#i ship zutara in secret

[prying-pandora666]

I can see why you voice Azula. Your manipulative and a liar just like her.

You say you have nothing against Zutara but you defend Aang anytime we have valid criticisms of his sexism and racism.

You are highly critical of Maiko and yet you claim to love both Zuko and Mai. If you loved them so much you’d want them to be happy together.

You reblog any Zuko ship that isn’t Maiko. Casually scrolling your blog I have seen you support Zukka, Jinko, Toko, and Zutara but that last one is obviously fake because you also criticize the pirate scene.

Meanwhile you hypocritically support Azula ships like Sokkla, TyZula, and Mailee. You don’t call out Zucest either just like your TERF icon Grey.

Your obvi a Kataang shipper in disguise. Zutarians have been fighting this battle since the beginning. We won’t fall for your Trojan horse.

Azula always lies.

I can see your entire post history behind your eyes. You were born with nothing. And you’ve had to troll, and plagiarize, and drama-post your way to the top.

But true power? The divine right to multi-ship? Is something you’re born with.

Your followers (if indeed you have any) may not know how this is going to turn out.

But I know.

And you know.

Those allegations against Grey Delisle were false. Katy Perry stans made them up because Grey called Katy out on voting for anti-gay politicians.

Whoops. Guess you’re not as informed as you thought.

Don’t flatter yourself.

You were never even a shitposter.

[punkeropercyjackson]

Boutta check in my brutal honesty autism card and say that Hobie's big ass crush on Gwen was NOT subtle at all,he was being so classic 'cocky flirty punk dude' with her and gave her his sweater to borrow which is like the biggest unspoken 'i wanna be your boyfriend' move in the book,and neither was the (probably) accidental subtext of him liking Miles too that follows 'edgy and hardcore boy who's actually a huge softie has a thing for the cutesy and innocent ray of sunshine and is more protective and complimentary towards them than he is anyone else to show it' to a fuckin' T4T and the only reason people don't read it as either is that he's super handsome so they decided that meant he's a grown man instead of the cute lil black boy he is

[coffee-with-mint-syrup]

The case of live-action atla zutara.

First of all, the scarf scene. I won't be repeating myself, here are some main points - there was absolutely no reason for Zuko to act the way he did and for the scene to be shot this dramatically. Even if they did the shipbaiting in this scene - it means there's a ship which is much more than live-action kataang has at this point. Also I don't really think these guys are shipbaiting type but that's just the impression I got.

Then - the second obvious one - Oma and Shu's visuals. We have star-crossed lovers from two towns at war, basically the local equivalent of Romeo and Juliet (as in legendary lovers who are known above all for their love) wearing coincidentally colors that are primarily associated with two of our characters (who shared this dramatically shot scene in the previous episode).

And I know, it may seem so insignificant - but but but but! - you have to think about this. Of course there are creators, writers and showrunners that are unaware of some non-canon ships or don't care about them. But it's not the case for atla. No, creators of atla were so aware of zutara - they wrote a parody scene in a in-world trashy play to mock this fan pairing and it still proved absolutely nothing and just gave zutara more content. The creators and writers of this adaptation clearly had the discussion "what we should do with kataang" - because there is no trace of kataang in the 1st season. So it was a conscious decision to omit that - but where would the romantic subplot go? Well, I don't know, but they are showrunners, they most certainly discussed options. They are clearly very, very, very much aware of zutara. And they still do this? They still show us Oma and Shu wearing red and blue? All they had to do is to give at least one of them any different color. Any. But they didn't. (for fuck sake, it is the Earth Kingdom - yellow and green would do it)

There were zero, no, nada Kataang interactions, implications or those scenes that are filmed just a little bit too dramatically like the scarf one. I don't know, there's still a chance that they will wait for season 3 to make Aang's crush on Katara happen. I'm also not so sure what will happen to Aang failing to open seventh chakra, I mean - his love for Katara has a huge purpose in series, so it still doesn't look very good. But you can't even imagine how glad I am that they didn't do this secret tunnel thing. It was very uncomfortable.

So it was the more fact-based part of my case, let's get to the irrational, almost delusional part, tin foil hat probably needed.

Almost all the scenes Zuko and Katara shared in the first season kept reminding me of another famous enemies-to-lovers ship that actually became canon in the infamous final episode - Reylo, the way it was filmed in The Force Awakens. I mean - the first fight in the woods where she looses, the intensity of him staring at her, the final fight in snowy location where she kicks his ass and shows her mastering this superpower, him trying to talk to her during this fight and mentioning her learning/having to learn...Zuko calling Katara a peasant reminded me of this "Rey is no one" discourse. I don't know man, I haven't thought about The Force Awakens reylo for a very long time and it just kept popping in my head.

All of this - it's like a blueprint for enemies to lovers.

Also I actually think that the look they shared in the 2nd episode was also shot kinda weirdly and dramatically. It's not to the extent of the scarf scene but I do remember thinking that "why did they film it they way? it's too intense".

In the conclusion I'd like to say that as much as I like all the season 1 zutara stuff they left out in the adaptation - necklace subplot and implications, pirates and the famous "You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun" - I think I actually prefer the scarf scene. Yes, it would be so great to see those things in adaptation but in the end of the day they would still be just the things they kept from the original and probably noting more. Like the cabbages or the secret tunnel song or anything else, just things from the source material that implicate nothing. While the scarf scene, the Oma and Shu's clothes - it means they made a conscious decision to make it that way. It means they put some thought into that and some meaning. And this gives me hope there's a chance for Zutara in this adaptation.

P.S. I told about this my sister who hasn't watch the series yet and she said "I think people who made this show are just shipping zutara in secret". I do not necessarily imply she might be right - but creators of animated series (the very same people that made kataang canon, not zutara) DID leave because of some creative differences and because they couldn't control creative decision. Might as well be THAT kind of decision.

