#Katara is the biggest Maiko shipper here

[king-bumis-armpit]

A Dirty Chai and a Black Tea with Cardamom, Part 1

A Maiko Modern AU

Link to part 2 here

Summary: In Ty Lee’s quest for her crush of the week, a cute blue-eyed barista at the local tea shop, Mai stumbles into a new college friend group. But it’s not all bad. That one grumpy guy is actually kinda cute…

Author's Note: This idea was gifted to me by the lovely @cowpoopies !! I’m pretty sure you were the first person to respond to my call for prompts, which was really encouraging!! Thank you so super duper much!!

And thank you to whoever’s reading this. Whether you interact or not, I love you and I hope you’re doing well <3

I made Mai very, veeeeery oblivious here, lol. My depressing in-story explanation is that her mother ruined her self-esteem. The real reason is that I like Mai and Zuko being super duper awkward and then pining for long periods of time. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Part 2 of 2 will be out sometime next week hopefully. 

WC: 5,010

Mai yawned. It was seven in the morning. An absolutely ungodly hour to be functioning in the world. Her roommate had dragged her out of bed at 6:30 and coerced her into getting ready for the day. They were now on their way to acquire caffeine, passing brick house after brick house on the path out of campus and onto Main St. “Remind me why I’m awake right now?”

Ty Lee giggled. The piercing noise reverberated in the suburbs of the quaint town. Mai longed to put in her airpods and drown it all out with music. “I’ve told you like a million times. We need to see the cute barista at the tea shop!”

“And I need to be there because…” she drawled.

“You are going to demonstrate that I have friends and I’m not a murderer. It’s like the mandatory group pic on a dating profile that shows you have social skills,” Ty Lee explained. 

“Right.” Mai knew that arguing was futile. At the very least, she could get a headstart on her Judicial Politics paper. Or she could do her Research Methods lab of the week. Or start studying for her Philosophy of Law exam. Ugh! Time to stop thinking about school. As the houses abruptly became parking lots and store fronts, Mai asked, “So, which crush is this? The girl with the pretty hair, the boy with the blue eyes, or the mohawk guy.”

“Blue eyes! He’s so dreamy,” Ty Lee did a twirl as she walked. “He wears his hair in a ponytail and he makes the funniest jokes. You can’t miss him!”

“And does he have a name?”

“Probably.” Ty Lee skipped ahead and Mai sighed. If Ty Lee didn’t even know this person’s name, then she didn’t see why she was already being called into action as wingwoman. 

They stopped outside of the storefront. Mai was surprised she hadn't noticed the place before. It wasn't far from their dorm building at all, and the warm glow of the lights beckoned her in. The sign on the window read ‘The Jasmine Dragon’. 

Ty Lee walked in first, causing a string of bells on the door to jingle. Mai followed and looked around for their target. The walls were adorned with illustrations of different tea leaves, and Mai recognized a decent number of them from her Aunt Mura’s greenhouse. The inside of the building was much more spacious than Mai would’ve guessed, and housed a number of sage-green tables. The counter was at the back of the shop, likely for the ease of connecting to a storeroom. The menu above the wall housed a wide array of teas and other beverages that sounded intriguing. Mai made a mental note to return at a time when she didn’t feel like death.

Ty Lee was not lying when she said the barista was hot. He was leaning forward on the counter next to the register, cradling his chin in his palm. His eyes were closed, perhaps dozing off. (Mai didn’t blame him one bit.) He had long black hair, but it was not in a ponytail as Ty Lee said it would be. His muscular physique was apparent, even under his t-shirt and apron. Mai was surprised that Ty Lee hadn’t mentioned the nasty scar around his left eye, but she assumed her friend wanted to be polite.

“Excuse me,” Ty Lee said, waking the barista. Mai noted that his eyes weren’t blue after all. He must be the wrong person. “My friend and I were hoping to order.”

He stood up, and glanced between the two of them. He immediately began blushing, and Mai couldn’t help but find it adorable. The poor guy probably had a hopeless crush on Ty Lee, like every other man on the planet, and he had just embarrassed himself by sleeping on the job. Mai hadn’t met Blue-Eyes yet, but so far she was rooting for Drowsy. 

“Umm… Sorry about that. W-what would you like?” he asked. He was looking squarely at Mai, as if Ty Lee didn’t exist. He must be trying to play it cool. Mai wanted to pull him aside and tell him that strategy was never going to work on her friend, but she knew it wasn’t her place.

Ty Lee piped up first, “I’ll take a large vanilla matcha milk tea with tapioca pearls.”

