![[Puragus]](http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/messaging/images/1/19/Avatar.jpg){kind=avatar}
From Avatar Wiki, the Avatar: The Last Airbender database
If anyone has any questions or comments for me, put them here.
For past discussions, see archives 1, 2 and 3.
[edit] Videos?
Why doesnt this wiki allow people to insert videos? --69.116.87.74 19:03, 14 April 2009 (UTC)
It does. Just not in certain articles. Vaznock - Talk 19:24, 14 April 2009 (UTC)
Thanks Puragas. --69.116.87.74 20:22, 14 April 2009 (UTC)
[edit] Recognition
Good point. Thanks. Glad to hear from you. I'm back. I plan on staying for a while. I want to get up to at least 1,000 edits here. Anyway, I'm glad you are still here. Things have changed a lot. Mattkenn3 Talk 17:38, 15 April 2009 (UTC)
[edit] The Ba Sing Se Times, Issue 2: 16-17 May
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User rights changes: None Featured user: Firelord Sunny is has been inactive for nearly three years, but the impact he has left on the wiki is large without a doubt. Sunny was one of the very few users who was here consistently through its difficult early days, adding content wherever it was needed and whenever it was released. Sunny laid the foundation for many of the best articles we see today, and the wiki would not have been the same without him. Autoconfirmed "Revolution"? by Vaznock  What started as simple request to change the profile picture for Kyoshi Warriors eventually turned into an agreement to limit the "power" of an administrator. During the discussion over whether to change the profile picture or not, an administrator, Energybender, made a comment that was identified as being much too authoritative, despite his sysop privileges. The discussion then moved onto another users talk page, in which many people, after reading Energybender's comments, established that the idea of authority needed to end, both to the administrators and the regular users. Many users started to share their opinions on what they could change to make users more equal, and two administrators, Joeyaa and The 888th Avatar, were in total agreement of the ideas made by the users. In not much time later, a Forum, called Forum:Admin Policy, was set up for the entire community to voice their opinions on the matter. Many topics on the forum include protecting pages, the possible abolishment of the admin-only talk page, the definition of an admin, and a change in the Requests for Adminship process. Currently, the changes are in most of the community's favor, though only time will tell when and if these changes will be made anytime soon. Remember to vote on the forum, so you can play a part in the changing history of Avatar Wiki.
 Everyone remembers the craze that arose over American R-rated film Slumdog Millionaire, which was only a mere few months ago. Starring in that movie was now famous British-Indian actor Dev Patel. Well, guess what? Patel will be playing Zuko in The Last Airbender, the movie adaption of the show we all know. Originally, Paramount announced that Jesse McCartney would play as the banished prince, which had some fans verklempt. McCartney's rough touring schedule, however, caused him to be unable to fulfill the role. After some more time, it was Patel who was chosen, exciting those who knew of his acting. So, what can we expect from Patel? Well, clearly the boy can do some serious moments, as demonstrated non-stop throughout Slumdog. As well as being a now famous actor, Patel's ancestry lightens some "Aang Ain't White" activists, though the controversies still rage on. Patel promises to make Airbender an amazing film.
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[edit] The Ba Sing Se Times, Issue 3: 30 May
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Featured user: Take a look at some of the larger articles, search up the history and scroll down to 2007. Invariably, Greekpimp will be there. Take a look at Special:ListUsers. Despite being inactive for more than a year now, Greekpimp is still up high in the list, and has sysop and bureaucrat flags. Greekpimp has made a massive contribution to this wiki. He laid the foundation work for many of the articles and images we see today, and was the first bureaucrat who was not the founder. (Greekpimp never granted adminship to others, however.) We live today in his shadow, and his presence is still felt, a year after his disappearance from this wiki. End of the Revolution by Vaznock After a series of debating, coming up with ideas, and even some arguing, the community has nearly or completely finalized the new policies that decrease the idea of administrators being "almighty". Changes include abolishing the admin-only talk page, changing the Requests for Adminship procedures, un-protecting almost all of the protected pages on the wiki, and changing the process of choosing a featured article of the month. Almost the entire community is happy with these changes, except for one long-time administrator, Zero2001, who argued otherwise. Eventually, Zero2001 decided to become inactive, and leave Avatar Wiki. Many users were not happy to see him decide to leave, though some identified it simply as a cry for attention. Whether he will return or not is unknown. Currently, the discussions on Forum:Admin Policy are nearly closed, though some finalized opinions would still be welcomed!