[calderacitylovers]

Zutara SlowBurn FanFiction: Personal Favs, part I

·        I AM STILL HERE by owedbetter Published: 2017-10-09 | 77K words | 7 Chapters

After the Last Agni Kai K heals Z with the help of bloodbending. Very sweet.

 ·        THE SUMMIT by AJLenoire

Chronicles post-war years, as Gaang and other characters gather for annual summits to keep peace and build relationships between the Four Nations. Katara yearns for a bigger purpose than the Avatar’s companion and slowly grows into a shrewd diplomat. Very sweet slow burn ZK story. Has mature scenes.

 ·        CLOTHE ME IN SEASONS, DRESS ME IN SNOW by sadladybug Published: 2015-01-05 | 62K words | 7 Chapters

Follows old Zuko as he reflects on his life and what would have been if he kept Katara closer. Absolutely beautiful, but also a devastatingly heart-breaking story about loss and pain.

 ·        SILENT DECLARATIONS by Megara Pike (Megara_Pike) Published: 2021-01-20 | 2,6K words

A short story based on animation by Hayley Wong. Z finds K asleep in her study and carries her to bed. Very sweet, gentle story.

 ·        COVERED IN YOU by evergreenonthehorizon Published: 2021-04-02 | 55K words | 14 Chapters

Eight years after the war Z convinces K to take on a role of a Southern Water Tribe ambassador in the Caldera city. Both are completely clueless about each other’s feelings. Features political talks, big gestures, and a ball. Very cute, sweet slow-burn story. Has mature scenes.

 ·        TEN STRIDES IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION by evergreenonthehorizon Published: 2021-04-03 | 29K Words | 12 Chapters

A collection of short stories filling in the gaps between some of the events of ATLAS3 and up to the Last Agni Kai. Features accidental cuddling, embracing in the rain, sharing a bed for warmth, post-Ember Island Theater discussions, being discovered, waiting to be kissed, Suki & Katara being good friends, battle plans, Zuko & Sokka getting drunk, slow burn & angst. Very sweet.

 ·        THE SWAY OF THE SUN by TheBlackBriarSparrow Published: Published: 2019-10-14 | 102K Words | 27 Chapters

Two years post-war Gaang reunites in Caldera city for a secret party in honor of the overworked Fire Lord’s birthday. Rebels attack the palace setting a thrilling consequence of events in motion. Adventures, investigations, and fights ensue. Z & K work together and enlist old friends to help find missing people. Beautiful slow-burn story with an exciting plot.

·        A WARM EMBRACE by ewinkie Published: 2020-10-06 | 19K Words | 7 Chapters

An ATLAS3 rewrite from Southern Riders to the Last Agni Kai. Katara and Zuko have to hide in a cave following their encounter with Yon Rha. Comforting turns to cuddling, which turns to waking up on Appa's tail in each other's arms. Katara is shocked at how comfortable she is. Zuko is shocked that Katara doesn't hate him for it. Features sharing a bed, being discovered, slowburn, and lots of teenage silliness.

 ·        FOLLOWING BLUE by Boogum Published: 2018-11-07 | 39K Words | 10 Chapters

ATLA S2 rewrite. After Katara falls from Appa’s saddle during a pursuit, the Blue Spirit becomes her reluctant companion and helps her reunite with her friends. Ba Sing Se scenes are completely rewritten, and Z ends up joining the Gaang much earlier. Thrilling beginning, sweet middle, average ending.

 ·        ANOTHER WORD FOR ALCHEMY by FanPanda13 Published: 2014-08-19 | 108K words | 24 Chapters

Five years post-war Aang summons old friends for a summit and invites them on a trip to investigate mysterious locations where he experiences loss of bending. Features Gaang setting Z & K up, travelling on Appa like in the olden days, lots of sparring, royal courting, magnificent navy ships & war ballons. Thrilling story with fun banter between old friends. Slowburn, mature content.

 ·        CONSUME ME WITH FIRE, FLOOD ME WITH DESIRE by Dacamia Published: 2020-08-14 | 86K words | 24 Chapters

Steamy ATLAS2 and ATLA S3 rewrite. Z & K accidentally meetup on their way to Ba Sing Se and decide to travel together. Features aged-up characters, lots of intimate scenes, staying in a beautiful cave, helping villagers, betrayal in Ba Sing Se, reunion, forgiveness, etc. Explicit mature content.

 ·        ROOTS AND WINGS by zukoscomet Published: 2020-08-14 | 250K words | 25 Chapters

A series of short stories of Z & K as they grow closer, confess their love for one another and start a family.

 ·        THOSE WHO FAVOR FIRE by hiwasseelane Published: 2021-05-02 |29K Words | 13 Chapters

An ATLAS3 rewrite. Sweet, teen-appopriate.

Here’s a link to Part II of my personal favs.

Here’s a link to Wholesome Zutara Short Stories.

[disciple-of-owen]

Okay, I need to vent about ATLA for a second, so bear with me:

First off, let me just say I have no inherent problem with any ship in this fandom. None at all. I have preferences, sure, but they are MY preferences; I support other peoples’ prerogative to ship whatever they want. People can ship Appa and Ozai for all I care. But Zutara fans have this uniquely infuriating trait of acting like their ship exists solely because they want what’s best for Katara, and that the narrative as it stands somehow failed her.

Let me give you an example:

I recently saw a post that referenced The Cave of Two Lovers. In this post, the commenter claims that the kiss in this episode meant nothing to Katara, that only Aang caught feelings, and that she immediately forgot about it afterwards; further, that the writers were in general completely unconcerned about her feelings. What?

Seriously. Like, WHAT?

Is this the same episode that Katara, blushing furiously and with a nervous/excited smile, SUGGESTS that they kiss? Who then reacts with clear disappointment at Aang’s shock, before trying to cover up said disappointment?

Is this the same episode that she INITIATES their first actual kiss (whether they physically kissed or not is irrelevant; the intent was there)?

