#pinned if any zeekay thinks about following this blog

[toph-bi-fong]

Why I don’t like nor ship Z/tar/a 🔥🚫💧

My perspective from the canon:

I like Katara and Zuko as characters independent from each other. I feel that there is no need for them to be romantically involved.

There is nothing in the show that indicates either of them harbor romantic feelings for each other. Zuko could care less about wanting to start a romantic relationship with Katara. Likewise, Katara seems like she won’t hesitate in killing Zuko if he ever backtracked and harm Aang. TWICE we are shown that they are both uncomfortable when the idea of them being a couple is brought up. Them suddenly being romantic would come off as extremely OOC.

The show had already given me much incentive as to why I feel for Katara and Aang’s relationship. The show was building up to their relationship and paid off at the end when they finally got together. Their relationship makes much more sense to me.

I’m not the biggest Maiko shipper, but I still feel Mai is still a better fit for Zuko than Katara. I feel like Mai can relate to Zuko more than Katara can. The only thing Katara and Zuko seemed to have in common was that they both lost their moms. But even with that, Zuko got to see his mom again and reunite with her. Katara will never have that. Both Mai and Zuko have experienced growing up in abusive, upper-class/royal fire nation households. They both have that life experience to relate to.

My perspective from the fandom:

The disgusting behavior from the ZK fandom has killed any incentive for me to be into the pairing. I’m open to multishipping, but this fandom in particular has been so obnoxiously toxic for the last two decades, that seeing any content of Katara and Zuko in a romantic light has made me physically ill.

I’m repulsed by the idea of Katara marrying into the family that was responsible for the genocide of her own.

The way she’s oversexualized in the fandom, be it in her FN garb or her being tied to a tree.

The fandom reducing her to an abused housewife/baby-maker that needs Zuko’s saving.

Zuko being over-glorified as if he still doesn’t have some internalized racism that needs to be addressed. I love him- but he’s still problematic trash.

The fandom’s need to demonize or infantalize Asng- just because Katara was the one she CHOSE to be with.

The fandom trying to push the notion that Mike and Bryan are pedophiles because they made Kataang canon.

Really, any other Zuko ship that doesnt involve Katara (or his own goddamn sister, Azula) I can vibe with.

TLDR: The ship makes the characters come off as completely OOC for me and the fandom is obnoxiously toxic. I’m already devoted to Kataang and there are better Zuko ships out there.