#kataang tension

[anxiouslychill]

Cave Jivin'!

An excerpt from my Kataang/Kataango flash fic. ❤️ Also, if you've seen this on tumblr before, it's because my last acct was deleted so here we are 🙃

Summary: Aang's flirting has gotten better. Katara notices. Partly inspired by Episode 2 of Book 3: The Headband. And also the comic Aang's Epic Adventures/Love Potion #8

Aang flitted and flipped around, proudly showing off the dances he learned over 100 years ago, dances that the fire nation generations before them should have passed down. He was enjoying showing the fire nation kids how to express themselves with dance as he had learned to do, but his eyes searched for Katara. He spotted her looking downcast at her table with Sokka and Toph while they seemed to be having a great time. He saw Katara watching him earlier, smiling.  Could it be because he was dancing with On Ji?  He didn't want to assume this, but could it be possible she was...jealous? Aang blushed at the thought. He was only being friendly and showing OnJi some dance moves, but he quickly thought of what he could do to make sure Katara knew who Aang really had his eyes on. 

"Everybody freestyle!" Katara barely heard Aang over the echoing bass of the drums and sat with her chin resting on her palm, trying to look everywhere but the dance floor. She quickly realized that she didn't like seeing Aang dancing with OnJi and her staring at him in adoration, blushing. She didn't blame OnJi, because Aang was, admittedly, naturally charming.  

I have no right to be jealous…Aang is not mine. Katara could feel herself deflate, her stomach sinking, but wouldn't let it show that she was definitely jealous. Katara’s frown deepened, Aang’s approach going unnoticed until he held his hand out to her with a soft smile, a silent invite to dance. Looking up, she met his eyes and instantly smiled, her heart speeding up a bit, but quickly looked down shyly and began fiddling with her hair in the way she did when she was self-conscious or nervous.

"Oh, I-I don't know Aang, these shoes aren't the best and I don't know if I know how to-"

"Take my hand." Aang interrupted gently, his gray eyes so warm and welcoming. Katara didn't hesitate another second to take his hand. She trusted Aang fully.

"Okay." She grinned and allowed Aang to gleefully pull her to the center of the flailing fire nation students.

He whispered in her ear, "Just like water bending practice," Katara nodded eagerly, great idea! Now this she could do. 

Aang and Katara practiced nearly every day, sometimes just to relax they would push a sphere of water in a circle, so that's where they started. They crossed their wrists in a beginning stance, circling. Push, pull. Beginning stance. Circle. Push, pull. Repeat. Soon they found the rhythm of the music.

As they circled each other, more and more eyes became drawn to them and soon Katara looked around to see every pair of wide eyes on them.

"Aang, everyone is watching," she laughed nervously, looking at him to see if he noticed as well.

But Aang's eyes were not on anyone else, no one but Katara. When Aang answered, there was a new glint of self-assurance in his eyes.  His past flirting techniques got him nowhere fast, but right now in this moment, he felt more comfortable than ever to express his affection and attraction for her without actually saying the words. He wouldn't hold back this time. 

"Don't worry about them," Aang said reassuringly. Katara watched as his cutesy smile turned to a smirk. "It's just you and me right now."  

She flushed hotly for a moment, taken aback at first. She had never seen this side of Aang before…and she quickly realized Aang was flirting with her, no hesitation and no uncertainty. This stirred something in Katara, butterflies began fluttering in her stomach, and she instinctively returned his flirtatious energy, showing Aang she was on the same page. 

When they returned to the dance, Katara no longer paid attention to the eyes on them. She only watched Aang, their eyes stayed locked and in that there was a brief moment of unguarded vulnerability that connected them further.

As the music went on, filling the room with its exciting melody, Aang and Katara found themselves lost in a dance that mirrored the deep connection between them. They flowed naturally much like the water they pretended to bend.  The air between them crackled with an electric energy that neither could ignore as they whirled and spun across the dance floor smoothly. 

Aang let himself get lost in this spark that had was kindling between them there in the dimly lit cave. Most importantly, Katara seemed aware of the spark and invited it, reciprocated it even. Aang watched as the background blurred until all he could see was Katara and the way she moved so elegantly, a confident smile playing on her lips. At one point, they twirled into a move that brought their faces mere inches apart, the chemistry between them palpable. Gasps of awe echoed off of the cave walls.

Their moves had become more complex as they added flips and fancy spins, and sweat had built on both of their foreheads. Aang wasn't sure if the pounding in his chest was the drums echoing, or if it was his heart racing from the adrenaline of their connection, either way he didn’t care. 

For the end of the song, Aang took Katara’s hand and twirled her into a dip.  His heart still raced with new desire that their connection had ignited, as they stared wide eyed and grinning at each other, faces flushed and both out of breath.  Aang knew he could release her now, the dance was over, everyone was cheering, but there was a magnetism holding them there for a few moments longer. 

Thabk you SO MUCH for reading! 💖 But wait, it's not the end yet! ❤️ Please take a look at my AO3 for the rest of the story, you dont even have to be a member! What went down between Katara and Aang after they escaped the fire nation that night? Could a simple dance mean something deeper than what they intended? If not, why were they suddenly so nervous around each other? 😉

https://archiveofourown.org/users/anxiouscontent

[the-badger-mole]

You are so awesome the-badger-mole you’re lovely saltiness is now officially living rent free in my head. I was watching a video where someone was ranking every atla and lok ship and all I could think the whole time was what your reaction to it all would be and was probably the only reason I could make it through a video where Kataang ended up ranked #1.

“Traveling the world so Aang could master the elements and defeat the firelord didn’t leave a lot of free time, so it wasn’t until the end of the show that Katara finally was able to accept how she feels about Aang. By the time Legend of Korra rolls around Aang and Katara have had three kids who take after each of them in different ways and Katara remains a loving mother and renowned healer.”

That quote from the video especially had me imagining what you would say to it all and now I gotta go reread Down the road and back again for peak anti-kataang and anti-lok saltiness because oof if that quote doesn’t unintentionally sum up how problematic Bryke’s writing is! The way that video was saying that stuff like they were positives has me feel like I’m going crazy so thanks for being awesome cause your blog and fics are my sanity.

The idea that Katara "didn't have time" to acknowledge her feelings for Aang is so laughable. The girl who wears her heart on her sleeve, and, btw, has had at least one crush on the show (IDK if I count Haru, but it seems she at least thought he was cute?). That girl didn't have time in all their travels, and as obnoxiously obvious Aang was being, to decide if she liked him or not? Please...🙄

Anyway, thanks for the love. Appreciate you.

[k8lynjoy]

What annoys me the most about the "kataang has no chemistry" argument is that they do have chemistry, but people choose to ignore it because it's not the chemistry they're used to seeing/expecting. There isn't going to be an underlying tension or yearning that speaks to a more physical attraction to one another, these are kids for Christ's sake. Their chemistry is soft and sweet and romantic and - most importantly - age-appropriate. Not only that, but I think what a lot of people who hate on them like to forget is that their romantic relationship has always been secondary to their friendship. Katara and Aang kissing at the end of the show signifies the start of their romantic journey, not the end of it. Yes, they obviously have feelings for one another throughout the show (and I am saying obviously because it was obvious that Katara had feelings for Aang considering he was literally the only person who received that kind of treatment from Katara, like literally nobody else was treated by Katara the way that Aang was, nobody) but their romance doesn't truly start until they kiss on the balcony. Everything before that is the basis for which their relationship bloomed, but more than anything - more than the kisses on the cheek, the hugs, the blushing - their deep trust, respect, and admiration for one another is what brought them to that balcony. If you spend too much time focusing on whether or not Katara and Aang seemed like they were attracted to one another (which there is also ample evidence of, people just once again ignore it and write it off as "childish crushes" because it's not over the top dramatic mature romance) you ignore the fact that their chemistry lies in how they work seamlessly as a team, how they support one another, and how they share a deep, unspoken connection as two genocide survivors - and children - stuck in a war. Katara and Aang have chemistry, but they're also best friends, and that has always been the most important part of their relationship.

