people's misunderstanding of Korra and Asami

[bartholen_v1legacy]

Jesus fuck, what happened to leaving stuff up to interpretation? You know, using your brain? It can be either, and you really need to grow up if you keep on insisting "no itz reely so cuz i says so!!!!!!!"

I support the ending either way. If it's "just friends", then I'm happy with it, because Korra and Asami had the most warm and genuine friendship in the series. If it's "real Korrasami", I'm happy with it, because children's programming having non-heterosexual relationships is IMO a sign of acceptance and a step in the right direction.

 

[Diablo2000]

The only thing people are misunderstanding at this point is the the need to create another fucking threat about it.
It's the 4th one now? Is it?

 

[Shock and Awe]

Question: How many times have you held another man's hands in yours while facing them and looking deeply into their eyes?

I'm just curious because I've never done that with anyone that was just a friend.

 

[gandhi the peacemake]

The only thing people are misunderstanding at this point is the the need to create another fucking threat about it.
It's the 4th one now? Is it?

Five by my count. And I've posted in all of them. (I think.)

I feel no shame!

EDIT:

Six including the Featured Content review thread.

EDIT EDIT:

Seven including the No Right Answer thread. Sheesh, that IS stretching things a little.

 

[SUPA FRANKY]

It's pretty obvious that they are bi. Even I thought that when I saw it during the Season Finale. Not that I care though.


The more important thing is Avatar is OVER! And I heard Mike and Bryan said they aren't coming back to it for a while.

 

[laggyteabag]

Oh, its you again.

*sigh* I might as well just copy and paste my response from your other thread, considering that this is what, your second, maybe third thread?

You're definitely in the minority here. Look at the way they showed the last scene. Just Korra and Asami on their own, holding hands, going away for a while, looking into each other's eyes and holding each other in exactly the same way that Varrick and Zhu Li did literally moments before, as well as Kuvira and Bataar Jr, and Zaheer and P'Li before them. I find it hard to see anything other than romance there. I recognise that they have yet to confirm it either way, but you don't have to make the hints as clear as day sometimes. I think what they were trying to show was pretty much obvious. Korra and Asami being in a relationship, or at least them seeing that they could be, is definitely a possibility here.

Besides, who is to say that neither character is bisexual in the first place? Just because they both dated Mako? Well, that is great, but bisexual people date men too. I know people who identify as bisexual, but are currently dating men. Does that suddenly negate their sexuality should they ever break up?

I really think that you should stop with this whole thing. You are entitled to the way you interpret the ending, of course, but it has come to a point where I am starting to think that you are trolling, especially since you are constantly making threads and throwing around your interpretation of the ending as fact and disregarding everybody else despite that your only backing point is "Well they both dated Mako, so they must both be straight" (completely forgetting that bisexual people can date both genders, of course).

 

[Asita]

cause i'm all about the truth i nthis situation.. and it's annoying when people are saying that two straight characters are gay now just because their held hands and want to be closer as best friends.. if not for Mako and Asami feeling guilty because of how Kora would feel(about her ex-boyfriend dating her other friend), Asami probably would have kept dating Mako... it's clear Mako still likes both Korra and Asami and they probably both still like him, but didn't want the tension that would be caused if one of them was dating Mako and the other wasn't... it's pretty obvious that their straight..

Er...not quite. I don't think anyone has suggested that Korra and Asami are exclusively homosexual. Rather, the implication seems to be rather strongly that they're bisexual, and it's a bit more than just holding hands. For a bit of further context, let's go into a bit of history. For the first two seasons the idea of Korra and Asami was a well recognized fringe ship, usually more joked about than seriously supported. The ship didn't really leave port[footnote]To continue the metaphor[/footnote] until Season 3, which started dropping scenes which many took to be evidence either for the pairing or the creators playfully trolling the fanbase, which is not unreasonable considering that they showed a similar awareness and willingness to poke fun while The Last Airbender was running.

This took the form of everything from the chemistry of their interactions to certain narrative quirks that tend to heavily favor love interests (The love interest, for instance, is usually the one who watches over the protagonist's unconscious body, a role that fell to Asami when Korra visited the Spirit World[footnote]Avatar itself held strongly to this tradition, with Katara watching over Aang and P'Li watching over Zaheer when they entered the Spirit World, and Mako watching over Korra in Season 1 after her kidnapping[/footnote]). Cue also Asami placing her hand on Korra's during the season 3 epilogue while saying that she's there for her if she wants to talk or anything, volunteering to go to the Southern Water Tribe with her for her recovery despite the need to rebuild her company in Republic City, Korra only writing back to Asami's letters, the blushing hair touch in the restaurant scene, and of course the staging (Perhaps best explained here) of the finale and the final scene itself, Asami's comment that losing Korra and her father in one day would be too much, and apparent indirect statements from the creators themselves (see again DiMartino linking a review praising the series for breaking ground with the pairing, among other things).