Is this the same episode where, after escaping the cave, Katara reminisces on what took place between her and Aang therein, blushing into a small, secretive smile?

I could go on for pages about how wonderful Kataang is; how painstakingly developed it was and all the ways both characters fell for each other over the course of 61 episodes. But to spare you the rantings of a fiction-loving madman, let me finish with this: I have no problem with people shipping Zutara. What I have a problem with is these shippers using cherry-picked scenes and selective (or outright warped) memory to tear down other ships/characters.

[aberrymilk]

No, but like, WHY do people care so much about other people ship preferences?

I get it, I don't ship the obvious ones or the "right" or what was given to me by the author, but IS JUST A SHIP.

Look, don't get me wrong, I'm not angry at other preferences when it comes to this. What I get annoyed at is that when there is an illustration, an edit, a fucking fic, any kind of media, that shows that romantic dynamic between the characters they will be like

"siblings 🩷" "omg no how could ship that? They aren't like that." "Have you read the books ?" "Omg, people actually ship them?" "The author said..." "omg but this (name of other ship), it's so much better," and so on.

My beautiful person who comments in every edit of (some examples, but I'm sure that there's more) harmony, lunami, zutara, sasusaku .... do you really think that they/we don't know or care about this ? Do you know what you look like when u comment stuff like that? An idiot who can't let others have a different opinion on literally fiction character's romance life, like that one kid in kindergarten who saw another kid getting a toy and go's on about how that toy is lame compared to theirs, a spoiled brat.

You have so many things to be arguing about in the actual plot, but you can't cus you think that the idea of nami and luffy together is so wrong that you go around in every media of them "oda said..." But with other members of the crew, oda said absolutely nothing... not only that, but are we really discussing this ? Can we be talking about I don't know... how racist and hypocrites are some people in this famdon? Really give your disappointment and disgust to that(what is actually important).

Harry and Hermione are another great example of "I know they aren't like that but I like the idea of it" WE KNOW THEY AREN'T LIKE THAT but we think is cute it could HAVE BEING cute, sometimes people just grow up shipping and seeing they as a possible couple, like people who grow hating sakura and now simply can't have a actually good argument of why she should be hated on... that was an ironic comment by the way but also not, ( no, her not liking the main character the same way shouldn't be one, or the author not giving her screen time either much less cus of the fact the the anime did her dirty with so much disconnect things from the manga, like her relationship with sasuke <his perspective of it > or naruto himself for that matter, hate on a literally 12 years old for saying shit that every fucking person in the village grew up thinking, funny, why not hate on the thirdkage then? The person who could have actually stopped the hate on a little kid) [Sorry that got out of the main point]

Or zutara, my God, people get personal with just as harmony, relax, just cus I like them doesn't mean I hate kataang, surprise or not I do think they are indeed very cute, I'm pretty sure some other people who ship zutara too... we just see the potential, what could have happened, once again, enemies to friends to loves, the plot, you know ? There is no need to get offended by the IDEA of it. We love the drama and the fic, the illustrations, the edits are just a format that represents and shows it, share if people who likes it, you don't like it ? Oh well, let me tell you a secret, ignore it, you probably ignore so much more important things, why not a fucking edit of ship you don't even like ?, oh you can't ? You can't see other people "toy" and shut about your disappointment on it, is it that hard ?, oh well, have you actually not known that there's an amazing thing within social media, when you hold/press or simply click on the 3 dots on the top of the post, there's a option there, that's right, BLOCK IT the algorithm will understand if you continue blocking it, unlike some people.

I'm just rambling about this because I'm sick and tired of people being such a killjoy, I just want to enjoy "my ship" and see the comments of people who actually likes it to, not yours "siblings 🩷" in post which is definitely not about that, or "oda said..." when i didn't ask what he said, you know people have different things that brings them a scape from reality that brings them a funny giggle (no killing others people joy, when it's such a basic no harmful thing), wave of emotion for those who don't get to feel much in the day-to-day life or simple just cus.

It just petty of you, be better.

Ps.. There is no offense for those who ship other characters within these plots(or different ones), original, popular, or unpopular. Do your thing. Be happy. Just don't spoil others.

Ps2... NO I'm not defending incest that's no it at fucking all ( sorry if I didn't make it clear). I said "siblings" when it came to lunami and Harry x Hermione (cus people like to comment that on posts that aren't even about it < the platonic soul mates comment>), they AREN'T related or grown up at such. Point is you hating the idea of it and going on every post about the ship and hating there. hate all you want, but not on ,obviously, posts that are for the fans of the ship.

[allgremlinart]

haiiiiii friend can you explain jianzhu to me I keep seeing you post about them and I’m nosy and wanna know (<- stopped watching atla bc I realized zutara was never gonna be canon)

also jetko. can you explain jetko too (I’m thinking they’re more on the ghostbat spectrum where it’s like. intense friendship that left both emotionally scarred for the rest of their lives)

TEEHEE HEEHE HEE <- me when I get the opportunity to explain/infodump cross-fandom stuff to mutuals

ok so Jianzhu... ahhh Jianzhu... ((SPOILERS for anyone reading the Kyoshi novels))

This is Jianzhu and also like... probably one of maybe 4 canon images/art there is of him... he's not from the original cartoon he's from the Avatar Kyoshi spin-off novels that take place abt 400 yrs before the events of the show (idk how much you know abt atla lore from osmosis so this might get a little tedious? I'm just gonna explain as succinctly as possible.)

To be brief, he's a cunty old man. But unlike when I call, say, Minhkhoa a cunty old man it's not really loving ... its more like... I love to hate him. He's a REALLY good villain.

He's a politician. He made 500 people dig their own graves and then buried them alive. He beheaded his friend of like 20+ years. He drugs and kidnaps teenagers. etc. It's great.

His whole character arc is like... He's in control. You start off the book and he is very clearly in control, and he knows what he's doing, and he even sounds halfway reasonable sometimes but over the course of the novel he gets more and more desperate to grab hold of a situation that spirals wildly away from him and you get to watch it happen. His justifications for his actions get crazier, he gets sloppier and sloppier with his murders....