[crienselt]

So a few days ago I saw someone (elsewhere) questioning Zutara fans’ excitement about the scarf scene. It wasn't a mean comment, more general curiosity. And well, I didn't have time to get my thoughts out then. But they haven't gone away, so I'm getting them out here:

Here’s what everyone need to understand about Zutara shippers. We were baited baaaad during the initial run of the show–from the magazines to the shorts to the trailers and how they were cut. And Zuko and Katara’s relationship on the show certainly underwent a lot of development and featured objectively emotional–if not overtly romantic–moments between the two. We were well fed, and we had reason to hope. Right up to the end, we had reason to hope.

The shipping wars were the shipping wars, of course, with all the usual tensions; there are always going to be overzealous fans of each (and any) pairing willing to get toxic. Generally, I think Kataang fans were always jealous of Zutara’s popularity and Zutara fans, post finale, were jealous of Kataang’s, well, canon status. But really it operated much the same as any other large fandom’s shipping wars.

And then came Bryke and the panel where they showed and mocked Zutara fan art, some of which had been created by teens if not straight up children. Then came their, “Come on, kids! It was never going to work. Zutara is just dark and intriguing.”* And the pièce de résistance, their telling Zutara shippers (specifically girls/women) that they were doomed to have failed romantic relationships. Like, what? The thing with the art was arguably cruel, and the rest of it was oh, so condescending. Just all around not well done. 

The after effect was that Zutara went from being simply a fanon pairing to a wrong pairing. The ATLA fandom at large became a far more hostile place for Zutara fans, who were now more commonly deemed delusional and viewed as lesser fans. The vitriol only got worse when the show came to Netfilx and the next wave of antis rolled up with their co-opting of legitimate socio-political terms to paint Zutara not just as wrong but morally corrupt if not evil. It’s all very puritanical.**

So Zutara fans need to be reminded that we weren’t delusional, and we aren’t alone. It’s why it means so much to know that Dante Basco and Mae Whitman shipped their characters. And that so many other VAs came out as Zutara supporters too: Jack De Sena, Michaela Jill Murphy, Grey DeLisle, Janet Varney--even the cabbage man. For it to be revealed that it was discussed in the writers room; that the writers fought over it; that it WAS a canon possibility. (And that writers Joshua Hamilton and John O’Bryan are perfectly comfortable admitting their preference for Zutara.) To know that the Elizabeth Welch Ehasz described Zuko and Katara as an “Avatar-style Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” in the script for The Southern Raiders, and used the phrase “Zutara-feuling synchronicity and cooperation” to describe their action sequences. To see Giancarlo Volpe, a Kataanger, admit Zutara might been the better pairing in retrospect and choose a quiet scene between them (to see their “chemistry”) as what he’d most look forward to in the live action adaptation. It’s why we cling to the artwork done by Korean animation director. We aren’t delusional. We aren’t alone.

But try telling that to the general fandom, right? Most are ignorant of a lot of this, particularly Hamilton and O’Bryan’s revelations re: the writers room. A lot of Zutara fans don't even seem to know. But being baited by Netflix on their official accounts? Oh, people see that. And we are reminded in a big way that we aren't delusional and we aren't alone. And everyone else has to remember it too.

So, of course, we're having fun clowning over the scarf scene. And I think most Zutara fans know we are clowning. I don't think most expect to get canon Zutara in live action because of one little scene or the fact that their Netflix icons are facing each other. (I headcanon that that was totally the doing of Zutara shipper on staff, though, lol. Because there are a lot of us, and we are everywhere.)

And this is okay. Zutara has been doing just fine as a fanon ship. Meanwhile, NATLA might actually do Kataang justice. It always worked better as a future ship. (Really all the pairings do. But I especially don't ever need to see another 12 year old kissing let alone making out, in animation or live action, ever again.) There's a reason Padme and Anakin don't get together in Phantom Menace, after all. Also, there's always the chance they could give us Dante's or Mae's headcanon of them basically suppressing their feelings and choosing duty over love/right person-wrong time. And the odds of getting some more moments to clown over are high enough. 

Anyway, TLDR: Zutara has been made to feel like an out-of-nowhere crack ship and the live action crumbs remind us that it is not. And this is at least partially why we are enjoying it. (Because, also, it's just fun!)

*Side tangent: I’ve never gotten this dark and intriguing comment. Even during Season 1, the height of the capture fic era, Zutara was always a ship fundamentally about hope, predicated on Zuko's redemption. (Back in the day, there were also plenty of antis arguing that there was no way Zuko would ever be one of the gaang.) And they say “intriguing” like it’s a bad thing? Are we not supposed to be interested in the relationships of their characters???

**There have been some very good think pieces written lately on late stage capitalism and consumption as morality. Worth googling.

[prying-pandora666]

Who is Izumi’s Mom? Copium Edition

So we all know that Bryke have refused to confirm who Izumi’s mother is. Even when they released family trees, the conspicuously left Izumi’s mom blank.

So incredibly frustrating!

So since Bryke insists on baiting us and not giving us closure, here’s a dose of copium for all shippers.

First off! Izumi’s name means “spring fountain”. Remember that.

Secondly, she looks like this:

REASONS WHY YOUR SHIP OF CHOICE COULD STILL MAKE SENSE!

Mai - She looks the most like Izumi. She canonically dated Zuko (until they broke up AGAIN). The former comics’ writer believes they will make up. She and Zuko have a history surrounding fountains. Even with all the drama, she remains the most likely candidate.

Katara - It should be self explanatory why a child named “fountain”, as in water, may be a reference to the one water bender Zuko dueled with most. The two of them clearly developed a connection by the end of the show, and Katara once even offered to heal Zuko’s scar. This one is all but debunked due to Kataang being canon, but it’s still nice to dream! And no one can deny they look great together.

Jin - Zuko and Jin shared lovely chemistry on their one date. Zuko was even willing to risk getting outed as a firebender in the Earth Kingdom and imprisoned, just to make her smile. This scene is also significant because it involved a fountain. Considering the bulk of Zuko’s redemption happened in the EK and the plot continued into the comics dealing with the blended FN/EK colonies, I can see why this would be a good thematic choice.

Toph - A rarer pair but one that one storyboard artist snuck in a reference for! Toph and Zuko have a lot in common. They both come from families of status that abused them for their failure to conform. Toph was born blind while Zuko has a disfiguring facial scar that realistically should affect both his vision and his hearing to an extent. Toph also has a friendship with uncle Iroh and was the first member of the Gaang to successfully understand and comfort Zuko as well as she did. Some point out that Zuko’s daughter Izumi has vision problems (like Toph) while Toph’s daughter Lin has a facial scar (like Zuko). The name Kanto, the alleged father of Lin, can also be written with the characters for “crown capital” so some speculate it’s an alias for Zuko. Spring fountain could be a reference both to the Earth element’s season of spring as well as to a volcano, which is like a fountain combining fire and earth. This scene is the most telling, with two doves representing Zuko and Toph. When Zuko walks away from Toph, the two doves kiss, signifying that perhaps a romance between them is destined for the future. Luckily, Toph knows how to listen and wait. Everything that applies to Jin about making peace with the EK applies even more to Toph since she’s actually from a noble house.

