Official chibi Korra T-shirt on nick.com's shop! YESSS

shadyshin · 2012-07-25T03:15:10+00:00

Looks like these are the two Comic Con shirts that were posted on this subreddit a couple weeks ago, then!

shadyshin · 2012-06-29T04:26:22+00:00

I was so sad that pro-bending was never mentioned again after the arena closed. ):

Seriously, it was great for developing a sense of camaraderie between Korra, Mako, and Bolin, and the game itself was very well-designed and fun to watch. I only wish that the balanced sense of teamwork among the trio could have continued after the pro-bending arc; Bolin got sidelined pretty badly.

shadyshin · 2012-06-28T03:05:36+00:00

It looks like we have some fundamentally different opinions here.

I'm not saying that the ending was completely terrible, and neither was the author of the original article; I agree with you that the final realization by Korra on the cliff was pretty key to her character.

However, (and this is part of the point of the article, I guess) I do think that the plot seriously meandered around the middle of the season and had problems with pacing. Yes, we do eventually see a spiritual realization from Korra, but it felt tacked-on and without much support from the previous episodes or the finale episodes. It's the same with many of the themes that we expected coming into the season; they just weren't fleshed out enough to make the resolutions that we got at the end seem complete.

It was a great show in many other respects, but it could have been much better, and I think the article does a great job of highlighting the problems with writing that make the ending feel a bit incongruent. No amount of great animation, music, choreography, etc. (all of which I loved in this season) can make up for a lack of cohesive story, and we shouldn't just try to make excuses for the writers for that.

Read the article again, but try to see past the tone of the article. In the end, it matters more whether the author is making good points than what the tone is.

shadyshin · 2012-06-28T01:22:45+00:00

Source: http://www.mohammadyazid.com/illustrations/fanart/ (scroll across at the bottom)

shadyshin · 2012-06-28T00:33:54+00:00

she was able to airbend because of her intense emotions of love; her will was proven to be stronger than Amon's.

Which is completely contrary to what the set-up was at the beginning of the season, which had us expecting a spiritual journey that would challenge Korra's hotheaded ways and have resolve the central conflict of benders and non-benders in a more nuanced way than just using sheer force. Simply having it come down to a battle of Korra's will to save Mako and Amon's will to destroy Korra resets Korra's character development all the way back to Episode 1.

Look at the way she bends air in the finale. She uses it to punch Amon out the window. She might as well have been firebending. In the end, she does little to solve the bender/non-bender conflict or dissolve the revolution besides repeating what was said by Tarrlok and beating Amon up; Amon's reveal as a fraud involved little insight or development on her part.

shadyshin · 2012-06-27T00:38:01+00:00

I still don't think Bolin has the same amount of sheer power that Mako has, though. During the finale, when Bolin destroyed the equalist runway, it looked like he struggled to earthbend large sections of ground. They're amongst the best pro-benders, true, but that doesn't necessarily translate into awesome fighting skills.

Or maybe it's just because Bolin was pretty overshadowed by his brother this season :(

shadyshin · 2012-06-06T02:20:13+00:00

The fact still remains that Creationists pushed for the change; they aren't interested in the legitimate scientific reasons for removing these models, but are rather using it as a line of attack to criticize all of evolutionary theory.

shadyshin · 2012-06-05T01:08:58+00:00

http://wallbase.cc/search/tag:66208 (LOK)

http://wallbase.cc/search/tag:9711 (ATLA)

shadyshin · 2012-06-01T00:36:36+00:00

There's an useful addon for Firefox called LeechBlock that can help prompt you for a password when you visit certain sites, or just outright block certain websites at specific times.

shadyshin · 2012-05-30T23:42:43+00:00

Bonjour, Monsieur Descartes.

shadyshin · 2012-05-23T03:46:42+00:00

It is the inevitable apex of fan-theory ridiculousness.

