#I just thought of the 'Aang learns from Katara in TSR not the other way around' idea today

[sokkastyles]

Hi.

Hope you are doing well.

Thank you for your answer on the previous question on Aang.

I saw your reblog of the post on TSR, where the anon says that Zuko wanted Katara to murder Yon Rah, and I legit thought, no where did Zuko say he wanted Katara to do that. He simply said that he could help her find the man who killed her mother and helped her when she needed it. I know this has been discussed, but does this idea come from Aang saying it's about revenge?

Also, on the comic panel where Mai says she cannot fathom betraying her father, I think it actually adds to Zuko's bravery to face Ozai and call him out. I think Zuko should have broken his relationship with Mai because if she couldn't tell him this vital information that he had every right to know, then he cannot trust her and it's better to leave the relationship.

I would like your thoughts on this.

Yeah, it's based on what Aang says. It's just so crazy to me that people would rather listen to Aang's definition of Katara's experience instead of listening to what she actually says.

Making it about what Zuko wants is also another way of decentering Katara and her experience. Maybe Zuko did want Katara to murder that man, but he doesn't attempt to influence Katara other than enabling her to make a decision. Aang didn't want her to have the choice to begin with. Most importantly, he doesn't assume he knows what she will do and what's good for, which is why even him admitting he was wrong at the end makes him come out the better person.

And absolutely, that part in Smoke and Shadow is so bizarre because the whole POINT of Zuko's narrative is that he stopped enabling his father's evil. That literally changes everything about it. It's also doubly hypocritical for Mai because her response to learning that Zuko was talking to Ozai is to immediately blame him for it, even though Zuko was hurting no one but himself and NEVER ONCE allowed Ozai to influence his behavior, even though the comic makes us think that that is what is going to happen.

And the thing is, yes the comics are bad, but this is consistent with how Mai is characterized in the show, as someone who would break up with her boyfriend but not allow him to break up with her, as someone who would dismiss his emotions but then get extremely angry when she isn't catered to. As someone who can't deal with her boyfriend's issues but can't spout anything but negativity and hatred and just expects him to put up with it. As someone who likes her boyfriend to put more work into the relationship than she's willing to.

[atla-confessions]

I made a post about being kataang critical but because of Katara and not Aang and some people asked for explanation.

To start: 1. I do not hate Katara, she is my second favorite character. Bring critical of the way she treats Aang is not the same as being anti-Katara. 2. Im not here to argue. Im going to explain my position for people who genuinely want to understand, but I know many people are going to see me critisize Katara and find me unreasonable for it. I dont care. Ive already acknowledged that Im pretty sure Im the only one who notices or cares about these things. 3. I wont list all of my reasons because there are many, Im just going to list a few, but keep in mind this is the tip of the iceberg.

Some of my biggest issues are that their dynamic is just not equal. For example, apologizing. There are multiple times Aang messes up with Katara, and most of the time we see him either apologize, or at least show significant regret. (Hiding the map, burning Katara, ignoring her advice about the Avatar state, running away, the EIP kiss). We simply dont see the same with Katara. The only time I can recall her apologizing is after snapping at him in the pirate episode. (Which, this is not the only time she unfairly snaps at him, but this is the only time she apologizes). There might be other times Im not recalling off the top of my head, but even if there were, its not as much as Aang.

Aang also shows multiple times a verbal willingness to change for Katara. Examples include: when he burned her, he swears off firebending and even when he learns it again, he only learns it with the context of that burn. When he upsets her with the Avatar state he apologizes and says he hopes she never sees him like that again and he does genuinely get a better hold of the avatar state after that, going so far as to simply emotionally shut down. Not including the non-verbal willingness, like when he got jealous of her (and Sokka's) relationship with Bato and their dad and realizes hes messed up, from then on Aang seems very supportive of Katara connecting with her family and of Hakoda himself, to the point of being concerned because he thinks she might be mad at her dad.

Aang considers Katara's advice a lot, even if ultimately he chooses to not use it (usually because he feels it conflicts with his duty as the Avatar). There are times he even thanks her for her input even as he tries to explain that she really doesnt understand the position hes in. When Zuko join, Aang very specifically gives every member their say and is visibly concerned about Katara, who he knows had the biggest issue with Zuko. Meanwhile, times Aang tries to advise Katara, which isnt often, she dismisses it without thought (her fight with Pakku in which he and Sokka are trying to say maybe she shouldnt fight him, and TSR where his literal only real suggestion is 'dont murder')

Katara is shown to be very willing to stand up for herself if she feels anyone has slighted her, including Aang. If it comes down to a decision between her feelings or Aang's feelings, she often dismisses his (like when he runs off at the beginning of book one, shes hurt he left and doesnt see his concerns on his failure or the need to fix it as valid, or TSR where she is hurting and since Aang disagrees with her point of view on how to handle it, she dismisses his own pain). Meanwhile, unless it conflicts with his duty as the Avatar, Aang will allow Katara to do just about anything. He doesnt say anything when she snaps at him (the pirate episode, the Runaway, TSR) and, speaking of TSR its one of the worst cases of this. Aang very explicitly says he does not consent to her taking Appa, yet when she decides to anyway he not only easily lets this go, but goes so far as to endorse and encourage her journey.

I just dont think these imbalances are healthy.

Im not saying Aang is perfect, hes made mistakes with Katara plenty of times, and I like to think Kataras behavior is only indicitive of the fact that she is a traumatized child. I like to think these things improve as she gets older and heals and her devotion grows to match his the longer theyre together. I like to imagine a happy future for them, but kataang as the show presents it makes me uncomfortable. I do not like dynamics where one character is willing to take out their anger at another character who does not stand up for themselves. (For example, when Aang snaps at Katara in The Desert, she very calmly defends herself.)

And again, this is the tip of the iceberg. I have many more reasons, and the examples I gave for each are just things I can recall off the top of my head. Each of these incidents on their own can be explained and justified and Im sure someone out there is going to be tempted to do just that, but it is when these things form a pattern of behavior that it becomes concerning. Katara snapping at Aang once is an act of frusteration, Katara snapping at Aang three times is a pattern.

And part of the reason it bothers me the way it does is that no one else seems to notice these things. Its like Aang thinks Katara is perfect and could do no wrong to him therefore we are supposed to think the same. The only people who are critical of kataang seem to be people who only use that to justify their own ship, so its never about actually scrutinizing their dynamic, its about proving Katara would be better off with their prefered pairing. I'm not a shipper, I dont want to see these two with anyone else, I just dont like the way they are in the show.

Im not going to start a back and forth on this, I promise you any justification you have for Kataras behavior are things Ive already considered. Again, shes my second favorite, I am also a huge Katara defender and, again again, dont consider these things to be stuff that makes her a bad person. Shes a traumatized child and her good deeds far far outweigh her bad, including those toward Aang (I am simply not of the opinion that being mostly good for someone justifies any bad behavior).

But in case anyone was genuinely curious to know why someone might find fault in Kataras treatment of Aang, there you go.

X

[nono-bunny]

Thoughts from watching the ATLA live action!

Episode 2:

So I guess no intro every episode? A shame, but understandable (we literally got it twice in the first one lmao). Hopefully it's back in season 2!

Ah, so this is the aforementioned diary related hissy fit I've been hearing so much about! It is pretty funny tbh lol. Anyway, no, Iroh, Zuko had it right actually lmao, Aang is a coward! It's just... A bit strange to include that here given that his biggest running away incident isn't present in this show? So like. Yes, animated Aang absolutely is a coward, as to this one? It remains to be seen ig, so far he isn't that much, actually, which just makes Zuko seem wrong when in the animated show he would've been 100% correct

OwO what's this??? An Aang thats being proactive and interested about learning and how to control and best use his powers??? You love to see it.

Alright so. Truly I don't know what people are talking about in regards to Katara? Her sense of adventure and tendency to get in trouble while doing reckless things is still absolutely present- those are also important things about her, not just being angry and nurturing! This is a Katara that presents and composes herself differently, and yeah, it's a bit strange! But she still feels like Katara, just... A quiet Katara! She's much less out there with her emotions, which. I do miss a bit ngl, but it's a really interesting direction for her that feels like it's inevitably gonna lead to a major explosion, probably around the time of TSR too! So idk, its really not as big of an issue to me as it seems to be to other people ig. She and Aang were changed a lot- with Aang I do think it's absolutely a positive change because I hate him in canon, but with Katara I just think it's really interesting and worth giving a shot to because it doesn't seem wholly out of pocket or to be leading nowhere, not when you know that her highest emotional points still lie in wait and might, in fact, hit harder if they were a complete deviation from normal to this otherwise calm character. It may still flop and fail, but I genuinely do thing they're building up to something with her and that it's worth giving a chance to.

Kanna once again being the goat!! Idk that I talked much about her during the last episode but I think it was mostly just because I didn't really have any notes lol, I just enjoy her expanded role a lot! The entire legacy of the southern bending being lost in favor of the northern one is a thing I've seen talked about a lot, so I actually really like that there's at least one moveset from the southern style that's preserved here. Of coursing losing "I'll save you from the pirates" is a great personal loss, but I've already seen The Scarf scene so I'm glad at least there was a more or less equivalent replacement lol

Burying Gyatso is a great addition!!!

Blasphemy!!! No such thing as "chicken"!!! What is this abomination Sokka speaks of here???

God everything about Kyoshi Island, including Suki, is just... 😍 I really do love that this Aang is capable of like. Relating to others, being understanding and persuasive and cautious. It's certainly like. A whole different person aside from brief moments of silliness and levity, but it works much better for me because, again, this is a level he never reaches in the original even at the end of his story even though he SHOULD'VE.

Iroh is fr so weird with how direct he is, I just. Can't get used to it- literally his only eccentric quality atm is being a bit of a gourmand, it feels really off. For all his talk about being able to know how to talk to people to get what you want, Zhao sees through him super quick, because like, c'mon, literally who wouldn't??? It was super obviously a lie and. It's all so bizarre, he feels WAY too serious for this point in the story and it genuinely really takes me out of every scene he's in.

As weird as it is for Suki to still get offended when Sokka respects her position and calls her a warrior, the Sukka here IS really funny and fun to watch haha!

Katara is genuinely so sweet with Aang here, idk I just really enjoyed that scene! Do kinda wish we'd get to see Katara drop her water orb lmao, I keep waiting for it to happen and it just never does. She IS a natural prodigy, but I think the original show demonstrated a bit better how much she struggled without any guidance by having her fail her forms rather than just fail to get anything to happen.

It's the intro air scooter scene!!!! Also I'm really enjoying how Katara's right here about Aang being good with people, and how I noticed it myself as well!

Suki trying to flirt with Sokka is so cute oml

Aang being TOO powerful and unable to control his bending is actually such a good idea!!

Omg finally Iroh feels like Iroh!! Who knew all that was needed was literally just for him to talk in Pai Sho metaphors again lmao. Tbh, maybe just literally ANY metaphor whatsoever was missing, oof

Interesting to have Suki take off her makeup right before battle, or like. At all during her first appearance! Not really like, bad or good, just an interesting choice I felt was worth mentioning because it certainly hit me as very different

Hey, uh, Kyoshi babe, you're 100% correct and I enjoy seeing you yelling some sense into Aang but. This is the wrong Aang for this??? Like he literally never ran away it's so bizarre how they keep acting like he did when the original was all too happy to drop that angle when he consistently did. Idk it kinda feels like him not technically running away was maybe like a last minute rewrite or something? It's weird and doesn't gel with how people keep treating it- especially Kyoshi, who was there and should know he legitimately had no intent on turning back from his duties at any point. I love love LOVEE this scene but? It doesn't fit in this version of the story, sadly

Wait why the fuck can Kyoshi see the future?? This is so weird, like I get that it's his call to action and a way of pointing them to the NWT given that they haven't really talked about going there yet but. It's a really weird power for her to suddenly have lmao (unless this is a thing in the novels? I wouldn't know, haven't read them, but somehow I feel like I would've heard about it)

Can I just say that I really like Yukari, and in particular her relationship with Suki? She's a fine addition to this arc imo, and really supports the whole "young people lead the charge on making a difference". Kyoshi Island's motivations for staying neutral in the animated show were of course understandable, but I like that here we can see there's a real conflict about it even before the gaang arrive there. It really endears Suki in a whole new way (tbh she's generally amazing here) and it will make it a lot more natural when we see her again in the following seasons! Also my own personal selfish wish is for the show to find a way to make her a part of the gaang for longer and earlier on. Like, as it stands, if there are three seasons, she might show up once again in season 2 and obviously join up with them in season 3 but. Boy do I want to see more of her, always have, always will! This show is genuinely such a prime opportunity to integrate her more info the story- make her have meaningful relationships with each member of the gaang, establish a role for her and what unique thing she brings to the group (special mention as always to @emletish-fish 's Stalking Zuko for having her be "the sensible one" which worked great)... Just. Make her matter for once, because I will never forgive nor be able to get over the way her existence was just completely ignored and essentially erased in LoK. Suki has always deserved better, right down to the way she was constantly brought back each season because everyone loved her, and I want this show to better reflect that that the absolute nothing she was given in LoK. Suki is a member of the gaang and she deserves to be treated as such, not just as Sokka's girlfriend.

Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled post!Sokka pissing off Zhao while using Suki's fan is something that can be so personal... Like, I can get into the symbolism here about the connection between these characters but. For anyone who knows where the show is going, there are no words necessary to understand why that interaction carries the weight it does. It's just... A beautiful, emotional little moment amidst some really solid fighting choreography! Of course Suki and Sokka working beautifully together was great, Yukari's fighting highly suggests she was a Kyoshi Warrior in her time as well (is... Kyoshi leadership a nepotism/family thing? Questions to ask.), and Momo getting involved were all great, but. That was really the highlight for me. It would be really impactful to anyone who knows, and to anyone who doesn't it's still just like. A really kickass Sokka moment

Also may I just say I'm very impressed with how far Sokka's come in less than two days? Like, of course it's probably not very realistic, but it absolutely supports what they're getting at here which is that Suki IS a great leader and teacher (the short scene with her looking over the other warriors' training and correcting their form was great), and that Sokka is ultimately just as competent a fighter as Katara and has the same natural talent and drive. Their little exchange about nonbenders having to work harder and be better felt very... Real in a way I can't quite express, and it felt like a very important thing that deserved to be acknowledged by the show. Sokka gets underestimated so much and reduced so frequently to being the meat and sarcasm guy, even by himself, so like. Sokka's arc is very important to me because of how often it goes unnoticed or unmentioned in the face of other, more visible ones... And I feel like they're doing a great job at adapting it, slightly modernizing him ("tastes like chicken" notwithstanding) and making him stand out more while keeping the core of it. Sokka's arc was something I was already slightly concerned with initially, and the "we're removing Sokka's sexism" rumors didn't help assuage my fears given how important it was to help set the stage for the kind of person he is, so like. Genuinely I have to give them kudos for finding a way to take it out and keep how he changes and what we ultimately learn about him as a character that didn't feel forced. This is kind of just? A great episode for all of the characters, they all flow much better individually and with each other, and I genuinely really enjoyed it for the most part as opposed to the first that was a bit stilted in a lot of places- but I guess it being mostly just. All of the exposition and Aang's backstory stuff was the issue, and when they let the characters just... Be, it all works really well!

Oh my god Kyoshi is. Doing so much heavy lifting here, literally where was my girl for the entirety of the animated show, that Aang needed some major reality checks lmao. This is... A lot for the second episode when Aang is genuinely just still trying to get a handle on things, but I don't know that I really... Hate how she's preparing him and establishing the stakes? She's an absolute hardass here, but she's not overly cruel- she's genuinely trying to help as much as she can in her own area of expertise, because who knows when she'll next get to talk to Aang, and what if he never gets to hear this stuff? Would he just... Perhaps turn into who animated Aang did? Like, it's extremely harsh and kind of feels excessive for where the show and Aang are at right now, but... Genuinely I can't really say it's a bad thing for Aang to hear all of this, because I only know what happens in the universe where he doesn't. It's fucking tough to watch little Aang be verbally beaten down like this, but? Ultimately, what Kyoshi is saying are important things that Aang needs to come to understand sooner rather than later, and she IS trying to help, even if her way is harsh, so I can't really fault her for it too much because like. I understand where she's coming from all too well, both as someone who watched the original show and thus is aware of how tough the road ahead is going to be for Aang and everyone around him, and as someone who is a big OG Aang critic and wishes he could've heard all of this in the animated show. It's... A difficult scene to watch, but I don't think it's entirely without merit.

Holy shit I can't believe they kept Zuko trying to appeal to Katara even though they took out the pirates, I was genuinely surprised by that!!

Oh. OHHH. So. I was right about where they were going with Katara, wasn't I? I was fairly certain about it before, but how meek and unsure she is in battle despite how powerful she already is followed by a trauma flashback really cemented for me that they're leaning pretty heavily into the different ways Katara was affected by losing Kya. She's still very protective of her loved ones, she's still brave and powerful and driven... And, more than ever, she's also haunted by her mother's spirit with every step she takes. She's more afraid and cautious than her animated counterpart ever was, and it translates to her being "a doormat", but it's also... So clear to me she absolutely is not staying that way. This is the start of her journey, and it's just as valid as the original one. Seeing her stand against Zuko in the original show was never something that would've caused me to worry, but here I can feel her fear and how much it's holding her back.