.png) As the official film website of The Last Airbender has been released ([1]), real images have as well been released! So far, images of Aang and Zuko have been released, along with an image of the Water Tribe seas, Zuko with his soldiers in the snow (now re-uploaded with full body and view-only water mark), Fire Nation soldiers, and the Southern Water Tribe are the only ones included. As time passes, more and more images are likely to be uploaded. It appears, however, that they are copyright claiming them, not allowing them to be saved. We will respect this claim until further notice. If you want to see the photos yourself, check out the film gallery!
by Vaznock  This week's article in need of help is Summer Solstice. If you make good and constructive contributions to the article, you will be given a thank you by the editor himself, and will be awarded with a fancy certificate after the article is featured! Every time a user receives five certificates, they will be deemed a "star editor" , and will be listed on the current newspaper. Remember, every article in need should be helped, whether its featured, was featured, or never featured. | |
[edit] Email
I've sent an email to you about coming onto IRC for discussion in the next few hours. Wjxhuang, the 888th Avatar {Talk} 00:24, 1 June 2009 (UTC)
[edit] The Ba Sing Se Times, Issue 4: 13 June
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Featured user: Puragus is a highly respected member of the Avatar Wiki community. Experienced and level-headed, he remains an integral part of the administration today, a voice of reason and caution. Puragus joined the wiki in the December of 2007, and has been making excellent contributions for the one and a half years since then. When he joined the wiki, the community was completely different in composition and in character, and Puragus has had the honour of seeing the construction of today's community. We at The Ba Sing Se Times congratulate him on his hard work over the eighteen months of participation he has put in, and hopes he continues his standard of excellence well into the future. Inactivity is no game! by Vaznock Our wiki is old, and over the years, we've changed many things, but there was always a problem. Administrators, good and not so good, would come and go, becoming inactive forever. Eventually, after the promotion of The 888th Avatar, Joeyaa, and Energybender, the amount of admins our wiki had built up to a very large extent, with more than half of them being inactive. After the decided policies to take away the power and concepts of power an admin held, Joeyaa proposed that we also "demote" the inactive admins, as they were not chosen in the form that admins are now supposed to be chosen. After discussion on Forum:Removal of Inactive Admins, in which most users agreed and the usually inactive founder, Howabout1, though in disagreement, stated he was fine with it. Only one inactive admin, Felinoel, was upset that he would lose his powers, and expressed his anger toward the community on his talk page. Despite this, the removals went as planned, and a member of the Wikia Community Team, Uberfuzzy, demoted the six inactive admins. The admins consisted of Avatar Sanders, Felinoel, Greekpimp, Howabout1, Wack'd About Wiki, and Zero2001, ranging from being inactive for one week to three and a half years. But that's not all, the sudden loss of bureaucrats, and the regular need for one or two more bureaucrats, has caused a new page, Project:Requests for Bureaucratship to be created. The page is currently open with one nomination for bureaucratship pending.
 Wikia will be releasing the new editing interface from next week. It is a big step away from the current editor, as it is WYSIWYG ("what you see is what you get"). You may have already seen the new interface if you have been to a newer wiki, but Wikia has announced that it will now be generally released to all wikis, with a few small exceptions, which do not include Avatar Wiki. I've taken the liberty of quoting some text off Wikia help for a little further explanation. The editor allows you to use a "word-processor" type toolbar to format an article in the following ways without any wikimarkup:
When in the default mode, the article will appear in the edit box almost exactly as it will on the saved page, like an instant preview. Users can also switch to "Wikitext source" mode to view and edit the article using wikimarkup. To get to this mode, click the "wikitext source" button on the far right of the toolbar. To edit existing images, videos, tables and templates:
The editor will be enabled on Avatar Wiki by default. Users who prefer the older editing interface can turn it off via their user preferences.
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Avatar Wiki - Excitement Coming This Summer, Join In!
Avatar Wiki has some incredibly exciting plans this Summer! We'd like to invite everyone on the wiki to join in the fun and make this wiki bigger and better than ever this Summer. We've got some big plans for the wiki, and we'll need all the help we can get.
- What can I do?
- There is so much you can do here this Summer, you'll never get bored!
- Create a user group to collaborate with your fellow users on a project of your choice! Name it after your favorite organization from the series! Choose how you want to run your group! See this and this group for an example of a great user group.
- Write a blog about anything - who are you favourite characters? Why? What do you think of the new movie? What do you think of how we run things on the wiki? You can also write reviews of episodes, advertise fanon or fan fiction that you've written, and so much more!
