soc_puppet | Thoughts on recent developments/revelations, card drafts

It never fails! I leave the internet for one night, and then come back the next day only to find out that Dumbledore is gay. Why do you people insist on doing this to me, really. (Not that it doesn't fill me with love and awesome. I mean, dude, of all the great role models in kiddie lit to be GLBT, he's gotta be way up there. I'm just sad that I missed it. And that there's probably going to be huge outcry about Dumbledore being a pedo for Harry now and that's why he wanted to be a teacher and not the minister of magic, but that's just what I'm predicting and not what I actually feel. Because obviously, being gay means you're into little kids. [/sarcasm]

Regarding the latest Avatar episode!

I have... mixed feelings! On the one hand, I am hilaritized by Azula being a complete social failure. On the other hand, uh. Sociopaths/APD people usually aren't? A-also, her feelings re: Mom and Zuko. I just. "She was right, of course, but it still hurt." It kinda feeds back in on my earlier concern re: APD person, but I still kinda like that it was acknowledged, yanno? And does this mean that they're planning to make Azula an honest-to-goodness sympathetic character?

This episode totally sold me on Ty-Lee, by the way. I was like, Yeah, okay, character, dangerous lady, WHATEVER! before. And now I actually care. Props for that!

I thought it was good that they showed Zuko and Mai fighting/not getting along perfectly, because it establishes them as imperfect, but it did seem a little rushed/random to me, especially since we didn't exactly see them in the previous episode. Over all, I really wish they could take more time with things in this season, because it feels like a lot of things are glossed over. Either go into things deeper, or cut them out, it can't be that hard.

I did like how we got a glimpse of Zuko and Azula's past through the island, but I felt that was also somewhat sparse. And it was good to get backstory/more insight into the Dangerous Ladies, but the entire set up seemed to resolve itself a little too quickly for my tastes. I mean, I get that it's just a half-hour show, but again, couldn't they have expanded the series a little or something?

And pretty much everything with Aang-tachi seemed kinda... tacked on. There wasn't a lot of substance to it. They could well have cut it out to make the rest of the episode flow better, IMHO.

So over all, it really felt like they were trying to do too many things in this episode, so they sacrificed quality to get it all in. While I liked the character insights and developments, I didn't really care for the episode itself. And I'm too grumpy today to pretend to myself that I liked something I didn't.

Moving right along, I have card designs to contemplate!

Option One: Roll up some Holiday Cheer; inside will read something like "Have a kata-merry holiday". Back or inside will have a scribble.

Option Two: Mistletoe, CFUD style! Outside, inside. Back will have scribble.

Option Three: Camp F%^# You X-mas Carol; currently very XKCD-style, may change that later. Inside or back will have scribble.

Alternately, I can use one of my failed "family" holiday card ideas, both of which involve Ford and Arthur. (Dad has poo-poo'd making pets a focus on our cards this year, as they are too "transient". Which I can't actually refute, but it does make me a little sad that they won't make it in.) Or I can try to come up with another idea.

Thoughts? Opinions? Preferred cards?

And leaving my entry there; the grumpiness is catching up to me.