The Legend of Korra

It seems like they wanted to tell a story including LGBT+ people without making the story about the LGBT+ experience. They wanted to have Korra and Asami be an item, but they didn't want to make a big deal about it.

Is that such a bad thing? If every story about LGBT+ people has to be about "the LGBT+ experience", it severely limits the amount of representation LGBT+ can ever expect to see.

There does seem to be an almost impossible balance to hit. If the stories are largely about the characters dealing with being gay or bi or trans or what have you, then they do still kind of get shunted into their own corner. If it doesn't focus on that, then people cry that it isn't representation at all.

I wasn't saying that it wasn't representation, mind you. Just that it was a missed opportunity that I kinda expected them to take, given all the talking they did around it.

A significant amount of the first issue did revolve around how LGBT works in the context of the Avatar's world and I think that is enough for what is supposed to be an adventure comic anyway.

Fair enough. So how did you like the comics?

Its certainly better then Gene Yang's work, it actually felt that time was taken to make sure every character acts fairly appropriately to the show even if the plot ended rather anti-climatically.

I did notice the library edition did not have writer's notes this time around, which is a shame. The notes in the other editions were a nice addition.

The series takes place in a fictional 1920s counterpart and it is mentioned that LGB people have been persecuted in the recent past, so I don't think it's unusual to expect something more dramatic concerning Korra and Asami's relationship. Everyone is pretty nonchalant about it.

Yes, very nonchalant, and quick to tell them how HAPPY they are for the couple (another LGBT cliche, I might add).

I thought that was just a general cliche. I've definitely heard straight couples get congratulated for their first successful date.

True, but I feel like this gets said around gay couples a lot more, and usually more emphatically, too, as if to emphasize their tolerance.

Some people I’ve talked to have said in general that they’d prefer more media like this

It’s a form of wish fulfillment as much as a lot of other things in fiction

I prefer that too, but (good) representation comes in two general forms: Shine a light on the problems these people have, or have them perfectly integrated with no more problems than anyone else. The first one is important to get current problems fixed, but the second one does help normalize these people and teach the audience not to view them as weird or strangers.

Star Trek got a lot of mileage out of that second one. In fact, Nichelle Nichols, the original Uhura, wanted to quit her job because she felt like she didn't have enough to do. Martin Luther King himself asked her to stay on, because having a black woman as an important member of the command crew was revolutionary at the time.

I think there should be a balance between the two. Heterosexual relationships show that same balance between normalcy and conflict, after all. You could even argue that hetero relationships in media tend towards conflict rather than normalcy, as that is where many stories get their drama from.

There was the fact that Korra's parents while happy for her didn't want her broadcasting her relationship to the entire world.

Also did everyone see the new book

It deals with the fall of the Earth Empire and the fallout from that.

Heck yeah

A review of the Turf Wars comics by a youtuber critical of the Korra series in the past.

I do think the LGBT representation is a balancing act between "showing the struggle" and also "happy acceptance". Something that should be kept in mind is even when talking about "shared experiences, people are different and will have different tastes as to what they find more appealing in representing them - being in the same group won't change that. Though I don't want to sound too individualistic here.

Also, looking through this thread a lot of people said my thoughts on the whole Korrasami issue - it's not even inherently being against the ship, but the way some people acted as if not seeing things in a romantic light meant you were in denial, or acting as if because it actually did happen in the end that invalidates questioning it that was annoying.

Also the insistence of "if they were a girl and a boy, you'd totally see all of this stuff as romantic." but that one might just be personal. That seems like another problem, the idea that platonic friendship, especially between people of the opposite sex, can't exist.

That last one is definitely true, though, people tend to imagine romance between same-sex pairs all the time, especially when they work together. This happens a lot less to same sex couples.

So this is random but I've been doing a rewatch of Books One and Two (currently on Beginnings) after almost three years and I gotta say...I'm actually pretty invested. It's not that bad of a season actually. Maybe it's nostalgia. Maybe it's because I already know this story is flawed as hell and I've accepted it. Or maybe it's because I know that whatever gripes I would have will be fixed in the next seasons.

Korra's character regression in Book 2 doesn't bother me all that much, especially considering her character flaw in the first two seasons is her sense of entitlement. I mean, her first words in the show are "I'm the Avatar. You gotta deal with it." She's privileged and spoiled, despite being a genuinely good person. I actually find it kind of interesting that the writers really wanted to dive into Korra's flaws this season, at the risk of having the audience completely hate her. It kind of just makes me appreciate Korra a lot more than I already did.

Asami is also...a much better character than I remember? Like she's so fiesty, strong-willed and snarky here, even if she's underused after Book One. I think I kind of love her now, despite knowing that she gets sidelined so much post-Book One. Mako and Bolin's storylines are pretty bad, though. Bolin is still my favorite other than Korra but Book 2 really did nothing for him in its earlier episodes.

"That seems like another problem, the idea that platonic friendship, especially between people of the opposite sex, can't exist."

Is a problem with lack of enough representation: people kinda lash at....let said "anormal behivor" of heterosexual couple as proof of being gay, Is and issue I have with Frozen that people lash on elsa not being intersting in men as since he is a lesbian, which put htis is an awkard dictonomy:ether the chararter is gay or is just a thing.

In case of korrasami, I feel people kinda ignore the fact for volume 3 and 4 nobody though or wanted another ship by how awfull the love triangle was in volume 2, in fact I will said korra and asami was popular in part because how subtle it was. as any other canon ship was drown in drama and pettiness.

I guess now we would be a good time to to post this.

I am not saying the writing is perfect but this post and many others do put things into perspective.

Who is Zombie Amon? He’s been mentioned once and more here.

Edited by fredhot16 on Jul 20th 2019 at 1:06:03 AM

A gag from s4e8, the clip show episode that had to be made at the last minute because Nick screwed over the team yet again.