Also, in their confrontation scene: Zuko is SCARY here! And that made this scene like. Genuinely really special to watch? Because I didn't even know that I was capable of finding Zuko intimidating anymore- he was always genuinely so honorable in the original that when rewatching you can kinda just... Very easily chalk his whole thing up to being misguided and lost- he does bad stuff, but when compared to the ruthlessness of the other villains he's barely a threat. But here Zuko is desperate, and he's scary, and he truly feels like a big bad evil guy when he's towering over non other than Katara who we so often get the best of him to the point where you kinda forget they weren't always matched in power and... This scene just. Really works for both of them individually, to show where they're at mentally and how they clash at this point in time... And, honestly? Knowing that this is an extremely temporary dynamic for them is actually really cool- that the next time they fight may very well be when Katara beat him? It's really cool. It doesn't scream Zutara, not at all, not in the way "I'll save you from the pirates" did, but? It feels important for them to have it, still- the Zuko and Katara dynamic always advances both of their individual stories, and this time is no different. It's... A bit hard to put into words just how visceral this scene felt and how excited it made me for both of their character arcs, as well as to the progress they're gonna make together, but. This was a great scene

Ngl it's really funny how everyone is flying in this adaptation

God I already miss Suki :(

Not really... Sure about why Sokka changed him mind about sticking Aang when he mostly hung out with Suki this episode, it seems mostly like he and Katara just want some more adventure, which is cool and not an issue at this point but? The episode seems to try and imply they're both there for Aang or for the world when it's pretty clear that isn't quite it, not yet, so it feels like it comes out of nowhere and a bit out of place. I do wish that angle was allowed to be a bit more present, because so far it just feels like either the characters are unaware of it yet or that the writing isn't and thus it's never gonna get addressed. In the animated show Katara was much more obviously self interested during parts of the first season, and Sokka was mostly there for her- which I liked, it gave room for both of them to grow into this new family unit they're creating with Aang over the course of the show! Here it seems like both of them initially wanted to help Aang and found they liked the adventure, and their goals on this adventure often feel a bit inconsistent? Katara is very obviously enjoying the freedom, but she seems to be more willing to go along for wherever because the plot aligns to make things she achieved herself on her road to becoming a master waterbender just... Happen to her? She didn't aquire the waterbending scroll, she didn't suggest and advocate for going to the NWT, they're just things that happen and suit her goals really well! In that sense she feels a bit less driven, as she doesn't have to be- she's obviously dedicated to training and becoming better, but she less creates opportunities rather than fall upon them, which? I'd find it a bit hard to buy this Katara stealing, and I guess maybe she doesn't suggest the NWT because as established they don't know what state its in and she's a bit more risk averse than in the original, but... While her taking less initiative isn't necessarily a bad thing here (again, so long as it is a part of her arc rather than a continuous state), it muddles her motives a bit and serves to make the group dynamic a bit confusing. Is she there for Aang? For adventure? For waterbending? For herself? Of course it's ultimately all of those, but. I think presenting all of them right at the start makes her motivations a bit too confusing, especially when paired with Sokka who, in this order: wanted to abandon Aang out of caution, wanted to help Aang because it'd be the right thing to do, wanted to abandon Aang because he wanted to go back home, and then after hanging out with Suki for an entire episode was suddenly worried about leaving Aang alone. Their connection didn't really deepen in any way, so it feels like his motivation is much less about Aang but about what he could gain, except he doesn't frame it like that either! Idk it's confusing, and genuinely I can't tell if it's just. Bad/inconsistent writing or if it's meant to be A Thing, like, Katara and Sokka trying to find their reason for "abandoning" home. I can certainly twist the events to be that if I think about it enough, as I just did, but... Ultimately I do think there was a bit of a failure here with presenting too many motivations and not committing to any single one. It's both way too complex, and also not complex enough to work, and so in the end it's just confusing. It's truly not that big a deal but the conversation at end of this episode on Appa didn't feel authentic or earned to that episode I just saw, which was the real issue imo. I desperately hope this isn't the end of these two trying to justify their journey, and that thus turns out to have been intentional, but frankly... I do just have a feeling it was a bit of unfortunate mangled writing.

That said, I'm actually not really feeling Zhao? I've read a post that said he gets progressively more hateble as opposed to the original where he started out as immediately hateble so I'm curious if that's what's gonna happen to me too! It was cool to see Ozai though for sure haha!

I do have to shout out the way Iroh and Zhao interact with this forced politeness as something that stood out to me in an extremely good way- it's stilted, and awkward, and it's 100% meant to be, and it worked fantastically with the contrast to Zuko's being so direct and brash. I'm not like, an expert by any means, but I do have an interest in Japanese culture and it definitely felt reminiscent of the way respect and politeness is so important and entrenched in the culture right down to the language structure- it felt a bit like Zuko was just talking casually until Iroh came along and started talking in keigo, if that makes sense to anyone? Might be talking out of my ass here but that's what it reminded me of so I thought I'd mention it. It was really interesting to see regardless!

Anyway I liked this episode a lot more! It still had its issues, but they feel more like growing pains here if that makes sense? There's definitely a sense that this show is slowly getting comfortable in its own skin as a separate entity from the original, so I hope that trend continues! Evidently the direction they're going here is not for everyone, but everything I've seen so far does feel extremely like it ultimately came from fans who have their own opinions on the original show rather than people just looking to make bold new twists. A lot of the changes here, while they might initially feel blasphemous, are also ones I'd have made to the original, and the ones that aren't don't feel like they're made thoughtlessly. I'm not happy with everything I've seen so far, but I'm absolutely excited to keep watching because I genuinely do have faith in this show managing to pull off the big swings they're taking.

Also, I think it's important to note- I'm the biggest Kataang hater, I hate them, truly, I do! And yet as strange as it is and as much as I hate to admit it? There was a genuinely cute scene between Katara and Aang this episode, and if they make their relationship a bit more equal going forward... While it likely still won't make me ship them, I do genuinely think I could stomach seeing them end up together if they stay away from the worst aspects of the ship in the original show. I won't be happy about it, ever, but. There's something to be said for them managing to make it tolerable even for the biggest opposers of the ship. I still hope it won't happen! But if it does... I hope it's done tastefully and in a more thought out way than it was originally.

[soopersara]

Do you think that if ATLA was not a children's show that Katara would have killed Yon Rha?

I'm gonna go ahead and assume that you mean if ATLA was a form of well-written adult media, not like... Game of Thrones-level gratuitous violence, we need more pools of blood and decapitation-type adult media. Because in the latter... yeah, that dude would be dead because shock value and gore reign supreme. But in a well-written adult version of the story (or my ideal version of the story regardless of demographic), no, Katara would make the same decision, it would just be a more nuanced handling of the story with fewer okay, NO heavy-handed and unearned AANG WAS RIGHT moments.

Fair warning, this is turning into a 'how SooperSara would rewrite TSR' post. Whoops.

Okay, so ideally, in an adult or child-oriented version of the story, I would change some of the pacing in Book 3. A lot of it, actually. Not going to list everything I would change, but the end result would be condensed filler episodes in the front half of the season (cutting Sparky Sparky Boom Man entirely would free up a lot of space to make the important stuff fit into fewer episodes, and that still leaves room for trimming, IMO) and give Zuko more time with the Gaang.

So the beginning of TSR is relatively the same, except for the fact that Zuko has had more time between life changing field trips to integrate with the group, and as a result, Katara, while still not pleased about his presence, is getting used to him. Not softening toward him exactly, but starting to understand that he isn't going to hurt them, and signs point to the possibility of her accepting him someday if things continue to go well.

Then she is separated from her father again, in a way that is very much the fault of Zuko's family, if not Zuko himself, and all of her resentment reawakens with a vengeance. Zuko is surprised, and justifiably so, since things were starting to improve between the two of them.

The next change comes when Sokka and Aang are trying to talk Katara out of looking for Yon Rha. Sokka is still opposed to the trip, but his reasons are different—rather than agreeing with Aang, Sokka is concerned about the amount of time this trip is going to take (Zuko knows how to find Yon Rha, not where, for all anyone knows, he could be on the other end of the world), and about his sister's wellbeing (she can take care of herself, but she's not entirely rational right now, and this man is a known killer).

Aside from the fact that Sokka isn't on Team Forgive & Forget, the rest of the arguments leading up to their departure stay the same (yes, even the infamous, "Then you didn't love her the way I did!" line—I'll get back to that later). The manhunt mission is also relatively unchanged, though it may be a tad clearer that Zuko is just along for the ride as backup.

Now for the point of your question—Katara doesn't kill Yon Rha. She might use her ice knives to pin him to the ground (and make him wet his pants because it looks like he's about to die), but ultimately, having his death on her conscience isn't worth it to Katara. But rather than being framed as a vengeance is wrong, Aang is right situation (which the episode didn't accomplish, by the way, Katara explicitly did not forgive Yon Rha), it's framed as a vengeance was the wrong choice for Katara, but Aang was equally wrong situation.

And rather than getting butt-pats for his "wisdom" in the sunset scene on the docks at Ember Island, Aang actually sees and is forced to acknowledge the fact that Katara didn't take his advice. She didn't forgive Yon Rha, but she didn't take his life either. She chose a different path, and it helped her to finally get on the road to healing from the loss of her mother. This, incidentally, is one of the moments that Aang thinks of when he is looking for a way to get out of killing Ozai—he learns from Katara that it is possible to find a different solution, but it may not be pretty, and it may not be the perfect, happy solution that he's looking for, and either way, he's going to have to work to make other solutions possible. Katara forgives Zuko, they hug (maybe it lingers a while, this is my playground, I'm making the rules), and she might also thank him for being there when she needed support.

And then, and only then, Katara goes to find Sokka. She feels bad about the "Then you didn't love her the way I did!" thing, but she doesn't apologize, not right away. Instead, she tells him what happened. She tells Sokka about finding Yon Rha and confronting him, and how she eventually left the pathetic old man alive. She tells him that she still isn't convinced that she made the right choice—a part of her wants revenge and probably always will. And then she tells Sokka what losing their mother was like for her. She knows that Sokka relied on her to take Kya's place, and she knows she did a good enough job that Sokka can't remember what Kya looked like anymore. But Sokka doesn't know what it was like to carry all that weight by herself at the age of eight, he never had to blame himself for Kya's death, or to try to fill the void she left behind because no one else could. Katara has never told him any of this before because she always believed that she was the only one who should have to carry that burden. But finally, finally, she's done doing it all on her own. She needs help sometimes. And when Sokka hugs her, she finally apologizes for what she said to him before she left.

[lilac-melody]

I think that having zutara as canon would have been a better way to end ATLA tbh. I could go into detail on why but I feel like I’d just be repeating literally everyone else in the zutara fandom.

Putting it in my own terms, though, it would feel like a complete ending arc for Katara and Zuko both, given that they spent all 4 parts of Sozin’s Comet literally practically stuck together in almost every single framing

and even sleeping by each other in part 2

The Crossroads of Destiny is the first time they truly interacted- not as enemies, but as people suffering from the war. And is it a coincidence that when Zuko shows humanity and sympathy, that Katara even apologizes for yelling at him? When she still sees him as her enemy?

Touching his scar? Getting personally betrayed?

His journey once he became apart of Team Avatar was earning their trust and forgiveness...and especially Katara’s. Even when he first joined the gaang, when he saw her at the threshold, he smiled. He was happy to see her. He witnessed firsthand how gentle and kind she was, back in Ba Sing Se.

I think it’s beautiful, how happy he was to be around her, even though at first she clearly didn’t feel the same. And it was when she earned his forgiveness that they became inseparable.

Yet, with Aang...they were more distant than ever. They didn’t even spend the final days before the comet together. Their last few talks had been arguments that went unresolved. Even the noncon kiss was unresolved.

Yet, everything was resolved with Zuko and Katara. Everything fell into place. Sure, I wish we had more time or another book for their romance to truly blossom, but even so, with what bryke worked with, they still could have made it beautiful. Especially if they stuck to the OG TSR script (still waiting on that, sneazy...thanks for your efforts!)

Even as a kid, I always thought that the finale came out of nowhere. Even for Mai and Zuko. Given that Zuko never once even expresses an ounce of concern for her when they left the Boiling Rock. Like surely he knew that she’d be in deep shit with Azula, since she helped him escape? But he never once brought up his concerns. Not even as they were leaving.

And, given that Aang’s told that he has an “attachment” to Katara, I feel like him letting go would have a stronger narrative. The hero does not always get the girl (and that take is very misogynistic), and you can still be good friends with someone you once liked.

Plus, I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I really like how it’s Toph’s seismic sense that helped Aang defeat Ozai.

I think the show should have ended with no romance, before LOK confirms that, after the war, Zuko and Katara got together, and Aang and Toph learned how to truly love someone as they grew older.

[thinkingisadangerouspastime]

Hi, first off I ship Zutara and I come in peace. I was pointed your way by a friend when I asked for people who ship kataang who are nevertheless willing to hear different views. I have lurked on blog a week and finally got up my nerve to ask how you or any other Kataang can deny that the last part of book 3 was completely Zutara but then stopped abruptly with no buildup? You can finesse tone on text so I'm not being sarcastic or bitchy, it is a serious question (1/5)

In The Southern Raiders, Katara realizes she has been wrong about Zuko. In Ember Island Players, she realizes Aang is not as mature as she thought he was, and in the finale, Katara does not care a whit that Aang is gone. I am serious and as someone who is no Aang stan but likes him, I’m actually annoyed by how little anyone cared about his disappearance. It went from “Aang’s gone!” to “Okay whatever, let’s find Iroh so he can kill Ozai.” (2/5)

Katara was all over Zuko (honestly, again not being a jerk) in the finale until for whatever reason, she wasn’t. She was giving him a pep talk about Iroh, she was going with him to Azula, she was healing him and saying he saved her not the other way around. I genuinely don’t get why this isn’t seen as romantic. I will grant you that Zuko would not have allowed Azula to kill anyone but I feel the point here was Zuko realizing his life was pointless if Katara was killed. (4/5)

And then literally at the end, Mai shows up after Zuko not talking about her at all for six episodes and declares herself Zuko’s girlfriend. And Katara kisses Aang after being annoyed with and by him arguably since The Southern Raiders. I get that Kataang “won” and I’ve made peace with that, but ... I can’t understand why Kataang shippers are okay with such a crap story. I swear on my gmom [sic] if they’d done this for [Zvtara], I’d be mad as hell. So I don’t understand, I really don’t. (5/5)

As always, I shall begin with a disclaimer: anon, you do not have to agree with this post. No one has to agree with this post, as it is strictly my own thoughts on the subject matter raised here! As per usual, I will not be putting this in the main tags - much less the Zvtara tag! - because I have basic fandom decency, lmao. If you (the general you, not anon specifically) do disagree with this post, that is totally fine, I simply ask that you are polite in expressing your disagreement (if you choose to do so at all! no one is expected to, lmao. i promise).

Alright. Formalities are out of the way!

I’ll admit I giggled a little bit when you say you lurked on my blog for a week, because I’ve actually talked about this subject numerous times in the past! I just found it funny you hadn’t stumbled across any posts about it yet, lol. So, as a heads up, know that I will be providing several links in this post since - again - this subject and related subjects have been analyzed a multitude of times before. I highly recommend reading them all! Mostly because I don’t intend to spend forever restating what’s been said over and over and over lmaooo. I will provide the resources, but it is up to each individual to take advantage of them.

To begin: your ask actually contains a few logical fallacies, anon! I do not mean this as shade or to belittle you - I fall victim to this issue all the time myself. Anyone who writes analyses or participates in debates does! Humans are imperfect and often like to cut corners to reach a conclusion. It is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about because - as the existence of your ask in inbox indicates - you are willing to learn more. So kudos to you, my friend!

Alright. So what logical fallacies am I talking about here? (For the record: specific definitions of logical fallacies were taken from here.)

1. Hasty Generalization.

“A hasty generalization is a general statement without sufficient evidence to support it.” Numerous claims are made in this ask that I have absolutely no doubt you believe to be true, anon, but there really isn’t any concrete evidence to support it! I will go into more detail later, of course, but let’s quickly look at one example:

“In Ember Island Players, [Katara] realizes Aang is not as mature as she thought he was…”

For the time being, I will ask but one question: from the show itself, not fanon, how do you know this?

2. Causal Fallacy

Ah, this guy. My own worst enemy, tbh! “A causal fallacy is any logical breakdown when identifying a cause,” of which there are several types. “One causal fallacy is the false cause or non causa pro causa (‘not the-cause for a cause’) fallacy, which is when you conclude about a cause without enough evidence to do so.” In your ask, you claim:

“I will grant you that Zuko would not have allowed Azula to kill anyone but I feel the point here was Zuko realizing his life was pointless if Katara was killed.”

Again, for the time being, I will ask only one question: from the show itself, not fanon, what led you to believe this statement?

“Another kind of causal fallacy is the correlational fallacy also known as cum hoc ergo propter hoc (Lat., ‘with this therefore because of this’). This fallacy happens when you mistakenly interpret two things found together as being causally related.” In your ask, you claim:

“Katara was all over Zuko (honestly, again not being a jerk) in the finale until for whatever reason, she wasn’t. She was giving him a pep talk about Iroh, she was going with him to Azula, she was healing him and saying he saved her not the other way around. I genuinely don’t get why this isn’t seen as romantic.”

I will ask one question: from the show itself, not fanon, why would you believe these are indicative of romance? (Consider the context the show is situated in, too - e.g. the war, Katara being Azula’s only available match in skill, etc.)

The reason I bring up the issue of logical fallacies is again not at all to make you feel bad, anon!! You were simply trying to express your point to me and I greatly appreciate you taking the time to do so. See, your ask actually presents a larger fandom trend:

Misconstruing fanon as canon.

What you have offered to me, anon, are fanon conclusions. To clarify: there is absolutely nothing wrong with fanon. I adore fanon interpretations (an example I have used in the past is Kuzaang - like, I don’t care that there’s no canon basis! I do what I want lmao!), but a line has to be drawn between exploring fanon interpretations and expecting everyone to take that fanon as canon. Again, anon, this is not your fault! It is not any one person’s fault, lmao. It is an issue of fandom as a whole, and all of us fall victim to it.

With that in mind, I will break down the different components of your ask. I will also do my best to be brief - as aforementioned, I and others have analyzed this issue numerous times before, lmao. To avoid confusion, it would be best to read through each or at least most links as they are provided!

Firstly, there are two posts I have made in the past that almost directly answer your overarching question here in this ask. Please read them prior to continuing, as I will occasionally reference them:

This post explains how Zvtara was not built up from TSR/EIP-onwards, and how their supposed “canon enemies to lovers arc” is a completely fanon construction.

This post explains the issue of the “canon Zvtara” rhetoric from rabid zkers (and you, anon, are absolutely NOT one, in case you were worried).