Suki - A bit of a wild card since she’s dating Sokka! But the comics showed Zuko and Suki getting much closer. When no one else was on Zuko’s side during the conflict in the colonies, and even Mai dumped him over his desperate visits to Ozai, Suki stayed by Zuko’s side. She never lost faith in him and tried her best to be there for him. The two have clearly developed a close friendship and bond of trust. Some even see it as romantic, which spells bad news for our boy Sokka. However, seeing as the book Legacy implies Sokka and Suki broke up, perhaps Zuki shippers have more evidence to stand on than originally thought! Everything that applies to Jin about making peace with the EK would also apply, since Suki is also from the EK. Perhaps she could fan the flames of his passion?

Sokka - Okay we all know it’s not going to happen but they’re really cute and I get it. The fountain claim applies to Sokka same as it does Katara! Hey there’s always a chance! Korrasami proved that!

Ty Lee - Not a lot to go off here but it’s undeniable that the two have a weird, unspoken tension. Why is Zuko quietly beefing with his sister’s bff? It’s never explained. Something is definitely going on there! We just don’t know what it is. In the comics, Zuko does lament not playing with Ty Lee and the other girls more as a kid.

Azula - I mean… okay I get it. The features that Izumi has in common with Mai, she also has in common with Zuko. So it’s not impossible to see why some would think she looks like Azula too. But can we please not make ATLA into Game of Thrones? This certainly isn’t helping:

Jet - He’s dead now so it’s not possible. But did Jet actually have a thing for Zuko? You know… it was really unclear.

[sokkastyles]

I have a question, I know we know that shipping does not equal morality. And I get that, and I really like that. However, on my other blog, that should have been my main blog (yes I am that dumb). I have talked about Aang's non-consensual and criticized how Kataang is written, however, if you ship Kataang I won't come for your throat because that's not my style. I know the few misogynists/antis on here and on Twitter, and I don't want to let a few bad apples be my impression of a fandom, that's not fair, So now I'm side-eyeing myself over my past remarks. Likewise, I know shipping is not equal to morality, but I also want to criticize Kataang because of how flawed it is and how wrong that kiss was (and other things). I have no idea what I'm saying because at this point I'm rambling. What do you think?

Well, there is a difference between criticizing a ship and criticizing canon. I don't honestly care what people ship. I use the antikataang tag because I don't want to argue with people who do ship it, but that doesn't mean I won't be critical of what is in the show. I think expecting people not to engage critically with media is absolute nonsense. But there is a difference between engaging critically with the actual media and criticizing people's fanon or headcanons, which is where you get away from critically engaging with canon and move into the area of criticizing other people's opinions, which is how arguments start.

Like, there isn't really any actual concrete argument you can make to criticize zutara, because zutara does not exist in canon. It's all fanon and headcanons and speculation. And criticizing other people's opinions just makes you look like a dick.

You also have to take into account the intention behind something. The thing about the way Katara's relationship with Aang is presented is that we're supposed to root for Aang to get Katara, and every obstacle towards that end is just there to create dramatic tension for the male point of audience identification. That's the real problem with the noncon kiss, and people who are critical of it are right to point it out.

In contrast, when I say shipping isn't morality, I'm talking about people who write, let's say, dubcon zutara fics. Fanfiction as a genre is largely female-centered fantasy. Yes, even those lurid fics you're thinking of. People write and read these fics for completely different reasons and have completely different expectations than when watching a series like ATLA. Trying to say that someone can't criticize the way the show presents Aang kissing Katara after she said she was confused as a mistake to be glossed over (that is forgotten as soon as it happens) because they also happen to like reading darkfic is nonsense. There's also a long history of women's interests being policed that informs my views here, vs the fact that consent has only fairly recently become a conversation in mainstream media. You have only to look at the way the show itself portrays Katara having interests (especially in boys) outside of Aang as dark and dangerous to see this happening in ATLA itself. Or the way the creators got away with saying that zutara shippers are doomed to end up in abusive relationships while painting Aang as a typical Nice Guy stereotype who expects Katara to magically become his girlfriend (and gets angry when she doesn't) and seeing nothing wrong with it.

The thing is that zutara, if we look at the way it's written in canon as a metaphor for a romantic relationship, follows the same tradition of how fanfiction has historically existed as an exploration of romantic and sexual dynamics. Those conversations about consent are actually happening and being explored in fanfiction, even the dark stuff, whereas relationships that are presented as "wholesome" often push us to NOT have those conversations. So when I say shipping isn't morality, what I actually mean is that noncanon shipping and darkfic actually has more of a moral leg to stand on than uncritically engaging with relationships on the grounds that Aang is the hero so his goodness and worthiness to get the girl should just be assumed. Zuko has to work for his right to be in a relationship with Katara because he didn't start out from a place of goodness, and that, on its own, is very female centered because instead of starting out from the perspective of the male hero deserving a relationship by virtue of being the hero, we see the idea that a man has to work to gain a woman's respect and affection.

So it's not so much that I hate KA, but I hate the idea that we should engage in it uncritically. And that would be true even if it really was the most wholesome relationship in the world. The same thing cannot be true of zutara because even the darkest of darkfic are about women centering themselves in the narrative and engaging with power dynamics in ways that are subverting patriarchal norms about relationships by definition.

[mmmkaybye]

Why Zutara Shippers are Wrong (JK, You can ship who you want lol)

(Although, I don't care if you do actually ship Zutara, that's your prerogative, I'm just waiting for better arguments for the relationship and for people to stop negatively viewing Kataang)

First of all, I'm premising this with the fact that I don't think that ATLA should have ended with Katara and Aang kissing. I think it would have been fine to just end with a slightly more intimate-than-friends hug/cuddle. I would have personally preferred that two children who survived being literal child soldiers get the chance to be kids before they delve into a more mature relationship with one another, but they didn't exactly have adults of the modern culture there to guide them a different way, now did they?

BUT! I am a firm believer that Zuko and Katara would never have worked out romantically and that Katara and Aang's relationship 1. makes more sense and 2. is actually healthier in the scope of trauma and trauma responses.

First of all, I don't understand how the creators of ATLA managed to craft literally the MOST traumatic childhood backstory ever with incredible detail and nuance and everyone just fricking glosses over it like WTF??? Not to mention, the creators did an amazing job diversifying trauma responses to similar trauma experiences.

Let's discuss Katara's childhood trauma, which was not healed magically after a little side quest with Zuko. Katara carries immense survivor's guilt over her mother's murder. Katara understands very well how and why her mother was brutally murdered in their family home. She has been deeply aware of this since the day of her mother's murder - and she fully blames herself. Katara understands that a fire nation soldier killed her mother, but he killed her because of Katara - she said so herself. Then, Katara, who was the last person to interact with her mother, discovers her mother's body, and it is insinuated that Katara might have even witnessed her mother's brutal execution-style murder. This forever alters Katara down to her core personality traits. Katara is 'bossy' because of her trauma. I work with kids from pre-k through graduating american high school. It's pretty normal for girls to do what I call 'mothering' to their peers and to kids younger than them. It often is described as being 'bossy' and some girls are in fact bossy, but for the most part, they are roleplaying a caretaker mentality as they are most familiar with. In Katara's deep guilt of being the reason her mother was murdered, her trauma response was burden herself with the role of mother. This is further antagonized when her father leaves with the rest of the adult men to fight against the Fire Nation. He might've well as died too due to lack of communication for many years. Sokka does not allow Katara to mother him for very long, so she doesn't get to have a chance to work through her personal trauma response to her grief because she has no one to safely and consistently direct these mothering tendencies towards. The other children in the village are not orphans, their mothers are most likely very alive and very involved with them, so they would be temporary fillers at best. Sokka has stepped into the role of village man and definitely would reject Katara's mothering, which often led to tension between the siblings. Toph had the very reaction to Katara's mothering tendencies as I expect a young Sokka had to them. He lost his mother, too, he didn't want a replacement, nor did he want to lose his sister to the role of mother.

