Avatar Discussion [guest posting allowed]

[chamir]

AHEM!

So, with the continued chattered in choi for the past year--that's picked up recently for some reason ( I wonder why... xP), I figured I throw a bone to you loiterers and lurkers out there.

This thread is open to yall for almost whatever. You can shoot the breeze, kill time, chit-chat, reminisce, catch up, extol, mingle, network, talk shop and what not. But most of all: talk about the Avatar franchise, maybe even discuss about its latest series, The Legend of Korra.

Oh, and you can talk RP of course (=p)! Yet, keep in mind that, as far as I know, there are no current or even definite plans for a new Feng Shui RPG campaign.

Now, without ado and nothing carved in stone, let us see what will become of things...

[gandalan]

...I was worried that the style of Korra would be horrific. I'm used to long series being mangled and wronged by their second iterations. However, I was surprised and even mildly joyful at how Korra was presented.

Zelda is a video game that we hardly ever expect would be in a place like Steampunk. Games like that rarely travel outside of their "normal" timeline or technological point of progress because it changes the viewpoint of the people who watch it. The genre "medieval fantasy" exists because people WANT to watch and "be" in a medieval fantasy world. Adding in mass production and machines and the like often works counter-productively towards the message in the story.

However, I think that ATLA can be compared to LOTR in this way.

When the elves leave Middle Earth, they do it partially because it is time for the "Dominion of Men". Technology was used during these times- gunpowder, for example. Saruman makes references to the "fires of industry". Sacred forests be damned.

In ATLA, we could see that the Fire Nation had this mentality- industry and fire would push forward the boundaries of their nation and their influence. Regardless of the other nations, we could see that industry in the first show as a sort of monster of its own right. When Katara blew up the factory, she was, in a way, keeping the show in its medieval roots. Anything fantastic or wondrous wasn't technological, but was based in Bending, and the arts- a sort of "magic" if you will, akin to Final Fantasy "technology" which often uses magic as an explanation and as a force to grow it.

Now, in Korra, we see that technology has won out in the end. We see that Korra is confused by this new world and its new morality. (Leave everything to the police obviously isn't in her moral code.) She sees a sort of order, but she wants justice. The new world of laws won't allow that. It doesn't have respect for her "sacred status" as Avatar. (It usually worked for Aang. But not for her.)

Honestly, I'd be interested to see places other than Republic City. How are rural areas affected by technology? The Fire Nation? How is the Northern Water Tribe? Are those areas that foster technology becoming more powerful or influential, while the power and influence of other places wanes? I want to see this "dominion of men" in the context of ATLA- is it time for the Avatar to step back? Or even to step DOWN? I think Aden made that point a couple years ago. I didn't consider it then, but having had time to think about it, it makes me think.

The Avatar is primarily an organ of "justice". Let's be honest- technology and the impersonal style of our modern world doesn't generally allow for justice. Nothing is sacred, and nobody cares about details. Is there a place in this world for "justice"? Or will the world pass our new Avatar by?

[chamir]

Fascinating.

I'm half-heartedly leaving that as my reply. Mostly because I'm still doing housework at the moment. Or suppose to be.

But really, I can't stop nodding my head in agreement to what you've been bringing up, Hibiki. And with each episode unfolding I keep thinking back to your post.

And Teiú, how goes your poetry?

[gandalan]

I never thought I'd manage to wow you, Chamir.

[Teiú]

A comeback up and running? Not running? Should be running? Are we lagging behind, even? Let's see what we can do...

Got my machine working and virus free for the time being, finally. Yet, exams keep on chipping my time off. Ain't even on Korra yet =p. However, Hibi's post makes me itching to start catching up on it. Besides, I would have the feeling that there was a big enough contingent of old RPers waiting just for Korra to come out to buzz in and see if FS would be back again. This feeling is still roaming about. Got this lethal exam next tuesday. After that, am compromised with getting to Korra.

Meanwhile, Hibi, Chamir, people lurking around on Choi... No mood for starting out simple? A joke-around thread, to throw pieces of text meant to be people and get some chattering out as a preview of what we could pull with this new setting.

