attackfish

Vid: Mai/Zuko - As I Am

Tue, 21 Oct 2014 16:01:42 GMT

Disclaimer: The music for this vid is "As I Am" by Heather Dale" and belongs to her and her authorized distributors. The footage in this vid comes from Avatar: the Last Airbender, which belongs to Nickelodeon, as well as to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

Summary: Zuko asks Mai to see him as he is and love him anyway. She does.

Creator Commentary: It's my birthday, and if I want to make sweet, romantic vids about Mai and Zuko, well by golly, I'm going to do it.

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Vid: Mai and Ty Lee Get Out Alive

Sun, 18 May 2014 15:14:59 GMT

Disclaimer: The music for this vid is "Get Out Alive" by the band Three Days Grace, and belongs to them and their authorized distributors. The footage in this vid comes from Avatar: the Last Airbender, which belongs to Nickelodeon, as well as to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

Summary: There comes a point for both of them in which they can no longer stay.

Creator Commentary: There are some rapid scene changes that may trigger seizures or migraines in viewers with certain medical issues. Also, this vid highlights the abusive dynamic between Azula and her victims, Mai and Ty Lee. And aside from one more vid I plan to make about Ozai and his children, I plan to stay far away from the Fire Royals and their massive issues in vids for a while.

Mai and Zuko Get Out Alive

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Vid: Ursa made Ozai King of Anything

Mon, 06 Jan 2014 17:43:21 GMT

Disclaimer: The music for this vid is Sara Bareilles's "King of Anything" . The footage in this vid comes from Avatar: the Last Airbender, which belongs to Nickelodeon, as well as to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

Summary: It was Ursa who made Ozai Firelord.

Creator Commentary: There is frustratingly little footage of Ursa to work with, and I didn't realize until this vid that there isn't a single scene of Ursa talking with Ozai in the series proper. This really goes to emphasize her status as a cypher.

Ursa made Ozai King of Anything

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Vid: Katara and Sokka Belong

Thu, 12 Dec 2013 14:04:30 GMT

Disclaimer: The music for this vid is Pat Benatar's "We Belong". The footage in this vid comes from Avatar: the Last Airbender, which belongs to Nickelodeon, as well as to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

Summary: Happy, fluffy Water Tribe siblings.

Creator Commentary: In celebration of getting my new Critical Commons account, I finished up the vid I was working on for the holidays. So, Happy Holidays, and enjoy the beautiful, happy, healthy sibling-ness of Katara and Sokka.

Katara and Sokka Belong

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The Vids are a Go

Wed, 11 Dec 2013 15:58:07 GMT

My appeal went through on Vimeo, and they restored all of my vids. Reference was made to my "well-reasoned and polite message," which made me feel good about my ability to keep my panic to myself. However, this whole experience convinced me to move my vids to Critical Commons, a site explicitly friendly to vids and vidders, where I now have an account and have uploaded all of my vids. Unfortunately, neither Dreamwidth nor Livejournal allow embedded videos from Critical Commons, so I have to link to them in my entries instead. All of my vid entries are now updated with the new links, I have downloaded copies from Vimeo of the three vids of mine that I lost in the move to my new computer, and I've deleted my Vimeo account.

My new Critical Commons account

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Important Vidding Notice

Fri, 06 Dec 2013 21:25:52 GMT

All of my vids were taken down from Vimeo for being a violation of copyright, with the stated reason as "Vimeo does not allow TV shows, movie trailers, or stuff you found on the web." As such, until further notice, my vids are down, and people who host their vids on Vimeo might want to watch out. I responded, as the email notice of take down stated I was allowed to, with the following:

My vids were not full episodes, trailers (fanmade or otherwise), or any other form of illegal piracy. They were vids, and as such are considered to be fair use transformative works. They are a critical engagement with the source material, in this case, Avatar: the Last Airbender and Legend of Korra. I use them to point out and highlight things about the source material that I like, that I consider problematic, or that I don't think other fans have noticed. For example, in "Azula's Jar of Hearts", I argue that one character, Ty Lee was in an abusive relationship with another character, Azula, and what some fans see as Ty Lee betraying Azula is in fact Ty Lee standing up to her abuser. In "Learn to be Still Korra", I argue that Korra did not learn the lessons in the first season of Legend of Korra that I thought she should have, and that I found her character arc unsatisfying.

Vidding as a form of fair use has been recognized in the United States in a statement by the Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington, on July 26, 2010, ( http://www.copyright.gov/1201/2010/Librarian-of-Congress-1201-Statement.html )in which he said that there were certain classes of works in which it was legal to break DVD description to create, one of which was:

"Motion pictures on DVDs that are lawfully made and acquired and that are protected by the Content Scrambling System when circumvention is accomplished solely in order to accomplish the incorporation of short portions of motion pictures into new works for the purpose of criticism or comment, and where the person engaging in circumvention believes and has reasonable grounds for believing that circumvention is necessary to fulfill the purpose of the use in the following instances:

"(i) Educational uses by college and university professors and by college and university film and media studies students;
"(ii) Documentary filmmaking;
"(iii) Noncommercial videos"

Vidding falls specifically under the third example, and I have already explained how I use the short clips "for the purpose of criticism or comment".