Alrighty. With that out the way, let’s get into it!

“In The Southern Raiders, Katara realizes she has been wrong about Zuko.”

Gotta start by saying that TSR is not about Zuko. TSR is, first and foremost, about Katara. Katara does not realize she was wrong about Zuko, because here’s the truth - she wasn’t wrong about him. Zuko did horrible things to the Gaang. Katara was not wrong to hold him accountable for that. What Katara does realize is that holding such rage so close to her chest is bad for her. This rage was not solely anger against Zuko, either; it was of course about Yon Rha, too, but it was also anger towards Kya and Katara herself. Essentially, TSR is where Katara realizes she has to forgive herself. Zuko is only one part of her journey (similar to Aang’s role in the episode, if a different end of the spectrum).

This post explains how TSR was fundamentally about Katara.

Additional resources about TSR:

This post explains Aang’s comments to Katara in TSR and how Katara herself recognized their validity.

This post explains why both Aang and Zuko were important to Katara in TSR.

This post is an extensive breakdown of Aang and Katara’s relationship within TSR.

“In Ember Island Players, [Katara] realizes Aang is not as mature as she thought he was…”

You provide no context for this claim, so I’m going to work with the assumption this is about their reactions to the play itself and the infamous kiss!

There is something important we must keep in mind when discussing EIP: the play they watch is literally imperialist propaganda. It is meant to demean the entire Gaang, and indeed it does exactly that. You mention Katara and Aang specifically, so I will recap what I have explained before about their depictions in EIP: Katara, an indigenous woman, is hypersexualized and portrayed as overly emotional (and thus “irrational”). This reinforces the Fire Nation sentiment that women of the Water Tribes are less intelligent and less suited for “responsibility” than Fire Nation women. Aang, a pacifist and the sole survivor of genocide who is also canonly the male character most comfortable with femininity and spirituality, is portrayed as a flighty, airheaded woman (this is a well-known imperialist tactic meant to emasculate the target, seeing as masculinity was often equated with power in fascist regimes; thus, they effectively belittled Aang before the FN audience). This reinforces the Fire Nation sentiment that the Air Nomads were foolish, weak people who deserved to die.

In other words, of course Aang and Katara were upset about how they portrayed in the play. It is understandable that tensions would be running high and consequently that mistakes (we all know the one) would be made.

This post explains how EIP belittles each member of the Gaang (and why the play is not indicative of Zvtara).

This post talks specifically about EIP and their portrayal of Aang and Katara.

Now onto the kiss. As everyone knows and no one has ever disagreed with, Aang was wrong to kiss Katara. Point blank!

But what people do misunderstand is Katara and Aang’s feelings regarding the kiss. Given your above quote, I assume you believe Aang kissing Katara supposedly made her realize that Aang wasn’t as mature as she once thought. On the surface, this seems like a logical conclusion! But digging deeper reveals… well, there’s nothing that indicates this conclusion at all. Even jumping ahead to the finale, when Zuko has doubts over Aang’s return, Katara demonstrates her faith in Aang (although of course she’s nervous - I won’t deny the obvious, lmao) as she says, “Aang won’t lose. He’s gonna come back. He has to.”

In other words, nothing in canon suggests that Katara believes Aang is immature because of what happened in EIP. She still trusts in his return, as she did even before she knew him (and arguably is more confident in him now, given the 60~ episodes of them growing closer). Furthermore, when Aang does disappear, Katara doesn’t have an outburst about how “immature” it was for him to “run away again.” The viewers know Aang didn’t run away, of course (fans who insist he did are not worth arguing with, anon - they don’t understand the show, rip), but that is a luxury the rest of the Gaang is not afforded. And yet even though Aang has vanished off the face of the planet, Katara still believes he will save the world. If anything, that signifies the utmost confidence in his skill and maturity!

To go back to the kiss itself, this post explains the true source of Katara’s conflict in turning down Aang (hint: she says it herself in the episode! you know, the whole war going on) and why the EIP kiss did not sink Kataang’s relationship.

Additional sources about EIP:

This post explains how the EIP kiss was resolved through narrative parallels.

This post explains how the EIP kiss is so often blown out of proportion.

“… and in the finale, Katara does not care a whit that Aang is gone. I am serious and as someone who is no Aang stan but likes him, I’m actually annoyed by how little anyone cared about his disappearance. It went from ‘Aang’s gone!’ to ‘Okay whatever, let’s find Iroh so he can kill Ozai.’”

As I already touched upon, Katara didn’t need a soliloquy to emphasize her connection to Aang once he disappeared. She trusts that he will return. She says so herself. I guess I just don’t understand how you got from Point A, Katara has consistent faith in Aang, to Point B, Katara and the rest of the Gaang didn’t care about Aang’s disappearance. It’s honestly a bit more like Point A to Point Z, lmao! If you would like to expand on your logic here, I would love to hear more!!

There are a few specific aspects I want to note about your rationale, though. You argue the Gaang moves from ‘Aang disappeared’ to ‘let’s find Iroh,’ but the Gaang actually went from:

1. Aang disappeared!

2. They search the entire island for him.

3. Okay, they couldn’t find him, so they track down June and have her try to find Aang.

4. June says to them, “No, I mean he’s gone gone. He doesn’t exist.” (And she clarifies to Sokka that she doesn’t mean dead, either - she means Aang has totally blinked out of their world.)

5. Only after all of this do they decide to track down Iroh.

The Gaang cares immensely about the fact that Aang is gone, and you could actually argue they waste time by trying to track him down. They don’t give up until June essentially tells them that some Spirit World shenanigans were involved. Even if you don’t think they reached that specific conclusion, I have to ask: What else were they supposed to do? They were told Aang didn’t exist! How are they supposed to fix that?

Well, they can’t. So they do the next best thing: they find Iroh, the man who knows Ozai better than anyone and is also one of the most talented firebenders in the world. In my opinion, that’s a very logical step to take.

“Katara was all over Zuko (honestly, again not being a jerk) in the finale until for whatever reason, she wasn’t. She was giving him a pep talk about Iroh, she was going with him to Azula, she was healing him and saying he saved her not the other way around. I genuinely don’t get why this isn’t seen as romantic.”

I’ll be blunt here, lol: in my opinion, nothing of what you listed in your ask is inherently romantic.

Okay. I am going to assume you’ve read the first two posts I linked earlier (“Zvtara did not have an E-L arc” and “the ‘canon’ Zvtara of rabid zkers has issues”), because I do not intend to rehash everything they contain, lol. Consequently, I presume you realize by now that there was no canon romantic interest between Zuko and Katara.

And as I always say, just because there wasn’t a canon romance doesn’t mean people can’t take fanon routes! Of course they can! That’s the entire point of fanon! But fanon is not canon, and I am strictly referring to canon in my discussions.

You claim Katara was all over Zuko, which in itself I don’t think is an accurate assessment, because she doesn’t really do anything with Zuko outside the three points you bring up (other than the June gag, which I addressed in one of the aforementioned linked posts). So I’ll go ahead and break down each instance you provide!

1. “[Katara] was giving [Zuko] a pep talk about Iroh”

Katara asked Zuko if he was okay. She asked him if he was genuinely sorry. She reassures him that Iroh will forgive him. That’s… all. Not to diminish the significance of this conversation, but it’s not exactly an intimate, romantically-charged discussion (unless fanon-ized). But on that note, let’s tackle the canon significance of this moment!

Katara knows firsthand the challenge of forgiving Zuko. And she knows that Zuko understands how hard it was for her to forgive him (note: Katara’s anger was totally justified, and anyone who disagrees is probably a rabid Zuko stan lmao). She also recognizes that Zuko is terrified it will take Iroh the same struggle to forgive him that Katara went through. This scene is not related to romance at all. It’s about compassion. It’s about Katara and Zuko’s friendship having progressed, slowly but surely, to the point where she’s not afraid to extend empathy to him anymore (seeing as the first time, beneath Ba Sing Se, did not go so well; you know - Aang died and all). It’s about Zuko recognizing his own fallibility (and the audience recognizing how much he’s grown). He questions how he can even face his uncle after all he’s done to the man, which is a far cry from his entitled attitude in TSR, where he demanded to know why Katara didn’t trust him when everyone else had forgiven him.

To make this moment, this moment about Zuko’s relationship with his uncle who is all but a literal father to him, this moment of vulnerability, of guilt, of remorse, of growth, to claim this powerful moment is about a nonexistent romantic relationship? In my opinion, that is incredibly reductive to what this scene is supposed to signify. And again, there is nothing wrong with people exploring such a possibility in fanon, but in canon? Nah. It doesn’t track.

2. “[Katara] was going with [Zuko] to Azula”

Don’t forget that at first, Zuko planned to take on Azula alone. He doesn’t request Katara to accompany him until Iroh tells him that he’ll need help. As such, Zuko’s immediate agreement with Iroh is reflective of his personal growth (Book 1 and 2 Zuko would have argued and insisted he didn’t need any help). It also demonstrates, however, that Katara was not obsessively on Zuko’s mind. He doesn’t choose Katara until Iroh points out that Zuko will need assistance in taking Azula down. This means that Zuko’s choice of Katara to join him is a tactical decision, not an emotional one. And by all accounts, it’s a damn good decision! Zuko witnessed firsthand beneath Ba Sing Se a) how powerful Katara was (e.g. that wave after Aang died) and b) how Katara was the only one who could take on Azula*.

Of course, besides the fact that Katara was the only match for Azula, who else was Zuko going to choose? Sokka and Suki, while talented in their own right, were no competition for Azula. Toph, while the greatest earthbender in the world, was needed to metalbend the airships. Katara was the only (and the best!) option.

Also, on their trip to face Azula, the only thing they talk about within their three lines of canon conversation are Azula and Aang. Not exactly a romantic flight, lmao.

*Zuko never saw Aang fight Azula on the drill.

3. “[Katara] was healing [Zuko] and saying he saved her not the other way around”

Actually, this is what the transcript says:

Zuko: Thank you, Katara.

Katara: I think I’m the one who should be thanking you.

You’re right about how their lines refer to them saving each other, but you posit it as a romantic moment, when the lines are actually pretty straightforward. Zuko thanks Katara as she heals him from the partially-redirected lightning strike, and Katara thanks him for trying to redirect the lightning away from her and in doing so saving her life. In terms of canon, there’s nothing romantic about this, lol! (Which I talked about extensively in the E-L post, if you need to reference it again.) The reason being is that you have to take the show itself into context when you do analysis. If there was no canon romantic buildup between Zuko and Katara, why would these lines in canon (not fanon! fanon is free rein, lmao) be interpreted through a romantic lens?

Well, they wouldn’t be interpreted as such. Plain and simple.

“I genuinely don’t get why this isn’t seen as romantic.”

Because looking through a canon lens, they aren’t romantic. That’s all. You are of course welcome to view them as such through a fanon lens!! It’s just about recognizing the line between canon and fanon.

“I will grant you that Zuko would not have allowed Azula to kill anyone but I feel the point here was Zuko realizing his life was pointless if Katara was killed.”

I asked earlier what content in the show itself led you to believe. I have wracked my own mind, and I cannot think of anything that would point to this conclusion. Zuko was in Katara’s good graces for 5 episodes. That’s 8% of the show. Not exactly a lot of time for Zuko to start believing his life would be pointless if Katara was killed, is it?

This post explains the improbability of Zuko having a crush on Katara within canon.

This post explains how Zuko’s racism towards the Air Nomads in TSR and the finale is, well, exactly that - racism (and not a sign of a crush on Katara).

And, of course, as has been said a million times, Zuko taking the lightning for Katara out of romantic interest would completely undermine his redemption arc. Since it has been said over and over and over, I will be brief: Zuko taking the lightning is significant because it is a selfless act (one of his only in the series), and it directly parallels his selfish act of choosing not to intervene when Azula killed Aang with lightning beneath Ba Sing Se. This moment demonstrates Zuko’s growth, how he has learned to accept unconditional love from Iroh and the Gaang and Mai and even Ty Lee and sure, even from Appa and Momo, too. To make this moment of pure selflessness about a nonexistent romance? To force a fanon romance in replacement of canon redemption and canon platonic significance?

Such a decision speaks wonders about a person’s priorities, in my opinion, as well as how amatonormativity impacts them.

Furthermore, Zuko’s choice cements Katara’s position as his surrogate sibling, as she is Azula’s primary foil. Zuko chooses the sister who heals over the sister who harms. I won’t go too much into it here, because it has already been talked about extensively before! Thus, I offer you this post that explains how Zuko and Katara - in canon - are positioned as surrogate siblings as well as Azula’s role in this matter. I also offer this post that lays out through screencaps how Zuko and Katara - in canon - treat each other like family.

Additional sources about the final Agni Kai:

This post in part discusses fanon misinterpretation of the final Agni Kai and why such a lens is not true to canon relationships.

This post explains why the final Agni Kai is not intended to be romantic.

This post explains how the final Agni Kai is primarily about Azula and how reducing it to be a big Zvtara moment is detrimental to both her and to Zuko and Katara themselves.

“And then literally at the end, Mai shows up after Zuko not talking about her at all for six episodes and declares herself Zuko’s girlfriend.”

This point could probably get a post of its own, lol, but fortunately I and others have already written a few! I will link them below - first, however, I question your choice of “declares.” Technically, yes, Mai does say outright that it doesn’t hurt how the new Fire Lord is her boyfriend, but your phrasing implies Zuko resisted her proclamation. When… he doesn’t. In fact, he embraces it, asking if that means she doesn’t hate him anymore (read: he asks if they’re back on good terms again). Zuko clearly doesn’t have a problem with the girl he loves wanting to be with him again - so why do some parts of fandom so adamantly insist he does? (Not you, anon - I am referring to the rabid fanoners, lol.)

Also, regarding how Zuko hasn’t talked about Mai for six episodes, we’ve gotta be realistic with this assessment in terms of canon:

1. It was the crux of the war. They were either going to live or die. There was no time for romance at this point! Sokka and Suki weren’t professing their love on the battlefield, lmao, so it’s not exactly strange that Zuko didn’t bust into a monologue about how he missed Mai. I think they were just a little bit distracted by the possible end of the world, lol, and all that jazz.

2. Zuko probably thought Mai was dead. He knows what Azula is like. He knows his sister doesn’t have time for people who get in her way (Aang can testify to this, lmao). So can you blame him for not wanting to think about how the girl he loved had died (to his knowledge) to save him?

You gotta cut the kid some slack, lol. Anyways! Additional sources about Maiko:

This post breaks down the notion of Maiko and “deserve.”

This post rationalizes through a canon lens why Mai’s arrival at the palace surprised Zuko.

This post is the mother of Maiko metas, explaining in tremendous detail why their relationships works, is relevant to canon, and was well-implemented for what its role was.

“And Katara kisses Aang after being annoyed with and by him arguably since The Southern Raiders.”

What in canon has led you to the conclusion that Katara was annoyed with Aang? What specific moments from TSR to the finale made you think Katara was annoyed with Aang and remained annoyed with Aang? Are there any, or are you thinking about fanon interpretation? (Canon vs fanon strikes again!)

In TSR, Katara explicitly thanks Aang for understanding her perspective. Nothing there is indicative of annoyance (and as in the links provided earlier, she was not angry at Aang/Zuko/etc. so much as she was at herself. well, she was a little bit angry with Zuko, lmao). In EIP, Katara is understandably angry at Aang’s decision to kiss her, but Aang completely backs off, and we see in the part 1 of the finale that there are no hard feelings or weird tension between them. Katara in fact actively expresses concern for Aang after Zuko sporadically attacked him when she demands of the firebender, “What’s wrong with you? You could have hurt Aang!” Even when Aang and Katara do butt heads later in the episode as Aang tries to think of a way to defeat Ozai without killing him, Katara doesn’t stay frustrated. Like I said - when she and Zuko are flying to Azula, she demonstrates her unwavering faith in Aang through her belief that he will return. So… where is the annoyance that you feel was present?

With all this mind, i.e. looking strictly at canon, Katara wasn’t annoyed with Aang during this time. Thus, Katara kisses Aang because she loved him. Because he backed off and gave her the space she needed to make a decision about if she wanted to be with him (hence Katara being the one to initiate the kiss). Because the issue was never about if she reciprocated his feelings (they both knew they loved each other) but rather it had to do with the war. At the end of the finale, the war is over, and there is nothing that prevents them from being together. Simple.

This post explains how Katara’s feelings for Aang develop throughout the series (and were not neglected, as rabid zkers like to claim, for some reason? again - you are not one of them, anon).

This post also covers Katara’s interest in Aang throughout the series.

“I can’t understand why Kataang shippers are okay with such a crap story.”

I mean, you definitely don’t have to ship Kataang. It may not be your cup of tea, and that’s totally okay! But as the above links demonstrate, Kataang was a fantastic story. It was well-implemented into the narrative from Day 1. The soulmateism is unparalleled!

Also, it’s worth noting that A:TLA itself was essentially pre-written. The writers knew how the story would end from the get-go, including that the show would end with Kataang. A few Zvtara gags were thrown in to add a sense of “who will Katara choose?” drama as the show aired, but Zuko and Katara were never planned to end up together. One reason so many newer fans are fine with Kataang from the start is that there’s no tension of waiting a week for a new episode when you can watch all 61 episodes straight through on Netflix, lmao. It’s even more obvious now than when A:TLA was airing that Aang and Katara will end up together, if that makes sense. (Although I talked about this in the E-L post linked earlier, so you probably understand this point already, as it was explained in detail there!)

All of this is to say that Kataang is not a “crap story” in terms of writing (again, personal taste is a different matter) because it was woven in from the beginning and had powerful narrative significance! (Kataang represented numerous complementary components of the series, such as yin and yang, push and pull, air and water, Oma and Shu, etc.)

Now. If you really and truly want to understand why Kataang shippers like Kataang, anon, consider reading some Kataang fanfics or exploring some Kataang headcanons. I read fics involving Zvtara more regularly than you might think, lol, because… well, it’s just a ship. I understand the appeal of romantic Zvtara and I can actually appreciate it when it’s well-written! I’m sure if you’re willing to put in just a little legwork (you don’t need to go the whole mile, lmao - ‘tis just fandom), you’ll realize why people like Kataang, even if it isn’t exactly your thing. You have the range, anon!! You got this!

