#it wasn't supposed to be THIS zutara intense

[heinzpilsner]

An addition to my "I'm a zutarian megabrain now" post (because this title was so great I was looking for an excuse to type it again apparently)

Okay, so I analized all the interactions between Zuko and Katara in atla scripts after tSR to test my 'imperfect zutara' theory. In particular, I was interested in the moments when Zuko's bad feeling of personal boundaries could show itself in his communication with Katara.

(I'm not exactly an expert on the topic as always, but I tried my best)

So, what have I discovered?

... Not so much, actually.

Their personal interactions after tSR mostly consist of friendly teasing on Katara's side and mutual falling victims to minor (and major) romantic tropes lol. And such a material doesn't exactly highlight their feeling of personal boundaries.

Zuko and Katara basically... don't want anything from each other personally after their reconciliation? Or at least that's what the show wants us to believe.

Still, there are several more substancial friendly/allied interactions between them in the finale.

So, let's finally analyze them:

1) Zuko stops Katara from following Aang ("He needs time to sort it out by himself".)

Basically, it's Zuko's soft claim for authority in parenting, which... Katara just accepts. We can see she isn't really annoyed by the act and decides to listen to him.

Hence, Zuko acts within his boundaries here.

(Interesting thing to note: Katara doesn't blame Zuko for Aang's dissapearance later -even though, while it woulnd't be a right reaction, it would be an expected one. Instead, she makes a request for his leadership: "What should we do, Zuko?"

And Zuko takes the lead as a responsible 16-year-old adult he is.)

2) Zuko is anxious about his uncle, Katara comforts him ("Are you okay?")

Hmm, let's see. Sometimes "just sitting here with a sad look" can be considered a deliberate non-verbal demand for emotional support (and then it feels like pressure for people around - especially friends and family, - to spend their time, energy and psychological resources on this).

It doesn't seem to be the case though - it's an objectively heavy, emotionally intense moment for Zuko, and it looks like Katara's spontaneous decision to approach him and give him the opportunity to 'share' his anxiety with her.

I'm not sure though whether such a detailed answer to the question "Are you okay?" was appropriate or not, to be honest. But considering Zuko's support to Katara during tSR previously, and his own emotional state now... I think it was adequate. Their dialogue is relatively short and on point - Zuko doesn't abuse Katara's compassion.

(He doesn't thank her either, but considering his state, it's understandable).

I suppose we can conclude what Zuko acted here within his boundaries too, after all.

(His previous 'outpourings' in interactions with Sokka and Toph were much more dubious in this regard, actually: Sokka wasn't yet his friend on their way to Boiling Rock, and I bet Toph in the theatre didn't really expected to deal with such a heavy monologue from Zuko.)

3) Zuko asks Katara "how would she like to help him put Azula in her place" (it would be "her pleasure").

Ah, everything is ok with this interaction? A nice contrast with Zuko's wording in tSR, actually. Nothing to really add here.

4) Zuko is anxious about Aang not killing Ozai, Katara comforts him.

Well, this case is similar to the point 2's case, so Zuko's boundaries are still okay, I guess, but...

There is a certain notable difference in the context this time.

I believe Katara is feeling equally anxious at the moment, but she chooses to focus on comforting Zuko instead.

While Zuko... just takes it?

It starts to sound a bit... unbalanced.

Although, if we consider the fact that Zuko took the leadership over the group recently... We can see their relationship working as a kind of exchange: Zuko takes the lead and responsibility, while Katara supports him emotionally and in battle. It's still a balance, but on a different level, I guess.

(And if we add to the equation Zuko supporting Katara during tSR... It doesn't look that bad, actually.)

5) Zuko doesn't ask Katara before accepting Azula's challenge to the Agni Kai.

Oh dear. It's a very difficult situation to analyze - there are way too many nuances here.

First of all, Katara's exact position is not that clear from the start. I mean - can battling Azula really be considered "a pleasure"? Who's doing whom a favor in this cooperation? Is Katara an equal partner or just an optional help in this conflict?

It was never properly discussed onscreen.

Another thing - the conflict is heavily political and connected to Zuko's royal status (and his family), so Zuko and Katara's positions are definitely kinda unequal in this regard (even if Azula is the world's problem in general as well as Katara's personal enemy).

Also, they didn't know about Azula's state of mind before. Hence, the circumstances have changed, which means terms of the partnership could be reconsidered.

Lastly, the moment is pretty dangerous and requires quick thinking.