OH also you know how sometimes people think Bruce is some callous asshole who was only using his adoptive son who worshipped him as a weapon, and when he died he quickly sought to replace him without remorse ? Yeah he's like that but. Like actually this time. His dead adoptive son also then comes back after eating an eyeball in the spirit world (idk) and kills him by pressing a pebble through his sternum so. More successful than Jason at patricide I'd say. Look there's a lot I didn't cover, here's his wiki.

ok Jetko... ah... the ancient yaoi..

Important required reading before I explain this ship is this post. What you have to understand about Zuko is that for basically like... 40 episodes the only person he shares significant screen time with is his uncle so when him and Jet met in s2 and had a decent 3 episodes worth of interactions ... it was enough, lets just say that.

The basic Jetko timeline is they meet on a ferry while Zuko and his Uncle are disguised as refugees and they steal food together -> Jet tries to get Zuko (who he only ever knows as "Li") to join his emo band gang which Zuko refuses -> Jet sees Uncle Warcrimes heating his tea and correctly deduces that they are firebenders (ie not who they say they are; the enemy) -> Zuko and his Uncle work in a tea shop while Jet stalks them and steals things from their house and watches them from behind clotheslines (yeah) -> Jet confronts them in the teashop, sword fight, Jet gets arrested and brainwashed by the secret police (yeah) -> Jet dies under a lake which Zuko only finds out about a season later.

So they never had the 4 years of intense homoerotic cohabitation that ghostbat had,.. their chemistry and potential are pretty much instigated by a few of Jet's weird intense lines, such as "As soon as I saw your scar I knew exactly who you were - you're an outcast, like me." And the crux of the ship is like.. Jet both does and doesn't know who Zuko is.

He knows he is also angry and restless, like himself - he knows he is running from his past, like himself - and he knows he is going to Ba Sing Se to create a new identity. These things are all true, for both of them; what Jet doesn't know is that Zuko is from the imperialist nation that brutally murdered his parents and invaded his home and he incorrectly assumes that the anger he recognizes in Zuko stems from the same need to enact violence on those who have taken everything from him.

So I guess the "thought you were exactly like me but then I found out you're not which enrages and humiliates me so know I'm going to beat the shit out of you" thing from BTK no. 6 is something they share with ghostbat but.. Jet's anger is probably a little more justified than Minhkhoa's lol...

In conclusion it's your basic "doomed relationship/they work great together but that doesn't fix anything" ship premise. It used to be more popular back in the day... pretty sure I owe my life to maybe 3 different Taiwanese/Chinese doujin artists from 2009... yeah that's the gist of it.

[linnoya-writes]

Zutara Childhood-Friends-to-Lovers Alter-Egos Forbidden-Romance AU (part I)

Their first kiss comes at the absolute worst time, with Katara and Zuko exchanging fruit under his late mother’s favorite tree in the palace gardens.  It comes with a disagreement between Fire Lord Iroh and Chieftain Hakoda of the WaterTribes.

A Southern tribesman and two of the palace guards are the ones who walk in on the teenagers’ awkward little kiss. 

The Southern tribesman coughs for attention; Zuko flinches and Katara jerks her head away.  Her cheeks are so flushed, Katara barely recognizes her father’s guard. Whatever he’s there for, it’s not good. 

“Lady Katara, I’ve been ordered to escort you back to the ship. We leave port tonight.”

Immediately, her world caves in. “W—What?”

“What’s going on?” Zuko can’t help but interject in that voice that is both regal and concerned.  As they stand up, Katara feels her frame staying close to his.

“I’m afraid I cannot disclose anything else, your highness,” the kinsman bows his head to Zuko respectfully, and the palace guards approach almost instinctively. “My orders are only to take our princess home.” 

The way he’s suddenly referring to her so possessively, and distantly, it makes her brows furrow.

“Kievel—“ it takes her a century to remember this man’s name, “There has to be some mistake.  Sokka and I still have a few more weeks here!”

“Let me talk to my uncle," Zuko rasps to her, "they should still be at the council meeting.” 

“Your highness, council has already adjourned," Kievel chimes in. "His lordship expects you and her highness Azula to meet him at the royal hall before any more news goes public.” 

Katara can see Zuko’s eyes widening into a confused, unexpected gold. This is bad, she thought, and yet her fingers instinctively searching for Zuko’s knuckles.

Staring at the guards, Katara and Zuko find their fingers entwining in the obscure folds of their robes. She can feel Zuko’s hand still holding some kind of fruit, the little shivers in his finger debating whether to let it drop to the ground, if it meant he could hold her hand just for that little moment. 

“Princess…” Kievel brought them back to the present. “…it’s time to go.”

They glance at each other, looking like they’d lived a glacial sixteen and fourteen years for a moment like this to happen… and yet here it was… so easily being taken away.  It wasn’t fair. 

The glistening of his eyes said exactly that, but the flaming gold said something else: I don't regret it. 

And Katara met him with her glimmering blue eyes.

Me neither.

As she stepped forward and their secret hands parted, Zuko instinctively let her grab hold of the fruit he’d kept curled in his hand. The last thing Katara saw was his serious face, sandwiched between his two guards.  He seemed so stern, regal and untouchable, but his eyes spoke of hope. 

Katara could only imagine that she would see him again, that whatever this premature separation was about would someday eventually fade.  She waited until making it to the dock to finally pull out the fruit from her robes.  It was a plum-- ripe and ready for eating-- the size of tiny goose-otter egg.

She smiled, keeping it in her robe pockets as a parting gift to take for her long journey back home… feeling like a part of her had still remained under the shade of that tree with her best friend.  It wasn’t until she saw Sokka at the dock that she learned the gravity of this separation; their countries were in a feud regarding the discovery of a remote island off the Fire Nation's archipelago, the Water Tribe proclaiming it an ancient burial site of their ancestors and arguing how this island should be deemed theirs. This feud has halted their their trade agreement, and they are willing to readdress it after a ten-year separation.