I hope I managed to answer your questions, my friend! As always, you do not have to agree with anything I have said here. It is totally fine if you and anyone else disagrees! Everything above is simply my own perspective on the matter. Thank you for taking the time to read my response and all the different links I provided! I hope it has expanded your understanding of the subject at hand!

[stitch1830]

Ok, so I keep seeing your posts and have had more Zutara thoughts because of them (thank you for that, btw 😊) so I was curious if you have read any fics or like the Mom Friend!Katara and Dad Friend!Zuko trope? It’s one of my personal faves.

Some common things I’ve seen with this are:

Zuko noticing Katara does a lot of the work while staying at the Western Air Temple and stepping up to help, but Katara is rightfully wary of him at that point and gets frustrated for varying reasons

Katara getting sick from constantly doing everything for so long and Zuko helping take care of her and the Gaang while she’s down for the count (usually happens after TSR so they’re slightly awkward friends at this point)

Katara and Zuko late night conversations where Katara isn’t just being Zuko’s therapist, or Zuko isn’t just being Katara’s therapist, but they’re giving each other advice and listening to each other in equal measure overall (even if some nights one is feeling more down than the other and they focus on that for just that night)

Katara and Zuko getting some solid cooking together/doing chores together/bending together content

Katara and Zuko getting teased by the Gaang bc they’ve started to call them Mum and Dad when they’re being extra Momtara and Dadko (you know what I mean lol)

Katara and Zuko working to comfort anyone else in the Gaang over relationship problems (usually Sukka stuff here with misinterpreting stuff and overthinking and all that), childhood issues (Toph and her stuff with her parents), not feeling good enough (Aang, the sweet boi son who is so nervous abt all the pressure on his shoulders), or just war trauma stuff (nightmares and cuddles from Momtara and Dadko - is best with Toph imo)

Toph accidentally calling them Mum or Dad while super tired is the wholesome stuff thing

Idk if you’ve got other stuff that you’ve seen or headcannons you’ve got abt this trope, lmk bc I feel like I don’t seen enough of it lol

Hello! Thank you so much for the ask, and I'm glad you are enjoying the HC's. We all deserve to have Zutara live in our minds rent free haha!

I actually don't think I've read a specific fic with that particular trope, sadly. I'm kind of new when it comes to reading Zutara fics and haven't spent too much time exploring ao3 (There's so much I was shook the first time I glanced at it!). I've seen a few fan art comics with this referenced, that's all though. But, I am totally on board with this headcanon and honestly think it's super accurate. It probably should be explored more!

Both Katara and Zuko seem pretty selfless when it comes to their friends and family, so it would make sense to me that they take care of the others first, either individually or together. And then in turn, noticing when the other is struggling and offering support. It's probably an interesting story to see how they navigate the rough waters, because Katara is probably somewhat skeptical of Zuko still, and Zuko just isn't sure how to handle the situation. They're also two of the most mature members of the Gaang, so it makes sense that they take it upon themselves to take care of the group. (Also the cuddle sessions? Talk about uwu).

If I were to add to this list, I think they would often scold the group if they were only using a single braincell between them all.

Zuko probably stays up the latest in the group to watch for any trouble. Sometimes he notices Katara or another member of the Gaang shivering, so he'll give them his blanket.

I can see them when they're alone complaining to each other about the group's shenanigans and finding comfort in being able to relate to each other.

Katara would scold the group for giving Appa too many treats. But then Zuko sneaks one more apple to the sky bison :)

This might not fit the HC, but maybe if Zuko needs to tell Katara something and he's afraid of her reaction (maybe it's bad news and they're all already stressed), he'll practice his speech on a badgerfrog.

Katara and Zuko definitely spar a ton together and they learn each others moves and tendencies well. That's why they're so in sync during their practice battle.

Those are my immediate thoughts on HC's! Also, if you have a fav fic with this trope, feel free to send it my way! Love reading some good stories haha. Thanks again for the ask, and hope you have a nice day! :)

[the-last-cuddlebender]

I straight up check your profile daily for the southern raiders analysis you’re working on. 👀👀 where IS IT 😩

bRUH I am so excited to drop this analysis you have no idea (It’s creeping up to 22k+ I am gonna cryyyyyyyyyyyy). The only problem is that my TSR analysis and “Moon theory” are so incredibly hard to structure and articulate. I’m happy you’re so excited for it, though!!! Truly, it’s an honor. I’ll give you a taste of my madness and what’s to come, but be warned: it may be a bit hard to follow because TSR (from how I’ve come to understand it) is about the vagueness of beginnings, endings, and cycles, so there isn’t really a starting point for me to begin with. (So it may seem a tad bit like a ramble in some points that I haven’t fleshed out yet/am summarizing for this ask)

This analysis has me on trails like THIS brilliant nonsense, and I am 1000000000% here for it:

Roku: “The spirit's name is Koh, but he is very dangerous. They call him The Face Stealer.”

Katara: “We’re going to find the man who took my mother from me.”...“That’s him. That’s the monster.”

Lion Turtle: “To bend another's energy, your own spirit must be unbendable, or you will be corrupted and destroyed.”

Roku: “When you speak with him, you must be very careful to show no emotion at all. Not the slightest expression, or he will steal your face.”

Hama: “Congratulations, Katara. You’re a bloodbender.”

(If Katara had killed Yon Rha, she would be giving up her identity--her face. Not only would she have become a killer, but she would be killing what made her Katara)

Aang: “Let your anger out, and then let it go. Forgive him.”

Forgive him--approach him for what he is, not the faces your memories or your heart are having him wear. See him for the pathetic man he is in that moment right in front of you.

Aang’s forgiveness is seeing someone for the sum of their parts. It’s judging them and seeing through into their very soul, just like the Firebending Masters saw through Zuko being the Crown Prince and Aang being the Avatar. That meant nothing to the Masters. What did matter to them was who the boys were right there, right then, right in front of them.

“Why should I hold a grudge against you for something you did in a past life? After all, you’re a different person, now. You’ve come to me with a new face.”

But anyways...

If I can give no other take-away from my analysis and moon theory, it’s that Yin and Yang are not two entities; they are three. I think the fandom’s misunderstanding of it may be why the discourse on TSR (and Aang, Katara, and Zuko) is so black and white (pun intended lol). 

“But Yin and Yang are obviously two things. Don’t you know the symbol?” I hear some people already saying.

Wrong, sir.

It has never been just Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang have never existed as just two things.

They are Yin and Yang and Wu Wei.

(Aunt Wu has her name for a reason, and she has the mark of the wise in her hair for a reason, too...AND she is at odds with Sokka in The Fortuneteller for a reason, too!!!...but that’s for the analysis😉)

Balance isn’t good triumphing over evil. Balance is good and evil. Balance is standing on the flow between two opposites--it’s the compliment that connects them. (The koi fish live in an oasis for a reason.)

I’ll explain what Wu Wei is later in the full analysis (like many things in here), but here’s some of my evidences and proofs for the “Yin Yang trio”:

The Tibetan “Wheel of Dharma”

(I’ll also explain the Wheel and Dharma and etc. later because it has everything to do with Koh and the moon) Long story short, the wheel and its spokes are representative of the 8 steps to enlightenment and the cycle of rebirth. 

Look at the hub of the wheel. It’s a swirl made of 3 parts.

It is also a white lotus

Here’s the colored version of the wheel (as an alter):

Recognize the colors?

BLUE, WHITE (or gold, depending), & RED

These are the “THREE TREASURES” OR JEWELS.

They symbolize DHARMA, BUDDHA, & SANGHA respectively. 

KATARA, AANG, & ZUKO

water, air, & fire

T H R E E

Bato: “Ice dodging is a ceremonial test of wisdom, bravery, and trust.

Bato: “The spirits of water bear witness to these marks...”

Why does Bato say spirit(s) plural? The Ocean and the Moon are only two spirits. The Ocean can’t be two things. Right?

WRONG

Yue: “The legends say the Moon was the first waterbender. Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves.”

The Moon--singular. The Tides--plural (push and pull)

Lion Turtle: “In the era before the Avatar, we bent not the elements, but the energy within our senses.”

The moon pushing and pulling the tide is the moon bending the energy of its world. 

Katara finding balance between “being too weak to do it” or “strong enough not to” is her bending the energy within herself.

It’s two solutions written as a question but said as a statement.

Yue: “Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves”

THE SOUTHERN RAIDERS IS ABOUT AANG AND ZUKO LEARNING FROM KATARA. Katara had already learned from Aang and Zuko all leading up to TSR. That was her studying. TSR was her test.

TSR is Zuko’s and Aang’s studying. Sozin’s Comet is their test.

Bato: “For Sokka, the Mark of the Wise. The same mark your father earned. For Katara, the Mark of the Brave. Your courage inspires us. And for Aang, the Mark of the Trusted. You are now an honorary member of the Water Tribe.”

Aang - Wise (”you’re pretty wise for a kid”)

Katara - Brave (the same mark her mother earned)

Zuko - Trusted (”I was the first person to trust you”)

Sokka - Bato ("I am to have no part in this--you pass or fail on your own.”)

Yin and Yang are nothing without their dance. The Avatar and the Firelord mean nothing if they don’t have a world to rebuild.

The valley means nothing if there isn’t anyone to live in it.

Fighting is useless if there isn’t someone to fight for, otherwise it is “selfish and stupid”

Katara had to have a reason to return from Yon Rha. She needed to have Aang waiting for her. If she didn’t have a reason to stay, then she wouldn’t have a reason to go.

To have a reason to sleep, a person has to have a reason to wake up.

Katara: “Aang. He just took his glider and disappeared. He has this ridiculous notion that he has to save the world alone; that it's all his responsibility.”

Hakoda: “Maybe that's his way of being brave.”

(Bato: “For Katara, the Mark of the Brave. Your courage inspires us.”)

Katara: “It's not brave! It's selfish and stupid! We could be helping him! And I know the world needs him, but doesn't he know how much we need him, too? How can he just leave us behind?!”

(It was, in fact, not easy for Aang to ‘do nothing’)

Katara: “I understand why you left. I really do, and I know that you had to go, so why do I still feel this way? I'm so sad and angry...and hurt.”

Hakoda: “I love you more than anything. You and your brother are my entire world. I thought about you every day when I was gone, and every night when I went to sleep, I would lie awake missing you so much it would ache.”

(AND YUE IS ONE OF THE ONES TO SAVE AANG IN THE OCEAN FOR A REASON)

Thinking and missing: a matter of mind (who) and heart (want). 

Iroh: “Who are you? And what do you want?”

Sokka: “We need to go back. I wanna see Dad, but helping Aang is where we're needed the most.”

Mai: “I love Zuko more than I fear you.”

BUT YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT THE MOON FOR A HOT SECOND???

I’LL TELL YOU ABOUT THE MOON

I’LL TELL YOU ABOUT 2 MOONS

OH

OH REALLY???

OH REALLY, ZUKO

A FEW HOURS YOU SAY?

THEN TELL ME, ZUKO

WHY IS THE SUN GOING UP

WHEN IT IS THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT A FEW HOURS LATER

AND KATARA IS SLEEPING SO YOU CAN’T TELL ME IT’S BECAUSE YOU RISE WITH THE SUN OTHERWISE SHE’D BE WIDE AWAKE DURING THE FULL MOON THAT SHE USES TO BLOODBEND NOT EVEN TWO MINUTES LATER

THIS, MY FRIENDS, IS A HARVEST MOON

WHICH IS THE LAST FULL MOON OF THE SUMMER 

(and looks off color when it rises/falls because of the angle of the rise/fall in the atmosphere...it’s normal once overhead)

AND SYMOLIZES HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF

“We’re going to find the MAN who took my mother from me.”

“That’s him. That’s the MONSTER.”

8 spokes on the wheel

Katara was 8 when Kya was killed

8 steps to enlightenment (the “Eightfold Path”)

8 phases of the moon

8 faces of Koh

“One of your previous incarnations tried to slay me! Be it 8 or 9 hundred years ago” (but time is an illusion, so hundreds mean nothing)

THE OTHER TWO MOONS THAT ARE CONSUMING MY EVERY WAKING MOMENT???:

1.) The WOLF MOON--the first full moon of the new year (a love between the wolf and the moon in the harshest winters...connection is kindof obvious lmao)

2.) THE THUNDER MOON

The Thunder Moon is the full moon of July. It is also known as the Buck Moon--for when young buck regrow their antlers.

Yue: “My hair turned white.”

Zuko: *cuts and re-grows his hair*

Aang: “I have hair?”

The Thunder Moon--the full moon of July--is also the beginning of a certain Buddhist holiday.

DHARMA DAY

WHICH CELEBRATES THE BEGINING OF BUDDHISM AND THE FIRST OF THE 8 STEPS (the first spoke of the Dharma Wheel) TOWARDS ENLIGHTENMENT

AVATAR IS ALL ABOUT CYCLES

THE SOUTHERN RAIDERS IS ALL ABOUT BREAKING THEM

I haven’t even touched Jung, Koh, Hinduism, and Buddhism yet

or the fact that Katara and Kya are the only characters in the entire series to wear moons on their clothing and that, together, they form an actual lunar phenomenon

or why the spirit oasis isn’t a complete circle

or the fact that this thing that Aang is told to chase is just like Whaletail Island:

or how important the Great Divide and the Solstice are

AND I’M JUST GETTING STARTED

BECAUSE EVERYTHING IN THE SOUTHERN RAIDERS--RIGHT DOWN TO THE SOUND DESIGN--IS ABSOLUTELY MONUMENTAL IN UNDERSTANDING THE SHOW, ITS MESSAGE, ENERGYBENDING, AND LITERALLY EVERYTHING ELSE

TLDR: Idk how the heck I’m going to arrange or articulate this analysis because it is WILD. Be warned: There is literally no exact beginning and ending to this analysis because the whole point of Yin and Yang is that is has no beginning or ending (...kindof...), so you’ll have to bear with me once I’m done editing it into something that’s somewhat coherent.

These are just SOME of the things I’ve been able to answer with my moon theory and analysis of The Southern Raiders as it currently stands:

Why “letting go” isn’t really letting go (as we understand it...see: Aang’s confrontation with Koh)

Why Lake Laogai and the Spirit World are symbolically the same thing.

Zuko’s advice to the bullfrog is actually a summary of the show, energybending, the origin of bending, and the definition of Aang’s “forgiveness” I stg

Why “Sokka’s instincts” are the reason Katara yells at Sokka

Believe it or not, every time Katara mentions her mother, it is at specific times for specific reasons.

^^^same thing for the moon, lack of moon, moon positioning, etc.

Katara’s mother’s necklace is more important than we realize.

Who the faces of Koh are and WHY they are there.

The true meaning of Jet’s sacrifice.

Why Jet’s episode about the dam explains the entirety of TSR as it pertains to Katara (all the way down to the little girl who runs to get her doll after the dam breaks)

Why Katara actually DID forgive Yon Rha, and the fact that she doesn’t even know it is proof that she did

^^^^^Aang’s definition of forgiveness is completely misunderstood by the fandom, and the way he “forgives” is sososo much deeper than “moving on”, and it is DEFINATELY by no means “doing  nothing” or “excusing” past actions.

The importance of lightning, Zuko, Aang, and Katara.

The absolutely monumental and not nearly talked about importance of Jeong-Jeong like holy crap.

How Katara and Azula are just as much of a Yin and Yang as Zuko and Aang but not in the way we think they are

Why Koh has the Blue Spirit’s face

Why Koh DOESN’T have the Painted Lady’s face.

Who Ni-Ni from Katara’s campfire story in The Puppetmaster is 

How and why Iroh was able to learn firebending from the Masters even though he didn’t have a partner. 

How/Why Azula had her breakdown and why she saw her mother in the mirror

Why “Leaves from the Vine” and “Four Seasons” are the same song, explain Azula’s downfall, and explain the Yin and Yang of TSR.

Why Katara and Sokka are so often mistaken for parental figures.

Why Aang’s flashbacks to the Air Nomads are so important in understanding TSR.

Why Toph and Suki disappear after the campfire in TSR.

How Hakoda, Gyatso, and Kya are all connected.

Why it is so dang important that Azula shows up in the beginning of TSR.

The importance of the Spirit Oasis.

Energybending, healing with waterbending, Aang’s trauma, and Zuko’s scar.

Why Zuko gives Katara the exact opposite advise in TSR that he gave her in the catacombs. 

How everything could be predicted and read by the moon.

WHY YIN AND YANG ARE THREE THINGS AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THREE THINGS.

HOW ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL OF THIS TIES BACK TO THE MOON AND BUDDHIST BELIEFS--AND YEAH THE MOON AND BUDDHISM AND HINDUISM ARE MORE CONNECTED IN ATLA THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE.

AND HOW IT LEADS INTO OUR MODERN UNDERSTANDING OF THE SELF--BECAUSE JUNG TOOK GREAT INFLUENCE IN HIS DEVELOPING THEORY OF THE CONSCIOUS AND THE SUBCONSCIOUS FROM THE HINDU/BUDDHIST RELIGIONS 

^^^^AND ALSO THE THEORY OF THE SHADOW AND THE PERSONA 

The ocean is a deep, dark, unknown place with a lot of hidden monsters (like Yon Rah). Katara needed a light to find her monster, but she also needed somewhere she could breathe when she came back up for air.

If she didn’t have both Zuko and Aang, Katara would have drowned. 

I wasn’t kidding when I said this was a thesis, and what I’ve said and listed here isn’t even all that I have.

btw This all does line up on the traditional Yin Yang symbol we know and see in the show, but I don’t have enough space here for that lmao. That’ll be in the analysis

I hope you enjoyed this little taste, my friend, because I need to sit down for a hot second before my brain leaks out of my ears. Sorry for the ramble. I promise the analysis isn’t like this lol. This is just me trying to summarize as best as I can. 