Having read your guidelines, since my works are vids, and not a straight up rip of a TV show, and the clips within them are rearranged, edited, and cut to tell a new story with a new narrative, they do not violate your guidelines, US copyright law, or current international copyright law. Also, your site has already carved out an exception for "Machinima videos with a story" as long as they are labeled as such. Vids are equally a creative fannish endeavor, that use images from a source material in a similar way, and in my view, should be afforded a similar exception.

Please consider returning my vids to your site, or amending your guidelines to make it clear that vids and transformative works like them are not allowed.

Thank you,

Attackfish.

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Vid: Bloodbenders Build a Levee

Fri, 18 Oct 2013 01:25:45 GMT

Disclaimer: The music for this vid is Natalie Merchant's "Build a Levee", as performed live in San Diago on March 30, 2002. The footage in this vid comes from Avatar: the Last Airbender, and The Legend of Korra, which belong to Nickelodeon, as well as to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

Summary: To bloodbend is to take ~~back~~ control.

Warning: Spoilers for all of Korra, Book 1, and all of Airbender Book 3. Also *Spoiler, highlight to read* canon violence, canon murder-suicide, canon child abuse, canon animal cruelty, bloodbenders bending blood, just general creepiness.

Creator Commentary: Happy Halloween! And happy early birthday to me!

Bloodbenders Build a Levee

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Vid: Azula's Jar of Hearts

Wed, 04 Sep 2013 03:53:00 GMT

Disclaimer: The music for this vid is Christina Perri's "Jar of Hearts". The footage in this vid comes from Avatar: the Last Airbender, which belongs to Nickelodeon, as well as to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

Summary: This is what Ty Lee wishes she could say

Creator Commentary: This vid is about the relationship of Ty Lee and Azula, but it does not celebrate that relationship. I have previously talked about my own experiences with abuse within a supposed friendship, much like Ty Lee and Azula's and as such, I will always portray Azula's relationship with Mai, Ty Lee, and Zuko as the abuse it absolutely is. Mai and Ty Lee's actions at the Boiling Rock were tremendously brave, and a true triumph.

Azula's Jar of Hearts

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Vid: Learn to be Still Korra

Sat, 27 Jul 2013 16:39:11 GMT

Disclaimer: The music for this vid is"Learn to be Still" by the Eagles, from their album, Hell Freezes Over. The footage in this vid comes from The Legend of Korra, which belongs to Nickelodeon, as well as Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

Summary: Korra keeps on running.

Creator Commentary: Wow, this is the first vid I've made that wasn't for a contest or a fest, or anything. I just wanted to celebrate having broken down and finally bought a copy of Sony Vegas. By the way, all those intense Korra feelings I wasn't sure I had? I have them. This is not a happy vid. Poor Korra, baby!

Learn to be Still Korra

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Vid: Bring Zuko Home

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 13:03:56 GMT

Disclaimer: "Bring Him Home" from Les Misérables was written by Claude-Michel Schönberg, with original French lyrics by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, and English lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. This recording is from the 25th anniversary concert at the O2 in London, sung by Alfie Boe and produced by Cameron Mackintosh. The footage in this vid comes from Avatar: the Last Airbender, which belongs to Nickelodeon, as well as Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

Summary: Iroh just wants his nephew safe and whole.

Creator Commentary: I made this the same day as Mai/Zuko Something Good, right after downloading Sony Vegas, and I only made it because I couldn't find any other vids wih the same idea, which I just couldn't figure out, because really, Iroh is Jean Valjean (I have seen the idea show up in fanmixes, however, so I can't be the only one thinking this.) Originally created and posted for the avatarbigbang.

Bring Zuko Home

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Vid: Mai/Zuko Something Good

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 14:34:52 GMT

Disclaimer: "Something Good" from The Sound of Music was written by Richard Rogers and belongs to his estate. This recording is from the 1965 movie soundtrack and belongs to 20th Century Fox. The footage in this vid comes from Avatar: the Last Airbender, which belongs to Nickelodeon, as well as Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

Summary: Mai and Zuko have had a long road to redemption.

Creator Commentary: Vidding really isn't my genre of choice, but this song kept running through my head whenever I thought about Mai and Zuko after the war's end. It's about two people who have both done things they wish they could take back, who have been cruel and have hurt others, but hope that they have done something worthwhile to deserve their newfound happiness. Also, I had just downloaded Sony Vegas, and I wanted to play with all the shiny new features. Originally created and posted for the avatarbigbang.

Mai/Zuko: Something Good

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Vid: Playing with the White Lotus Now

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 02:45:24 GMT

Disclaimer: "Playing with the Big Boys Now" from Prince of Egypt belongs to Dreamworks animation. The footage in this vid comes from Avatar: the Last Airbender, which belongs to Nickelodeon, as well as Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

Warning: There are some rapid scene changes. They didn't aggravate my seizures, but I have a bigger problem with shaky cam (which this vid does not have).

Creator Commentary: This is my first and probably only vid (I made it for atlaland, and decided it really wasn't for me, but I'm proud of the results). While this is a villain song in the original movie, and there is some underlying commentary in here about how all of the Order of the White Lotus members are male (did they leave the recruiting up to Pakku?) this mostly it's just a celebration of how awesome the old guys of Avatar: the Last Airbender are in a genre where adults are usually useless.

Who knocks at the garden gate?

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