- Jump into the forums and discuss the series and films with other Avatar fans! Ask your questions about the series, and answer others'! You can discuss anything about Avatar - your favourite characters, comparisons between characters and characters from other series, and much more!
- Not satisfied? Jump on the wiki's chat service and talk about anything with other Avatar users - it doesn't have to be about Avatar! If you already have IRC, you can simply join #wikia-Avatar on freenode.
- Help us make important decisions on the wiki's future by simply commenting on our proposals! Every registered user can vote almost everywhere! Jump in and play your part in the direction this wiki takes for the next few months, or even years.
- Do you have any more ideas? Well Puragus, head straight onto our community centre and give us some more suggestions, or even general feedback. We'd love to hear from you!
- What do we have planned?
- Plenty:
- Integrate Avatar Wiki and the Avatar Fanon Wiki into one big wiki, the ultimate Avatar resource on the Internet
- Source all articles so that we can reinforce the fact that we have the most accurate, up-to-date information on Avatar
- We also have secret plans for activities that are fun-orientated and designed for all Avatar fans! Stick around on the wiki to find out more later these holidays!
- We hope you enjoy your summer, and have fun on Avatar Wiki! Start editing, and become a valued part of our thriving community! If you're a veteran, stay with us and stay tuned for more plans!
--The Avatar Wiki Administration
[edit] The Ba Sing Se Times, Issue 5: 27 June
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Featured user: This feature will return next week, due to the editor being extremely busy and unavailable for this task. BSST apologises for any disappointment in advance. The Merge: It Has Arrived  Avatar Fanon has joined Avatar Wiki as of 27 June to start as a merged wiki. From today, users will be permitted to write fanon/fan fiction on Avatar Wiki, providing they write in the namespace "Fanon:". This simply means that people who want to write fan fiction/fanon in Avatar Wiki should type If you need any help at all regarding fan fiction and fanon, the four fanon admins, SuperFlash101, Waterkai, Vaznock and Zukofan123 will be able to help. Some of the full admins, such as Joeyaa and myself can also answer general enquiries. If you're wondering, the combination of the merger and the summer holidays is the reason for the compact nature of this edition of BSST. You can start writing fanon by simply typing the name of the story or character in this box! Avatar News Story Entertainment Tonight officially released the teaser trailer of The Last Airbender this week on June 22. In it, we get a brief clip of a hooded Aang displaying some Airbending moves in a room filled with candles as a Don LaFontaine-like voice narrates, explaining the plot. Following this are a few previously released image of Aang and Zuko, along with the official poster for the film. Not much can be told from this brief trailer, but we here at the Ba Sing Se Times can at least say, "the effects were decent."
Improvement Article by Vaznock This week's article in need of help is Avatar: The Path of Zuko. If you make good and constructive contributions to the article, you will be given a thank you by the editor himself, and will be awarded with a fancy certificate after the article is featured! Every time a user receives five certificates, they will be deemed a "star editor" , and will be listed on the current newspaper. Remember, every article in need should be helped, whether its featured, was featured, or never featured. | |
[edit] Email
Hey Puragus. Check your email, I sent you a little something. Thanks. :) Joey aa 03:27, 6 July 2009 (UTC)
[edit] IRC Meeting
Hello, Puragus. Could you please come onto IRC for the meeting taking place right now? Thanks. --Energybender 01:09, 9 July 2009 (UTC)
[edit] confusion
im confused. i thought i left something in the forums but i can't get to it cause i cant find it. is it cause i didnt send it or another reason. I feel stupid
The Ba Sing Se Times, Issue 6: 18 July
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Featured user: It is not often noticed, but TLane laid the foundation for a myriad of articles that we see today - text, translations (which he took huge efforts to do considering that he is not Chinese), images, and even a template or two. His work throughout the last one and a half years has been in the background, but the combined weight of the changes he has made has seen this wiki become an extremely reliable, authoritative and well-presented Avatar resource.