***Disclaimer: My points are always subject to change since I am still researching. These are the facts as I’ve found and applied them to the evidences I’ve noted from in the show. I’m always open for friendly discussion or any directions to better sources on Buddhism/Tao/Jung!***

[natequarter]

hmm, au where ursa brings azula with her when she leaves the palace

my first thought is that this would have pretty adverse consequences for zuko, especially as ozai would no longer have the option of banishing zuko, because he would otherwise be heirless.

i think the best place for ursa to go would not be back to her hometown but to somewhere in the earth kingdom, either to ba sing se or simply roam it as earth kingdom travellers.

azula would probably deeply resent this at first, especially as firebending would no longer be an option, but over the five years she’d spend travelling and/or living in the earth kingdom she (and ursa) would slowly unlearn fire nation propaganda and i think azula would learn how to use nonbender weapons, maybe throwing knives or double swords.

i think ozai would say azulon actually wanted him to kill azula, so azula lied to zuko and told him he was going to die. as far as the fire nation is concerned, the fire lord killed azula for what ozai did and banished ursa  (who in this au probably doesn’t have the time to warn zuko and instead has to take azula while she has the chance) for trying to speak out at azulon. what a great tragedy, so many deaths (he doesn’t say ursa died; two deaths in one week is a tragedy, lu ten not included. three is suspicious.). 

as for zuko, i don’t think his agni kai would play out exactly the way it does in canon. as far as he’s concerned his mother and sister are gone at azulon’s hands - i think he might be suspicious, though, and would therefore want to stay on ozai’s good side at all costs. here zuko would suddenly be the sole heir to the throne and daddy’s favourite child (*ozai voice* because ursa stole ozai’s favourite child, the bitch). this of course means zuko has zero incentive to run away, and all iroh can do is watch from a distance as his nephew falls further and further into ozai’s hands.

if zuko does speak out against the council then any punishment would be in private, where it can be hidden, but as the sole heir i think ozai might actually regularly invite him to war meetings.

whew that was a lot. anyway five years later and apparently the avatar is back? for ozai this is a threat, so he sends zuko out to capture aang as soon as he hears the news. for ursa this is a chance to try and reconcile with her son. for azula this is oh gee finally something that isn’t earth, earth and MORE EARTH.

zuko chases down the avatar as he does in canon, with iroh by his side since ozai is fully aware he may be old but he’s a goddamn good tactician. it’s also a good excuse to get rid of his annoying brother and son. what he is not expecting is a very angry fourteen-year-old girl who’s really fucking pissed at being presumed dead for five years!

azula basically makes it her goal in life to get to aang before zuzu dearest does, not just to win the war but also out of sheer spite. unfortunately her firebending is... rusty. which means she stands little chance against the nwt in the dead of night, who have no idea who this irritating girl in earth kingdom clothes and her mother are but they’re pretty sure it has something to do with the prince of the fire nation.

azula watches yue turn into a lesbian the moon from a distance. for plot reasons i think it’s better if zuko and azula don’t meet quite just yet.

book 2: there is no invasion of ba sing se under azula, but zuko follows the avatar through the earth kingdom. aang katara sokka and toph are increasingly creeped out by azula, who they’ve spotted several times. zuko still has not caught on.

zuko reunites with mai and ty lee on much more amicable grounds than azula does, book 2 happens blah blah blah. 

anyway. ba sing se. zuko betrays iroh a little earlier than the finale here, sending him to the fire nation as a prisoner and is on his own sneaking into the city in disguise as the blue spirit, mai and ty lee working together in a separate pair. azula and ursa are working in ba sing se and the finale ends with azula finally fucking revealing herself by electrocuting aang (not as badly as in the finale) and kidnaps him. katara and co. try to kill her and honestly if ursa weren’t there to explain she probably would be dead. as far as anyone can tell aang is dead, and zuko returns to the fire nation now aware his mother and sister are both alive and well and on the loose in the earth kingdom.

now knowing that ozai has been lying to him, he has a heel-face turn blah blah blah and his full redemption arc only really kicks in towards the end of and post-canon.

azula falls in with the gaang, which is really good news for sokka and really bad news for katara because she might be a smartass and a strategic genius but she absolutely does not know how to handle tsr. being fully faced with the horrors of the fire nation serves to further change her, because... yeah. she’s perfectly happy to curbstomp yon rha but katara handles it as she does in canon.

come the finale. with ursa to keep firebending training in check aang has a slightly less ‘oops we nearly died’ experience. (also he very does not like azula for electrocuting him and azula has to apologise. properly. ursa is definitely watching.)

aang fights ozai blah blah blah ursa kicks him in the groin. this effectively destroys him even better than taking his bending away. zuko and azula fight an agni kai, and as one of them is about to kill the other ursa steps in and ends it. not acceptable kids. 

iroh very does not want the crown. fortunately ursa is there. RIP ozai, worst ex in history.

[themoonandhersun]

12!!! 16 and 19 for the zk asks 🥰

sim!!! :D thank you for sending these in!!! <333 i’ll message you back soon!

12. what are your steambaby headcanons?

let’s keep it short! :’)

kya and izumi are one year apart; kya was born first, and is a master waterbender (both healing and combative! she insisted on wanting to be exactly like katara because she adores katara that much).

also, katara had an intense cold while pregnant with her—not even zuko sharing his body heat was enough to keep her warm for long 😭

izumi is a non bender, but she masters sword fighting, kyoshi style fighting, chi blocking, etc etc. and while she is a nonbender, she moves fluidly like a waterbender, and her stances are similar to that of a firebender’s.

hmm...i wonder why?

iroh is a firebender. katara had an intense fever while pregnant with him, and zuko just knew. but when he was born, just to make sure, zuko held a ball of tinder underneath iroh’s nose—and...yep. iroh is a firebender. he learns from the dragons the way zuko did, and thrives while doing so.

iroh is two years younger than izumi and three years younger than kya.

(maybe they have one or two more steambabies, but i like to think they have three for now, take a break, and then try for more later on.) (also, as the youngest kid out of three kids, two older siblings is definitely enough, okay? shit. i wouldn’t be able to handle two younger kids bugging me)

also, katara and zuko are really patient with their steambabies; zuko is really relieved that he’s nothing like ozai. he and a therapist helped katara with her abandonment issues so when the steambabies want to leave and travel the world, she’ll be okay with it. :’))

but when the steambabies do leave and travel, they write letters to zuko and katara like crazy :’))) they always say they miss them and that they miss home and stuff like that, and always send zuko and katara lil gifts from wherever they’re visiting from.

so sweet :’)))

i like to think that they would all travel the world together, all three of them. they get on each other’s nerves, yeah, but they love each other. that’s what’s important.

16. do you think zuko and katara feelings for each other in canon or post canon?

yes and yes.

let me explain.

they definitely have feelings for each other in canon, but just didn’t realize it until post-canon.

i mean—zuko lets katara touch his scar. he closes his eyes, and lets her do it. that, in itself, is a big fucking deal, and i never thought of them as just ‘platonic’ after that. watching the crossroads of destiny for the first time—it’s hard to believe that they didn’t end up being canon in the show.

like, here, you have zuko, and zuko is known for pushing people away, and not opening up to others—but he does it with katara.

and here, you have katara, who is known for being compassionate and selfless even to her own detriment, who is yelling at zuko and openly cries when she talks about losing her mother.

here, you have two characters who have been changing since the series began. they’ve been interacting through most of it as enemies, but then, surrounded by glowing crystals—they make a connection, and there’s trust that’s made as a result.

(and then zuko betrays her...but that’s why zk fics starting from cod, where zuko chooses the gang, are always so good.)

imo, it’s completely possible that non platonic feelings could have been formed in the crystal catacombs, and they just didn’t realize it for a long time because there was always so much going on, you know? they had a lot to deal with during canon. not to say they didn’t have a lot to deal with post canon, but you get my point.

i just think they would’ve realized their feelings for each other post canon because they would be able to talk more—especially since katara would have to check on zuko a lot for his lightning wound. imo, in atla, lightning wounds would be rare, because bending lightning is rare (right?...i could be wrong about that tbh), so katara would have to be close to zuko at all times...and would probably have to think about why zuko sacrificing himself for her was so terrifying.

(they definitely liked each other after tsr though. i know that much!!!)

19. what do you think would have happened if atla got a book 4?

listen, sim. listen.

what i would think would have happened is—i think it would’ve been a lot like the comics, seeing as how br*ke created the comics as continuations of atla...like, br*ke would’ve taken over a lot just to make sure that no one would think zutara is a thing.

they would have a lot of m*iko and k*taang moments that they think are cute but are actually toxic, and they would do azula dirty. in fact, they would do a lot of characters dirty (considering the fact that they thought tsr was about aang being the angel on katara’s shoulder...yeah no doubt they would fuck things up for a lot of characters. aang’s development in b3 was...not good. i feel like they would attempt to give mai an episode, but they would butcher it).

they, br*ke, would fuck up b4 phenomenally. of course, they would try to have funny filler episodes, but...it just wouldn’t have worked out with them in charge. i mean, whenever they changed things in the episodes from b3, it wasn’t good at all. they aren’t good at writing as people praise them to be, that’s for damn sure.

what i would want is elizabeth welch (i think that’s her name? she was in charge of all the good episodes like zuko alone and the southern raiders) to be charge of writing atla book four, and man...that shit would be good. it would be golden.

she would handle zutara right, i know she would. 😌😌😌

[fakeikemen]

Anti-Kat/aang rant:

I had some leftover doubts since I recently joined the fandom, about if Kat/aangers had any points worth mentioning about why Kat/aang is a good ship or why Zutara is a bad ship. And the YouTube comment section of the soon-to-be-premiered video of Zutara relationship progression on the official ATLA Yt channel has convinced me that— No, they don't have any points at all. They actually invent excuses to hate on Zutara. And ridiculous excuses at that:

"Katara and Zuko have no chemistry. They are like siblings. Katara is the sister that Zuko never had."

Like I would've actually considered this theory if Zuko and Katara weren't so obviously romantically framed in the scenes they shared starting from "Crossroads of Destiny".

Somebody in the comments accepted that Zutara scenes were romantically framed but that didn't mean anything.

And I'm like: ?!?

This is animation we're talking about? Like anything that happens onscreen is because it was 100% intentionally put there, because it is drawn, coloured and animated. Even for a second worth of screen time, multiple frames have to be created.

Why would they put in that much hard work into making something if nothing was to come of it? Why would they frame those scenes romantically if Zuko and Katara were supposed to be siblings?!

Argument: Null and void.

"Zutara could never happen because Katara already had A/ang loving her and because Zuko had already M/ai as a lover."

Oh so fictional characters are strictly supposed to have only one possible love interest because anything else is illegal?? That's some bullshit right there.

And while we're at it, they talk about M/ai like she was perfect for Zuko but she was not? She treated him like trash? And Zuko literally forgot about her until she showed up in the last few minutes. Yeah, that's true love right there.

Argument: Null and void.

"Katara and A/ang have always been in love with each other from the start. Katara was ready to leave her village for A/ang after 5 mins of meeting him, obviously she was whipped. She was one who suggested that they kiss in Cave of two lovers and she blushed. She kissed A/ang on his cheek many times!! It's true love!! You're blind if you don't see that!!"

I—? Like, its clearly stated in canon that she wants to go with A/ang because this is her only shot at learning waterbending? They really think Katara exists as a character only to be A/ang's love interest, huh? That's sad.

She suggested that they kiss because they were trapped in a cave with no way out. There was a sculpture of two people kissing with ominous scriptures like: "Love will lead the way in the dark" (I don't exactly remember). This was evidently a "kiss or die" situation? Like it just shows that there is no other way Katara would've thought of kissing A/ang?? Seriously this is minus points for Kat/aang Idk why they even use this argument.

And why do they think the innocent cheek kisses are proof of Katara "not keeping her hands to herself"? Ugh. And if these kisses are romantic, why are we always shown that A/ang likes it but not the other way around, i.e.: Katara blushing after kissing A/ang's cheek?

Like Kat/aang's so called development is a joke. There are no two ways about it.

Argument: Null and void.

"Katara hated Zuko for 90% of the show and was kinda okay with him for the last few episodes."

Katara definitely didn't hate Zuko in Book 1 and 2. She was angry at him, yes, but she didn't outright hate him? Like if she did she wouldn't have bothered to offer to heal Iroh. She wouldn't have reached back to Zuko in the catacombs either. And she definitely wouldn't have offered to heal his scar.Her grudge against Zuko became personal only after Zuko betrayed her in Ba Sing Se.

For which he earned forgiveness from Katara fair and square and Katara forgave him at her own volition. No one forced Katara to forgive him.

And after being forgiven, Zuko and Katara were practically glued to each other. They really act like the episodes after TSR don't exist, huh?

Argument: Null and void.

"Zuko is abusive. He hurt Katara many times. He tortured Katara and her friends and tried to kill them."

Where? Seriously, where? Definitely not in canon.

Like, the narrative takes so much time to establish the fact that Zuko doesn't hurt people fatally under any circumstances. He is a victim of abuse: not an abuser himself. When did he hurt Katara? He pretty much saved her from a much, much worse fate in "The Waterbending Scroll" i.e.; the Pirates. He only knocks her unconscious at the North Pole and Katara returns the favour the next time she sees him. Combat is not physical abuse. Where did he torture them? He barely caught hold of them long enough to even actually say anything. Zuko literally got his face burned off for trying to prevent some soldiers from dying. This character would try to kill a 12 yo and his friends? Bullshit. He never tried to kill them. Other than the time he hired Combustion Man which was sooooo evidently wildly OOC for Zuko The worst of Zuko's behaviour paints him mostly as a brat and sometimes as a rude assh*le.

Saying that he was anything more is pretty much gross mis-characterization of Zuko. Like, its literally making up things that didn't happened.

Throwing around heavy words to make the opposing ship look bad is not woke at all.

Argument: Null and void.

"Zutara never kissed on the show, Kat/aang had 4-5 kisses."

Yes this is a real argument from their side.

Like yeah man, kisses = true love; why didn't I think of that before?

This is a new low.

Their first kiss is "kiss or die", the next kiss was in a daydream, the next two kisses were non-consensual and the last kiss featured an extremely OOC Katara.

The fact that Zutara has equal, if not more shippers even without any kisses just makes Zutara more powerful.

Argument: Null and void.

"Zutara makes no sense."

Oh but it does. It makes an awful lot of sense. A lot more sense than their ship.

Like their personal character arcs are so beautifully intertwined? They literally complete each others arcs? Them getting together would reinforce the main message of the show: healing and growth? They are both so alike yet different; they balance each other so perfectly? Zuko actively works toward improving Katara's mental health? Katara offers him endless support? They are so beautiful: I cry.

Argument: Null and void.

"Kat/aang is cAnOn!!!"

Do they have a better argument: No.

Like yeah, we know. We know that Kat/aang is canon. But we also know that the Zutara fanon is much better. And they know it too. That is literally why they feel the need to attack Zutara whenever they can. They can't even state valid points in their defense? And when you state logical points, they just— ignore it? It's almost like they harp about canon to remind themselves about it.

Argument: Even the arguer doesn't believe it.

Yes these are comments I saw with my own two eyes in the comments section. Is it just me or do Kat/aang shippers chose to remain wilfully ignorant about the context of the show?

[sokkastyles]

Hi,

Hope you are doing well. Thank you for the response to the query on Ursa.

I am back to TSR. A thought just struck me that TSR shines a light on Aang's flaw in relation to not understanding other cultures, something which seems consistent from Book 1, in regards to SWT customs at least.

One thing that we understand from the show is that a sense of family and community is one of the values of SWT, whereas Aang, being an Air Nomad has been taught to keep himself above earthly matters, but Aang being the Avatar cannot do so. He should have understood or at least acknowledged he was wrong in regards to this part of the SWT, along with the other major reasons related to Katara.

Also, its hilarious that Zuko understood this, in fact it feels like something that Aang should have learnt as part of his development, went to Zuko more.

This is a bit of a reach I think.

I would like your thoughts on this.

I've seen Aang stans say he doesn't understand family since he grew up an Air Nomad, but like, he should definitely understand community values because Air Nomad children are raised communally. Also his principal wound in the story is that he ran away out of fear of losing Monk Gyatso as a father figure. He should absolutely be able to understand Katara's loss. The fact that he can't empathize with her reads like misogyny because he sees her as his love interest first, and a person like him second. It also reads like racism considering the other times the story goes out of its way to show him disparaging SWT culture, without ever having to learn different.

It IS funny that Zuko better understands both that you can't force cultural values onto others AND what it's like to lose family, since he grew up with a belief that he didn't need to respect other cultures and a family that was seriously dysfunctional.

But then, someone who is forced to learn things the hard way often has a better understanding of things than someone who never had their beliefs challenged.

[swishandflickwit]

free falling (into your arms) — 1/1

Summary: She longs for purchase and in this slippery turmoil, it is him who grounds her.

Him who is her anchor in this howling monsoon.

following the events of the southern raiders, katara & zuko steal a bit of time together before they reunite with the rest of their friends.

Rating: General Audiences

Words: 7.4k

Warnings:  unbeta'd, i wrote this instead of sleeping, missing scene post-tsr, touchy-feely katara so don't read if that bothers you?, rambly iroh-channeling zuko, katara and zuko talk about bloodbending

AN: for zutara week 2020 day 5 - hesitancy

(maybe. idk. if you squint? i started this before i knew about zutara week then didn't have time to write for any of the other prompts so i just sorta... made it... work? lol)

you know what gets me about tsr every time? its when katara and zuko hug and it was like they'd done it a million times before and after that, touches between them became not frequent exactly but easy and maybe being almost murder buddies does that too but idk, she wanted to murder him .02 seconds ago and now they're co-parenting everyone else and i was like, something more had to have happened right? in the journey between whale tail island and ember island and from when zuko left katara to pick up the rest of the gaang something deeper had to have happened??? i cannot fathom it otherwise. i simply refuse. and so, this mess was born lmao. also we saw katara giving zuko a very tasteful peptalk, i wanted him to give her one too, one first? but like, make it cute and rambly.