“TEN YEARS!?”

She as princess of the WaterTribe was forbidden to touch ground in the Fire Nation for ten years, and the idea of not seeing Zuko for that length of time…

“No— that can’t happen.” 

“Katara, it’s done.  It’s the law.” 

“Well, the law stinks!” 

Before she can even think of making her way back to the palace gate, the Watertribe guards hold her back with a Water-bending wall.  And in the distance, she could see a faint figure trying to wrestle his way past his own guards at the beacon point.

The way he'd been so athletic and agile as The Blue Spirit back when they were kids, Katara didn't have to guess who it was. 

His voice bellowed. “I said,' Let me through!'  You can’t do this— I- I HAVE to talk to her!” 

“Zuko!?”

She didn’t care if she referred to him so informally, or that her voice echoed through the entire capital, or that Sokka was grabbing her wrist and edging her back towards their ship. 

She could see his face softening as he saw her.

“Katara— I— I’m so sorry.” 

“No— it’s not your fault. This isn’t over, okay? I love you.” 

There was an abysmal wave gasps at the dock, and Katara didn’t care- she was only speaking to one person, anyway. Zuko was also taken aback, amazed as much as the others surrounding them by the sheer boldness his best friend had chosen to demonstrate.

His heart pounded in his chest, feeling that same boldness take root inside of him more and more.

Zuko breathed, and spoke out, “I love you too.”

And with those words, Katara could almost feel his warmth next to her, hands grazing… lips touching…

No, it wasn’t over. 

“I’ll see you,” he shouted, his hands gripping the rails of the beacon. 

“See you," came her reply. 

It’s what they’d always said to each other as young playmates in the palace, always on the day that Katara would have to to leave Zuko's side at the end of summer… but it felt different this time, because the tides had turned so monumentally. 

They could feel themselves becoming something else. 

When she finally boarded the ship, Katara could hear Sokka muttering that she was an idiot to say something like that out loud. 

Katara wasn’t listening. Instead, she was looking down at her hand, at her little plum. And as the ship set sail, she started to take little bites of the fruit... savoring the sweetness of it… thinking about the seed, and wondering if it was possible to raise a plum tree in the arctic tundras of the south. 

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

https://www.tumblr.com/cleverheroine/623936048254320640/what-zutarans-say-its-just-that-katara-never

thoughts?

"Katara never showed real romantic feelings for Aang and only blushed when she was FLATTERED" cope harder, honey. And in what world do you "fix" that by making her date the guy she hated for 90% of the show and very clearly only saw as a friend in the end? Ridiculous.

"She treated him like a brother" Nope, that's Zuko. You know, the guy she teased in the exact same way she teased Sokka, her actual brother? She never did that with Aang.

"Or even like a son" Once again, Zutarians completely ignore how Katara was visibly upset at the thought of her friends thinking of her as a mom BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T SEE ANY OF THEM AS HER KIDS, BECAUSE SHE'S JUST 14, YOU DUMBASSES!

"There's zutara 'imagery'" The show about the four elements is not hiting at Zutara just because there's red and blue everywhere. It's about balance, not your OTP. "Cave of Two Lovers" and "Ying and Yang" (aka, TUI AND LA, PUSH AND PULL) were KATAANG imagery. Not to mention, if you have to rely on "secret hints in the colors or backgrounds" instead of the actual writting of the characters and their dynamics, you end up with shit like the ending of How I Met Your Mother - and trust me, you don't want that.

(Yes, I will bitch about that awful finale forever and nobody can stop me).

"We totally don't want Aang to die for our ship" Really? Then I guess I hallucinated all those fics and headcanons that either full on kill him or just commit character assassination that you guys keep shoving in everyone's face. Fuck off!

[eponastory]

I like that you like Zukka. Tell me what other ships you ship and why.

Well, obviously Zutara and Sukka.

But this may not be popular opinion since it's not in my story and probably wont be, but I can get behind Sokkla. It's the same concept of fire and water like Zutara and Zukka, but honestly it presents a dynamic that is more challenging.

Sokkla is more of a guilty pleasure ship for me than anything.

And since you are asking me my go to ships, I might as well answer the least favorite ships and why as well.

Azulaang: NOPE! This one is messy because Aang is Passive/Amiable and Azula is Assertive/Analytical. Assertive/Analytical people cannot mesh well with other people because they want/need control to feel stable about themselves. They are the boss. There is no compromise. It is also in Aang's character to be the one to 'fix' a person or a scenario. This is the type of relationship that is actually pretty toxic and is next to Narcissist level of toxic. Azula is a mirror of Ozai only she's female in the way of Social Styles. Any of her relationships will be toxic (as evidenced by how she treats Mai and Ty Lee) unless she learns to accept that perfection is impossible and she can overcome her trauma. So having Aang in a relationship with a person like Azula is just not going to work.

Kat*ang: I have my problems with this relationship by how it is framed from Aang's perspective and not Katara's. The non-consensual kisses do it for me too since that is considered SA in some circles and I have experienced things like that. Those things affected me deeply to where I have problems to this day that I'm just now able to talk about. It was a no go for me then, its still a no go for me now. I have gone over my dislike for the pairing before in greater detail, its no secret. Katara was absolutely reserved to Bryke's baby boy because they are silly men.

Maiko: I've done a whole post on this before. It boils down to dismissiveness and lack of communication in their relationship... which can be fixed but they both thought it was better just to break it off. Well, Mai did, and you know what... that's fine. They will probably work better as friends.

Taang: Toph and Aang have a sibling like relationship. if it went romantic, she'd also wipe the floor with his ass for being a jealous idiot.

What is the ship name for Zuko x Toph? : that should tell you what you need to know there. They are siblings too... and he still owes her a badass field trip.