As Drowsy entered her order on the register, a second person appeared from the back.

“Hey! Our first customers of the day. How are you lovely ladies?” This must be Blue-Eyes for sure. He had the signature ponytail and radiant brown skin. Mai couldn’t deny he was attractive. The “lovely ladies” line annoyed her though. 

Ty Lee giggled and batted her eyelashes at him. “My morning is always good when I start my day here.”

Blue-Eyes laughed. “I know Zuko’s customer service isn’t that good. He was sleeping like two seconds ago.”

“I wasn’t!” Zuko demanded, but his vociferous protest did not help his case. He seemed to be fidgeting in his seat.

Blue-Eyes nudged him with his elbow. “Have you even taken their orders yet?”

Zuko nudged him back, harder. “I was before you interrupted!”

Mai took that as her cue. “I’ll have a medium hot dirty chai latte. Her treat.” She pointed at Ty Lee, who smiled brightly.

“I’m a very magnanimous friend.” She pulled out her credit card and passed it to Zuko who cashed them out. 

Blue-Eyes ignored her and focused on Mai. “I never would’ve guessed you were a chai type of girl. You seem like a black coffee person.” Ty Lee pouted.

Mai shrugged, “I don’t want to have to suffer to be caffeinated. Life has enough pain.”

Blue-Eyes laughed. “I feel you. This one time–”

Zuko tapped him on the shoulder. “Sokka, can you help me make the drinks?”

Sokka. So he did have a name. Why did it sound so familiar? And Drowsy– no, Zuko– seemed to be annoyed with him. But maybe that was just how Zuko was. As a fellow grump, Mai appreciated it. 

Mai and Ty Lee found a table while the two men moved around behind the counter getting their drinks and whispering to each other. Mai could only catch snippets but she was pretty sure they were arguing about who should bring their drinks over. 

Ty Lee leaned forward and spoke quietly. “Ugh! I think he’s into you, Mai.”

Mai raised an eyebrow. “Don’t be ridiculous. When in the history of our friendship has that happened? They’re fighting to deliver your tea right now.”

“Hmph!” Ty Lee pulled out a textbook and resolutely ignored her friend. 

Real mature, Mai thought as she pulled out her laptop. She never got annoyed when guys were into Ty Lee. Even hot guys like Zuko. That was like girl code 101.

She pulled up her essay prompt and bit her lip. Justice Own Roberts wrote: “The judicial branch of the Government has only one duty – to lay the article of the Constitution which is invoked beside the statute which is challenged and to decide whether the latter squares with the former.” Does his estimation allow for the justices to exercise their ethical codes? Should the personal ethics of these appointed officials–

“Umm… here’s your tea.” Mai looked up to see Zuko standing over them. Ty Lee had already received her tea, and it seemed to slightly improve her mood.

“Thank you.” Mai accepted her chai and took a deep breath to catch the scent. It smelled nice and strong, just how she liked it. Zuko was still standing over their table, and it seemed he was about to say something more when the door opened.

“Sokka! Tell Toph she can’t drop out of college and become an underground MMA fighter.” Mai recognized the girl, Katara, from a few of her classes. She was followed by Toph, who Mai also knew, and bald guy that Mai had seen around campus.

“No! Tell Sugar Queen here that a college degree is overrated in our fucked economy.”

Mai laughed despite herself, and everyone stopped to look at her.

“Oh, hi Mai!” Katara made her way to stand behind Mai’s chair. “Are you working on Judicial Politics? That essay is killing me.”

Mai nodded. “There is no fathoming the depths of my hatred for that class.”

Sokka made his way from behind the counter. “So do I need to settle the underground fighter dispute or…”

The bald guy shook his head vigorously. “Let’s just hope they forget about it.”

Toph crossed her arms. “We can all hear you. I’m blind, not deaf.”

“Oh!” Something clicked in Mai’s head. “Sokka is your brother, isn’t he? And Suki’s boyfriend.” She shot a meaningful look at Ty Lee.

“That’s right. Are you coming to practice with us later? You can bring your friend,” Katara said. Suki led women’s self-defense courses that Mai, Katara, and Toph all attended. She called her troop the Kyoshi Warriors. Mai thought the name was a bit much, but she enjoyed it all the same.

Mai realized she was in the unique position of knowing more people in a group than her roomate. “This is my best friend, Ty Lee. What do you say? Wanna tag along to Warrior practice later?”

“No, thank you though. I have gymnastics at the same time, remember?”

That was a lie, but Mai nodded along. She had told Ty Lee about Suki in the past, and it seemed that Ty Lee was not in the mood to meet her.