Song Inspirations: title and lyrics (and fic inspired by) from Away From The Current by Keiko Necesario (such a zutara song, honestly), my tears ricochet by Taylor Swift

Also on: ff.net | AO3

Other writing

little by little i'm falling, deeper than the sea

maybe you can swim with me

 They are gone before Yon Rha ever opens his eyes.

They dash away with a speed that leaves her breathless, everything around her a blur made even murkier given the deluge upon them.

(they run faster still yet never farther it seems, and she hates, hates, hates until the feeling chokes her, consumes her, although she doesn't know at what whom, and she hates that she hates at all)  

And she cannot recall how her hand finds its way into Zuko's but she is grateful anyway—grateful because his grip is warm, pleasantly so even if they hadn't already been entrenched in the growing cold of the rain. The heat of him keeps her shivering at bay, the calluses that shape his palm slot in the grooves of her own lifelines and hold her aloft when her feet tangle in the flood and cobblestone.

She is grateful because as they race towards sanctuary his grasp—skin surprisingly rougher than how she imagines a prince's touch would be—becomes the only thing preventing her from greeting the dirt like an old friend. She is grateful, for if their fingers hadn't been twined—however clumsily—then nothing would stop her from floating away with the torrent of her element. There is smog shrouding her until both her vision and her brain is clouded. She longs for purchase and in this slippery turmoil, it is him who grounds her.

Him who is her anchor in this howling monsoon.

The thought is wild; even incomprehensible just a day ago when he was clearly the embodiment of her torment—the spawn of a tyrant, the heir of the destruction that brought about her mother's demise. His is the face of the Enemy, yet she does nothing to stop the proclamation from sharpening in her fogged-up mind.

Not now when the line between who he was and who he is grows more indistinct with every second she spends with him, not now when they have come so far with just each other to rely on. Not now when she’s lost count of how many times she nearly tumbles, her name tearing from his lips in a frayed yet concerned hiss that she knows she has not earned. And most definitely not now—not when he has witnessed her at her most cruel, engaging in an act so vile she swore never to utilize it and yet and yet and yet. She brands the word hypocrite onto her soul as penance but it is a feckless measure because she knows, even if it sickens her, that she does not—she does not—

(she might as well add coward there too, since she does not, cannot, finish this line of reasoning)

(it is quite possible though that she is being too harsh on herself, like she always is. after all, she remembers how zuko's eyes had merely widened as he understood what her bending had done, what she had done, yet he had not so much as flinched.

he simply carried on.

her guilt however, prevents her from truly conceiving this and she buries the brief awe that had sparked in the prince's gaze, then, and juxtaposes it with the terror she had expected—that which she truly deserves)

The sight of Appa has her knees weakening so that she is collapsing into the shelter of Zuko's arms. It’s as if her body likens the presence of the bison to safety, granting her permission to crumple, to break.

Not that Zuko allows her to, not really, not in the way she expects.

Appa wields the pair of them upright as Zuko braces against the bison and she against the firebender. It allows him to clutch at her with a desperation that borders on painful. With the entirety of her weight supported by him, she finds that he is just as calescent as the tenure of his hold suggests. It would console her, strange as the source of it is, were it not for the sheer, cold fright that arrests his otherwise golden orbs. The consolation does come however, when she discerns that it is not her he is frightened of, no. But he is frightened.

He is frightened for her, and the strangeness, too, evinces when she is humbled by the realization.

"Katara," he gasps when she clamps staunchly at his biceps.

"G-get me out of here," she stutters, no longer able to temper the tremble in her voice nor the shaking of her limbs, though the chilly outpour has far to do with either instance. "Get me out of here now."

He nods, the haze of distress aborting from his stare. But before he can board them both onto Appa, she transfers her clench from his arms to the collar of his drenched, ebony tunic and says, "Don't."

Don't take me back to them, she means to relay. Don't let them see me like this, she silently begs. Not yet not yet not yet, please not yet.

But the words are frozen in her throat, weighed by dark, dark things—things like shame and disgust and panic and a numbing cold—so only one word escapes her in a whisper, an aborted sob, that she does not expect him to hear. But stranger still (or, at this point she is coming to learn, maybe not so) is the increasing understanding that continues to dawn on his expression, and which manifests itself in an assertive nod.

He is scooping her into a bridal carry when a renewed hysteria grips her, her wicked musings seeing fit to torture her in her fatigue. What if he misunderstood? What if he brings me to the others? What if he tells them?

(a smaller, but no less clamorous, part of her adds, what if they hate you—what if he hates you?)

(not that she could bare the others' judgement any easier but the prospect of his hatred being directed at her in addition to theirs just grates and she feels like shattering)

With the dregs of her dwindling vigor, her digits tighten on the cloth around his neck—the movement not to harm when it comes to him for once, but a bid to further explain herself. Zuko is unfazed by the storm brewing within her, ever a growing paragon of sympathy.

"I know a place," he vouches gently—surefooted in a way that is becoming familiar to her when the early morning light comes, loathe as she is to admit it before (strengthen your root, aang)—and equally soft in her ear, "Trust me."

I do, she longs to vow, but the ice inside her grows and the promise is taken with the rushing wind as he grabs the reins and takes off.

The loss of him is jarring.

It should befuddle her. Given their less than stellar past, Zuko and proximity had always been in the context of situations she would rather forget—on battlegrounds, and glowing prisons, and more recently, safe houses with separate rooms and large common areas, along with the very saddle they sit on. Before that, it had been open fields upon which they would assemble their singular tents. They meet and they share spaces, but hardly do they ever touch.

(and while ba sing se is a memory she is coming to terms with, it is one that still slightly smarts and therefore, one she does not count)

Up until recently she was more than fine with this arrangement. They gave each other a wide berth, and everyone was, if not happy, content for it.

But in this new and mystifying After, when she falls like liquid and he is the only solid thing to catch her (and cup her and hold her and keep her together), the previous avoidance feels petty, stupid and childish—never mind that they are children.

(not that she's felt that way recently, if she ever felt that way at all)

In the After, the switch from her frigid distance to his succoring cradle, while abrupt, is the furthest thing from unwelcome.

So, she whimpers when he motions to settle her atop the bed of the saddle. The way he carries her has them the nearest they've ever been to each other—her every downy curve pressed against the hard lines of his lithe yet lean figure. She wants to lose herself in the embers of his gaze. She wants to melt into his skin. She wants to burrow in his inner warmth and never come out, anything to thaw the glacial stalactites that have snared her insides.

Later, she will acknowledge that her sudden attachment to his fire has less to do with his actual ability to provide heat so much as it has to do with her need to cauterize the atrocity that mars her soul. Now though, in this tenuous yet bright After, with him as her only source of light in the darkness that suffocates her—he seems both close and not close enough. It's any wonder then, that the moment they both touch down from Appa, she clings to him.

Though it is her who slumps into his arms again, she knows she catches him off guard. She can tell by the way his breath stutters and tension suddenly seizes his every muscle, while his heart beats a staccato rhythm in his chest. She gets the fleeting impression he is a stranger to affection despite the love he so blatantly harbors for his uncle when he speaks about him. Katara, nurturing by nature, determines right then and there to rectify this post-haste. So, cling she does, like a newborn panda-koala to its mother. 

At some point in their journey, the rain abates. The air is sweltering in this Fire Nation island he has taken her to, and still, she clings some more. She is unyielding yet tender in her embrace, until she senses the incredulity dissipating from his aura, until the tautness dissolves from his bones and sinews, until his heart slows in repose, until the glaciers that make up her blood—not melt, precisely but—soften enough that she can feel beyond her trepidation, until the incalescence of him steams the water from their clothes and seeps into her skin.

It is as much awkward as it is dulcifying, but neither is inclined to let go. For the first time since they had embarked on the mission, perhaps even so far as the first time since they met… they can both finally, properly breathe.

He holds her and she holds him, until the sun from which he channels his own energy draws towards the horizon, the effulgent curves of the inflamed heavenly body sinking to kiss the sea. The cold creeps ever closer yet never over her.

How could they be so bold? When Katara falls asleep in the arms of the firebender prince.

-//////-

The moon is high when she awakens next.

Yue is full, beautiful and blinding against the inky sky and yet, she is alone.

A new bout of dread rushes through her, the ice in her veins solidifying with terrible alacrity to accompany the tumult of her insecurities.

He left, of course he left, he knows what you can do, snarls and spits the cloying thing residing within her that which she fatuously assumed had been temporary. He knows who you are, what you are, and he fears you.

He is right to do so.

A twig snaps and her head swivels towards the sound. With a shudder of relief, she alights upon the vision of Zuko appearing from the tree line that borders the inner edge of the beach, Appa not far behind him. There are offcuts of leaves in the bison's gargantuan mouth and a pile of firewood in the prince's arms. Her eyes dart briefly at the bonfire dancing sedately a few paces from where she lies, but mostly they drink him in.

Zuko had been muttering quietly to Appa but at her scrutiny, he stops. When he locks onto her, he offers a pallid smile (though with the shadows playing at his visage, the turn of his lips is more grimace than anything) and a similarly tentative, "Hey."

"You—" she murmurs, stilted and rigid as she works to swallow the residues of her panic. "Don't—" and there's that awful word again although this time, she manages to get the rest of the request, demand, plea sentence out. "Don't leave."

(the words me and again are unspoken yet heard just as loudly and acutely as if they had been shouted)

"I won't," he is quick to reply. Still, she is not assuaged, even must fight to prevent her hands from reaching for him. It makes her feel pathetic. Katara has always been free with her affections and in turn has never been in want for touch. So, to crave Zuko's—of all people—warmth is an occurrence she never could have foreseen, insatiable avarice warring against her leaden contrition especially now that she knows, with incontestable surety, how they fit together. Her rapacity presses for victory, so much so that she resorts to sitting on her hands to further quell the urge to wrap herself around him.

Assurances made, Zuko resumes tending to the fire while Katara distracts herself by ruminating on her newfound regard for the prince.

(conclusions are drawn but the significance of them has her repelling the revelations just as rapidly as they are made—to be dissected and inspected by the katara of later)

For once, she is static as Zuko navigates the tedium that comes with setting up camp. With the fire done, he unfurls their sleeping bags at a respectable distance. He follows this with a careful inventory of their provisions, and when the stock is accounted for, he dishes out the appropriate rations (seal jerky being the sole menu as they had neither time nor patience to scrounge for anything more the night they left). He even goes so far as to pet Appa and confirm the bison's comfort, a palpable if subtle bond there that she allows herself to recognize at last. There is a naturality to his gestures that would fascinate her had she happened upon it any other night. As it is, she is still a tad too miffed—her head swimming in agitation from having woken up thinking she was alone—to fully appreciate his initiative.

She reaches for her bundle of jerky when she notices the state of her hands. As a result of sheltering them amongst the fine grains of the ground, they have surfaced dusted with sand. Zuko notes this at the same time she does with a startled, "Oh!"

She is about to voice her puzzlement at his reaction or even dismiss the mess as an inconvenience easily solutioned when he jogs to the shallow depths of the sea. There he shreds parts of the bottom of his tunic before dousing them into the ocean. Upon his return he kneels before her and, with a consideration that mesmerizes her, wipes her palms with the waterlogged strips.

She novels at the various means with which he astonishes her, and might continue to astonish her, during their—now indefinitely extended—period together.

He dabs cautiously at the grime and scrapes clinging stubbornly at her flesh, something rusty yet accustomed in his body language—like the intimation is a fragment of his past, however long forgotten.

Distantly, she registers that Zuko is an older sibling. Maybe not exactly like Sokka, but a big brother all the same. She tries to picture Azula—not as the elegant, cunning, dangerous princess she knows now—but younger… softer… before power and bloodlust planted its insidious roots and sprouted weeds. Was there a time her eyes shined with fondness instead of anger? Where she had whispered sweet words, not to manipulate but, to share in her mirth? Did she ever come to Zuko like this, dirty and bleeding, certain he would know what to do to soothe her hurts away?

She tries to conjure it and fails miserably. If anything, she is more disturbed at the prospect that Zuko might view her as something like a sister. Though a part of Katara knows how irrational it is to fixate on such an inconsequential surmise, an even bigger part of her bristles.

She feels it then.

The frost that she so adamantly hoped was chased away by Zuko's fire, surges with renewed vigor inside her. It twists into that something dark and ugly, something that has been haunting her all night—one Katara knows but is reluctant, afraid, to name.

Zuko is blissfully unaware that he is the subject of her grisly musings. He runs the cloth over her palms with the same intensity he seems to tackle his every circumstance, his swipes relentless in their bid to rid her skin of impurities. Then again, she expects no less from the firebender who persistently chased them across the world only to just as doggedly proclaim his loyalty to their cause. What throws her off however, is the determined patience he exhibits so as to avoid her open cuts, for no other reason she can think of than to prevent the inevitably harsh sting of the saltwater on the wounds—never mind that the scratches are no larger than a fingernail at best and as long as that of her thumb at worst—his cleaning caress focused yet light.

The purposeful care would endear him to her, if the thought that he might see her as a sister-figure didn't enduringly unsettle her so.

He is close to finishing when the dark thing inside her rattles to make itself known.

"I can do it myself."

But the whispered grievance lacks the vehemence with which such a statement is usually made. Perhaps that is why Zuko doesn't completely halt so much as slows. His clasp on her hands grows even looser, the miniscule shift in his hold telling her that she may breakaway at her leisure.

"Right," he breathes when she doesn’t pull away. "Waterbender."

The title chafes her, glass shards piercing at her chest in a way that simultaneously encourages her rabidness and makes her want to crawl out of her body. Again, the inclination to fuse herself onto Zuko and his feverishness becomes an unbearable need. Now that she has gotten a little more than a couple of hours of sleep, she has enough sense to be embarrassed for her rather enthusiastic tenacity to adhere herself to him earlier. She should be loathe to so much as breathe the same air as him, yet here she is again, just as eager and willing to meld into his incandescence with nary a thought to his convenience.

(it’s situations like these that she cannot deny her relation to sokka—much to her chagrin—because clearly, she is an idiot)

But her pride and common sense impede her impulse for now so, on somewhat imperceptibly wobbly legs she walks to the shoreline, hoping the proximity to her element will infuse her with tranquility.

(or in this case, what little is left of her sanity)

Shoes tossed aside and her ankles deep in the water, Katara moves into her stances with an almost paralleled elegance to her element. The exhaustion that has latched onto every inch of her, down to the very marrow of her bones, hardly strains her when the moon imparts her with the strength she necessitates to go through the entirety of her bending repertoire. More than anything, she is further compelled by the prospect that the familiar maneuvers will dispel the slithering sickness that pervades her.

Except… she can feel him, his breath, his blood, his stare. He is watching, just watching, and it unnerves her so much that she loses her instinctual fluidity the more complicated her katas become, no matter that as a master she could easily do them in her sleep.

Just then, a particularly exuberant tide slams into her knees and disquiets her balance just as she is approaching the pinnacle of her most complex stance. And although she wavers only a little, her toes immediately hasping onto the seabed, it's as if a dam inside her caves. The profundity of the night's events crashes into her so it is less like she had stumbled and more like she had capsized as a ship does from the enormity of a storm—turbulent and impuissant against the raging current.

What have I done? she sobs in her mind, even as her power—exorbitant from the fullness of Yue's grace—crests in response to her distress. It thrums like wildfire through her veins, yet she has never felt further from calidity.

No, it is not a fever that grabs hold of her.

What have I done? she asks again when it is the deadly frost of winter that bites at her soul. From the ocean of her anguish, her grief, ascends a tempestuous tide that shapes into that of her repulsiveness. Everything about herself that she abhors, every repugnant crack that splinters at her perfection, at her supposed goodness, all the jagged pieces she runs herself ragged to keep smooth and hidden, boils to the surface in choppy torrents of her bending.

With the endless expanse of the sea at her disposal, Katara crimps her fingers until she traps herself in a barricade of ice. The structure is flawless, her reflection undisturbed and perfect.

How she hates and hates and hates.

With a scream, Katara raises her arms above her head, the roughness of her motility entirely contrary to her element. The ice around her begins to fracture then, her image fragmenting so that the ugliness carefully concealed in her interior is mirrored upon her exterior, free from the shadows at last.

This, she decides, this is what I have done.

A swelter licks at her back but it barely warrants her contemplation. The entirety of her attention is fixated on how the fissures distorting her glass shadow paint her in harsh, unflattering angles, and yet she has never felt more right.

She wonders what that says about herself… how she very well knows even as she asks it, and what scares her isn’t that she is afraid of the answer but that she is not.

“Enough.”

His command, soft and gentle as the steam it is carried on so it is less edict and more entreaty, pierces the condensation she hadn’t heeded was gathering at her feet until it is right in front of her. She should be vexed, maybe even surprised.

But Zuko always did have a way of making himself seen—of making himself known.

“That’s enough,” his rasp is even deeper, seared as it is by his concern of which she is still unused to receiving. His fingers on her shoulder are preternaturally warm this time, but it takes all of her not to lean into it regardless. “You’ll hurt yourself!”

“Isn’t that what I deserve?” she growls, tearing away from his grasp only to turn towards him so that he bears the omneity of her depravity.

The time for hiding, at least when it comes to the prince, has long since come to an end.

His eyes widen, and she almost smiles at his predictable fear—except he is reaching for her once more, a mixture of confusion and vehemence dripping from his inflection instead when he exclaims, “Of course not! What are you talking about?”

Something like hurt flashes across his eyes when she jerks from him again, her back thudding forcefully against her ice wall. His perplexity echoes throughout her so that she retorts, just as stridently, “What am I talking about? What are you?”

The question in his eyes is genuine and unfading, and Katara wants to fall into him all over again just for that. But she holds on to her anger, coats it around her like she would glazed armor to defend against the sheer magnitude of him.

“Y-you saw what I did,” she hisses but when he shakes his head again, she falters against the smooth, rime palisade. Who knew all it took to defeat her was a pair of amber eyes molten with sincerity? And that it would hurt her if when the seafret weight of it—cozy like a blanket made from her Gran-Gran’s hand as opposed to the armor she sheaths herself in—slips from her fingers like vapor, gone as quickly as she had it, if she ever had it at all?

She wonders why she cares.

