Hello Avatar fans, Airspeed Prime again, this time with Community Opinion 9. With a severe lack of Avatar information coming out of late, hopefully this post can start some discussion and get us through this lull in Avatar news.

So lets get straight into this months topic:

Awesome Korra Shipping Artwork by Sarinja (Camilla), A member of our Avatar Community!

Shipping in Avatar: Good, Bad or Both ?

*Shipping of course being where fans of the show become fans of a certain relationship and Ship that relationship [caption id="attachment_4056" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="A ship ended the show, so it is clearly an important topic amongst fans, but were certain fans too intense and mad about it ?"]

[/caption] I asked people to give their thoughts on their experiences and thoughts on Shipping in Avatar, is it fun and interesting or is it too intense, serious or in some cases gross. Then for their thoughts on Shipping in Korra, what they expect. So let's begin! Airspeed Prime (Super Moderator/Facebook Administrator/Popular Post Writer) Ah Shipping, it will forever be associated with ATLA now, but has it been good or bad for the fandom ? In my opinion, a bit of both. On one hand it really shows just how passionate the fans are that they will argue to the death in defence of their particular pairing, but on the other hand it means that the fandom is full of heated arguments which do not help the fandom as a whole. More specifically I think shipping, especially in relation to Avatar comes down to 2 things, Canon and Non Canon, what happened and what people wanted to happen. KATAANG and ZUTARA are the key ones, KATAANG is canon and was from 101 to 321 and onwards into Korra now we know they got married and had kids, while ZUTARA is Non Canon and despite what anyone says was never hinted at in the show ever. I have no problem at all with people liking ZUTARA, but when people were trying to convince others that ZUTARA was canon, that is where I think Shipping goes to far. At stages while the show was airing it was near impossible to discuss relationships that were happening like KATAANG without people barging in saying that ZUTARA was better, it is just as worse for people who wrote ZUTARA fan fics and had KATAANG fans come in complaining. There has to be a distinction between ships that are/could happen and ships that people want to happen/will never actually happen. Shipping did make the fandom interesting at all times, but the way that that scene at the end of "Imprisoned" when Zuko picked up Katara's necklace started a ship that even by the end of the series had nothing to back it up, a ship that people argued tooth and nail for to say it is canon, this is the aspects of shipping I do not like. What I like about shipping is that it meant there were some excellent discussions about the various relationships, since people were so into them, these were few and far between with people shipping these non canon ships coming in and messing up some great discussions as they descended into arguments. My personal shipping preferences is that I accept what happened on the show, I love KATAANG, I saw nothing to even suggest ZUTARA, SUKKA and MAIKO were interesting and added to the various characters. The only vaguely "weird" ship that I mention wherever I can is THE DOPH (The Duke and Toph), because there is some evidence that it may happen with the hug in the finale and the bonding on the subs. I was in " the fandom during the "Wars", but I chose not to get involved, because I just thought the argument was so absurd. Not just from the ZUTARA shippers arguing for a ship that was never going to happen from so early on in the show, but also the KATAANG fans who took this as a slight against them. Now with Korra coming in just less than a year, I am sure that shipping will once again return. From what we have seen so far there is one clear ship, Tenzin and Pema, they are already married and have 3 kids with another on the way, so there is no arguing this one. But what Korra may be doing with Korra , Bolin and Mako is giving us a conflict of interests, a situation where Bolin and Korra or Mako and Korra could happen. This would be a similar yet different situation to KATAANG and ZUTARA, similar in that they would be 2 conflicting ships, different in that both would (if it happens) be equal and an actual fair "Shipping War". If the creators do this I think this would avoid any arguments the likes of ATLA, in that rather than 1 ship coming from nowhere, both would be present in the show and it could be a great plot point. I may come across here as quite negative towards certain aspects of shipping, but I really do not like a little thing called "Negative Fandom" where the negative aspects and people in fandoms completely drown out any positivity and people just enjoying the ride. Star Wars recently has been hit by this, over the Blu Rays, where some minor changes have been so hated that people are forgetting about the 40 hours of never before seen bonus features. I do not mean that everything must be positive in fandoms, but just focusing on little things in the massive picture and just screaming about how bad that is is not helping the fandom as a whole. Thankfully the shipping wars more or less stopped when the finale aired, and the more positive aspects of the fandom shone through. Never in my life have a been in a fandom like this where everyone is so into the show and so passionate, Avatar fans pretty much stole the show on the day of the Korra panel at SDCC, with other show creators even noting to Mike and Bryan just how awesome Avatar fans are. So in summary, Shipping was a bit of a double edged sword in ATLA, but I think now that the fandom has had some time to look back on the "Shipping Wars" and realise how silly certain arguments were, and hopefully now with Korra everyone will be able to discuss the relationships in Korra in a civilised manner. I just want some fun Shipping discussion, and there are some fun ships out there, KATAANG is fun to discuss because of the journey from them seeing each other for the first time to the kiss that ended the series. Sokka's successes and failures with the ladies, and I think everyone felt a little bad for Jin when Zuko left. I hope people do not take it too seriously in Korra, as there is so many opportunities for great discussion that stem from shipping. Tracy (Moderator) When it comes to the shipping wars, I think they range from pretty intense, to really silly with no basis. I think some fans weren't happy with the outcome of the relationships, and that's why they tried to see potential in other characters. Also, some people, obviously, had some really warped ideas. On the whole, I think they are entertaining, but I do think people get out of hand. I think it's good for fandom in the sense that it keeps people talking about it, but to a newcomer, it can be confusing. Judging from the amount of fan art I've seen already, I believe that there will be as much shipping, if not more, in Korra, and I have no doubt that it will get downright intense. I have no doubt people will argue and debate as to whom Korra herself, should/will end up with. After all, it hasn't even come out yet, and people have already decided. Airbender Prodigy Wow,this will be a big one. I go for all cannon ships, that doesn't mean I can't see the good and bad of other ships, Azulaang, for instance, is completely out there, makes no sense whatsoever, but it interests me. At the end of the series, the great finale, I was not surprised to find that Kataang happened, I was pretty happy actually. Thing is, I got in to Avatar a little late then most people, Feb. 2010 to be exact, so by the time I started looking online for fanfictions, people had more intense arguments on the different shipments, which influenced me a little to be honest, I think I even went Taang for a while before switching back. If you think about it, it would be completely possible if Katara was out of the picture. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that people went WAY overboard with the whole shipping thing. Insults and some intense conversations and arguments would continue over days, main topic? Guess. It was Zutara, or Kataang. As you may know, I make Avatar AMV's on youtube. In one of my earlier videos, I actually had to break up a heated argument on the topic. On rare occasions, when I make a video specifically dedicated to one shipment, I get flames and insults from other people who don't go for that particular shipment, it does get pretty frustrating. Overall Main Shipment views: Cannon: Kataang: After spending the whole series developing this relationship, I found myself rooting for it, obviously. Though it seems unlikely, Katara definitely has her reasons for kissing Aang at the end of the series. Sukka: Not much interest in this ship, they only really got into it during the third season, which didn't give me enough time to actually pay attention to it. Maiko: No opinion on this one, it just happened, kind of unexpected to introduce Mai to the story and ultimately give Zuko a mate, but it happened, so *shrugs* Non cannon: Zutara: The ultimate rivals of Kataanger's, probably the biggest ship base out there, plenty of fan fictions and fan art, They say Zuko and Katara belong together because of the few moments they actually spent together, and their motto is definitely appropriate: Opposite's attract. Taang: One of my favorite ships, only because it seems so plausible. Kind of going by the Zutarian motto, if water rivals fire, then Earth must rival air. Tokka: I don't think this is really a ship, it's was apparent that Toph had a small crush on Sokka, and as much as they might look cute together, the whole thing doesn't really click with me. Toko: I never really grasped this one, it makes no sense that Toph would go with Zuko. Love Triangles: Taangara: So, I guess some people got tired of fighting each other over who belongs with Aang. Can't say that this ship doesn't interest me, Two of my favorite ships together? Awesome. Zutaraang: Who didn't see this coming? Katara has to pick someone"