“Well, now that the troops are assembled, I assume you’re all having your usual orders?” Sokka asked. There was a chorus of assent from the newcomers. Sokka grabbed Zuko by the arm to drag him back to work.

“Wait– I haven’t–” Zuko resisted and everyone stopped to look at him. He locked eyes with Mai. “Nevermind.” He allowed himself to be led away. 

“Oh, I get it.” Toph laughed to herself. She must have uncovered his crush on Ty Lee. Despite her lack of eyesight, the woman was alarmingly perceptive.

“Get what?” Katara asked, irritation creeping into her voice. “Secrets don’t make friends.” The two began squabbling and the bald guy extricated himself.

“Hi! I’m Aang. Katara’s boyfriend.” 

“Hi.” Mai replied. She wasn’t sure what to say next. 

“You’re majoring in philosophy and poli sci, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. What about you?”

“I’m a philosophy major too, but I don’t think we’ve had any classes together.”

“No,” Mai replied.

Katara, seemingly finished with Toph, reappeared. “How are you feeling about Professor Jeong Jeong’s Philosophy of Law midterm?”

Mai sighed. “I’m feeling like Toph has the right idea. After that exam, I might have to find a new career plan.”

Katara nodded sympathetically. “We should study together! You can come over to my place sometime.”

“That would be great! Does Wednesday afternoon work?” There were very few people in her classes that Mai would agree to study with, but Katara was an exception. She was brilliant and always kind. Not to mention, Mai was warming up to her little group of friends.

“That’s perfect! I’ll text you with the details later.” 

Ty Lee perked up. “Mind if I join you guys? I’m not in your class, but I’m more productive when I’m surrounded by others. It focuses my energy.” Mai struggled not to roll her eyes at Ty Lee’s bullshit.

“That’s fine by me! It was nice to meet you!” Katara and Aang left to pick up their drinks.

Ty Lee snapped her book shut, mood buoyed again. “Are you ready to head out?”

Mai stared at her blank Google doc and sighed. It wasn’t a productive morning, but it wasn’t awful to socialize for a change. “Yeah okay.” They gathered their stuff, and Ty Lee tossed her cup in the garbage. Mai had no idea how she chugged it so fast.

As they reached the door, Zuko called out, “Thanks for stopping by!” His hand was raised in an adorably awkward wave. Mai kicked herself. He wasn’t into her. Her mom had made it abundantly clear that guys didn’t like gloomy girls. 

Still, Ty Lee wasn’t giving him the time of day. Mai returned his wave and gave him a small smile before chasing her friend out of the tea shop. 

Ty Lee was already halfway down the block by the time she caught up.

“I think Zuko is way hotter than Sokka! You should go for him. He might be single.”

Ty Lee rolled her eyes. “Oh Mai! He couldn’t take his eyes off you that whole time. You should totally go for it, though.” Mai blushed. “Besides, you got us an invite to Sokka’s house, assuming he lives with his sister.”

“That was why you invited yourself to our study session?” Mai laughed. “What if Katara lives with Aang or has a roommate on campus?”

“Then I’ll say the energy is off and it’s affecting my aura and I’ll leave early,” Ty Lee explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“This is why I don’t believe in auras. You change the rules all the time.”

Ty Lee smirked, “Your aura was much pinker in there than normal. Did that have anything to do with a certain sleepy barista?”

“Oh shut up!” Mai trudged on ahead, hearing Ty Lee’s giggles behind her. 

— — 

As the pretty girl and her friend left, Zuko lowered his hand. Was waving cringy? The way he did it probably was. But the pretty girl had smiled! At him! He wanted that to happen again. The friend had stopped by many times before, but she’d never brought the pretty girl with her. Mai, Zuko remembered. 

His friends had congregated around their normal table in the back with their drinks. Zuko claimed a seat in between Katara and Toph.

“Sooooo, you guys know Mai from class and stuff?”

Katara chuckled, “That was not subtle at all. You like her?”

Toph punched his arm, “Looks like Sugar Queen finally caught on.”

Aang was beaming. “This is so exciting! Zuko’s never had a crush before!”

Zuko’s jaw dropped. “Yes I have! You all only met me two years ago. What are you talking about?”

Sokka cut him off, “Well this is the first time you’ve called dibs.”

Katara’s eyebrow twitched. “Eww! You two have a system for calling dibs on ogling your female customers!”

“Hey!” Sokka protested. “It works on all customers regardless of gender. And it’s a tried and true hand signal.” He made a series of complicated movements that Zuko had memorized only through seeing them many, many times before Sokka met Suki. 