Aangko? IDK: no. just no. that's.... ew. Especially when that would be considered grooming in some circles. I dated a guy who was a secret pedo... it's just no... hell to the no. I mean, you do you, but it's a Negatory Ghost Rider. Do not past Go, Do not collect $200, Do not get out of Jail free.

okay now that I've got all of that out of the way. I'm only tagging certain things for this because I don't feel like being swamped by the antis for having personal opinions about a ship. Some of these ships are fine for other people and that's okay. We all have our things, I'm not going to judge. It's obvious as to who actually judges people for their ships. It's not me.

[kataraslove]

Do you think Kataang will ever get retconned for Zutara? I can see Bryke/Avatar Studios/Paramount/whoever tf is in charge now for the upcoming movie being like, “To drive up sales we should reintroduce Kataang vs Zutara discourse. Let’s make it so that Katara never actually loved Aang and only settled for him because she couldn’t have Zuko.”

short answer: highly doubt it

long answer: bryke had the chance to give in to fanon and make zutara canon at the end of atla; they didn’t. bryke again had the chance to make zutara canon in the legend of korra; they instead gave confirmation that katara and aang got married and had three children. bryke could have made zuko and katara end up together in old age; we have not seen one instance in which they even interact. bryke could have had them date in the comics, especially now that zuko is currently single. instead, katara spends her time helping rebuild the world with aang. any supplementary material from avatar studios could have indicated that they were spending time together - but the only thing i’ve really seen is stuff like legacy of the fire nation reiterating their friendship during the series. so if bryke never made it canon all these times, they’re probably not going to reverse their decision now. especially not when it’s been 15 years and the canon ships have a lot more support now.

in fact, one of the writers who had wanted zutara even said, “they’re definitely together in an another universe.” and offered no follow up as to whether they canonically had feelings for each other in the current atla one.

i mean, mike dimartino doubled down on braving the elements by stating that the moment in which katara offered to heal his scar wasn’t intended to be romantic. for context, when zach tyler eisen stated that the scene of katara bringing aang back to life was more romantic than the zutara moment, mike offered no denial. mike even confirmed one of my fave kataang parallels in that episode. so, the chances of kataang being retconned for zutara happening with avatar studios content are very slim. and isn’t that the whole point of avatar studios; so that bryke could tell their stories in the ways that they want to?

while kataang is probably going to be retconned for zutara in the live action adaptation, I highly doubt it will in any animated content (not going to say no because if the past lives can be completely removed in avatar lore, anything is possible. but it just wouldn’t be consistent with the canon that they’ve spent establishing over the last 15 years).

finally, the whole “katara secretly wants zuko while being married to aang and maybe could cheat with zuko behind aang’s back” is an insult to katara’s character in general, but it is especially insulting for the version of her character that’s a married adult women with a political career and a baby. even if for some reason she hated being married to aang and/or secretly wanted zuko, I’m pretty sure the version of adult katara that we’re going to see will be way too busy with her own affairs to even contemplate cheating. quite frankly, i should hope that there’s a ton of plot lines that bryke plans on doing with adult katara that isn’t “having a secret affair with her husband’s best friend.”

now here’s what i think will happen (and you can revisit this in two years time if i’m right): i think the marketing of the movie might have zuko and katara stand beside each other. y’know, hype it up for the loudest portion of the fandom who is relying on content from 2008. emphasize on the Fire and Water and red and blue and whatever.

the actual movie content will consist of aang and katara - as lead characters - being politically involved while navigating early parenthood. i think zuko will get a little bit of screen time, enough to build-up events for the rumoured zuko movie (which will likely be a sequel to the adult gaang movie). i think the adult gaang movie will confirm zuko’s relationship with mai. zuko and katara might talk with each other, could even share a nice platonic moment - but that’s about it (and that would be enough to stir up zutara shippers).

meanwhile, for kataang, I think the movie’s plan is to break popular misconceptions that:

aang is a horrible father and husband

katara is a SAHM (not that there’s anything wrong with that)

and i’m not saying that as, like, things that i want to desperately see. i’m saying that based on all the comics that have come out in recent years and all the content from avatar legends. of the two, the second misconception is the one that i’m most confident about that. we will definitely, no doubt in mind, get to see katara’s career and legacy (which I’m super fucking excited about!!!). and the movie will 100% contain a plot surrounding katara. this i can guarantee you, based on everything that I’ve read behind the scenes. remind me to one day finish writing out all the evidence i have surrounding this.

but anyway, anon, I hope this helps give you hope and anticipation? long story short, you’ve got nothing to worry about. look at how beautiful the happy couple looks.

[likeabxrdinflight]

so as we all know, the live action atla airs tomorrow. knowing me, I'll end up binging the whole thing in one, two days tops.

I think the majority of my followers on this platform followed me back in 2020, when the animated show dropped on netflix and saw a sudden resurgence in popularity. so most of you know me as a fan, and it's not exactly a secret. I adore the animated show. It's somewhere in my top ten favorite tv series of all time. it might even be the top, I've never actually sat down and thought about it that deeply, but if I did, atla very well could be number one.

it's not a perfect show, far from it. it has flaws. everything does. but I was there with atla from literally day one. I remember back in 2005, all the tv ads for this cool, anime-esque nickelodeon show that was gonna air soon. I memorized the date and time of the premiere. I made damn sure I wasn't gonna miss it. my 12-year-old ass forced my little brother to surrender the remote for that hour and refused to let him touch it. turns out I didn't need to, because we both got invested right away. and I tuned in for every new episode from that day on. even if I was at a friend's house, I made sure we watched if a new episode of atla was airing. I was that insane about this show.