Ye' old inn, mayhaps?


Random blabber that suddenly pops up in mind - I remember coming down to FS to read high quality RPlay. And then, in doing so, I learned so much more (in so many aspects) than I could through many other means (while I equally annoyed people with crappy english as I climbed up the ranks of linguistics). Now that there's this new chance for us to gather all that potential again, and the thought of the experience and fun that we can get by RPing in a similar atmosphere again (and the new elements and people that can join us now), I can't help but hope you people would still appreciate such an interesting chance for this new chapter for FS - end of random blabber.


PS.: No matter how much I learn and how much I evolve on it, my poetry will always turn crappy, Chamir, my friend. Any luck on raising those drinking funds?

[chamir]

Raising those drinking funds? Well, recently my work class has been given a pay increase of 60¢. And as I'm typing this I'm going through a bottle of cheap, terrible Spanish wine from a bad year for me.

Which could be sad because you can actually find good tasting Spanish wine for cheap.

I need to work on bettering my own poetry too. Especially after the upset of last month when I found out my old poetry professor, Ai, departed two years ago. And no one I knew who still lived around campus at the time ever told me! >_<

Shoulda known something was up when I wasn't seeing her anymore at the local powwows.

We should share one of these days.

Anyway, Legend of Korra... so far I've only seen one existing RPG for it over on livejournal. Very small or untapped "market" you could say. Meanwhile RPGs of every stripe everywhere seemed to have ground to a near halt because its that time of year of finals, end of semester and summer vacation.

Speaking of ends... I'm gonna miss my kids!!

The boss wants a WHOLE new staff, which means I'm job huntin, which means I won't get to see my "kids" again, which means I won't get to see them grow up...

My resume, totes using my experience at Feng Shui and an RPer as bullet points. Though not explicitly mentioning where I got those skills from. xD

But yeah folks!--guest posting allowed. We know you're out there. We know you're being lazy!

In fact, that's one of the hurdles if anyone wants to do a RPG. Laziness and commitment? The potential energy is already here I suspect. Just needs to be kinetic.

Wow--wine makes me go from sleepy to chatty--lookitme I'm textually active--and I feel like sparring RAWR!!

[The Lion Turtle]

My Boys.. *Hugs*

I've missed you all terribly. I'm so sorry I abandoned you all too.

I'm good to go if you all are. *wink*

Jialing's been itchin' to knock some heads around..

(In other news: I paint Carousels now and do 3D modeling for the company as well.)

[chamir]

Well... I guess this calls for another bottle of wine. Perhaps a better tasting one before/after I get started.

So yeah, after Teiú flipped my bed over while I was still sleeping in it and the lurkers influencing me to put up this thread--I guess I'm in for another ride.

And what's this 3D modeling thing? You're making new carousel pieces?

[gandalan]

So I've missed the last couple of episodes I think (I was on 4 or 5) but I've love to RP this again.

BTW- mostly based on Iroh, I'm attempting to make Juk for lunch. I'm sure I'll screw this up. @_@

ALSO! I officially have a college degree in Theater and Communications. >D I'm A GRADUATE!

...Now to find a job. T_T

[jialingjin]

Congrats, Hibiki. That's a wonderful accomplishment. I never pictured you as a theater guy.

Cham, Teiu flipped your bed? That's some skill from our Brazilian friend.
Yes, I do 3D modeling for the company. We're hoping to be able to show potential clients renders of the figures and carousels and the various options since it can be so hard for them to understand what we mean by rounding board, upper surround, cheese gear, lower surround, etc. etc. Many people think of carousels of those rusted, squeaky carnival rides but ours are grand works of art. We're also thinking about having figures 3D printed so clients could have miniatures made for displays or gifts to donors.


Teiu - Your wonderful poem 'Phoenix Down' has been hanging above my art supplies for over a year now. I read it often.. I almost have it memorized. That, and 'Alive Lines' bring me so much joy. I don't draw much anymore.. the depression is almost crippling in that aspect.. and I can't focus on it anymore. I did do this recently..
Kamali and Chocobo You might recognize Kamali as a precursor to Jialing.. She's an old character of mine and I felt like revisting her. A sue, but an old character of mine.

