punch them. Iroh objects to this, since he believes spirits shouldn’t be punched.

Unless you’re Bumi, in which case it’s awesome.

Shown here: Awesome

Meanwhile, Hei-Bai (who we are only now introduced to, and this makes me wonder if he’s still abducting civilians because his forest got burned down) leads Dumbass back to her body after her encounter with Koh. She wakes up and… okay, now the fight scenes have gone from bad to just plain goofy.

She burst out of the rope with her firebending and slammed Zuko into the wall by kissing him.

POWER KISS! Why didn’t the Space Marines think of that?

Dumbass once again renders Katara useless and knocks Zuko out with little fuss. The others arrive and Canon Rape asks if he can kill Zuko. When the others say no, he starts pleading.



Okay, that scene is kind of funny.

Zhao captures the fish, and-

He stuck him hand in and grabbed Tui.

AvatarAvani writeum in racist Native American Injun stereotype. Haow!



I’m going to hell for that, aren’t I?

But before he can go ten rounds with the fish he’s interrupted, first by the Dumbass Brigade (I can’t call them the Gaang since Aang isn’t even in the story anymore, and the Krew or Korralition doesn’t work since Korra won’t be born for another 150+ years) and then by Iroh the Awesome, all of them telling him to let it go and send the Moon Spirit on its way.

Obligatory Frozen reference:


Zhao, of course, doesn’t listen.

This image I awesome... wish I drew it.

So, RUN!!! IT’S KOIZILLA!!! And then Yue dies to put the moon back in place.

And strangely enough, only Sokka really reacts to this, as he does in canon. I find this strange since… isn’t Canon Rape HER BROTHER?!?! If my sister died I’d be torn apart, but no, all Canon Rape cares about is that Dumbass Avatar doesn’t want to marry him… granted it’s for justifiable reason but still!

Oh, and as they prepare to leave Pakku comments that Katara will do well under Dumbass’ tutelage… once again rendering this whole trip COMPLETELY POINTLESS.

And thus ends “Book 1: Water”… ow, that was painful. I’ll get into most of the flaws once I finish this… thing.

“Book 2: Earth” opens with a recap of what has happened up to that point. It also reveals that Dumbass ran away from her Airbending Training to start Waterbending Training…



WHAT?!

SHE ABANDONED HER TRAINING?! WHAT KIND OF IDIOT WOULD DO THAT?! If Korra had given up on her Airbending training, Amon would have won. If Aang had just skipped Firebending training, Ozai would have fried him with that lightning strike when they faced off during Sozin’s Comet. I’m not going to call her Dumbass right now (because what I really want to call her is rather R-Rated, and I’m trying to keep this blog as clean as possible), but SKYE HANDICAPPED HERSELF FOR NO GOOD REASON!! Worse, she was born an Airbender, so Air should come naturally to her; she should have been a master by the time she headed to the North Pole. Aang was a master by age 12, and is a master here at age eight! And what of dear, Dumbass Avatar Skye? Nope, she just gave up on it.

Savior of the world, ladies and gentlemen. Not even a master in her natural Element.

Fortunately, I’ve only got six more chapters of this to get through. Guess AvatarAvani must have given up.

Either that or the last chapter is really long or really condensed.

Anyway, Dumbass is having nightmares, including a scene where she kills a Fire Nation soldier because, if I can discern from the wording, stabbed a woman.

… That intrigues me, and I would like to learn more. Wow, this story actually made me curious for once.

So Dumbass tries to pass it off as nothing, but Canon Rape speaks to her and we find out that she’s troubled because being the Avatar has taken her away from everything that a normal person has, and that there’s a lot of pressure on her shoulders.

Wow, that would have been compelling drama if you INTRODUCED IT EARLIER!!! Or better yet, SHOWN IT! Because so far, I have seen nothing that convinces me that she is under a lot of pressure to succeed. You never showed us all the time being taken away from playing around with friend or Sky Bison to go study, you never showed us the decision to run away to the Northern Water Tribe and get started with Waterbending.

YOU. TOLD. US.

On a different note, the author tries to convince us that Dumbass Avatar is sassy and hot-headed… hmm, sound like someone we know?


I’d ask why the author didn’t just make Dumbass the Avatar in place of Korra if she’s going for hot-headed, but then I remember this story was started before Legend of Korra premiered. And I have gotten no evidence that Dumbass is sassy so much that she’s bitchy. She’s free spirited, but she’s not a gung-ho “LET’S BREAK SOME RULES!” character, like Toph, Korra or even Katara at points, which is what I get in my mind when someone says “hot-headed”. If Korra were in Dumbass’ position, she would have gone straight to the Earth Kingdom after completing her Waterbending Training instead of taking a detour to the South Pole followed by going back to the North Pole.

In short, Korra would have gotten shit done and ENDED THIS WAR!



Let’s just end this.

The Dumbass Brigade is dropped off near the Earth Kingdom by Canon Rape and Pakku. Katara teases Dumbass on her love interests and Sokka gets oogies.

For those of you who haven’t read/avoid the sequel comics, that’s what he says whenever Aang and Katara get lovey dovey around him.