I can remember making up fake bending routines in my parents' living room (usually firebending lol). in the summers I'd pretend to be a waterbender in the swimming pool. some of my earliest drawings are of katara, aang, and zuko, and then later azula. I remember when the blue spirit first aired and presenting my brother with the "zuko will definitely become aang's friend and teach him firebending" manifesto. he was not convinced. I was devastated by the season two finale, and so vindicated by season three. I remember how long the 2008 writer's strike felt when it delayed the second half of season three. and I remember when the finale finally aired- by this point I was now 15- and just the rollercoaster of emotions that was for me as a teenager. I remember not wanting it to be over, delving into the online fandom and discovering all the different ships, fanart, fanfics, and video edits (and drama). I learned how to use windows movie maker and pirate the episodes just because I wanted to join in on the fun. I wrote a not good zutara fic that I never finished. I put my shitty little azula videos on youtube. I've been in and out of this fandom ever since.

so to say I have a lot of love for the animated series would be an understatement. when I think of the media that defined my childhood, there's really five things that first come to mind- harry potter, pokemon, anime more broadly (special shout out to yugioh and sailor moon), disney, and atla.

I say this all to establish that there is zero chance the live action adaptation could ever overtake the animated original for me. I will always love it more, it will always be the more special version of this story. I was exactly aang's age when that first episode aired. there's no replacing something like that. when I think of this story and these characters, I think I will always default to the animated version.

that said, I really am feeling optimistic about the live action adaptation. I'm frequently skeptical of these kinds of projects, especially the disney remake trend, but there's a couple reasons I feel pretty okay with the adaptation of atla. one is that there has been a recent uptick in popularity of the original. it's a good time to re-visit this story, people are interested, and it can only serve to get even more people to watch the original given both will now be on netflix. two is that I'm very encouraged to see that both in front of and behind the camera, asian and indigenous people are taking center stage. I don't think we can discount the importance of that. third, everything I've seen about this show that's not a panicked hot take on twitter or a headline pulled out of context is fairly encouraging. I mostly like what I've heard from the cast and showrunners in interviews. several reviews of the first episode's premiere have been broadly positive, most importantly to me, from actual fans who attended.

I do have some reservations. I'm not totally sold on the visual aesthetic, with the somewhat darker color palette and the contrasting saturation of the costumes. for this first season, I'm easily most concerned about how katara is going to be written. I want them to make changes and tell the story differently, but I do worry they won't find the right balance. too much change to central character arcs could deleteriously impact the story. and I will always be concerned about the portrayal of azula.

I also have mixed feelings about the sexism thing- I'm not necessarily pressed that they might tone down sokka's or even pakku's overt sexism, and frankly the "girls can fight too!" version of feminism is kind of tired in 2024. I also know several indigenous people have spoken up about how the water tribe's being sexist was not a great look. but I am concerned that, in toning this aspect down, they might inadvertently neuter katara's character arc or remove some of her best moments. I have to question how this change will impact suki as well. ironically I'm not as worried about sokka, his sexism was a minimal part of his overall character arc- but it's impact on the women around him was much more meaningful. that's what I'm more concerned about.

I've also heard that the first episode suffers from a glut of exposition that was felt necessary for new viewers but returning fans will likely find tiresome. and naturally I'm worried some things will look goofy, fail to translate from cartoon to live action well, or that some of the heart and charm of the original will get lost in translation. so yeah, there's concerns.

but generally speaking I'm more excited than not. if the show has as much love put into it as the cast and crew interviews seem to indicate, then I think revisiting this world and these characters in a new way with a new generation at the helm will be a lot of fun. the nostalgia market is definitely oversaturated right now, you can certainly argue this didn't need to exist, but I'm not going to pretend I'm not interested to see what they do with this. especially when we already got such a bad live action version- it's not like this is a new idea for atla as a franchise. there's a precedent already set for trying it again. so I'm going in with an open mind. let's see what they do- it's not like it's ever going to replace the original. it can't.

...also I think the tag I'm going to use is "natla spoilers". I've been tagging "atla live action" but I think I'm gonna switch over to "natla" primarily from now on. and believe me, I will be sharing my thoughts.

[skyrim-forever]

9 people you'd like to know better

Thank you for the tags @dirty-bosmer @lucien-lachance and @thequeenofthewinter and @argisthebulwark ❤️

◇3 ships

My oc Theodora and Ondolemar

Luicen Lachance/Living fr fr

Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Itachi

◇first ship

The first pairing I ever shipped was Zutara haha (I maintain that having a crush on Zuko in ATLA is a right of passage for hot girls :P)

◇last song

Nectar of the Gods -Lana Del Rey (Blue Bannisters my beloved)

◇currently reading

The Secret History by Donna Tart

◇last film

The Witch dir. Robert Eggers

◇currently craving

socialization (Ive been mostly along the past week, luckily im seeing friends today and then its my bday next week <3)

I'm tagging @ladytanithia @greyborn2 @throughtrialbyfire @changelingsandothernonsense @chaddywaddy3 @kartaylirsden @kookaburra1701 @ronin-of-valenwood @a50e10 no pressure!

[the-ever-flowing-styx]

tag 9 people you want to get to know better

Tagged by @runningupthatwill

Three Ships: Trobed, Fezzik x Inigo, Jeffbritta

First Ever Ship: awh shit Zutara probly

Last Movie: knives out? might have been shawshank or the last wish tho idk my memory is very bad

Last Song: what if tomorrow comes from black friday

Currently Reading: rereading the princess bride (and intro to secrets and homosexuality)

Currently Watching: once upon a time is on while i type this lol

Currently Consuming: uh i just had a coffee and a cinnamon bun

Currently Craving: teaa

Tagging: @mashedpotatosinacup , @m-eowdy , @yuenity , @troy-and-abed-in-the-mooorning , @lesbianwithchainsaws , @stardustto-dust , @thecoatofagoat , @pots-plus-pans , @skelebab

[evelyyyna]