Um.. if we do bring the site back.. what time period do we want it? I worry about setting it in the Korra-Time as we don't know what's going on else where.. and I think everyone would want to be in Republic City and I really enjoyed having people around the world.

I almost think placing it after the war, but during the founding of Republic City would be good. Aang would have to deal with finding a way to help the war recover - what does he do with all the Fire Nation Colonies? These people have been in the colonies some for as long as 100 years.. he can't simply kick them out. They've become their own culture. How does he keep the nations from fighting again? Sure, Fire Lord Zuko is not trying to start a war but he has to rebuild a nation. As Chamir has elaborated on with his immense wisdom - you can not simply bring a war machine to a grinding halt without shattering the economy and the lives of people. How long would it take for the Southern Tribe to be built back up? I don't think, by the small glimpse, we have during Korra's time, that it is even close yet to the granduer of the North Tribe but perhaps the South does not want that.. they've grown accustomer to their simpler ways. Does the Earth King have to deal with restlessness among his smaller kingdoms? Do the various kings under him disagree with peace? Do some want to exact revenge on the Fire Nation?

.....I also really want a chance to play Crazy Azula again with her fear of Mirrors. I played her on a RPG that died.

This is the banner I have saved for the next skin I was working on. I'm not too happy with it.. so I dunno if it'd be good enough to use..

[gandalan]

AW MAN D:

I wanted to be in that banner skin. T_T

But anyway, IDK about setting. I really don't. The canon for the founding of Republic city is coming out in some comics now (I think). BTW! LONGSHOT AND SMELLERBEE ARE ALIVE! YEE-UH! >D

Ahem. Anyway.

I think your idea, at the very least, has merit. I'd hate to jump into Korra and be so limited by our knowledge (lack of it) about the world as a whole. When I jumped into this site, Season 1 was already over. I had plenty of knowledge about what the world was like- but if we were to go into Korra... *wince*

My vote, at least for NOW, is Jia's idea. But it really depends, I think, what draws in the RPers. >> Without them, this place won't work. Yeah?

[Hebirei]

I would agree that the Republic City idea is a good one, I was kinda worried about the lack of knowledge in LoK so far. Plus, we can do timeskipped OCs from before =D

P.S. registration should be enabled so i can get my name back, screw guest posting~

[chamir]

Volume 2 of the post season 3 comic should be out by now, or sometime in early June. Suggest you guys hang out in a bookstore and give it a skim.

Smellerbee and Longshot are definitely alive, along with the other freedom fighters--but no mention of Jet. Toph becomes a metalbending teacher. The origin of what would become Republic City.

And after all the hard work that went into ending the war, it looks like peace could still easily fall into the crapper--and without the need of some new big bad, secret organization, military power, or what-have-you.

Nope just the matter of what to do with the colonies as well as Zuko & Aang coping with their roles globally influential political figures is just enough by itself to screw over the world. I love it for that. xD

Anywho, I need to remember to dig through nick and show wiki's for any extra LoK info & bits. But, if we start with a post season 3 Feng Shui, maybe we could have our own timeskips after particular arcs. Anywhere from months to 1, 2, 5 or 10 years at a time until we eventually come into a FS LoK point. But that wouldn't be for time to come. I'm sure you can figure out how make that work Jia--didn't your Sailor Moon RPG have some mechanic like that.

Either way, we all should conjure up some skeleton sequence of events & activities that could, should or might take place rather than rely and hope on players to come up with everything or figure out something to do.

[gandalan]

And I've still missed a few episodes I think. >_<

[jialingjin]

May 27, 2012 22:24:57 GMT -5 @chamir said:

Anywhere from months to 1, 2, 5 or 10 years at a time until we eventually come into a FS LoK point. But that wouldn't be for time to come. I'm sure you can figure out how make that work Jia--didn't your Sailor Moon RPG have some mechanic like that.

...BAD!, that BAD! didn't work worth crap. I hated the time skip thing. Both me and my co-admin..