Zuko, in the same fashion as Sokka, had a mother who he loved, and lost, and was not looking to replace. Zuko's mother was also a topic that is deeply rooted in a lot of Zuko's personal trauma as well. Zuko did not get to spend much time with Katara for her mothering tendencies to be extended over him, but he definitely would have aggressively rejected them as Katara's trauma response would have negatively triggered his own. Their trauma would have deeply and negatively impacted any romantic relationship they could have developed because of how they would react to each other. Their relationship would have crashed and burned very quickly.

On top of that. Katara would have never left the South Pole indefinitely - that is her home, and she consistently returned to it throughout her life. That is an effect of her cultural upbringing. Zuko couldn't leave the Fire Nation, and as we saw in the graphic novels that followed, Zuko's personal welfare suffered greatly because his whole world was upended and now he was responsible for the one nation that didn't get peace at the end of the war. It's incredibly naive and slightly delusional for people to desperately push romantic wishes upon a sixteen-year-old boy who was burdened with the responsibility of healing an entire nation, one that fought him every step of the way in many aspects. He did not have the emotional energy to expend upon a frivolous relationship. That's why Mai and he broke up, not because they didn't love each other, but because Zuko simply could not have personal relationships until his reign and nation had stabilized - that alone would take upwards of 10 years. Plus, Zuko may have helped others work through parts of their trauma, but he had to address his trauma too, which we saw the beginnings of during the graphic novels. Simply put, by the end of ATLA and all of the graphic novels, Zuko was in no place emotionally, mentally, and even physically and politically to seek out a relationship that was meaningful and healthy. And I know that Zuko would have changed the tradition of political marriage, at the very least he deserves to have married for love at the end of everything he suffered through. Zuko is a great opportunity to normalize waiting until you're in your mid-twenties -thirties before seeking out romantic relationships. Logistically speaking, I don't think there would have been much opportunity for romantic feelings to develop between the two of them. I especially don't think Katara would have easily been able to live in the Fire Nation because the Fire Nation was directly responsible for her trauma, and that is also why I don't think she would have every pursued a relationship with a Fire Nation man, Zuko or not.

Now onto Aang. Everyone always jumps onto this idea that Katara and Aang had a very mother-son relationship - which is wrong. Aang comes from a culture that literally does not have mother and fatherhood. There are NO mothers and fathers in the Air Nomad Nation. Sure, kids had birth parents, but parenthood was not part of their culture, nor did Aang ever seek out that kind of relationship. Aang may have been kid-like, but he was the most adultified kid in the group. He was incredibly independent and confident in his ability to travel internationally by himself at 12. Katara had never thought to leave the South Pole to seek out a waterbending master in the North Pole because she didn't have that confidence or training. The Air Nomads thrived on a mentorship-based village raising of children. So, Aang never thought of Katara as his mother. He literally couldn't, because he had no scope of reference for such a relationship, same with fatherhood. He never had a parental relationship with Monk Gyasto. It was more like a fun uncle mentorship. I think that's why everyone thinks Aang was a bad father, but he was an outlier in the Air Nomad nation because there was no Air Nomad nation when he had children. The village that raised the children in his culture was gone. He was actually a fairly decent father and the two older children probably felt bitter because Tenzin was the only other air bender in existence so it obviously Aang is going to spend a lot of one on one time with Tenzin in the scope of mentoring Tenzin in the way of Air Nomad culture. Aang was not an absentee father like how many people assumed from the very one-sided and brief explanation given by the two older, jaded siblings. Was he perfect? No, he literally had no clue how to be a father. Did he and Tenzin leave to get milk and never come back? Also no. That being said, Aang was the only individual who was comfortable with Katara mothering him, he never felt threatened or overburdened by her trauma response, which allowed for Katara to genuinely work through her grief and mature out of the extreme bossy mothering we first saw in book one. If you pay attention, yes Katara does retain that 'bossy' kind of personality, but that was permanent fixture due to her childhood trauma and a little bit of cultural influence as well. I think, if Katara had never been traumatized, she would have always leaned towards a very soothing and nuturing type of personality, which we began to see in the middle of book three. Her bossiness/mothering trauma response gradually lessened the longer she 'mothered' Aang. Once again, neither of the two saw each other as Mother-son. They were simple too close in age and Aang also had the added sense of duty-boundness due to being the Avatar. Katara was always going to be a caretaker archetype personality, trauma or no, and that simply wasn't the type of person that Zuko would lean towards for a romantic relationship due to his own personal upbringing and culture. Aang is a much more gentle and playfully empathetic personality that works with Katara's firm care and sassy disposition.

In the graphic novels, I personally saw a great deal of healing and maturation in Katara in relation to her trauma. She was less mothering towards Aang, too, and I think that had a lot to do with the fact that Aang matured a lot as well and the change in their once platonic relationship to a more romantic-leaning one. Was their relationship perfect? No, they are kids who survived a horrific war and many many trauma-inducing situations. However, once Katara fully leaned away from the mothering habit, we get to see that Aang allows Katara to relax and be more playful. She genuinely was just happy with Aang. He pushed her to be a little more child-like and to have child-like fun even as they grew up into adulthood. Katara helped Aang mature and face a lot of adult burdens that were placed child.

In the end, Katara and Aang always brought out the best in each other. Katara and Zuko didn't have enough time together in ATLA to develop an individual relationship outside of the group. There simply isn't enough time outside of their little side-quest in which Katara and Zuko interact solo- which was definitely NOT Katara's best, and in fact was Katara lashing out aggressively towards people who loved and cared for her and she them. Zuko was also not his 'best' in that time either as he was also being triggered emotionally. In fact, during ATLA, there's way too much negative tension between the two of them that leads to really intense disagreements and emotional outbursts more often than not until Katara begrudgingly accepts Zuko into the group, they don't even positively interact until Ember Island which is what, two weeks? She's not exactly nice when she pretty much demands him to help her hunt down the man that murdered her mother. Zuko is all gung-ho about vengeance too. Of course, they both have a lesson learning moment, but that episode cemented in my brain that Aang is the better partner for Katara than Zuko. Aang, once again the most mature in the Gaang, fight me on this, has a deep, empathetic understanding of the world, he doesn't do a great job trying to explain to Katara, but I think that's because no one in the Gaang understands how Appa is not just an air bison, and Aang never views Appa as an air bison like how everyone else in ATLA do. To everyone else, Appa's an animal, but to Aang and Aang's culture that is deeply offensive, Appa is an individual with emotions and value outside of what he can offer the group in terms of transportation and that's never really explicitly clarified to the audience either (because despite being a kid's cartoon, the creators knew their audience well and did not treat the audience like we are stupid and can in fact infer and read between the lines). If Katara had killed that pathetic worm of a man, it would have absolutely destroyed her as a person. She would not have been able to heal from her trauma and would probably suffer even more trauma and guilt. This side-quest was a plot point to lead up to the big debate of killing Ozai, and not many, in fact I don't know if anyone has talked about that fact. I have no doubt that Zuko has probably killed people, at the very least, he's deeply desensitized to people dying as I think he probably at some point did experience or witness some form of warfare battle before he began chasing Aang down.