And then we learn that Sokka accidentally broke and then sold Dumbass’ bow and arrows… go him, now she can use the Elements like a PROPER AVATAR! Although that was a bit low, even for Sokka, to steal someone’s stuff, break it, and then pawn it while no one’s looking, although Dumbass does soak him with a tidal wave and threaten to do worse if he does it again.

Makes you wonder what will happen when her Bison gets stolen. Stand storm while telling the Sandbenders not to touch her stuff instead of… well, going into the Avatar State, destroying pretty much everything they own, and preparing to do a lot worse before being calmed down?

Meanwhile, Zuko’s having another brooding session while Azula zeroes in on his position. Like Iroh, Azula’s pretty much as she is in canon, and I find that awesome.

Is it bad that I really, really want the sociopathic princess and Pyrokinetic Joker to win?

Meanwhile, the Dumbass Brigade receives a hero’s welcome at the Earth Kingdom Fortress “The Avatar State” takes place in. I find it both funny and depressing that Katara’s still referred to as “Mighty Katara” since she’s done jack all and Dumbass has taken all of her good moments.

For those of you who haven’t seen the episode in awhile, here’s a recap: crazy general wants to weaponize the Avatar State, Avatar is hesitant until she sees that the war’s leaving a lot of people dead or badly injured.

She should be feeling guilty, considering you wasted a lot of time on a side quest that was COMPLETELY POINTLESS!

And since this is lifted word for word from the show (does that count as plagarism?) she agrees, but Katara decides to be the wiser one and says there’s a better way. It made sense for Aang, as he was younger than Katara, but Dumbass is OLDER! BY TWO YEARS!

Between all this we find out what happened to cause Dumbass to go into the Avatar State: She’d been living at the North Pole for some time, and had grown close to Canon Rape and his family. Then a Fire Nation soldier snuck in and assassinated Canon Rape’s mother (I say assassinate because he’s a prince, therefore his mother must have been royalty), causing Dumbass to go into the Avatar State.

That would have been depressing if we were shown this instead of being TOLD ABOUT IT!!! Also, it takes away weight from Katara’s own “Fire Nation killed my parents” backstory, so Katara is further rendered pointless and useless.

Anyway, back with trying to force the Avatar State out of a dumbass. Nothing works and Dumbass decides to throw in the towel and get back to mastering the Elements, which she should have done 19 CHAPTERS AGO! But General Fong doesn’t get it and tries to force her into the Avatar State by attacking her and her friends. That works out swimmingly, since this is an episode by episode recap of the original series.

That also means that Zuko and Iroh become fugitives of the Fire Nation, with Azula gunning for them. Next!

For the next bit, just imagine “Cave of Two Lovers” but with LESBIANS!!!... Actually no, they just think about the people they love and that’s sufficient. I hate Les Yay normally, but that would have been better than this fic.

But still, it has the Secret Tunnel Song.
 

I love that song.

The next chapter is… I think it’s a chapter, but it reads more like a character bio, and it’s followed by another long author’s note. We learn a very interesting thing:

Dumbass is actually Half-Water Tribe!

… That explains her eye color. Doesn’t make her less of a Mary Sue.

The author’s note boils down to “I’m impatient, and I want Zuko and Skye to start making babies!” and at this point I back up and say BITE ME! I don’t want this story rushed even faster than it is, and I hate this story. If you wanted Zuko to fall in love with your Mary Sue, you could either make it a one shot or flesh this story out so it actually resembles a story instead of a series of recaps. NEVER SACRIFICE THE QUALITY AND PACING OF A STORY JUST SO YOU CAN GET TO THE “GOOD” PARTS! Can you imagine what The Godfather would be like if they just cut out the scenes of Michael slowly becoming a Villain Protagonist and went straight to the shooting scenes? Or if they cut all the buildup in Alien and just got to the people dying part (there, I just summed up every single slasher movie made in the last twenty years)?

To answer your question, AvatarAvani, I would like to see you try harder to create something original.

As it turns out, we get a recap of a few episodes and then a note saying that AvatarAvani just… gave up. She “Lost the will to write” and just couldn’t continue. And we are given a brief summary of what would have happened.

Dumbass meets Kuzon, who’s been brainwashed by the Fire Nation, but she beats him and puts him in jail to get better. Season 3 continues on as is, except Dumbass and Zuko date, get married, and have lots of babies.

Now, the sympathetic writer in me reaches out to AvatarAvani. Writing a story and keeping it updated on a regular basis is a hard thing, and there are some people who can’t handle the pressure. If you need to go on hiatus, do so, but always remember to keep on working at it.

The jerkass critic in me says “GOOD RIDDANCE!”

This story sucks. The plot is dull when it’s not being a rehash of Avatar: The Last Airbender, the characters have all the life drained out of them, the romance is forced when it’s even there, and Skye is an idiot who doesn’t take her powers seriously. It was less like enjoying the series again and more like having it read to me in a monotone while someone else does a dramatic reading of Twilight. It could have been great, but it was not.

Now, I’ll go read some good fics before I have to plunge back into the filth… maybe something shorter for next week.

(Regrettably, I don't own Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Warhammer 40K, Avatar: the Last Airbender, Legend of Korra, Spider-Man or Frozen. Thankfully, I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender, Legend of Skye)
 
(For some good Avatar fics, check these out:
It might be in bad taste to bash one fic and then recommend others, but I feel like it needs to be done)
 
 

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