Katara glared at her brother. “That’s still objectifying and degrading. Besides, you have a girlfriend!”

“And I love her! I haven’t ogled anyone since we started dating. Zuko was the one who called dibs anyway.”

Zuko sighed. “I thought you could help me out. But I think she was clearly just more into you than me.”

“Dude, what? She was definitely checking you out. What happened to our plan? You were going to take out their drinks and ask for her number.” Zuko appreciated that Sokka was trying to cheer him up, but there was no way Pretty Girl was looking at him for his attractiveness. His fingers itched to touch his scar. He formed a fist in his lap instead.

“Oh please. Do you remember the first thing she said to Katara?” He pitched his voice higher, “‘Oh this is your super hot brother? But he’s dating Suki? Life is full of suffering.’”

Toph kicked him under the table. “I don’t think that was why she asked about Sokka. I feel like I’ve heard that Ty Lee girl’s voice before. Isn’t she always here when Sokka is working?”

“Oh yeah!” Sokka sounded smug. “She was definitely flirting with me earlier. Maybe her friend was letting her know I’m off the market.” He flexed his muscles. While he was distracted by posing, Katara gagged exaggeratedly at Aang, who was trying desperately not to laugh. 

Zuko smiled. His friends always made things seem… slightly less horrible.

“I have an idea!” Katara said. “Why don’t you happen to be visiting Sokka or Aang during our study session? You took Philosophy of Law last year, right? You can offer to help us and talk to her some more.”

Zuko bit his lip. “I don’t know. Besides, I’m probably working on Wednesday.”

Katara shrugged. “That’s not an issue at all. I’ll text her and ask to change the location to here.”

Sokka nodded. “This is a good plan Katara, I’m impressed.” Katara rolled her eyes. “The shop is really quiet on weekday nights. You could probably still sit with them. Who’s working with you on Wednesday?”

“I’m pretty sure it’s just gonna be Uncle and me.”

“That’s perfect!” Aang said. “Your Uncle is going to be so on board.”

Zuko shuddered. “You are NOT going to tell my Uncle about this.”

Aang frowned. “But he’ll be super helpful. I bet he has great advice for love stuff.”

“That’s so embarrassing.”

The younger man pulled out his phone. “I’m gonna text him.”

“Don’t!” Zuko sprang out of his chair and tried to get around Katara to grab Aang. But Aang was quicker and dashed behind a Sokka. A very intense chase through the shop commenced, to the raucous laughter of their friends.

— — 

Ty Lee hummed happily while applying her mascara. “I hope Zuko and Sokka are both working tonight! Then they might ask us out. It would be so fun to be able to go on double dates with them. We could even have a double wedding!”

Mai sighed. “We spend enough time together already, don’t you think? Besides, Sokka is unavailable, so you need to get over it. And I still think Zuko likes you.”

“Not a chance! You’re so dense sometimes.” Ty Lee sprayed some perfume and Mai tapped her foot impatiently.

“Are you ready to–” Mai was cut off by a notification on Ty Lee’s phone. 

The other girl gasped. “OH MY GOD! The girl with pretty hair asked me to get dinner tonight! I’m freaking out! Do I look okay?” Ty Lee began frantically running around their tiny dorm room. 

“You look great,” Mai assured. “I guess this means you’re ditching me tonight?”

Ty Lee shrugged, “Duty calls. We’ll have to take a rain check on that double wedding scheme.”

“Bummer,” Mai deadpanned. “If that’s the case, then I’m leaving now. Have fun and stay safe!”

Ty Lee winked. “I always do.”

As Mai made the short journey to the tea shop, she couldn’t help but feel nervous at the prospect of meeting Zuko again. She hated herself for getting so worked up. She hardly knew the guy, so he shouldn't be affecting her like this. She certainly hadn't thought about Kei Lo this much before they started dating. And Zuko wasn’t into her. No way.

She caught sight of the familiar facade and pushed through the door, to the chime of the bells. The shop was almost completely deserted except for Katara sitting alone at a table near the back. Zuko and an older man were working behind the counter. There wasn’t a Sokka in sight, so it was probably for the best that Ty Lee found other means of entertaining herself. 

“Welcome in!” the old man smiled warmly. “Katara tells me you two have quite the night of studying ahead of you. Order whatever you want, on the house!”

“Oh!” Mai was taken aback by his generosity. “Are you sure?”

“Of course! I’m not so old that I’ve forgotten my school days. Besides, what's the point of owning a business if I can’t flaunt it a bit?”