And for the record, what leads people to say that the final scene pretty much seals the deal, it's not the simple fact that they held hands. The scene goes that - as they're about to go to the Spirit World for a vacation - they look at each other, take each other's hand, walk to the spirit portal without breaking eye contact, then turning to more fully face each other as they reach over and grab the other hand. That is romantic blocking, not platonic blocking.

 

[DeadmanHopping]

I have to admit, I'm kinda confused. Say the characters are actually gay, does this affect your enjoyment of the show? What exactly are you trying to achieve here? I actually haven't watched all of the series yet, so I'm a bit ambivalent to the pairing, but so long as the romance is built up well, who cares if the target of the romance is male or female?

Mainly you're making yourself sound...either ignorant or bigoted. So if someone shows romantic interest in someone of the opposite gender, they can never be attracted to someone of their own gender? That's basically what you're claiming here. There's plenty of people who don't discover their own sexuality until later in life. That doesn't mean they don't date until they do. Either because they find someone of the opposite gender they are attracted to or because of societal reasons (Pressure from family, dating being seen as normal, peer pressure, etc etc).

By your logic I should call my cousin and tell her she can't marry her girlfriend of 4 years, because she dated her male coworker when she was 20, and therefore isn't actually bi.

 

[Qwurty2.0]

OP is the only one on these forums I see that is reacting so... strongly to the ending of LoK. Either you're trolling, fanboying waaaay too hard, or you are genuinely homophobic/biphobic. I'm inclined to believe you're not homophobic/biphobic because you imply you are only against Korra and Asami being bisexual, so you're either trolling or far too investing in a kid's televisions show.

Also, the fact that both Korra and Asami have kissed Mako does not mean they can't be romantically involved with each other. Surprise surprise, bisexual people are attracted to both sexes.

Someone doesn't need to announce to the world that they are homosexual/bisexual for them to be either. Believe it or not, a lot of people are mature enough not to make a big deal that their sexuality is different from the cultural norm, because to them, be attracted to both sexes is just "normal" to them.

It's possible that over the course of the, what, five to six years since the first season that they came to be more accepting of feelings for each other. Maybe they didn't have romantic feelings for each other in the early seasons and developed feelings for each other later. Who knows? One of the creators, as well as the show itself, are heavily leaning towards them being romantic with each other.

 

[Nieroshai]

Hand-holding with friends just isn't in our culture anymore in America, the target audience. Why would they bother including a gesture that for all intents and purposes is a G-rated lesbian kiss if the idea wasn't "you know what? Who's been there? Not Mako, although he's been there; you have. Let's move on and walk into the sunset together on an indefinite journey. I love you." It's a far more emotional message, for a series that's covered a lot more adult themes than its predecessor. Also, I find it interesting that even on a progressive website, there's still no such thing as bisexuality in the minds of so many members. Also:

cause i'm all about the truth i nthis situation.. and it's annoying when people are saying that two straight characters are gay now just because their held hands and want to be closer as best friends.. if not for Mako and Asami feeling guilty because of how Kora would feel(about her ex-boyfriend dating her other friend), Asami probably would have kept dating Mako... it's clear Mako still likes both Korra and Asami and they probably both still like him, but didn't want the tension that would be caused if one of them was dating Mako and the other wasn't... it's pretty obvious that their straight..

Er...not quite. I don't think anyone has suggested that Korra and Asami are exclusively homosexual. Rather, the implication seems to be rather strongly that they're bisexual, and it's a bit more than just holding hands. For a bit of further context, let's go into a bit of history. For the first two seasons the idea of Korra and Asami was a well recognized fringe ship, usually more joked about than seriously supported. The ship didn't really leave port[footnote]To continue the metaphor[/footnote] until Season 3, which started dropping scenes which many took to be evidence either for the pairing or the creators playfully trolling the fanbase, which is not unreasonable considering that they showed a similar awareness and willingness to poke fun while The Last Airbender was running.

This took the form of everything from the chemistry of their interactions to certain narrative quirks that tend to heavily favor love interests (The love interest, for instance, is usually the one who watches over the protagonist's unconscious body, a role that fell to Asami when Korra visited the Spirit World[footnote]Avatar itself held strongly to this tradition, with Katara watching over Aang and P'Li watching over Zaheer when they entered the Spirit World, and Mako watching over Korra in Season 1 after her kidnapping[/footnote]. Cue also Asami placing her hand on Korra's during the season 3 epilogue while saying that she's there for her if she wants to talk or anything, volunteering to go to the Southern Water Tribe with her for her recovery despite the need to rebuild her company in Republic City, Korra only writing back to Asami's letters, the blushing hair touch in the restaurant scene, and of course the staging (Perhaps best explained here) of the finale and the final scene itself, Asami's comment that losing Korra and her father in one day would be too much, and apparent indirect statements from the creators themselves (see again DiMartino linking a review praising the series for breaking ground with the pairing, among other things)

And for the record, what leads people to say that the final scene pretty much seals the deal, it's not the simple fact that they held hands. The scene goes that they look at each other, take each other's hand, walk to the spirit portal while still looking at each other, then turning to more fully face each other as they reach over and grab the other hand. That is romantic blocking, not platonic blocking.