Once again, I don't really care if you do ship Katara and Zuko. In fact, I think that's a-okay. But, with the Netflix live action adaptation's take on the Secret Tunnel scene, I've seen a lot of people speculating and even hoping for it to become canon and there have even been some opinions of Kataang that have resurfaced that really rub me the wrong way because it feels like many individuals are just looking at the surface level of ATLA. There's so much nuance to each individual character in terms of culture, societal norms, age and gender, and most importantly, trauma and trauma responses. The creators did an amazing job world building and story telling that a lot of what I put up in my opinion in preference for Kataang over Zutara is information that I inferred from the show and graphic novels due to my personal experience and education in familial relationships and childhood trauma. My thoughts are not the end all be all to this debate, nor do I think they should be, I've seen some really solid opinions in favor of Zutara that I can understand and somewhat agree with. I think a lot of those details and moments that people look to as indicators of romance between Katara and Zuko were remnants of the creators' previous intention, but I think that the change to Aang and Katara as end game was logistically and realistically more accurate. I never thought that Katara and Zuko were meant to be, and I always struggled to put to words as to why until I had pursued my psych studies in college that focused on child development, childhood trauma, and marriage and family counselling. I think that the creators instinctually were seeing the red flags that would have occurred naturally within Zutara and changed course accordingly. There were just a lot of details and nuances that I noticed personally that I wished more people would discuss.

Anyways, thank you for coming to my TedTalk, I'd love to hear some of your opinions about this.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

zutarians and their cope kinda remind me of bbrae fans

You're right and you should say it. It's crazy how simmilar they are.

The writers of Teen Titans repeatedly said "We toyed with a few ideas, but Robin and Starfire was the one ship we were set on being endgame" yet these fuckers insist they meant "Robin and Starfire AS WELL AS BEAST BOY AND RAVEN."

The writers of Avatar repeatedly said "Kataang was always the heart of the show", yet zutarians keep saying shit like "Zuko was originally Katara's love interest!"

BBrae fans constantly talk about Raven disliking Terra, Beast Boys actual love interest, "due to both of them liking the same guy", but Raven didn't dislike Terra at all, she just didn't immediately trust her - and for good reason, because Terra was working with the villain, and she even explicitly pointed out that Raven was so furious at her after that revelation because she DID think of Terra as a friend.

Zutara fans insist all the drama with Zuko was because "he posed a threat to Kataang" when anyone who isn't delusional can see that it was about his former role as a villain, and the character that was originally gonna be Aang's rival for Katara's affection was TOPH, who was going to be a boy.

Raven was constantly annoyed at Beast Boy and he repeatedly said he found her creepy? Opposites attract! Even when they don't! CLEARLY the writers are just using this innitial clash in personalities to set up a romance - the fact that they NEVER move past that "innitial" clash is a detail!

Katara was mad at Zuko for wanting to help his dad commit genocide and he hated her on the basis of her resisting said genocide? No, silly, can't you see it's just sexual tension? Why else would a boy and a girl "not get along"? They want to kiss!

BBrae fans continued acting like the ship would have totally been endgame in the original show instead of just in comics or the shitty remake that was Teen Titans Go!, "if only the planned sixth season had not been canceled."

But there was no planned sixth season. The show was supposed to end in season four, but it got a bonus fifth season that was originally planned to be a bit longer, but then end up with the same number of episodes as the others - and the only plot that was "cut" was the return of the main villain, Slade. The movie "Trouble In Tokyo" was made specifically to resolve the romantic plotline of Starfire and Robin, since they couldn't do it on the actual show... yet the writers didn't make Raven and Beast Boy get together despite knowing they'd likely never have another chance at it. Almost like they never WANTED to do that in the first place!

Zutarians constantly about how "There was totally a deleted scene in the finale with Iroh saying Katara was perfect for Zuko" and how Aaron Ehasz supposedly confirmed Kataang being endgame was a last minute change, and that Zutara was supposed to happen in the "planned, but scrapped fourth season."

But there was no "planned" fourth season. Bryke were offered a bonus season, but rejected it almost right away. The interview with Ehasz was fake and so were the rumors about the "deleted" scene with Iroh. It just never existed.

Hell, even a ship I like had some of the fans try to pull that shit. A ton of Robin X Raven fans swear there was a deleted kiss scene in the season four finale (which again, was originally going to be the series finale) - like Robin and Starfire didn't almost get together in the previous episode (and probably were made an item in original version, before the show got a bonus season), and weren't made endgame on the actual conclusion of the show.

Some shippers do that in the hopes that sequels/reboots end up pandering to them - and in the case of Beast Boy and Raven it "worked", but it was shit, because it was in a bad show so clearly it wasn't worth it. Zutarians meanwhile got nothing. Nada. Zilch. No zutara in the comics, in Korra, and apparently not even in the Netflix version.

And at least there ARE moments between BB and Raven that even I call blatant ship tease, and there's five seasons worth of content of them being "the friends that don't get along but care about each other" aka having an actual dynamic that people were meant to get attached to. Zuko and Katara's "dynamic" for two and a half seasons consisted on nothing but taunts in battle, Zuko being an asshole/a legit threat to the heroes' safety and thus being hated by all of them for it. Only in the second half of the third season did they have any meaningful interactions AND half of these were still negative.

I can talk a lot of shit about BBrae fans, but I can never say that Beast Boy and Raven ever lashed out when the other saved them because there was just that much resentment there. Or that the times Raven got a bit too aggressive towards him werent pure slapstick and that she did genuinely want to hurt him, nor that he ever got so mad at her for it that he tried to leave her behind to die. Or that Raven ever hired a hitman on him. Or that Beast Boy full on said he pictured her face when he tried to imagine "the face of the enemy." Or that he ever looked Raven straight in the face and threatened to murder her if she ever did anything against his actual love interest.

That's a level of "Take the L already, Jesus" that BBrae never reached, or even got close to, and I'm surprised Zutarians managed to make people not talk about the fact that they very much did.

"Zutara sexual tension" is literally just two people legit wanting to murder each other, saying as much, actively working towards it, and the shippers sill being like "They don't mean it though."

They do, girl. They very much do. Grab a body bag.

[punkeropercyjackson]

Claiming Katara's character was 'watered down' because of Kataang really just shows y'all know nothing about punk,including that punk Katara i canon.Solo Zuko stans take it from an ACTUAL Katara kinnie-Katara is allowed to be a rebel,a REAL rebel,not doing it for cishet romance but for the people.Zuko didn't do anything to emphasize Katara's punkhood nor would he if he'd been her canon love interest and it would weaken Katara's arc to end up in an enemies to lovers relathionship instead of a best friends to lovers one.Katara is punk because she does direct action,speaks out,takes no shit and is an anarchist i.e refuses to conform and it extends to Kataang.No normie girl would've choosen Aang over Zuko and that's why Katara's not a normie girl,she's a PUNK girl.You were never getting Zutara because Katara is a decolonizer,not a sellout-By which i mean 'Fire Lady Katara' aka Katara reduced down to Zuko's wife.Kataang is a good addition to Katara's character because her her brown girl beauty is what made him start crushing on her and her punkness is what turned it into love and you can lie all you want about Katara caretaking Aang being one-sided but the cartoon and comics canon is Aang is her caretaker back.That's what makes Kataang positive representation and respectful of both characters.'Aesthetic','symbolism' and 'tension' are classic sanitization excuses used on punks

Oh and shut up about the no statue.Katara got her recognition with being Master Katara,a world famous waterbender and revolutionary icon and she's never wanted fame,only to help and inspire other minorities.Wanting luxuries and worship from strangers isn't very punk

[atla-confessions]

With Zuko, Katara, and Aang, in any ship with two of them, the third would be their biggest shipper and I cannot be convinced otherwise. Zuko is the biggest kataang fan, he loves them, Aang was absolutely the first to notice tension between zutara, Katara watches zukaang happen like a telenovella, they all love eachother and they would all love to see eachother happy.