Fan fictions for this particular ship are actually VERY amusing. ________________________________ Korra! What Avatar: The Legend of Korra proves, Kataang, did in fact happen. This sent some Zutarians on a rage rampage. Trolling on several forums and typing in all caps about how mad they are, trust me, I've seen it everywhere. Ships for Korra? I'm not sure yet, I want to get to actually see the series and evaluate each character before pairing them up. To randomly pair someone up would be pointless. Dom I only discovered Avatar: the Last Airbender last year over the summer, when I reluctantly allowed a friend to show me an episode off of Netflix. Not having watched the show while it aired, I missed out on all these -shipping wars" that took place Ã¢â‚¬” I didn't even know they existed until after I finished watching the series and joined this forum. This time around, it's completely different. Now a major fan as we anxiously await the new series, I have the opportunity to observe (and participate?) in these epic shipping wars. After learning about them indirectly here in the forum as well as through Tumblr and DeviantArt, I honestly couldn't of imagined how intense these things got. I'm going to be frank first by saying to get overly emotional about shipping people is foolish. My opinion may be biased because as I watched A:tLA, I was always rooting for Kataang. I feel that even if I was rooting for Zutara, though, I wouldn't have resorted to tantrums or tirades after realizing who Katara ends up with. Nevertheless, I honestly feel like shipping wars are a vital aspect of a great show. Just as the plot and cultural contexts of A:tLA and LoK are important to the show's greatness, so too are the relationships that we watch develop. It's easy to get captivated by a great show because the characters have such depth. They have thoughts, hopes, dreams, feelings, and emotions that all seem too real, and this is where shipping wars (I feel) manifest. When people get so caught up as to lose sight of the show's separation from reality, they let their emotions get the best of them when a character doesn't end up with who they had hoped. I honestly don't have any -predictions" to share for The Legend of Korra, because we don't know about the personalities of the characters yet, and also because I don't wish to fall victim to shipping wars. I'm confident Bryke has cooked up something magnificent for us once again, and I just can't wait until it airs. - Dom 8) Arthan (Moderator) ATLA Relationships, I think this topic has been heavily discussed and there will be few things not already said about it, but I will face it without searching or reading anything previous so I hope you can forgive me if my thoughts are redundant. There are some relationships in the -old" series that intrinsically form part of the story and it would be different without them. The first and most important is obviously the Aang-Katara ship, all of us have -suffered" Aang's struggle to express his feelings to Katara, all the evolution of their love: since Aang's first crush on Katara practicing the waterbending techniques to the final hug and kiss. What a journey!"