(except she knows the answer to that, too)

“You know what I am,” she mumbles dejectedly.

“And what is that?” he whispers, equally muted.

It is only when she stills at the question that she notices she was quivering in the first place. She closes her eyes, like the act might suppress the truth despite how fully aware she is of its inevitability.

She stalls. A step, a pulse, a blink, and then—

“Monster,” she breathes.

She convinces herself that she is not petrified of what she will see when she meets his gaze, so she forces herself to look.

To her surprise, he isn’t looking at her at all and it confounds her so much she forgets to be relieved.

It is their sorry encampment he is facing when he says, “Come by the fire,” and he doesn’t check if she follows but he does incline his head over his shoulder enough to add, “I don’t want you to freeze any more than you already have.”

She wants to tell him that should be the least of his worries, that ice would be the furthest breach to her downfall. But the quip sounds paltry even in her head, and the fact that he still worries silences her just as effectively.

She doesn’t know what to do with herself when he sits but the nonchalance in his demeanor—legs held loosely in the lotus position, his arms propped lazily behind him, and his head tipped placidly at the sky—presents an invitation. Even if it isn’t, his propinquity tempts her.

He is gravity and, as she has well proven, she is helpless against his pull.

“Say something,” she implores from beside him, the bonfire void when nothing but a foot separates them, the emanating heat she siphons from his skin is more than adequate to fend off the brisk, night air.

“Yon Rha is alive.”

“Death would have been too kind for a spineless vermin like him,” she blazes through gritted teeth, before the fight leaves her altogether. “But that’s not—” she sighs. “He’s not why.”

“You’re talking about the soldier on the ship.”

“I swore,” her speech is warbled even in susurration, “I swore I would never call upon my power that way. I promised, with my brother and my best friends as my witnesses, but the first opportunity away from them presents itself and what do I do?” Her eyes are red-rimmed and crusty from the volume of tears she had shed the previous night, and yet a fountain must reside within her for tiny rivulets of them stream down her cheeks anyway—the more she wipes them away, the faster they fall. It is her turn to shake her head. “You must think I’m a monster too.”

His scrutiny is scorching when he abandons his seemingly languid perch to render the plenitude of his attention on her.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he responds evenly.

“I don’t? How dare you!” the resuscitation of a still embittered memory has her erupting from her position and kicking up sand as she abruptly rises to her feet. That he remains seated, countenance so calculatingly neutral his resemblance to his sister has never seemed more evident, only fuels her ire. “I took this man’s will. I reached into his blood, his life source, and I commanded it as my own. I corrupted my bending and nearly defiled him for it. And maybe he wasn’t innocent, but he was innocent to me. Who knows what I would have done if I hadn’t realized he was the wrong man? Would you have stopped me then? I can’t imagine you would have when you just stood by as I almost murdered another man in cold blood! What then?” her chest is heaving with her fervency, but her declamation is a mellifluous contrast to her beginning parlance. “What then?" she sags back down to the ground in a boneless heap, rubbing at her wet cheeks in vain, and she is so tired of crying. "It was monstrous. I’m monstrous.”

“Maybe you did do a monstrous thing,” he starts solemnly, “but that doesn’t make you a monster,” his inflection is just as subdued as hers, and it doesn’t escape her that this entire night he has matched—if not capitulated to—her, motion by motion, tone for tone; that he ducks low when she aims high, is cool when she runs hot, and spirited when she falls into despair. It’s like he views them on equal footing, like he never intends to be above her, only with her. She finds that she is moved by this revelation, something emotive and electric pulsing rapturously at her fingertips. But before she can further delve on it, he continues, and the poignancy scatters like ashes in the wind in the wake of the sorrow on his tongue.

“I should know, I grew up around them,” he laughs but it is the sound of broken glass, so pained and humorless it scrapes against the cusped contours of her own smattered heart. “There are days when even I can’t distinguish myself from them. So, believe me,” his fingers ghosting his scar. “There are worse things a monster can do than grant mercy.”

“I’m sorry,” she conveys staunchly, and she means it. They have danced this dance before, so she is no stranger to the ridges that separate smooth skin from marred one when her digits trace the worn pathways. “I’m sorry,” she repeats.

“Don’t,” he gives her hand a squeeze when he slips it from beneath hers, before placing it on her knee with some semblance of propriety, remnants from his days of royalty she supposes.

(she refuses to entertain the more conceivable possibility that it is a repeated unaccustomedness to touch, lest she track down the firelord and prematurely end this war, avatar or not)

“Don't be. Not for me, not for tonight, not for anything.”

She doesn’t know why she protests but she does. Is this not what she wants to hear? Does she not want this vindication?

“But the bloodbending—”

“Is just another part of you.”

“A bad part,” she mutters, demeaningly.

His cautious veneer ruptures at this, the sneer contorting his mouth so evocative of the days when he was her adversary that she almost summons a spear of ice out of habit. But the ardor in his aurelian orbs and the passion in his smoke-encased voice arrests her in the present, so that there is no mistaking the reproach in his homily, yes, but the acceptance too.

“Could the nomads not command the very air that passes through your lungs? Had the Dai Li not thought twice about burying you alive?  Wouldn’t you be able to drown a foe just as easily as you could conjure your healing water to save them? Is destruction all there is to fire, when it can also warm you and cook your food?” he snarls and as if in demonstration, the roaring pit before them blazes for a fraction of a second before resuming its indolent conflagration. “Every element has their strengths and their weaknesses, every person their good and bad side,” he stares at his hands, elbows propped limply upon his bent knees, and something despondent and regretful dulling the sparkling tinder in his eyes. “Some bad sides, stronger than others,” he finishes quietly.

“I don’t regret it,” she confesses, and she should be humiliated by this admission that has been clawing at her chest and choking at her throat. But all she is is unbothered, unbound—more airbender than water for the first time in her life, and is this how Aang constantly feels? Is this what propelled him to leave the day his destiny was revealed to him? Not that she did then but how could she ever blame him now, when this liberation was so exhilarating?

“Still doesn’t make you a monster, though.”

“But does it make me a good person?”

He sighs, rubbing at his nose in a pantomime so boyish, it disarms her. For a moment she forgets who he is and who she is and who they are to each other.

And what is that exactly?

“I think it just means you’re trying,” he shrugs. “We've all got the potential for darkness and lightness within us, our powers just as capable of tipping towards either side. But I guess the question for every moment is, to which side are you going to choose to be a vessel for? Or—or maybe it isn't so clean cut. Maybe it's just about finding the in-between, the…” he trails off, appearing lost in thought as his gaze trains on the skyline, like he might find the wayward reverie there.

She thinks back to the aftermath of the siege of the North, remembers Aang orating similar advice.

Push and pull… he had imparted, yin and yang…

“Balance,” she hums.

He gives her an appreciative glance that she perceives all the way to her bones.

“Yes,” he agrees. She can almost sense the connections cultivating in his brain and she lets it, not daring to interrupt him when she is so enchanted by this scarce sight of an artless but enthusiastic Zuko. “No one is wholly good or evil, but it’s the choices you make in seeking your inner balance that will ultimately define you, right? And I know what you’re gonna ask—did you make the right choices last night? Honestly, I couldn’t say. I think you’re the only one who can really answer that.” He takes a deep breath, biting at his lips before venturing gingerly, “Far be it from me to pass judgement, but I need you to know that I could never… see you like that. You’re scary, sure, and I think you like that,” she hides a satisfied smile at that, at how he reads her. “But a monster? Spirits, never.” He runs a hand through his hair, before rubbing at the nape of his neck. “You didn’t have to spare that—that—asshole, but you did.” There’s a blush to his cheeks that she only understands when he remarks, “And not that my opinion really matters to you but, you’re seriously one of the strongest people I know.”

And something inside her clicks into place as the validation she didn’t know she was seeking washes over her in gentle eddies. She doesn’t feel strong just then, the total opposite, in fact. But his unyielding support sedates the foreboding mass of algid tenebrosity inside her, if only for a little while, so that she resembles something a little like solid.

“Actually,” she gibes, however feebly. “I was gonna ask how a hothead like you got so wise.”

The little gust of wind that escapes him is not exactly a laugh, but she counts it as a victory all the same. “My uncle would have better insight for you. I mean, it would probably be wrapped in an enigma tied in a tea-related metaphor, but no less helpful.”

"I don't know," she drawls, though not unkindly, as she bumps her shoulder amiably against his. She relishes the contact when he doesn’t shift away. "You're not so bad."

"I'm not?"

The vulnerability in his resonance tells her his inquiry goes beyond his ability to provide advice, and after everything he's given her this night alone, it is only fitting that she is more than willing to reciprocate.

“No, no I don’t think that at all. I dare say,” she smiles, sinking into his side. “You, Prince Zuko, are good.”

“Good,” he mouths disbelievingly, as if he never thought the word could be tethered to him, like no one’s ever called him that. Maybe they haven’t, which saddens her because she may as well have been one of the reasons for that. It's just another thing to add to her growing list of what she hopes to do for the fire prince who has not received enough warmth and kindness in his life, as she is gradually discovering. “Never really been good at being… good,” the upturn of his lips is self-deprecating but the candor of it lends a light to his face that makes its former absence even starker, but no less stunning in its rarity. “You know that more than anyone, and for that I’m sorry. Truly, I am.”

“You’re trying,” she parrots, and his smile widens minutely, but it is enough. She akins it to the sun, peeking from the horizon after days sequestered forlornly behind storm clouds, and she is esurient for the homeliness his warmth is sure to supply. She doesn’t know it, but it will be a long time before she sees even a glimmer of it again. For now, she basks in his glow, until the ice strangling her core melts into liquid into mist except before she can evaporate, he is there to moor her to the safety of port.

Her fingers drift within reach of his scar and this close to him, breaths mingling and noses a hairsbreadth apart, she can make out the misshapen shape of a hand. There is a story there, a tragic one, no doubt. And she hopes he trusts her the same way she unequivocally does him (for how can she not after what they have been through and what they have exchanged? and she will tell him, she will) to one day divulge, but not tonight. She does not want to taint the effulgence of this moment with any more talk of darkness.

She only wants his charming guilelessness, no matter how unintentional, and his graceless chatter. She wants the domesticity of his hands and the honor of his brand of protection. And if you had asked her two days ago, her answer would have been completely different but now, now she revels in his mercurial temper as much as she values his ardent humility.

She just wants to be present as he continues to try, and what more could she desire from a friend?

It shouldn’t, but it hits her like a riptide; he’s her friend. And it’s been inclement waters seeing as they had to maneuver all the way from opposite sides of the battlefield to a necessary alliance to a revenge-driven field trip. And it shouldn’t be the most peculiar thought of the night, certainly not the most astounding, but it is. It is.

After so long chasing each other across the world, he is here. He is here and he is her friend, one who is privy to a side of her she had kept shackled and secreted, even from herself and still he understands, still—

He stays.

“I know I’ve asked so much of you already, but can I ask just once more?”

He doesn’t hesitate. He’s her friend and she is his and it is nothing like she has ever known before. It is hard-earned and precious and marvelous.

It is everything.

“Anything you need, Katara,” he avers most earnestly, eyes burning with companionship and hands outstretched in pillars of support. “Anything I can give and it’s yours.”

(and, if the buoyant churning in her gut is any indication, maybe even more and oh, Tui and La, but she is in trouble—)

She follows the elongated indents of his left palm, tracking the lines there that had aligned so exquisitely with hers as he banished every reluctancy and held her hand even then, and is overtaken by a flashback—to a village bordered by a volcano, a similar position but in reverse, a powerful bender suddenly thunderous in her head.

(—not that she’s ever buckled from a challenge before)

Yue’s brilliance is kind on him, coloring his pale skin ethereal so that it shimmers otherworldly against her own sun-kissed flesh. The nobility of his lineage is subtle, found mostly in the sharp slant of his nose, his jaw and his cheekbones. But his beauty and his potency lies in the abstruse, the unseen. It is in the way he makes awful tea and shares jokes of which he only knows the punchline because he knows it is the best way to honor the person he loves most in this world. It is in his pursuit to make amends even when the road to redemption is shabby and difficult, or that redemption means cleansing the grime from the hands of a slip of a girl who once hated him. It’s his tenacity to get up no matter how many times he is beaten down.

“I don’t need anything,” she reassures him, her cadence shy when she requests, “I would like it if we stayed here though.” Her timidity, so inimical from her former gusto, almost paralyzes her now but she braves cupping his left cheek anyway, fingers cosseting the edge of his mark. “The two of us, just a little longer.”

“We’ll stay as long as you want,” he accedes. This time, he isn’t a spectator to the affection, nor does he recede from it. To her delight, he leans into it, to her, going so far as to envelope her hand with his so that her touch becomes a halcyon balm upon his scored side. “Anything, and it’s yours,” he recurs with quiet insistence.

He is the sun, unfailing and true, and it is from his radiance that she allows the yearning to bloom.

And you? her heart is a riot beneath her ribcage, but—in the aftermath of so much struggling, both of the internal and external kind—her smile is miraculous in its serenity. What if it’s you that I want?

“Good,” she says instead, wishing with all her might that he hears the veracity behind her hushed yet no less steely declaration. “So very good.”

The way those pools of gold soften, his other hand brushing delicately at the last of her errant tears, tells her he does… that he might just believe.

-//////-

As much as she wants to suspend time, war stops for no one and she can no longer ignore the suffering that rages on beyond them.

She knows who to blame for the impetuous loss of her innocence, that it is the cowardice of power-hungry despots that have forced children like her to the frontlines of this hundred-year persecution. She knows the futility of this knowledge because justice is not hers to serve in this case, it is a burden she shares with thousands upon thousands of others. And when judgement comes for the depraved likes of Yon Rha, Zhao, and Ozai, she will have to contend with the bile that bubbles in the back of her throat and the sin splicing her soul because for them, she has no forgiveness to spare.

But Zuko…

I’m sorry. Truly, I am.

“I am ready to forgive you.”

After, the last of her abiding hesitancy to accept him bleeds into purpose-filled promise when she throws her arms around him—her head at his shoulder, cheek nestled at the hollow of his throat, his breath hot on her neck, and his hands large and comforting at the small of her back—it is as natural as breathing and as prevailing as her heartbeat. This is how she breaks—a tundra seizing her lungs and a storm in her mind that threatens to drown out the light until the inferno in his touch razes the darkness and reminds her to breathe, to reach out, to stand tall, stand steady, and this is how she mends, too—her waters fresh against his raging anger, cool and calm and healing the burns that have pained him, mind and heart, body and soul. It is pieces of her latching onto the pieces of him, until they are in adept symmetry, crowning harmony.

A perfect balance.

And although it is him seeking forgiveness, she cannot help but feel that it is her who finds absolution.

Right in the circle of his arms.

in the cold, i feel your warmth

i’m free falling into your arms

AN: first zutara fic asdfghjkl hope you enjoyed it!

lets cry about zutara together sksksksk so pls come say hi to me!

[firelxdykatara]

If Zutara were to be canon,thanks to Aaron Ehasz,how will this affect Legend Of Korra?

This is a difficult question to answer, mostly because it would of necessity rely on a whole lot of assumptions and biases, and without asking Aaron himself (in private, where he wouldn’t have to worry about kicking off another fandom war), it’s impossible to answer with any degree of certainty.

Now, I can talk about how I, personally, think things would have been different if Zutara had been canon–which, for me, means that the epilogue of book 3 was just the tea shop scene, and we got a book 4 where, as Aaron briefly mentioned on twitter and in various interviews, the consequences of energy-bending were explored, the lost Air Nomads were found, Azula had her redemption arc (which would probably have tied into the search for Ursa, which I would’ve loved to see Aaron’s take on in book 4, especially considering the crap the comics handed to us), and Zuko and Katara grew closer and entered into a relationship by the end of the season.

(Before I start exploring this in more depth, I want to head off ‘delusional Zutarian’ arguments at the pass–I’m not saying it’s 100% confirmed that Aaron was planning to make ZK canon in book 4. I am saying (as I’ve said before) that, given the set up and development in canon, and the way Aaron himself has talked about how he develops characters and relationships, I believe he (and other writers/artists/crew members) was leaning heavily towards that particular relationship and would have explored it further in book 4 had he been allowed to.)

Putting the rest under a read more cause this got long.

We know some of what Aaron had plans for–Azula’s redemption, the consequences of energybending, the lost Air Nomads–but nothing super concrete. Going from that, then, I believe that in Book 4, the Gaang would have split up for a good chunk of it. (Please note that most of the rest of this is pure speculation.) There’s a lot of ground Book 4 would’ve had to cover–the Gaang in the beginning would’ve split off to head to their respective homes (Sokka and Katara to the SWT, Suki to Kyoshi Island, Toph… ok, Toph probably just stuck around Caldera and this would’ve been a great time to have the Toph&Zuko life-changing-field-trip episode we were denied in canon) to touch base with the families and friends they’d left behind to go on their save-the-world tour.

For his part, Aang would’ve returned to Guru Pathik. While he got a last-second Hail Mary (in the form of a conveniently placed rock, which still boggles my mind, but whatever) when fighting Ozai, he still was not a fully realized Avatar, and since I’m bitter that the Guru Pathik/chakras plot was almost entirely dropped after the book 2 finale, I’m saying he’d have gone back to finally finish that training because it makes sense and because I can. Anyway, he returns to the Guru, and by this point he has accepted that Katara doesn’t return his feelings the way he’d like her to (a call back to The Fortuneteller, which should have been foreshadowing for Aang’s emotional growth, barring the last twenty seconds of the episode).

Furthermore, he’s learned that ‘letting her go’ doesn’t mean he can’t care about her or want her in his life to be the Avatar (after all, previous Avatars have had love and even been married–Kuruk isn’t that great of an example, given that his love life got him killed, but Kyoshi lived over two centuries and had multiple loves over her incredibly long life, and Roku was married and had descendants of his own), it just means letting go of his expectations–letting go of the selfish aspects of his love, the parts that lead him to nod in agreement when actors on a play told fake!Katara ‘I thought you were the Avatar’s girl’, and that lead him to expect her to return his feelings and push against her boundaries when she told him she wasn’t sure and was confused. (He said “We kissed at the invasion and I thought we were gonna be together, but we’re not.” even though a) he kissed her without any warning, she did not kiss him, and she looked away and frowned afterwards, and b) she never once brought up the kiss again or hinted that her feelings towards him had changed and become romantic, so he had no reason to believe they’d ‘be together’.)