X

[animentality]

hating kataang is the sensible mindset one can have, i don't get how anyone likes that ship lmao

it's not like, the worst ship in the world, it really only has one creepy, toxic scene, and that's ember island, but it just lacks chemistry for me.

they feel like they hook up purely because the Hero gets to hook up with the Girl in the end, and I've never liked that will they won't they bullshit.

they felt like good friends to me as a kid, and any "sexual" tension to me was just creepy because they're so fucking young.

never liked episodes like the fortuneteller either, where a woman tells a girl that her great destiny is getting married to someone more important.

the live action show also kinda hammered in the point to a lot of people, even loyal kataangers.

like look at these two.

that boy looks like fucking 8.

you expect me to believe that in ONE YEAR he's gonna hook up with this girl...?

Christ Almighty.

don't want to see that.

he looks 8.

please.

don't do that to me. I don't want to see him Frenching anyone.

I'm not saying zutara is like, real or anything, I'm sort of ambivalent to Zutara in general because I definitely don't think it's as amazing as other people say it is...

but I dislike kataang, because man.

man aang acts like a little kid and being wise beyond his years at the end does NOT make him and katara more compatible to me.

she's like his damn mom most of the series.

[restinslices]

I liked the Twilight Lin Keui thingy idk if u watched Succession or Avatar the Last Airbender but can u do tomas,kuai liang and bi hans reaction to either of those shows and who their faves are?bi han is so azula coded

Off topic but do y’all make music playlists for y’all Ocs too? Shit is incredibly relaxing.

Bi-Han

You're so right about him being Azula coded 

Azula has to be his favorite character too. I refuse to take any criticism 

I think when Bi-Han watches anything he's probably on the villains side because sometimes they be spitting. They just have very harsh methods to go about these plans 

His favorite season I think would be season 2

Why? Ozai’s Angels obviously 

Season 3 is their downfall and season 2 is when they're all in their prime 

Plus the Ba Sing Se plot is something I can see him liking 

“See? Liu Kang is just like the king! Incompetent!”

Incorrect but that's an interesting theory 

He's such an Azula defender. He just like me fr 

Least favorite character? I wanna say possibly Commander Zhao because “how are you a Commander but you're terrible at your job?”

But I also wanna say Ozai

He could be his least favorite character because ya know, he's an abusive and manipulative sack of shit that turned his children against each other 

But he might understand his ambition and need to continue his family's legacy 

Depends on his mood ig

One of those people that saw Kyoshi for the 0.5 seconds she was on screen and immediately thought “that's my favorite Avatar”

As a kid he crushed on Ozai's Angels 

Because of the clothes alone he wanted to be apart of the Fire Nation but power wise we know that wouldn't have happened 

Oh the brainwashing of the citizens? That's unfortunate, but at least they're dressed amazing 

Pro Hama. She did nothing wrong. 

Thought blue fire was the coolest shit ever and thought Kuai Liang was ass because his shit is boring ass orange 

His favorite episodes are the season finales because it wraps everything up well and that's when the tension is extremely high 

In order it's The Crossroads of Destiny, Sozin's Comet (places 2nd because Azula lost) then The Siege of the North 

As a little bonus his favorite tale in The Tales of Ba Sing Se is The Tale of Toph and Katara 

Why do I think this? I think he likes the characters and also he enjoys watching little shits get what they deserve (the mean girls that insulted Toph)

Kuai Liang

So we're all agreeing that he definitely had a huge crush on Suki, right?

His love for female warriors that could put him on his ass started with Suki then he ends up marrying Harumi

She's a warrior right? 

Doesn't matter. She'll be dead in the next game anyway. MOVING ON-

Bi-Han wants to be apart of the Fire Nation and Kuai Liang wants to be apart of the water tribes 

As a kid he really wanted blue fire but it never happened 

Favorite characters I think would be Suki, Toph and Zuko

He loves all of them but these are his top 3

His favorite season is season 3 because it's the season that wraps up this amazing show from his childhood and it's done beautifully 

Favorite episode I think would be Boiling Rock 

It's the start of Azula's downfall and come on y'all, we saw Suki, Sokka and Zuko team up. Shit was fire (no pun intended)

He also likes The Beach because it emphasizes how broken the villains are and shows that at the end of the day, they were children robbed of a childhood 

Gets the appeal of Zutara but is a Kataang shipper 

Despises Ozai because of what he did to his kids and his people 

Honestly fuck Sozin, Azulon and Ozai

“Your people didn't deserve to live in my world!” shocked his little heart because damn, you still ain't got no remorse?

He watches this show very often as he grows up. It's never a show he forgets about 

Also fuck Long Feng

Forget all the brainwashing, it's keeping Appa that pushed him over the edge 

Definitely showing this show to his kids 

Too bad they won't live long enough to share it with their own children-

I'm done. Sorry 

Favorite tale is The Tale of Iroh 

Because… Iroh

Do I need to explain?

Tomas 

Probably had a crush on Katara 

I have no reasoning as to why. Like, with Kuai Liang it makes sense with who he marries later, but with Tomas I'm just “yeah that makes sense”

Heavily disagrees with people who call her annoying 

Yeah, she has her moments but she's not this terrible character 

As a child he was jealous of Aang because he got her in the end 

Yeah Tomas, just ignore the genocide of his people and the trauma he has-

You FOR SURE wanna be him 

Jealousy aside, he really likes Aang. I can see Aang being his favorite Avatar

Sokka is also a character he loves 

Tbh I think he loves everyone in the Gaang and while his favorite character is Katara, his second favorite switches from time to time 

Favorite season is season 1 because it kicks off this fantastic part of his childhood 

Unlike his brothers, he was fine with the element he has 

Yeah, he's smoke and not really an airbender but it's close enough 

Minus the genocide, they were living a good life (which is a wild ass sentence)

Knows all the ATLA conspiracies 

“Did you guys know there's a conspiracy that Ty Lee is a descendent of Air Nomads?”

“Did you guys hear this theory that Yue was supposed to be the Avatar after Aang but because he was in the ice she never got the Avatar spirit and that's why she needed the moon to live?”

“Do y'all think Sozin and Roku were hunching?”

Skips the Appa's Lost Days episode 

Favorite episode is The Cave of Two Lovers because it makes him laugh 

Everyone hates Ozai but you wanna know who's really on his shit list?

That old bitch that snitched on Haru

Kill him immediately 

The live action movie filled him with such a rage, he didn't know it was possible 

And because of that, he hasn't seen the live action show yet 

His favorite tale is The Tale of Sokka 

Why? It's just Sokka being a goober

[runawaymun]

if you don't mind me asking, what's wrong with kataang? i haven't watched avatar but i know the plot through osmosis, and wanted to hear your thoughts on that

Ah okay! Let me try to explain...

Caveat 1: this will probably be a bit rambly Caveat 2: it has been a long time since I watched either At:LA or TLoK, but I have watched it both as a kid (teenager, really) and as an adult multiple times.

My problems with kataang is kind of split into two categories: problems with the ship based off of who they are as characters from a writing/themes/narrative arc/messaging standpoint, and problems presented by how the creators of At:LA and TLoK - Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konieztko (not Aaron Ehasz you're doing amazing sweetie) treat the characters and seem to think about the characters, based off of choices that they made in the telling of the story, especially how the characters are treated in their endgame scenario in TLoK (which, notably, Aaron Ehasz didn't write for due to creative differences).

TLDR: IMO Kataang ruins the character arcs, they're bad for each other, and the writers did a disservice to Katara in favorite of their pet meow meow -- which hurt both character arcs and legacies, ultimately.