I guess... it was Zuko's right to make such a decision in these circumstances, after all.

Hence, he acted within his boundaries again or at least somewhere near them.

(Still... There is a question of their communication. Did they really discuss all the possible scenarios previously? I mean, how exactly Zuko planned to become the Fire Lord without fighting the Agni Kai initially? It was an extremely important thing to get right!)

Anyway...

It seems to be all, actually? Yep, only 5 major examples to analyze.

So, my general conclusion is:

I wasn't able to find the big undeniable 'bad boundaries' tendencies in Zuko's and Katara's friendly/allied communication after tSR.

But. The thing is, their personal relationship wasn't really a focus of Zuko's and Katara's attention during the last episodes. They had a world to save, you see. And while Zuko jumping in front of lightning for Katara in slow motion may say a lot about his feelings and priorities, it still doesn't say much about his personal boundaries in the potential romantic relationship.

(I mean, Mai here too was ready to sacrifice herself for Zuko, but she still thought that saying "Don't ever break up with me again" to the guy who just forgot her in prison was a smart thing to do, lol. ... Oh girl, this relationship so has no future.)

So, this conclusion of mine doesn't mean that after transition of Zuko and Katara's relationship into romantic plane and the change of their social positions the balance will not shift. Human relationships is a very complex and dynamic thing, after all. Different circumstances create different expectations for each other, different set of rights and responsibilities, and hence, different conflicts.

Hence, tSR with its large focus on the characters' personal relationship can still be considered a troubling precedent for zutara.

But... there is always hope!

Something like this.

And in the end here's your friendly reminder that I ignore all the notifications.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

latest antikataang take katara has to teach aang how babies are born proving he's far to immature for her in the real world it would be gross. how can people not understand that katara is far to old for aang.. . nevermind in 6th grade 12 year olds are usually in sex ed class learning about the human body (at least thats when i had sex ed) but to this day as a woman i have no idea how the birthing process goes either and as someone who had crushes on younger boys im so tired of antis screeching about 2 years being creepy/gross with kataang they act like katara is 40 and aang is 2 and treat someone like me as if i was a creeper when my crushe was only 2 years younger than me. im so sick of these guys their takes are supposively based on false real world standards while ignoring that in reality zuko is in juvy /maybe prison?? for invading kataras home/village/ burning down another village/ kidnapping katara/sokka/aang/ /hiring an assisaan to kill a 12 year old.

using real world to prove a point that your ship is better is pure nonsence.. in a show a bout people bending elements.. esp when you ignore everything zuko did in the show would end up with him in jail in the real world.

im tired of these people so damn tired.

"Real world" my ass. I don't know if the whole "12-year-olds are innocent little babies" it's just americans being americans, but it sure reeks of it. A pre-teen is not the same as a baby for God's sake. I had some veeeery basic notion of how reproduction worked when I was around 8-9, and I got some pretty detailed sex-ed when I was ten. Sure, I was too young to even be interested in sex, but I still knew what it was and how it worked.

Most 12-year-olds are NOT "innocent", because that's literally the point in life in which you have hormones coming out your ears. Yet most would still have a G-rated romance like Kataang, even with someone 2 years older, not because of "immaturity" or for not knowing sex is a thing, but because BOTH of them are still just kids.

These people talk about Katara like she's in her 20's and the babysitter Aang had a crush on, which is ridiculous.

They were peers. They were friends. The age-gap between them is literally the same as the one between Zuko and Katara. And while Katara is clearly at a point in which she feels attracted to boys (Aang very much included, no matter how Zutara fans love pretend that's not the case), nothing suggested she is at a stage where she is already thinking "I'd like to have sex with that guy."

Once again, it's projecting. The people who say that likely had pretty intense crushes on Zuko (which is normal), so when they saw the "main girl" not only showing zero interest in him, but also demonstrating her attraction towars her actual love interest in a way that didn't involve a forbidden romance, non-stop bickering (or straight up ugly fights), and a TON of teenage lust, they just couldn't accept it. Because it wasn't something that resembled their pre-teen fantasies.

The fact that Zuko was constantly sucking face with Mai and was even subtly implied to have had sex with her in Nightmares And Daydreams must have made them sooooo mad too. Like, yeah, Zuko is already interested in doing more than just holding hands and making out (pretty normal since he is 16/17). He is just not interested in doing that with KATARA, just like she never had any interest in him.