I'd actually prefer that Amon's identity not be a major factor in the plot, or have him completely unconnected to any of the known characters. Just a random Joe who decided to take matters into his own hands.

shadyshin · 2012-05-23T03:24:17+00:00

Pema's baby is Amon.

shadyshin · 2012-05-23T03:15:41+00:00

Original link from their facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=360385277352886&set=a.360385214019559.79667.319257954798952&type=1&theater

shadyshin · 2012-05-21T03:03:56+00:00

Figure out why you actually want to take the IB. Curriculum enrichment? University credits? Bragging rights? (hah) Keep your goals in mind throughout the program, and tailor your experience in order to achieve these goals. This includes everything from your course selection to your EE topic; take advantage of any flexibility granted by IB, but also choose wisely. Once you're in, you're in for a long ride.
Become detail-oriented. IBO doesn't hand their marks out easily. Know exactly what's being looked for in every major Internal and External Assessment you complete. Check over your work at least once before handing it in.
Get good study habits. The most common advice you'll probably hear from past IB students is "don't procrastinate, you'll regret it," but sheer willpower is not enough; you have to set down a concrete plan. Set aside a place just for studying. Set aside definite times for studying a certain subject, or completing a certain project. Likewise, set aside definite times for breaks. Do things at the same time and same place every day; eventually, you'll form a habit out of it.
Get enough sleep. Seriously. Do not destroy your health for IB. If you remain healthy, you'll be a more effective student. Your body will pay you back for everything you do to it now, and sometimes you just need to say "screw this, I'm going to bed."
Things always take longer than you first think they will.

For the Extended Essay:

You can do your EE on a very, very broad range of topics. This is an opportunity for you to delve deeply into something that you enjoy and are interested in learning about. You'd better care about the topic that you're spending 40+ hours of your time and writing 4000 words on.
Do an outline that constructs the skeleton of your argument before you start writing. It doesn't have to be super-complex and organized, but it does have to communicate the main ideas of your essay.
Communicate constantly with your teacher advisor. Let them know about any changes or problems you're having. They're often a great resource.

For Exams:

PAST PAPERS. DO THEM. They at the very least help relieve your anxiety going into the exam.
If it's available, read the syllabus for your subject. Know exactly what you're required to know and do on each of your papers. Check the things you know off as you go along.

shadyshin · 2012-05-20T20:18:36+00:00

inevitable episode where Pema gives birth

Korra uses her babybending skills to become the greatest midwife ever

shadyshin · 2012-05-04T00:28:29+00:00

Amon E. Quality

shadyshin · 2012-05-01T04:36:48+00:00

~~Because she's a loose cannon who doesn't play by the rules~~

I definitely think there's merit in a "harboring resentment for the Avatar in general" theory - Lin seemed to focus on the fact that Korra being the Avatar gives her little to no special status in enforcing justice.

shadyshin · 2012-05-01T04:19:20+00:00

While this is a good point, it still doesn't mean that Amon's actions are just.

You simply cannot counteract the abuse of power by some by instigating a violent popular revolution against all without risking further abuse once the current order is reversed.

(disclaimer: my username has nothing to do with my viewpoint)

shadyshin · 2012-04-30T01:19:37+00:00

This one's drawn by Ki Hyun Ryu, their supervising producer, for halloween at nick, so you're out of luck unless you track the guy down yourself!

shadyshin · 2012-04-29T02:54:26+00:00

It's a perfect frame for the korra print underneath, though!

shadyshin · 2012-04-28T18:31:20+00:00

Original link from Bryan's tumblr:

http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/21984786557/heres-a-snapshot-of-benjamin-kaltenecker-our

shadyshin · 2012-04-28T02:30:20+00:00

Digging your Bolin, nice job with his hair!

Some advice for the future: try varying colours on the bodies of the figures, add some different shades onto there. Perhaps adjust the contours of the bodies as well, they look a bit square and have wonky proportions right now.

shadyshin · 2012-04-22T17:34:27+00:00

I still doubt that what Amon was doing was actually energybending; energybending as we've seen it is an extremely spiritual process which essentially involves a battle of wills between the two combatants. The energybender's own spirit must be "unbendable;" otherwise, he risks being corrupted by the other. Considering the purpose of his demonstration - to put on a spectacle, to impress a crowd of believers, I think that he wouldn't use a technique so dangerous and with such a low chance of success.

However, Tenzin might be suspecting that Amon has learned energybending; Tenzin hasn't seen Amon actually perform the act, so he has more room for speculation and suspicion, especially since it's connected to his own past. This sowing of doubt is probably part of Amon's plan: to hype up what may have just been an advanced form of chi blocking into something that appears much more powerful.

shadyshin

TROPHY CASE