My chief issue is that Katara and Aang are bad for each other, romantically. They bring out the worst in each other. They're bad at holding healthy boundaries, bad at communicating, and the ship itself is very unbalanced. And I wouldn't have a problem with this if it was recognized by the narrative or the shippers, but the narrative treats them as a great love story when really it's anything but. I won't get into age differences -- because by the time they marry a two-year age difference is very negligible and I don't really think it's a good argument against the ship (even if I do think that shipping a 12 year old boy with a 14 year old girl is insane like what 14 year old girl WANTS to date a 12 year old boy. 12 year old boys are gross haha <3) -- but let's talk about it from a thematic and character growth standpoint.

Aang's arc is fundamentally about not running away from his problems, and learning to step into his role as the Avatar. He struggles with responsibility, struggles with emotional regulation, and struggles in the tension between being very much a 12-13yo kid, and being the Avatar, who has to save the world. His arc is beautiful. It's done SO WELL. And he manages to stay true to himself and I love that for him.

Katara's arc IMO is fundamentally about learning to fight for herself, and not just for others. Katara is very maternal. She has had to grow up extremely quickly in the face of losing both parents at a young age, and understanding that she has to live in constant fear of being murdered for her waterbending abilities. She constantly has to stand up for herself, and has a bad habit of suppressing difficult feelings in lieu of helping others work through theirs. This culminates in Katara taking several seasons (iirc) to actually properly talk to someone about her grief and the burden she is carrying, and to learn to set healthy boundaries -- to help her friends and to grow into a strong warrior and work on herself.

The problem here is that the narrative, over and over, forces Katara to emotionally regulate Aang, and this is never really addressed. They have really poor boundaries and she's always mothering him -- Aang is not a partner for her. He doesn't often reciprocate the same level of support that she gives to him -- mostly because he is twelve. Katara, narratively, acts like a crutch for Aang to lean on. Aang actively holds Katara back from setting healthy boundaries and growing into her own person.

They have an emotionally imbalanced relationship, and again -- Michael and Bryan really don't ever try to rectify this, and I think also they're just really bad at writing romance idk. Because over and over Aang makes passes at Katara, and Katara never really expresses interest. That could be down to Katara being bad at expressing her emotions, but it really doesn't feel like it. The last straw for me -- from a narrative standpoint, is the episode where Aang confesses his feelings to Katara, Katara literally says "I don't know how to feel. I'm confused." And Aang, without asking, decides that this is the perfect moment to kiss her.

Which, fine. They're kids. Kids make mistakes. They don't do things perfectly. I'm fine with characters making mistakes. But for a kids' show that's pretty intent on helping us all learn good life lessons -- this is never addressed. Katara is never given the chance to say "Hey, I didn't appreciate that." Aang never is made to apologize for crossing a boundary. It's treated as just a big stepping stone toward their incredibly forced romantic arc. And I hate hate hate when stories tell boys that the appropriate response to a girl asking for space to sort out her feelings/being unsure is to oh, just kiss her, to help her figure it out! instead of, I don't know, let her make up her own mind and give her space. "I don't know" is not fucking consent, and they shouldn't treat it like it is. Especially not in a kids' show.

Which-- yeah, that kind of leads well into my second problem with Kataang - which is how the creators of the show treat it. To them, Kataang is endgame, it is in the "DNA of the show" as one put it. Which is very weird to me because it is so, so poorly done, and the writers really seem to care so little for Katara. Why do I think this? Because of how they choose to treat Katara in TLoK.

Katara, in her 80s in TLoK, is relegated to a healer and teacher. She's insignificant to the story when characters like Zuko and Toph get much cooler entrances and scenes. She's stuck being a passive bystander to a war (Katara would never.) She's stuck being a healer (Which, sure, she is. But so much of At:LA she chafed at being put in that box! She's also a fighter, goddamnit!) -- and some people have tried to say "well what do you want an 80 year woman to do?" and I don't! fucking! buy it! Characters in At:LA were badass fighters well into their 80s, like Hama (the fearsome bloodbender), Pakku (the Waterbender), Iroh (y'know...), and most notably, Bumi, who is 112 fucking years old. Don't give me "80 year old Katara sits on her ass at home while the men go out and do things and Zuko, at the same age, is literally riding around the world on fucking dragonback." I won't have it. It's Katara slander, I tell you! Let that old woman be a badass!!!

And the writers even go so far as to erase her from her kids' lives! They never talk about her!!! It is always about Aang! Always Aang! And you just get the impression that Katara dropped absolutely everything to be "The Avatar's wife" and SHE DESERVED BETTER RAUDGAHSGH

She doesn't! even! get! an honorary statue! On the very island on which she should! be a war hero! Aang does! Toph does! Zuko does! EVEN SOKKA DOES. The ENTIRE Gaang gets a statue, except Katara. That is a deliberate art choice! WHY did they leave her out?

They absolutely destroyed her ENTIRE At:LA arc in TLoK, and I am honestly not even surprised because the writers have said outright that Aang is a self insert character, and that Kataang is "that childhood romance that we both wanted as kids". Katara, in their brains -- and idk maybe this is unjust-- but she seems to be just the amalgamation of those 14 year old girls that wouldn't give them the time of day when they were snotty twelve year olds, except they're writing the story so of course Aang gets the girl.

Anyway, this doesn't even go into how there are infinitely better choices for Katara, and how Aang's arc is worsened by having a romantic subplot, and etc. etc. I could go on forever about how much I dislike Kataang from a narrative standpoint.

Literally my first thought when I heard they left the Netflix show "due to creative differences" was: "Oh my god, is it because there's no kataang???" and now that there's confirmed to be no kataang and that they may be going a zutara route instead, I'm convinced that's why.

Because it's "in the DNA of the show, you see" they have broken with cocreators before over their pet self insert ship and the narrative treatment of Katara (Aaron Ehasz), and I don't see any reason why they'd change.

alkdasdlkgh anyway. God. Thanks for the ask! Sorry about the really long anti kataang rant aslkdgh. This got kind of aggressive but I do feel very strongly about the treatment of Katara. My girl deserved so much better.

[wlwmk]

I'm a fan of both ATLA and LOK and I'm not a diehard shipper of anyone in particular. I'm curious what you think... 1. My friend who introduced me to both series and who is a devout Zutara, says that Makorra (which is also her ship btw) is an apology for not making Zutara canon. 2. Why do you think they broke them up in season 2? That's the one part I was scratching my head about. Granted season 2 is my least favorite of all the LoK seasons.

Hi!

For the context I only watched tlok for the first time back in 2020, so I started to ship Makorra until that year. Also I don't really root for any atla ship, but I'm an ex zutara shipper tho

Apparently, that's what I heard around, especially seeing how Zutara is still popular nowadays and the streets are also saying Makorra was pushed by Nickelodeon to make a romantic plot for the only tlok book which was originally planned, which makes sense to me.

So this can explain that as soon Bryke got the green light for the next 3 books guess out of pettiness to keep control they planned and did EVERYTHING to make them break up, but splitting the main couple is often a plot choice in fictional medias bc the most interesting thing about romance is the tension and slow burn between the characters, which what they did in the following seasons by baiting Makorra all again until the very end (to the point even the staff of the show believed in Makorra endgame like Mako's VA and the others script writers didn't even knew about that other couple being endgame, there's even proofs of them complaining about it online)

So they did with Kataang in the first show, guess that's their specialty to make a decision about the endgame couple last minute. With the zutaras who rooted for Makorra ending up being clowned a second time 🐀 (sidenote, there's also many kataang shipper who love makorra! so I don't know if this really a good point to see things like that?)