[forever--rain]

Okay okay this is not a title but a situation. You’re sitting around a bonfire with your friends at the beach under the stars. You haven’t met in months, maybe years, and this is the happiest you’ve felt in a while. Everyone’s eating and drinking and laughing and talking. It’s getting late tho and you’re tired so you allow the sounds of Crashing Waves and the Crackling Fire to lull you to sleep and in that moment, life feels magical. What about a playlist for that feeling?

Banshee, this one was SO much fun to make--even before you and I discussed your wish for some subtle Zutara vibes! (I may have gone overboard on that. Sorry. 😬) It was fun to look for songs that reminded me of beach bonfires and had vibes of friendship and love. Right off the bat, I knew I had to start with "There's a Place," but I wanted to leave it on a positive note for our ship, so we end on "1435." (Struggling to not let this turn into a fic.)

More explanations below the cut!

Send me a playlist title and I’ll give you 5-10 songs I think would go on it!

There's a Place

And what I fight today/I always keep those yesterdays in my mind//All I want, wanted/Was to be want, wanted by you

This song for me was, for me, the best song to match the "old friends meeting with lingering love" part of this playlist. When you listen to it, a lot of the lyrics fit Zuko and Katara so well. Can you just see their eyes meeting across the beach as this song plays in the background? Just me? Okay.

I'm On Fire

Vibes only here. No explanation, really. It just fit the mood.

Stars Are on Your Side

Sometimes it takes dark, yeah, to feel a little light/Sometimes you need fire to see the other side/So get up off your knees/Hope is still alive/That place your searching for, I know you'll find/'Cause the stars are on your side

Ah! Okay, so I love this song's lyrics. To me, it represents Zuko and Katara within the group. Personally, I feel like they really anchored everyone--especially Katara. Girl's hope is what kept them all going.

Shrike

The words hung above/But never would form/Like a cry at the final/Breath that is drawn

So I wasn't around on Tumblr when the "no I love you" challenge was issued, but I heard about it! And I looked up the song because I was curious. Oh, goodness. *sigh* In our little bonfire scenario here, this to me is a Zuko POV song. The group gets back together after a few years and he's just sitting there thinking of all the things he never said as the fire spits up sparks and everyone is laughing and reminiscing.

Holocene

Again, just vibing here. This song never fails to give me bonfire vibes, so that's why it's here.

august

But I can see us lost in the memory/August slipped away into a moment in time/'Cause it was never mine

Again, beachy, summery overtones with regret. A Katara POV song.

Young And Beautiful

I've seen the world/Done it all, had my cake now/Diamonds, brilliant, and Bel-Air now/Hot summer nights, mid-July/When you and I were forever wild

Look. I am a basic bitch. I like Lana and I love Taylor and that ain't changing anytime soon. I first heard this song on a late summer night with my s.o. (back when we were still "only friends, we swear") and I haven't been able to kick those memories ever since. Back then, he lived a block from a lake and we'd walk up there on summer nights to sit in the sand and stargaze together.

Now, tying this into your above scenario a little more concretely, imagine Zuko and Katara breaking away from the group to walk through the shallows of the sea together, the bonfire a beacon in the background as stars wheel overhead.

Northern Lights

I remember your silhouette on Dyes Inlet/Against the silver sheen of a moon like painted glass/Under stars out on a pier; a celestial sphere/We were weightless as the waves that disappeared

The two of them discussing good memories of the Ember Island beach house, anyone? The two of them walking out to the pier where Katara first hugged Zuko? (Banshee, this playlist is giving me ideas for a fic and I already have too many WIPs!!!)

Meteor Showers

Eyes grow heavy but steadily we pull through/Fires in heaven begin to fall for you/Sending sparks across the sky/Like the sparkles in your eyes, so blue

No, but this whole thing fits what I was looking for in the penultimate song on the playlist. Imagine that it's the end of the night and everyone else has either gone back to the house or fallen asleep in the sand, but Zuko and Katara (mostly Zuko) are struggling to stay awake because there's going to be a meteor shower. It's peaceful and it's quiet save for the crackle of the dying fire and they're leaning against one another... And then stars start streaking through the sky.

1435

Without your love I'm nothing more/Than skin and bones and hate/I'm a man without a name/So all I have is all my love to give/To you, for life

I just really wanted a happy ending to this scenario, okay? 😭

Yeah. This is definitely about to turn into a fic. Dammit, Banshee! I've got too many ideas already! (ILY. IT'S FINE.)