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The Ba Sing Se Times, Issue 7: 25 July
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Featured user: Zero2001, better known as Zero, was a controversial user and admin on Avatar Wiki. His direct and abrasive method of speaking drew criticism from many circles, although some users and Zero maintained that he had no dubious intentions at heart. However, most users gave him high praise for his excellent technical work around the wiki. This included the navigation templates now found on every page, as well as dozens of other templates. Zero was also extremely knowledgeable about Avatar, stating on his user page that he had committed all sixty episodes of the TV show to his memory. Zero was an admin from July 2008 to June 2009. News Story by Vaznock (with changes by The 888th Avatar) A few weeks ago, wikia gave us something new - the Rich Text Editor. The upgrade was basically supposed to make it easier for new users to make certain edits, as they will be able to visibly see the edits they make, almost as if they're in "Preview" mode. However, their is also another group of users whom the Rich Text Editor affects - the experienced users. Here is what some of more experienced users of Avatar Wiki have to say in a response to the question: What do you think of the Rich Text Editor? Have you already disabled it in your preferences? "I personally find the Rich Text Editor rather annoying. I have disabled it in my preferences, because I find it very troublesome to work with it. I prefer the old one." -Waterkai, Fanon Administrator "To paraphrase Mai, there is no fathom in the hatred I feel for the Rich Text Editor." -Thailog, Rollback User "No, in fact I have not disabled it. Yet, I am quite fluent in the original editor. I use both, but the new editor often has issues. It is very hard to place and move pictures, so I use the original editor for that. The Rich text editor for the most part is very easy to use, but it has lots of bugs. But, if I must choose between them, I would choose the original, it has no bugs." -The avatar, Rollback User "This is another one of those things that may cause a bit of mayhem in the short term, but is bound to improve the wiki in the long term with the better accessibility to new users. Improvements are ongoing and I am sure that it will turn out to be a widely lauded feature on Wikia." -The 888th Avatar, Bureaucrat and Administrator As it can be seen, experienced users mainly think of the Rich Text Editor as a nuisance, though not all users have disabled it. The only voice of dissent seems to be from the chief editor of the BSST himself, other than Joeyaa, who was also supportive on the community portal talk page). However, if you struggle with wiki coding, it is highly advisable you continue editing the Rich Text Editor until you feel comfortable without it.
We had to see this coming, no? The Last Airbender has officially announced their product placement! That's right, readers - action figures, shirts, toy playsets, and more yet to be announced. Spin Master, one of the toy adapters, has stated that they are excited to get them on shelves. Well, let's hope that it sells better than the original line of toys for the show, as we all know that's why we don't have a spin-off. And in related news, BSST won't be the only place for you to find out about news about the movie; an official Avatar Wiki user group has formed under the title Wan Shi Tong's Library and will be starting blogs in order to give you the latest news ASAP. Now, this doesn't mean that this column is useless now. In fact, this way, the BSST can give more in depth info as there's more to say. Yeah, the exact opposite of Longshot.
by Vaznock This week's article in need of help is Airball. If you make good and constructive contributions to the article, you will be given a thank you by the editor himself, and will be awarded with a fancy certificate after the article is featured! Every time a user receives five certificates, they will be deemed a "star editor" , and will be listed on the current newspaper. Remember, every article in need should be helped, whether its featured, was featured, or never featured. | |
[edit] Thank You
Considering I never had a chance to make note on the administrator's talk page, I just wanted to thank you for being a model admin during your time here, and doing the honorable thing by resigning your rights (first admin to do so). I'm glad you didn't leave us, and remain around the corner, lurking through the wiki. Thank you for the experience and atmosphere that accompanied working with you. Lets hope we can continue... :) Keep up your good work here please, you are more than overdue for a thank you! Joey aa 16:12, 29 July 2009 (UTC)
The Ba Sing Se Times, Issue 8: 8 August
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Featured user: None this issue Foamipedia by Vaznock  Well, Avatar Fanon Wiki has been a thing of the past since the two wikis were merged. The wiki we once called our sister wiki is no longer in existence. But there's still one more wiki relating to Avatar, and it's Foamipedia, the Official Avatar Humor Wiki. The wiki, created by Andftw, is aimed to provide a barrage of articles making fun of the Avatar Universe and parodying it. You can find out all general information on the actual site. However, despite being a laid back and humorous type of site, the wiki still has a documented policy that must be followed in order to maintain success. All in all, you must take on the wiki maturely, but still bring your sense of humor with you. So if you have a sense of humor and you specialize in making people laugh, Foamipedia is your kind of place!