Then for the second point, I already gave some ideas higher, but I think anyone has their opinions on it. Personally as a makorra shipper I didn't mind them breaking up in book 2 I even thought it was a good idea if they did came back together later on showcasing how they evolved, grown and mature they are together compared to their first relationship, but they didn't so-

[biconickyoshi]

Just finished NAtLA eps 3 & 4.

The Cave of Two Lovers is probably one of my absolute favorite episodes of the original show… And NAtLA goes and shoves it into the King Bumi episode??

Instead of it being Sokka + the nomads and Aang + Katara in the tunnels, Aang is with Bumi the whole time (don’t even get me started on how badly they butchered Bumi’s character and motivations for testing Aang), and Katara and Sokka meet the nomads before they go in the caves, but then they go in the caves alone… And “love is brightest in the dark” doesn’t even refer to the crystals, it refers to the badgermoles “feeling emotions”??

I was a huge Kataang shipper growing up, so seeing such an important episode for their relationship being butchered like this really hurts. Speaking of, Katara and Aang barely even feel like friends in this version. They’re the endgame couple, and yet not even a hint of a one-sided crush on Aang’s end? And yet they include the Sokka/Suki romance, and the Jet/Katara romantic tension. Idk if it’s because of Aang being young or what (which would be weird bc Jet’s actor looked wayyy older than Katara and the writers were just fine showing their attraction).

I wanted to give this adaptation a chance but at this point my expectations for the rest of it are very low lmao. I need to watch some actual AtLA episodes to make me feel better because I’m exhausted

[winterchildd]

"For a life together"

Title: For a life together

Word count: 1197 *w*

Pairing: Aang x Katara

Warnings: Noo one, just pure fluff 💕

Request: Nop, just my entry for @kataang-week 2024

Author's note: Eh eh I don't really know what to say, I really wanted to participate in this event, Aang and Katara are very sweet together, but I wasn't sure I could write something decent. I hope I didn't go out of character and that the story itself isn't overly sappy, it's always difficult to find a good balance haha ​​I thought I'd keep it simple and describe a proposal with few pretensions, intimate, without spectators, I think it's more suitable, Aang and Katara don't seem like the types to show off in these things.

Well what else to say, the story is not proof read, I did my best but... well hope there aren't too much errors.

I hope you like the story and that it makes you smile.

Please remember to stay hydratate and took good care of both your physical and menthal healt

Love you guys 🌻

Masterlist

Aang felt his heart beating furiously in his chest while leaned against the trunk of a tree checked once again that everything was in order for the picnic he had prepared for Katara, focusing in particular on the betrothal necklace he had made for her. He had worked on it for months, carefully and precisely carving the symbols of the Water Tribe and the Air Nomads into the blue stone. He had rejected prototype after prototype, and now that he had finally found the right combination and that the result was as perfect as he had imagined it, the moment had finally arrived: he would ask Katara to marry him, to spend the rest of their lives together.

It was a big step, maybe the biggest of their lives, and for them, who were just kids, it would be nothing more than a promise for the future, but Aang was sure. He had never felt anything like that and he knew he would never love anyone like he loved Katara. She completed him, she understood him and she made him feel good, Katara was unique. And yet, somewhere in his heart, Aang was afraid, afraid that Katara might reject him, that she might not want a life together. She had never given him this impression, they had been together for a few years now, and Katara still gave him the same loving smile as the day they had kissed for the first time, after defeating Ozai. She continued to seek the secure grip of his hand when they walked side by side, to leave soft kisses on his cheek when no one was looking, to whisper sweet nothing in his ear, to rest her head on his shoulder when she was tired and to snuggle against his chest when she was afraid or the nightmares that tormented her became too oppressive. Katara needed him the same way he needed her, she had never given him any reason to doubt her love, and Aang didn't doubt it, but after all, he thought as he fondly caressed the necklace with his fingertips, it's normal to be afraid of losing the people you love. 

It was Katara's cheerful voice that woke him up from the flood of thoughts that had invaded his mind. Quickly, with his heart beating furiously in his throat due to the tension, Aang hid the necklace in his pants pocket. Katara ran towards him, filling the air with her laughter. A gentle sound, crystalline like the flow of water, that Aang could have listened to forever without ever getting bored. Aang held her tightly, burying his face in the dark locks of her hair, breathing in the scent of ocean that, despite the distance from her tribe, followed her everywhere, as if it were part of her.

"Sorry, I'm late" Katara said, standing on her tiptoe to leave him the shadow of a kiss on the cheek. Aang shook his head, smiling kindly at her

"Don't worry," he said with a mischievous smile lighting up his face, the kind that didn't promise anything good, "I asked Sokka and Suki to hold you back for a few minutes," he confessed, Katara raised an eyebrow in confusion before widening her eyes, looking at him as if she had just found out the solution to a very difficult math problem, "Spirits," she said, letting out an incredulous laugh, "it seemed strange they didn't want to let me go, Suki even pretended to had sprained her wrist!" she said while guided by Aang, she took a seat on the blanket spread out on the grass "I had to check her three times before she let me out" Aang laughed along with her 

"I knew they wouldn't let me down!"

Only then did Katara take a moment to look at what Aang had arranged. The tablecloth, decorated with wildflowers and made more comfortable by soft pillows the same color of the sky, was full of every imaginable delicacy.

"It was worth it though" she said "Everything here is beautiful, but why did you..." Aang's lips were on hers in a delicate kiss that made the words die in the back of her throat

"No reason," Aang replied, "I just wanted to spend the afternoon with you."

They spent the afternoon eating, laughing and chatting, closed in a bubble of serenity and complicity in which they seemed to be the only existing beign. Then, at sunset, when the sky was slowly turning the softest shades of orange and red, Aang decided that the moment had finally come. His heart began beatin furiously in his chest as his gaze slid over Katara, half-lying on the blanket next to him. Her face was relaxed, serene, and under the orange light of the dying sun she seemed almost ethereal, Aang couldn't have loved her more. He breathed deeply before leaving a kiss on her hair and saying

"Katara?"

"Mmh?" she said, snuggling closer to him, stretching out her arm to encircle his waist "what?" Aang rested his cheek against her head, between the soft locks of her hair, he sighed softly and with his voice reduced to a gentle whisper

"Will you marry me?"

Aang's voice reached Katara's ears like a sweet but determined melody, delicate and full of love and for a long moment the only thing she could do was look at him in a mixture of surprise, uncertainty and emotion. Her heart was beating furiously in her chest, so fast that it almost hurt, even though, she had to admit, it was a pleasant pain, one that you would want to feel for the rest of your life. Aang returned her gaze firmly and Katara felt herself blush while a thousand butterflies began flying in her stomach

"Wh - what?" she asked with a trembling voice, moving away from him just enough to be able to look him better. Aang smiled sweetly at her, a hint of embarrassment coloring his cheeks

"Will you marry me?" he repeated in a whisper, showing her the necklace he had made for her. Katara thought she had never seen anything more beautiful. The symbol of the water tribe and that of the air nomads were intertwined harmoniously as if they were one, like the two of them. She felt an electric shiver run down her arm when she touched the blue stone with her fingers.

"I know we are young" Aang began, his voice breaking with emotion "it's still early to talk about these things and I am not trying to rush you or force it." he reassured her - even thought Katara didn't really need it - "I love you, Katara, and this necklace represents my hope to spend the rest of my life with you by my side"

Moved, Katara felt her eyes fill with tears while overwhelmed by the greatest emotion she had ever felt in her life, she nodded her head, whispering in a weak and trembling voice, "Yes, yes, I want to marry you!"

And while with his heart overflowing with happiness he stole a long, passionate kiss from her, Aang couldn't help but feel stupid for even thinking that Katara might reject him.