There are other relationships not so intense but also important, from my point of view, in order of importance they are: Sokka-Suki, Sokka-Princess Yue, Zuko-Jin, Zuko-Mai, Longshot-Smellerbee, Pakku-Kanna well, we don't have too much information about the last but I'm sure it's a story worth to be told"

With Sokka's ships we can see how his heart is broken for Yue loss and how Suki picks the pieces up and mends it. About Zuko I see more important his relationship with Jin because this marks the changes to goodness he is experimenting. All these are essential parts of the series that make it even better, not being only a fantasy and action series but in a subtle way introducing typical elements of the soup-operas, if you know what I mean."

Another topic is the so-called -shipping wars", a lot has been told about the triangle Aang-Katara-Zuko, I think the series creators have set a quite subtle wink with Zuko and Katara, the love triangles always works making a story more interesting. Some people have taken this too far in my opinion, fighting tooth and nail to defend his or her subjective point of view, but it's something that can be expected from a so varied audience. I'm sure this action line will be kept unchanged with Korra since it enriches the tale while we are asking to ourselves who she yearns for. Atry Since I arrived to the fandom rather late (this year) I never experienced the shipping war first-hand. But stories from the war has reached my ear, and I have a clear picture that shipping in itself is here to stay in every form. Personally I never got caught up in an inner conflict about the relationships since I watched through the whole series in only three months. The only thing that got to me was that I yearned for Aang and Katara to get together, cause I felt like they were star-crossed lovers. Other than that the only thing I hoped for was for Zuko to get together with someone cause he was my favorite character at the time. By the very end both of my wishes came true, another reward for completing the series. I might have hoped for a bit more love in the show, but overall I think the relationships were handled very well. The love was always there of course, but since they were in the middle of a war it's understandible that it took to the end for them to settle down. Katara's role was to protect Aang so he could fulfill his destiny, and Zuko had much more on his heart than love. So of course it was the hardest for them, the slow build made it believable whilst at the same time not excluding it. So I'm satisfied"