I think this is probably /thread here. Eloquent and based on more than just the episode itself.

 

[Dansen]

Its obvious the OP was supper invested in the series and his interpretation of the characters. I can relate to that. I was in shock when I found out Dumbledore is gay and was firmly against it. Then my aunt said something that pissed me the fuck off. "Is there a problem with him being gay?"

YES, YES THERE IS! During the entire course of the series I had never pondered Dumbledore's sexuality. It didn't seem like he cared and neither did I as a result. Then J.K. Rowling announces that he is gay, with out any evidence from the books to support it. It just ruined some of the magic of Dumbledore for me. I suspect the OP might feel similarly because he has a set image of these to characters and this revelation must feel like an unwarranted retcon to him. However it does seem like this relationship was hinted at before hand.

 

[nightmare_gorilla]

First off, i've never seen Avatar outside a few scattered episodes and I've NEVER seen korra. I will admit to a level of distaste at the smugness of the people claiming they're together. People calling this "subversive" particularly bother me. that word is just such a "YA! fight the man! dude" hippy sentiment it bugs the crap out of me. if you want to do something then cool do it but don't pat yourself on the back for "destroying the status quo" or some whatever revolution you think you've started by writing a tv show. And I have to admit i'm inclined to agree that lots of these people jump to conclusions and nothing is more infuriating then watching two guys in a tv show be comrades and trust each other with their lives then listen to fan girls talk about how that must mean they're gay for each other. seriously try watching supernatural sometime. There are human being out there who honestly believe two brothers, actual flesh n blood brothers, are gay for each other.

All that said, Yeah i do think they more than a little implied these two are a romantic couple. these aren't grasping at straws like most theories, and when one of the creators backs it up you gotta kinda give it up. Plus it would explain why avatar is like the most popular thing nickelodeon has ever done and the sequel series is even more popular but got relegated to online only. doesn't make sense to me why they'd shoot themselves in the foot like that unless they were trying however misguided to protect themselves from the "controversy" of having a main character who's a woman and also digs chicks.

 

[nightmare_gorilla]

damnit, double post sorry people

 

[sky14kemea]

Nah I definitely got the gay or bi vibes from them both.

It's the way they look at each other as the camera pans away. Definitely a lovers gaze.

Love them bi gals. Made me happy.

 

[Scarim Coral]

OP, you have read the people comment that quoting you? Right, right????

Seriously there has been several evidents (creator link that article, subtle hints in the seasons and even the final scene has strong romantic hints) that it's most likely the two are bi by the end of the series!!!

Seriously how dense can you get??? Ok sure it's fine if you think they're simple good friends and are strange but to make a thread to say they are not bi and to called us misunderstand is NOT ok!!! What ever happened to leaving people opinions to themselves.

 

[Saetha]

One of the creators, DiMartino, linked an article that congratulated them on a homosexual / bisexual relationship in the series:

https://www.facebook.com/MichaelDanteDiMartino/posts/742679445801043

The article in question:

http://www.vanityfair.com/vf-hollywood/2014/12/korra-series-finale-recap-gay-asami

So no, you are wrong. They are not straight. At least they are bisexual. And fuck, the imagery is not even subtle. Holding hands, the long gaze into the others eyes while entering the portal, and the same position they used between Kuvira+Bataar, Zaheer+P'Li, Varrik+Zhu Li.

Edit: Okay. Fuck it. If the final shot was too subtle then the following may be too but:

The whole coloring above each, seperated by the Spirit Portal is the bloody Bisexual Pride flag coloring.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisexual_pride_flag

I expect to read that I'm reading too much into this but fuck me if I try and treat the shows creators like buffoons not being able to be subtle about their intended message.

Okay now, personally I don't disagree with you. The ending, to me, heavily implied they enter a relationship, and Di Martino sharing that article practically confirmed it (Though considering that he simply shared an article over facebook, you can argue it's not in the source material and thus not canon but that's getting into the Death of the Author theory and I'd rather not go there)

But seriously? "They have to be gay, one of the shot's had coloring that vaguely resembles the bisexual pride flag!" You gotta be kidding me. That's Mr. Fantastic levels of stretching there. I'm pretty sure that shot was just set up because colors tend to get a bit garish in this show, especially when it gets in proximity to spirit stuff- not to mention your theory conveniently leaves out the giant yellow stripe running through the middle. I seriously doubt they actually tried to recreate the bisexual pride flag in this one specific shot.

 

[RealRT]

People seem to think that Korra holding hands with Asmai means their gay. I don't understand why people are wrongly thinking this. Their best friends,who had a lot a of issues over both being in love with Mako and then after not talking for several years when Korra disappeared.. them holding hands and taking a vacation together does not mean their gay or bi.. unless from now on, every time a girl holds the hands of her best friends it must mean their gay.. why are people misunderstanding this situation?

It's not misunderstanding, it's wishful thinking. For straight men and lesbians girl on girl is hot, they WANT it to mean something more than it really does.