In my mind and in my heart I know that Zutara was going to happen. I have actually a degree in seminar about theatre writing, writing for movies and TV shows and I have learned that through the script and the planning of the directing you could actually show what is going to happen with the gift of small hints so you won't destroy the ending. So you won't give it away. It is actually great and very interesting and thoughtful that the viewers can recognize and notice or observe small details that are connected and "spoiling" the ending without actually reveling it. And Avatar The Last Airbender is a great show that has a combination of many cultures that represent the four nations. Of course we all are aware that the creators have been affected from the Chinese culture and like the China, in the show too,there are many legends and stories (mostly of love) that are also shown in the series. We all I think, are aware of what I'm talking about. And that is the legend of the two lovers that are destined to belong to different nations and only find each other in secret, until their end where the male is dying etc etc. We have seen the story in the episode with Aang and Katara. Their almost kiss made us think that Katara would actually start and seeing Aang with a different point of view and maybe actually fall in love with him. But instead of that, what we've got was her, leaving that incident behind (she LITERALLY RUN AWAY FROM HIM) and actually keeping acting like his friend. And it's sad cause the only times that we might actually saw her feelings (until the last scene at least) was when she was blushing. Do you know what incident she never left behind and actually is similar and in my opinion, more similar to the legend of two lovers?

When Katara and Zuko stayed together for some hours inside the prisons under Ba Sing Che.

(I will fix the spelling later sorry :) )

Their moves, the way of them standing in a certain way, Zuko letting her touching his wound( something that he never did before) the colors, the green crystals that were surrounding them like in the grave of two lovers, we're showing a million hints that had to do with the legend. But besides that, and even though the creators never actually admitted this, the fact that Katara is looking at Zuko, the fact that Zuko is meeting her eyes when they have to apart and the fact that in the same episode, Aang was in the air temple with the guru and had to learn about his attachment problem with Katara (something that was mentally stopping him from concentrating and managing to be one with the Avatar State, in order to win against the fire Lord and save the world...) All these things are showing us something. Something that has to do with a change. A change of their relationships. These three are connected on this episode. And finally a love triangle starts to be shown. And is one thing that many antizutara fans cannot argue with.

Hints that are all gathered here in Tumblr from other users. Hints that CANNOT be considered as fake cause one of the biggest works of animation, would never use a fake ship just to play with the audience. They don't have to. They have so many things to risk. Money that are spended behind the cameras. Work and hours from many stuff members. As I said before, because I have learned many things from the seminar, I now understand that ZUTARA ACTUALLY MEANT TO HAPPEN, but in the last episode, the duo of Bryke, CHANGED THE ENDING. And Aaron E. actually admitted that he had another ending in his mind that has to do with a certain couple and that most of people agreed to it. That he was shocked with the ending that Bryke wrote.

And it's actually pretty sad, cause that has many effects in the story. And plot holes that many people discussed about. And I would like to talk about the results of their choice in my next post and the amazing outcomes that would exist if the ending was different.

[goshdangronpa]

ibuki 🤪

Yeethaw it's Best Character

Favorite thing about her: There's so much to love!!! Her spunk, her look, her distinct voice ... Something really underrated about her, though, is her emotional maturity. For all her quirks and silliness, she's among the wisest people on the island. Her FTEs with Hajime are unique in that she's the one helping him deal with personal hang-ups, not the other way around. The advice she gives resonates perfectly with the themes surrounding the characters' dark past and the better future they can create.

Least favorite thing about her: It really is messed up that she tells Mahiru to "snatch some shots" when Mikan accidentally exposes herself in a tumble, but I think she'd relent if she knew about that girl's circumstances. So maybe the real worst thing is her hilariously rude takes on music. No, Ibuki, there is more to drumming than making loud noises!

Favorite line: "Welcome to the world of girls' love! It's slippery when wet!" There's much to criticize about DR's portrayal of LGBTQIA+ chars but I love how overtly queer many of these characters are, especially the enthusiastically girl-loving Ibuki.

brOTP: Whether you like it as a romantic ship or a friendship, Ibuki's bond with Imposter is a genuine delight. She takes their crappy Byakuya attitude so good-naturedly that they can't help but respect it. If they'd lived past Chapter 1 ... well, I'll go into that more as I develop my Ibuki protag swap project, but suffice to say they'd have a strong impact on each other. She'll help bring the individual at the core of the Imposter, and they'll help Ibuki channel her boundless energy into being a genuine force for hope.

OTP: You already know. I've liked some noncanon ships even before I knew the concept of shipping (zutara was just so obvious to me even as a kid), but tsumioda is the first to make me lose my damn mind. "Sweet girl helps sad girl" is irresistible, especially with my spin where the sad girl helps the sweet girl right back. The whole "Mikan once killed Ibuki" is a dealbreaker for some, but it actually seals the deal for me. This extreme interpersonal conflict is the kind of barrier that, once overcome, will make them both better people and better partners for each other than they ever could've been ... Oh my god, I talk about them like Nagito talks about hope, HELP

nOTP: I don't think I have any nOTPs - only ships that are more interesting (or funnier) as failures. Sayabuki is one. Ibuki strives to always be herself, no matter how that might alienate potential friends and fans. Sayaka would call that idealistic and naive, having her own motivations for doing things she otherwise never would. A clash would be inevitable. In fact, have a surprisingly detailed relationship arc for them in my head, taking them from musicians on the same tour to secret lovers (and first love, on Ibuki's end) to bitter exes. I'll write that fanfic someday.

Random headcanon: Ibuki's always so brazen when flirting with people, but when she develops an actually serious crush, she gets really awkward and even more motormouthed.

Unpopular opinion: I don't think Ibuki would immediately be all smiles and forgiveness with Mikan after they all wake up in the pods. A girl who prizes being real with people got taken advantage of in the worst way by someone she called a friend. Even for someone as friendly and emotionally stable as Ibuki, that's gonna require some deep reflection, emotional processing, and tough conversation! I do agree, though, that they'll eventually work it out (and fall in love)

Song I associate with her: HEY BIG MAN PUT THE MONEY IN MY POCKET

Favorite picture of her: The one I drew!