Mai smiled. Before college, she hadn’t met very many generous people, and even fewer jovial ones. She decided to take a page from his book and be whimsical for a change. “In that case, I want your favorite thing on the menu. Since you’re the owner, you probably have good taste.”

The old man laughed. “I like to think so! But I would be devastated if you didn’t like it. How about I have my nephew whip something up for you instead?”

He gestured to Zuko, who Mai realized was staring at her very intently. Did she say something awful? Did he think she was weird? Oh! He was probably wondering where Ty Lee was. Maybe his uncle was only being so nice because he thought she was the girl Zuko liked.

She could feel her cheeks getting red. “That would be great… Um… Thanks again.” 

The spirit of whimsy whooshed out of her body and she retreated to Katara’s table.

The other girl already had her textbook, notes, printed study guide, and laptop in position. It did not make Mai feel better. 

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” she checked her watch, but luckily it was only five minutes after their scheduled time.

Katara smiled, “You’re not late at all! Sokka, Toph, and I came here after our lectures so I’ve been here all day. Midterms are killing me, but this is a good place to zone in and focus. You should totally come here more often.” Her eyes twinkled and Mai didn’t know what was happening. She would almost think Katara was flirting with her, but wasn’t she in a relationship with Aang?

Mai noticed Zuko, not too far from them working on her order. Mai spoke slightly louder than normal to ensure he heard, “Yeah, Ty Lee loves it here. But Ty Lee had something come up today, so Ty Lee won’t be here.” It was highly un-subtle and inelegant, but she wanted to be sure Zuko understood that Ty Lee wasn’t coming. She hated to think he would get his hopes up, anticipating her arrival.

“Oh yeah,” Katara said, “I forgot she was going to come with you.” Zuko must not have told Katara about his crush.

Mai pulled out her study materials, and Zuko approached their table. “I– I made this for you.” He gently set the cup amid the mess of books and paper. “It’s black tea with cardamom and a dash of milk. It’s my favorite for studying.” He gazed resolutely at the floor.

“Thank you,” Mai said. Zuko didn’t leave and Mai wondered if he wanted her to try it before him. Surely it was too hot.

But then Katara spoke up, “Oh my goodness!” Mai looked up, startled. Perhaps cardamom held a special significance to the other girl. “Zuko, I just remembered! You took philosophy of law last year, right?” 

“Yes. I did,” he replied robotically.

“Do you think you could help us study? You are really smart and get excellent grades.” Katara spoke like she was announcing the fact to a crowd.

“Yes and I love helping others!” Zuko offered. Mai was not sure how that was relevant, but she supposed he couldn’t hurt. Besides, it would be nice to see him up close.

“Uncle!” Zuko called out, “Do you mind if I sit with them for a little while? I can help out if we get more customers.”

The old man was already looking their way, a gleam in his eye. Mai heard the distinct undertone of humor in his voice: “Don’t worry about it! I can manage.”

Zuko turned his attention back to them and looked between both sides of the table. Katara moved her backpack off the floor and into the seat beside her. Zuko sat beside Mai, and Katara smiled from ear to ear.

“So, when I took this class, Jeong Jeong gave us a list of ten essay questions and then he chose two of those to write on the day of the exam. Is the format still the same?” 

Mai nodded. “I printed out an extra study guide for Ty Lee in case she got bored.” She handed it over, and Zuko’s fingers grazed hers as he took it.

He glanced over the prompts. “My strategy for exams like this is to target the readings and lectures that apply to most questions. That way, I know there’s at least one source I can reference. 

Mai nodded. “I think we should start with Aquinas for natural law theory and Hart for legal positivism. That will give us a good overview of the main debate in the course. 

Katara tapped her fingers on the table, “Do you think he’ll take points off if we disagree with him? He’s a big advocate for natural law, right?”

“Definitely,” Mai agreed. “He never shuts up about it.” Zuko chuckled and Mai felt warmth blossom in her chest.

“I don’t think he’ll take points off if you explain your case, though,” Zuko replied.

“Okay then,” Katara began flipping through her textbook. “Let’s start with Aquinas.”

— — 

“Yes, but you have to keep in mind that the judges don’t have a standardized moral code. What if the Supreme Court accepts a case reviewing–” Zuko’s train of thought halted as Mai shifted in his direction. They were almost touching. He could shift and their arms would be pressed together. “I’m sorry, what was I saying?”

Mai gave him a sympathetic look. “Don’t worry about it. It’s almost closing time for the shop and we’ve been at this for ages. Maybe we should call it quits?”