 Last issue, I told you the exclusive story of The Last Airbender and it's new merchandise. But the tale doesn't stop there - you know good old Viacom, they're going to to milk this until it's dry, which is good for us. This time around we're delving deep into the stylistic influences on Avatar and touching upon the Japanese cult phenomenon: manga. At the end of last month, I reported on this for Wan Shi Tong's Library but left out some important details. That's because I want to keep you full of tension and anticipation for this issue XD. But seriously, folks, as you know, the Mangas will be adaptions of both the series and the Airbender film, drawn by actually Japanese Manga artist. Nickelodeon Global Publishing said to activeanime.com: "We’re excited to partner with [the Manga's publisher] Del Rey on these upcoming manga releases. Recreating and adapting the layered storylines and incredible, animated martial arts of the Avatar series and upcoming feature film in the manga style will allow fans to experience their favorite moment from the show over and over again." Del Ray similarly reported, "We’re excited to be working with Nickelodeon to bring these great stories to the manga audience. Avatar: The Last Airbender has shown incredible crossover appeal with manga fans. The release of The Last Airbender movie and original tie-in manga gives us the chance to share completely new stories with Avatar fans looking for more about Aang, Zuko, and their favorite characters." The Last Airbender is set to be released in theaters on July 2, 2010. Filming has ceased and Shymalan and his crew on working on the post-production. The teaser trailer has been released in theaters, the internet, and television, and the official one is likely to be released later this year. The official website is also up, located at http://www.thelastairbendermovie.com/ and fans can also follow it at the official Twitter page.
by Vaznock This week's article in need of help is Spirit World. If you make good and constructive contributions to the article, you will be given a thank you by the editor himself, and will be awarded with a fancy certificate after the article is featured! Every time a user receives five certificates, they will be deemed a "star editor" , and will be listed on the current newspaper. Remember, every article in need should be helped, whether its featured, was featured, or never featured. There has been no star editor for the past two weeks. We'd love to see one this week, so start editing and improve Avatar Wiki! | |
The Ba Sing Se Times, Issue 9: 22 August
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This Summer by Vaznock As the summer begins to come to an abrupt conclusion, we can only hope that the summer of 2010 will bring us as much fortune and success as this one has. As we look back to all the changes and great ideas that have helped our wiki grow and prosper, we can now only swim in the aftermath of these changes. From April to June, our wiki was put in to major refinement. Because of what happened during those months, we now have a newsletter, a new and better administrative policy, a wiki that allows fanon, and a path that gave way to some immense summer fun and more changes, which includes:
However, our adventures on Avatar Wiki are far from over. In fact, they've just begun, as this Summer marks the beginning of the new Avatar Wiki! For example, it has been said that our wiki is lacking in forums and news. If these aspects are covered, we will become the ultimate Avatar site! So come down and participate this Autumn!
That's right folks, Dao Le, who was an animatic director for Avatar: The Last Airbender and therefore a member of the crew, has officially announced he supports Racebending and finds the casting for Airbender to be racist. The official Racebending.com released this statement given to them by Dao Le himself: BuddyTV reports that Le finds it "hard to believe they couldn't find one Asian actor to hold any of the lead protagonist parts." While doing animatics on the series, Le reportedly "believed" the characters were Asian, or Asian-mixed, and confirms that the series itself is Asian influenced, like many others have stated before - "With the pre-dominantly white cast, it feels like all the Asian/Eastern influences, origins, what have you, were just a backdrop for these characters." Not only this, but several other staff members have stated that they're flabergasted and support Racebending. Like I reported back in June, Sifu Kisu mentioned that legally he's unable to state his opinion, but was able to say that he wants to "say something so bad" and that "some of [the fans] are SO right & [they] don't even know." So only time will tell if even the crew of the show will boycott the movie, or, dare I say, even the co-creators themselves.
We're currently open to new ideas for making a new feature for Avatar Wiki's official newsletter! If you're interested, please submit your ideas on Avatar Wiki talk:The Ba Sing Se Times or email the editors! | |
The Ba Sing Se Times, Issue 10: 12 September
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Normally, this article would be about what happened. Today, this article is about what hasn't happened, from the editor. And a plea for some action. Chiefly, there are a few projects that need finishing. The most important among these is the article splitting project, which needs to be made a high priority. However, it is discussions where we'll need to pick up the pace. We need to do something about quite a few Improvements and Issues forums. See the discussion list to the right for a summary of the discussions that need immediate attention. The Ba Sing Se Times itself is looking for a new feature. All suggestions will be considered; please suggest on Avatar Wiki talk:The Ba Sing Se Times.
 It's been a period of time since we have heard from the producers of The Last Airbender, but in the past week reports have circulated that they are working on a full-length trailer to be released for Christmas. Frank Marshall said on Twitter:
This is a significant gap between the teaser and the full-length, and there has been some criticism that the gap will make it likely for some to "forget" about the film.
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The Ba Sing Se Times, Issue 11: 26 September
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