Ok that was a bit of a tangent, but the upshot is, Guru Pathik helps Aang fully master the Avatar State. While on that particular journey, Aang has to deal with the consequences of energybending–he pulled Ozai’s energy into himself, and he has to deal with the sudden darkness that was absorbed into his spirit. He also receives some sort of hint, possibly from a dream or meeting with a spirit, that with balance returning to the world, the Air Nomads can start to return, too.

Sokka, Suki, and Toph wind up going with Aang on his journey to figure out just what the spirits meant by that. They discover that the Air Nomads weren’t totally eradicated by Sozin (which would’ve been impossible, since we already know that inter-nation relationships happened in the past [Avatar Kyoshi’s mother was an airbender], and they were, well… nomads), but those who survived (because they weren’t at the temples at the time, or some who hadn’t attained mastery managed to escape) assimilated into the Earth Kingdom and even some in the Fire Nation. Because the world was incredibly out of balance following the decimation of the Air Nomad population, and because many of them were suddenly in a situation where showing they were airbenders was a death sentence, their spirit as a population was almost completely broken, and they stopped being able to airbend. In the present, Aang finds descendants of Air Nomad survivors, including Ty Lee (and, in my HC, Jet, who shows up alive bc I want him to get the healing arc he didn’t get in canon) who are beginning to discover they can airbend.

Meanwhile, Zuko asked Katara to accompany him on his journey to find his mother–it’s a callback to TSR, when he helped her gain closure for her mother’s murder, and since he wants to bring Azula too, he asked for Katara’s help sister-wrangling. They eventually find Ursa (who did not willingly forget her children, and who did not send a letter to her former lover to make Ozai question Zuko’s paternity, because in the show she was not a horrible person and she loved her children more than anything tyvm), as well as Kiyi (the only good thing to come out of that comic), and Azula finally gets the sort of closure she could never have before, and there is a heavy focus on her emotional journey. Zuko is there to support her, and Katara is there to support Zuko. In the process, Katara winds up with an odd sort of mildly antagonistic friendship with Azula, who gets to a point where she can good-naturedly tease Katara about her growing feelings for Zuko.

ANYWAY. I realize you were asking primarily how it would affect LoK, and I went on a whole ass book 4 tangent. So here’s how I see it changing the landscape in LoK.

First of all, Katara is granted the importance she is due. She has a statue in most major cities, including both Caldera and Republic City. Katara married Zuko and became one of the most beloved Fire Ladies in Fire Nation history, partly because she didn’t assimilate and give up her own home and culture, and she never hesitated to speak her mind during council meetings. It put off much of the nobility, especially in the first few years of their marriage, but Zuko had survived many an assassination attempt by then, and he valued his wife’s input above his closest advisors and never made a secret of it. The nobles could either accept it or risk losing their titles, which several of them did because they figured the Fire Lord was bluffing, only to find out he wasn’t in the slightest.

Katara was also active in the White Lotus, which she wound up leading along with Sokka and Zuko (who’d passed the mantle of Fire Lord onto their eldest daughter, Izumi, once they felt she was ready to lead), and when Aang passed away, they immediately began the search for the next Avatar.

Most of Korra’s early life would’ve been the same, Katara and Sokka saved her from the Red Lotus’ kidnapping attempt, and she wound up raised at the White Lotus compound where she learned waterbending, firebending, and earthbending, and was on the cusp of learning airbending from Tenzin (who was Aang’s kid with someone else–given his design, his mother could’ve been literally anyone, Toph or one of the returned Air Nomads or someone else entirely) when he got called back to Republic City, and she followed.

From here, well… ok, there’s a lot I would change about LoK just in general. Thinking specifically of how Zutara would have affected things, and with the stipulation that Aaron was still the head writer for LoK, I like to think that Katara wouldn’t have been rendered weak and useless (seriously, a bloodbender locked away Korra’s bending, but Katara–allegedly the most powerful waterbender alive, and the one who single-handedly got bloodbending outlawed–couldn’t undo it with bloodbending???), and would have been allowed to, for example, fight to protect her family (while Tenzin and his children wouldn’t have been her direct relations [unless, instead of Pema, he wound up marrying Zuko and Katara’s youngest daughter??? that’s an idea], they would still have been family, as Aang’s only living descendants) and taken a more active part in the water tribe civil war (which would have been given the narrative arc it was due instead of being a half-assed vehicle for ridiculous spirit world shenanigans). And besides, a gaang reunion episode where Zuko, Katara, Suki (because screw LoK for having her just up and disappear lmfao) and Toph fight the Red Lotus together just like old times??? That would’ve been fucking amazing.

(We got to see old ass men in AtLA fight like they were in their prime, including one who was over a century old. What was LoK’s excuse???)

Since we got the return of the Air Nomads in book 4 of LoK there would be no need for the spirit portals or the ‘harmonic convergence’, and instead Korra’s spiritual journey hinges on her trauma from the end of Book 1. The biggest difference, here, is that I have always been incredibly dissatisfied with the fact that Korra just stared sadly over the edge of a cliff and was suddenly able to unlock the Avatar State and get her bending back. Keeping in mind the way Aaron Ehasz excelled at character journeys in the original show, I think she should have ended book 1 with her bending locked completely. Katara was able to reverse whatever it was Amon did to her (and Amon, by the way, didn’t get killed–the Equalists also didn’t just disappear, and the thread of nonbender oppression carries through the rest of the series, to be revisited and finally resolved in book 4), but it didn’t give Korra her bending back, because the trauma she suffered was just as psychological as it was a physical block to her bending.

Book 2, therefore, would’ve included a narrative thread of Korra needing to go on her own spiritual journey to unlock her chakras and regain her bending, finally able to reac the Avatar State when the civil war between the water tribes reached a head, and she is finally able to broker peace, having learned a great deal about herself and her connection to the past avatars.

I realize that I’ve kind of derailed pretty far off the original point, so I’ll stop here with a general note that while Zutara, as a relationship, doesn’t affect a whole lot of this directly (for the most part it would just affect the parentage of the Gaang kids who showed up, the designs of some, and their relationships with each other and possibly with Korra)–however, with the addition of Book 4 and keeping Aaron’s writing talents for LoK, the landscape of the entire sequel would be altered. I’d like to think that he would’ve preferred writing a coherent narrative that did justice to the characters even if it meant ending the show with unresolved plot threads (especially since they could wrap things up with comics which, in this alternate timeline, are actually good and in character because I want to have my cake and eat it too), so rather than being disconnected plots that didn’t make much sense when each individual villain could’ve served as the entire series Big Bad, much of books 2 and 3 would’ve involved smaller scale plots and villains, with Amon returning for book 4 and everything getting wrapped up far more neatly than it did in canon.

TL;DR: while Zutara itself wouldn’t necessarily change a whole lot (it would affect Book 4 and the post-atla comics more) outside of the different Gaang kids and their dynamics, the show as a whole would’ve been vastly different if the writing team for LoK had been the same–including Aaron as head writer–as the writing team for AtLA.

Bryke were great Big Picture guys, great vision and visual guys, I’ve never disputed that. But they sucked at not missing the forest for the trees. They sucked at romance. And they really sucked at coherent plot and character development, especially in the small scale.

[beastlybeauty1]

Zuko from S1 was a complex and angry young man trying to find his place in the world. He thought it was with his father and family, it wasn't. He thought it was in the Earth Kingdom it wasn't. His true place was as teacher to the Avatar and ruler of the Fire Nation.

Something I think this person has a misconception over is that Zuko is a selfish individual or self serving at all. Yes, S1 Zuko was selfish in his desire to return home. That's all he wanted.

S2 Zuko is all about trying to find his way after losing faith. He loses his boat, his crew, his title as Crown Prince. He splits ways with Uncle Iroh.

He's a lost man just looking for ways to make amends. He does so in Zuko Alone, alot of Zuko's choices he didn't have to make and yet he does, not for personal gain or notoriety but to help other people.

In S3 he turns his back on everything he's ever known. Yes, the way he broke up with Mai was shitty, but he's also a teenage boy with a mission that he knows that she wouldn't go for or approve of. She wants to spend her days bossing around everyone and scowling at the world, she's content with that. Zuko, however, is not. He wants to change the world.

So... he leaves, confronts his father for years of abuse and tyranny and goes to train the Avatar. making him A TRAITOR TO HIS NATION. But the world needs balance. Aang is the only way to achieve that.

During his time with the GAang he makes amends for past crimes, carries Toph because he burned her feet, frees Sokka and Katara's father from prison (and Suki). These are unselfish acts he just wants to give these people hope. As for a big example, TSR that's it.

He loses his bending because he loses the anger as a source of bending, he learns from dragons along with Aang that fire is warmth as well as pure heat.

He takes on his sister a fully realized human being, goes form villain to hero in some of the most compelling writing I've seen in film ever. He becomes humble, kind, strong, and a good leader despite the sins of his family.

Tell me how is Zuko selfish now?

What main character did not deserve a happy ending?

Saw that question and thought of Aang. My question for you is what kind of ending do you think Aang truly deserved?

Aang deserved to see everyone who loved and supported him get exasperated with his short-sighted naivety and to be stripped completely of whatever real influence he had. He deserved to face consequences for his actions and to be placed in the custody of actual adults to guide him. And if he didn't grow from that, he deserved to watch himself become irrelevant in his time while his friends, the actual heroes, went on to do what he couldn't set his selfishness aside to do; make the world a better place. Also, he deserved to see Katara end up with Zuko and be treated like the absolute queen she was while he sat and looked on with envy.

[redrobin-detective]

Not trying to get into the shipping war but I didn't get into Avatar TLA fandom until post S2 and it had never occured to me to ship Katara/Zuko. They were enemies who fought over Aang. They had the worst relationship w/each other until post TSR ep (which for a number of reasons I thought was the most anti romantic Zuko/Katara ep that also pushed why Aang was more compatible). I personally find their platonic dynamic, be it as enemies or friends, much more fascinating/better for each other.

(Just want to take a moment to say thank you anon, I’ve been looking for an opportunity to rant about Zutara when I see this in my ask. Thank you for giving me the chance to rant about something that’s bothered me for 10 years)

People are allowed to ship what they want, I can’t stop them and I generally don’t care but Zutara has bugged me since I decided to watch ATLA (the Day of Black Sun was the first live episode I watched). If you like Zutara, go ahead and please enjoy it. I strongly dislike it and I’m going to explain why. If you don’t want to see it, don’t read under the cut. I will be discussing why I dislike Zutara and why I support Maiko and Kataang (with caveats).

I think Zutara was the first, really big ship I encountered in fandom. I was blown away by how mean and intense some people were into shipping fictional characters (still am tbh). This is also probably the first real time I was exposed to the ‘Opposites Attract’ trope of shipping which. I. Utterly. Despise. Everyone was all 'oh fire and water, opposites coming together in love uwu’ and I’m like ??? Even 13 year old me who’s terrible with people and was still icked out by the idea of guys knew that opposites attract is a complete fallacy in a relationship.

People don’t fall in love with their opposite! Or maybe they feel strong attraction but to have a stable, respectful relationship you simply can’t work with someone who you can’t find common ground with. Now I know this isn’t completely true even as I type this, there are exceptions to everything but in most cases, opposites don’t work for romance. Let’s also kill the 'Oh these people hate each other, it must be sexual tension’ trope while we’re at it. Sometimes you just gotta let people hate each other.

You may argue that Katara and Zuko aren’t complete opposites and I would agree, they actually have a decent amount in common. The main problem I see with them is their complimentary traits don’t suit each other and as a couple they wouldn’t achieve a healthy, happy relationship.

- Both Katara and Zuko have unresolved anger relating to their childhoods and respective traumas. We see in TSR that Zuko is trying to reach out to her by feeding her anger and Katara very nearly does something she would have regretted later, something opposed to her basic traits while Zuko is having his father’s teaching on hatred and revenge justified to an extent. This is not a healthy thing.

- Both Katara and Zuko are compassionate and protective almost to the point of jealousy and rage. Again, that sort of personality wouldn’t promote respect but become confining. Zuko has shown that he struggles with romantic jealousy (though most of that incident was born out self-hatred, it’s still there just better controlled) and Katara has a desire to mother and protect. Those two instinct would war with each and make the relationship troubled from the start.

- Both Katara and Zuko are fiercely loyal to their people. I have never been more confused than I was by a text post saying Zutara should have been endgame because Katara “wouldn’t have had her cultural identity erased to become Aang’s baby momma” like??? Aang, for all his faults, loved Katara as she was and she maintained her Water Tribe roots even as his wife. If Katara married Zuko, she’d have been Fire Lady, loyal to the Fire Nation first and forced to live in a Palace. Katara would HATE that level of confinement and while she mightbe better with the Fire Nation now, I doubt she’d be totally cool spending the restof her life amongst the people who murdered her Mother.

Not tomention the whole animosity they had literally throughout the entire series. Ofcourse, Zuko proved himself in TSR but I don’t think Katara really accepted himuntil Sozin’s Comet. And before you cry your tears about how Zuko saved Katarafrom Azula’s lightening, I’m 100% certain given Zuko’s character that he wouldhave done that for anyone. Azula knows her brother is softhearted and we’veseen Zuko protect literal strangers when he didn’t need to. That could havebeen Old Man Li and Azula would have shot that lightening and Zuko would havethrown his stupid ass in the way.

I can see Katara and Zuko growing to begood, close friends. Because we all have those friends that we care and rely onbecause they’re different from us,think differently and bring something unique. Zuko probably relied on Katarafor counsel, advice on how to be a kind but strong ruler while Katara wouldseek him out on political manners and how best to handle Aang. Zuko is a partof the Gaang, now and forever more, he and Katara are the mature ones of thegroup, there to bring order and peace and pave the way for the new world. Butas a romantic couple, they’re simply not complementary in personality andlifestyle to have a truly happy relationship.

Whichbrings me, briefly I promise, to the relationships the two characters are in:Maiko and Kataang. I love Maiko, it’s my favorite of the ATLA ships (aside fromSokki) because I feel they do work and complement each other. I’ll start by gettingthis right out of the way; yes it’s kind of ridiculous that Mai and Zuko hadthat cute lil kiddie crush and then, 5 minutes after Zuko’s back in the FireLord’s favor, Mai makes a move. I’d have preferred if they showed more build-upto the relationship but I guess there wasn’t enough time. But I don’t get allthese accusations of Maiko being abusive. Becauselet me tell you, just because someone messes up in a relationship, makes amistake for the right reasons, that does not mean they’re abusive.

To me, Maiand Zuko are products of the same environment: emotionally stunting/abusive,rigid, accepting nothing less than perfection but they handled it differently.Zuko chose to become angry and emotional over his circumstances (I thinkbecause it’s the only way he could fuel his bending) and Mai chose to bury herfeelings. Healthy? No, Realistic? Yes. Mai liked Zuko because he was genuinelynice guy, he was expressive and open when no one else around her was andencouraged her to be more open. Zuko liked Mai because she was cool and calmbut also a bit nurturing when he needed someone to soothe his flames.

Twodamaged kids helping to repair each other’s faults, what’s better than that?Mai makes mistakes with Zuko, she doesn’t know how to handle his troubles in the Fire Nation and, frankly, she couldn’t. Zuko needed that time to self-reflect and understand that what was happening was wrong. Zuko likewise behaved badly in a few episodes when his anger and self-hatred were making him explode. They both worked through this to improve like, gee, a normal healthy relationship.

Plus Mai would make a good Fire Lady. The Fire Nation needed stability afterthe war and Mai was nothing if not stable. She comes from a good, noble family(to soothe traditionalists) and she’s experienced in keeping firebenderscontrolled (for those worried about Zuko’s youth) and experienced in the waysof the world like Zuko so he can bounce ideas off of her and have her give backa more well-rounded perspective. It’s not perfect but when the series endedthey were 16/15, they have time to learn and grow together. (also I’m ignoringthe comics after The Promise because everything after has sucked)

Kataang I’ma lot less invested in but I can still understand it. Like Zuko and Mai, Aangand Katara have a lot in common and provide a good balance for one another.They really bring out the best in each other, Aang’s encouragements and naturalcheer brighten Katara’s inner sadness/anger and Katara gives Aang a sense oflove and purpose while also gently nudging him the way he needs to go. Peoplecomplain that Kataang was pushed from the start and it was, but man if Aangdoesn’t love the hell out of Katara. He respects her and relies on her andadores her but is still able to push back when she’s out of line. My main thingwith Kataang, which will eventually resolve itself, is the ages. Aang is 12when he’s freed from the iceberg, Katara 14. Aang’s love was a kiddie puppycrush on a calming maternal figure which made me feel a bit icky during the finalepisode.

Because earlyAang did love Katara but he also needed her as a guide and a mother figurewhile Katara was nurturing Aang and making sure he’s safe and happy when hereally needed to be facing the consequences of some of his actions. I see whythe characters did what they did but it makes a romance then kind of ug. I’dhave preferred if the series ended with hints and then skipped to LOK where wesee they married and junk. Because given a few years, I can see Aang and Katarabeing a good healthy couple (with no *shudders* sweeties to be seen).

Aang has just changed the world, he needstime to settle himself as the Avatar and to help Zuko and other leaders repairthe damage done by the 100 year war. Katara needs to figure out what she’sgoing to do, go home? Travel? A romance isn’t advised, especially since they’reso young. But when they’re a few years older, Aang is more mature and iswilling to see Katara as a partner and not someone to mother him and Kataragrows into her potential and decides what she wants, yeah then they’d be happy.

TL;DR: Istrongly dislike Zutara (along with the ‘opposites attract’ and ‘animosity =sexual tension’ tropes it embodies) because it’s not a healthy, compatible shipwhile the canon ships: Maiko and Kataang are much more in line with thecharacters and their goals and have the chance to be long-lasting and happy.