“No!” he said before he could stop himself. It was true that they’d been studying for almost two and half hours at that point, but he didn’t want it to end. Zuko had studied his old notes all week in preparation for this. (It was more than he’d studied when he’d taken the class the first time around.) But he really wanted to be helpful and impress Mai. 

Over his short time knowing her, his crush had only grown. She was beautiful, obviously, but her sharp wit and humor made talking to her very entertaining. Even when the topic was Philosophy of Law. Beyond that, she was incredibly smart and she grasped the concepts very quickly. It was apparent that she didn’t need his help, but he liked watching her in her element. Crap, was that creepy?

Katara rubbed her forehead. Zuko knew she was really stressed over midterms, but she still rehearsed their little speech about asking for his help studying at least half a dozen times before Mai’s arrival. In true wingwoman fashion, Katara backed him up yet again: “I know it’s getting late, but what if we talk through this last prompt really quickly. We’re almost all the way through the study guide.”

Mai agreed, but just then the bells on the door jingled. Zuko looked over to see that it was Aang. He came to stand behind Katara and rubbed her shoulders. “How’s it going?”

Katara leaned into his touch. “It’s awful. I’m going to fail. Why am I minoring in Justice in Society anyway? I don’t need it for med school.” 

Aang smiled down at her. “Do you remember the last exam you thought you were going to fail? You got, what? Ninety-five percent?”

Katara crossed her arms. “It was ninety-two.”

“I’m sorry.” Aang kissed the top of her head and she visibly relaxed a little.

Zuko smiled wistfully. He had never had a long term relationship, but maybe… He glanced sideways at Mai, who was still scanning the study guide.

“Hey Zuko!” Aang got his attention once more. “Do you think you could unlock the upstairs for me? I think I left my Tsungi horn in your room.”

Zuko narrowed his eyes. Aang was terrible at the Tsungi horn. He didn’t own one as far as Zuko knew. “Sure. I’ll help you look.”

They went into the back room and Aang stopped them before they could go any farther. “So how’s the mission going? Katara texted me that she thinks Mai likes you for sure.”

Zuko’s cheeks flamed. “I don’t know about all that. I still think she might have been into Sokka. She was talking to Uncle– Oh! Also, she really got along with Uncle Iroh.” He knew he was probably smiling like a fool, but Aang was in no place to judge.

“Zuko, everyone gets along with your uncle. It would be really concerning to me if she didn’t,” Aang pointed out.

“Fair enough,” he sighed. “But it’s still important to me. Anyway, she was talking to him and he mentioned me. When she first saw me it was like the wind left her sails or something.”

Aang shook his head. “I’m sure you’re misinterpreting things. And that was just at first, right? How have things been going otherwise?”

Zuko bit his lip. “I actually think they’re going pretty well. I mean, we’re getting along well enough but it’s hard to tell. We’re studying and Katara’s there, so I don’t know if she likes me all that much.”

Aang snapped his fingers. “I have an idea! Let’s go!” The younger man grabbed Zuko’s wrist and led him back out into the shop before he could protest.

Mai examined them. “No luck finding it?”

“Nope,” Aang smiled nervously. “Not a trumpet in sight?”

Mai’s brow furrowed. “I thought you were looking for a Tsungi horn?”

“None of those either,” Aang laughed in a stilted manner. “Anyway, I had an idea. Since this exam is so awful, what if we all went out to dinner to celebrate when it’s over? You and Katara can relax, and it'll be my treat! And Zuko can come since he helped out.”

Mai hesitated, and Zuko wished the floor would swallow him. Aang came on way too strong. He was going to scare her off and she would never come back.

Katara spoke up. “That’s a great idea! We deserve it, don’t you think?”

Mai relented. “Okay… but I can pay for myself. You’re all too kind. Seriously.” Zuko almost crumpled to the ground in relief. 

Mai left shortly after, and the shop closed for the evening. But the end of day chores didn’t feel so mundane, with the knowledge that he would be seeing Mai again so soon. 

Part 2

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

I like your blog but I was disappointed to see you say it would ever be okay for Zutarians to have Katara and Zuko cheat on Aang and Mai in their fics if they acknowledged it is bad. Somethings can't be done right and need to just be kept out of any story. It's completely disrespectful to the Kataang and Maiko fans.

Also if I were you, I'd block the anon who said they could understand the appeal of Zucest even if they claim not to ship it, and in case you don't know, a blog you reblog from a lot hello-nichya-here likes that cursed shit so there's another one for your block list. Incest is gross and immoral even if it's fiction, and you'd be better off not interacting with that kind of people.