But from what I hear that's not entirely the case for many fans. If I'm to be honest, I had never heard of shipping before, I really had no idea it was part of fandom to play around with the relationships. From some fan art I had seen of Star Wars: The Clone Wars I had a clue, but I just assumed it was nothing but wild fantasies (which it is). So when I heard how the characters of ATLA had been shipped back and forth for years I honestly cringed, even the idea of Zutara had never crossed my mind, not even after the scene in the cave. Now of course I'm fully aware of the shipping, my distaste for it has vanished and I pretty much just enjoy it for what it is. When it comes to the shipping war, I find it crazy but interesting. The fact that fans can get so intense and creative about something like this really shows how passionate they are. They really get their imagniation going with it and explore so many places, and there's no limit as to were the imagination can take you. So in itself I have nothing against shipping, or the passion of the fans. However, to let that passion evolve into a grudge and just spill it out in conflicts ragin across the internet, and actually start a war out of your own ideas. To me that's overdoing it, fandom is suppose to inspire appreciation not hatred. A war leads to nothing but hurt, especially when it's over nothing which I feel this war was. Essentially the war was about the Kataangers and the Zutarans arguing violently about which ship was canon, well if that's the case then I see no point in it. Zutarans can have their favorite ship, but their opinions as to why it was canon were ridiculous. I apprecite the creativity and understanding of fans, but these Zutarans were the exact opposite. They never learned and never listened. I know that they started the war, but I don't know how great a role the Kataangers played in keeping it up, I don't know if they sometimes might have picked on the Zutarans. In one way I feel the war was too intense, couldn't they just have appreciated each other, and if they couldn't then why didn't they just stay away form each other? But another part of me wonder if maybe the war was inevitable, considering the differences is taste and the passion of the fans. So when it comes to if it was good or bad for the fandom, I feel it's a bit of both. I might have served it's purpose in promoting the fandom, and like I said before shipping in itself makes for a very rich fandom. But being a fan should be an enjoyable experience, not a nasty experience. It should be about finding friends and be open-minded, not making enemies and be narrow-minded. I can't say what should be and what shouldn't be since there's so much variety, bit if I'd been part of the fandom back then I would have stayed out fo the war (even if I would have gotten a laugh out of reading it from time to time). So what does the future look like for shipping in Korra's wake. I definetly think shipping in itself will continue, and it's inevitable that certain fans will have certain preferences. Like everything else in the fandom things will get more intense as we get more to revolve around, but another war? Maybe there will be a new war or maybe not, but I think chances are small there will be a new war, and if it would happen then it will probably not be as intense as before. Cause this time we are prepared for dealing with the intensity, the fandom had gained experience. Also, considering the years that has passed fans might have grown more appreciative of each other and are now more willing to be open-minded rather than start a conflict. What ever the case I look forward to the new relationships and shippings that will come with Korra, maybe this time there'll be more of it considering that the new show will be a bit more mature. Hopefully the show will handle the relationships well and make it believable but at the same time enjoyable. As for shipping in itself, let's accept it as a part of fandom, and let it shine and prosper. Joe Raines (Facebook fan) I really liked how they did it in avatar. I did not want zutara though, Im glad that relationship didn't develop physically. I feel for aang because he likes a girl who doesn't really notice him like that, and he is kinda awkard around her. For example when she said she needed time and he kissed her lol. I felt bad for him, he reminds me of me in that sense so of course I wanted him to get the girl. I liked how zuko went on the date in tales of ba sing se, that was amazing I wish that Jin would have continued in the series. Sokka's a g and his exploits were g like so I don't mind him much. I really don't like how fan girls want to create relationships and names like that but what can you do? =) Tyson A. Nicholas (Facebook Fan) Honestly, I thought it was a little over the top in the third season. But I guess they had to keep the appeal for the hormone induced teenagers as well. Katara ending up with Aang was a no-brainer, while the relationship with Zuko and Mai caught me completely off guard. I didn't read the comic that explains what happened between seasons 2 and 3 so it was strange to me when watching that episode. Throughout season two, Mai just seemed like some sort of average fangirl with a crush on the Prince, there was never any indication that Zuko felt even remotely the same way. As to the Legend of Korra, I really hope they don't go too overboard with it. Most good stories need a little romance to keep that connection with the viewer and the characters, but too much can damage the overall story and dissolve a character's growth. For example, just take a look at the Twilight series. Admin/Jordash (Site Administrator) I think Shipping is mostly pretty harmless fun. I don't really get too involved in it but I love watching people talk about it and mostly love to see how it plays out in the show." I think the creators are so good at capturing real life relationship / dating problems on screen, which is probably one of the major reasons people are so drawn" to the show from all walks of life. It'll be awesome to see these new (older) characters pan out in that regard. Our Communities Thoughts So there you have the thoughts from members of our community, but what are your thoughts on shipping in Avatar ? Please comment with your opinion and please do not turn them into a shipping war 8) See you next Month for Community Opinion 10, if you want your Opinion in the next post then just be active on the forum, I am always looking out for new members who are very active. I will PM those whose opinions I want near the end of October. Also if you are a fan of the sites Facebook page there is a chance to get your opinion in there a few days before the post is put up on the site.

Sokka, the warrior prodigy