Buddy, I'm brazilian. I was raised on soap-operas. If I gave people shit for enjoying any media that involves the main characters selfishly cheating on their partners to be with each other, I'd be the world's biggest hypocrite. That kind of stuff is an easy source for drama, and it will always be part of romance stories - regardless of the quality of said romances.

As for it being disrespectful to Kataang and Maiko, yeah, I could see it, but only if it's combined with a bunch of slander towards these characters, and pulling stuff like "How I Became Yours" did by saying Mai was a terrible, abusive person for being angry that her husband cheated on her, or if it's shit like Zutarians constantly harrassing shippers about how Aang/Mai is totally being cucked. But if they're just writing as a source for drama in a story, without demonizing the characters that are clearly being screwed over by Zuko and Katara, I don't mind it.

Also I fully disagree with you on the "Somethings can't be done right and no one should write them." No topic should be forbidden in fiction, and what people should discuss is "Does this make narrative sense?" not "Is this a morally correct thing for people to do?"

How would that even work for the Avatar fandom anyways? "Sure, the original show is literally about war and genocide, and it is constantly praised for having an imperialist prince redeem himself and befriend the people he sent a hitman after, but if we write characters doing immoral things like cheating or sleeping with a relative THAT is going too far"

Sounds like one hell of a double-standard to me. And I've literally said it in my pinned post: This blog exists solely to point out the kind of behavior that made Zutara become such a hated ship, not to bully people that are just minding their business, or to tell them what tropes they are allowed to like. I don't like the idea of Zuko and Katara together at all, especially not with it involving them hurting Mai and Aang. But if the people writting these stories weren't constantly forcing it down everyone's throats, I wouldn't mind them adding that trope to every single fic they wrote.

As for the second part of your ask, I guess there's only one way for me to make my stance on Zucest VERY clear, so you and anyone else who could be bothered by it can decide if you want to keep following this blog:

Hello, Nichya here. I'm not going to use this side-blog to block my main, as I feel it would be kind of pointless to block myself considering the content in both accounts is coming from the same brain.

And see Zutara fans? It's super easy to only bring up your OTP when it is relevant to the conversation and without trying to force other's to like it, and it tends to get you far less hate too, no matter how "problematic" your ship is.

[atla-confessions]

Ah right so it's not zuko stans that create these bad takes, it's zuko stans that are zutara shippers, fire nation stans, mai haters, (etc) that create these bad takes.....I'm going to be very real with you when I say this but even if the bad takes about katara are definitely just from zk stans (which you so claim) it's not coming from the katara side of the shipping fanbase. For obvious reasons. It's coming from Zuko stans. There's a common denominator here that we're pretending not to acknowledge here so without farther ado.....I rest my case.

Someone hasn't read the fandom darling post.

First, Zukka shippers aren't having these takes, Maiko shippers aren't having these takes, fucking Jetko shippers aren't having these takes. It is literally coming from specifically Zutara shippers. Not Zuko's general fan base. They aren't saying shit.

Some people really like Katara and don't like some other characters and project that. Literally, why would you get so mad about Aang kissing Katara without her consent if you weren't a Katara stan? They call Aang a rapist because they are hardcore Katara stans. They have more of a motive to be mean to Sokka as hardcore Katara stans because he was misogynistic to her. Being overly defensive of slights against your fave (unless other character is also a fave) is stan behavior.

Fire Nation apologia is more prevalent in Azula fandom spaces (insistence that her taking over Ba Sing Se wasn't bad because she didn't kill anyone (Aang?)). And in Aang hating spaces. Neither of these are Zuko stans spaces but places a Zuko stan might be.

Downplaying Katara's abilities, that's Azula stans mad about the duel. Some Azula stans might happen to be Zuko stans but this definitely came from Azula because the ones who hate Zuko say it too.

Not all of these stans are going to be Zuko stans. Some will be because it is large fandom. But a lot of these people are stans of other things/characters but Zuko stans are just in the space. There are even Zuko stans in Kataang spaces. Going, 'there are Zuko stans in these spaces so it must be the Zuko stans coming up with all these takes' doesn't work when there are Zuko stans in most spaces. Ships that have 0 Zuko stans in their spaces is so fucking rare. Zuko stans are just everywhere. That doesn't mean they are responsible for every bad thing that happen in every sub-fandom.

Also, on the topic of them definitely being Zuko stans not Katara stans:

I was in Teen Wolf fandom back in the day. The biggest ship was probably St*rek. They were known for villainising the actual protagonist Scott often to make St*les the main character or D*rek the better leader. Now, they were mainly St*les fans. Shocking because Scott and St*les were best friends but it was still them. Obsessing over your blorbo and villainising like half the other characters is a common thing. It doesn't make them secretly be stanning someone else because the characters love each other in canon.

Just because Zuko is Ozai's scapegoat child doesn't mean you need embrace Zuko stans as your scapegoat fandom.

X

[loopy777]

You've (famously) done an entire fic where Mai riffs on various shippings, but I'd love to know what your *personal* thoughts on all the different ATLA ships are. Obviously, I know you like Maiko, Maikka, and Sokkla, but how about a bunch of other ships? Like Kataang, or Taang, or Sukka, or Tokka, or Jinko, or Yukka, or Toko, etc.? How about F/F or M/M ships?

“Mai’s Ramblings” is still famous? Huh. I still need to figure out how to get it on AO3.

Anyway, I’m afraid my answers can all probably be summarized as “It’s fine.” I like the ships I like pretty much because the involved characters are my favorites. But I’ll give it a go and see what I can say…

Kataang: These two fit well together, and I think the cartoon does a pretty good job of showing how they have complementary personalities and priorities. If anything, it does too good a job, because there isn’t really any reason to delay them getting together until the finale aside from genre convention. Katara’s “confused” feelings never get an explanation, just a range of possibilities, leaving the fans to try to fill in what seems to be a critical part of the subplot. But when they’re together, they build each other up nicely.

Taang: I like that they have similar heights, and the way they look when they’re Earthbending in unison. Very superficial, I know, but them’s the breaks. After their initial difficulties, I think the cartoon did a good job as showing them as friends, and that can be a good basis for a romance. But I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a single fanfic for this pairing that I liked, and that affects my feelings on the pairing.

Sukka: Here’s another ship I like because I like the characters. Sokka is one of my favorites, I’m fond of Suki for her cool ninja abilities and the depth she could have, and I think they have complementary personalities. I like their storyline in the cartoon (it’s the romantic plotline with the most meat on its bones in the entire cartoon, IMO), with how it combines with both Sokka getting over his sexism and moving on after Yue’s death. It also had the best shippers, back in the glory days of ASN.

Tokka: I prefer this pairing as friends, simply because the romantic fanfics are all just variations on the “Sempai, please notice me!” theme, and I’ve never been into that. The non-romantic stuff for this pairing is all about them being buddies and getting into shenanigans and trolling the other characters and getting in over their heads and- well, all kinds of fun stuff. That said, friendship is a good basis for romance, so I think they could be good as a couple.

Jinko: I’m kind of cool on this one because I don’t think Zuko really had any attraction to Jin, and Jin herself is a fairly generic character. The fun of their date is mostly about seeing Zuko being a dork (making it a much more successful implementation of the same idea behind the Fire Teen antics in “The Beach,” especially with Azula’s subplot there), and I just don’t see Zuko getting that invested in a strange girl at that point in his life/story.

Yukka: I like it as a doomed romance, but I’m a bit biased on this one because the first episodes I watched of Avatar were “Lake Laogai” and “The Earth King,” so I knew that the ‘Suki’ who Sokka is excited to see would win out over Yue. Yue’s death and role are cool, and her conflict between her duty and her feelings are compelling, but I’m more invested in her as a tragic figure than someone who really works for Sokka. She’s his fantasy of his perfect mate, and even if she lived, I think he’d have to eventually realize that he needs someone less reserved. Likewise, I think she appreciates Sokka’s goofy charm and his kindness, but I’m not sure she really likes him for the full range of his character, including his flaws.

Toko: I like the dynamic between Zuko and Toph, but this is another one where I like it without the romantic flavor. However, while it’s another “Notice me, Sempai!” attraction, I think it works a little better than with Sokka because Zuko is a much more oblivious personality. He can completely miss Toph’s attempts to throw herself at him, no matter how blatant, while Sokka would eventually figure things out. But, romantic or just friends, I think this dynamic has good thing going with the way Zuko and Toph have similar parent-issues, but enough contrasts in their issues and situations so that they don’t feel like repeats of each other. They can start with an understanding of each other, while still being able to learn from each other. And I think Toph would fare best if pulled into Zuko’s Fire Lord life, if just because she is good at walking away. Which leads me to…

Zutara: You didn’t ask about it, but I think it merits an opinion. It’s not my favorite Katara ship, but “The Southern Raiders” shows how they can egg each other on in the worst ways, and that can be very interesting. Zuko and Katara also play off each other in high-energy ways, so I can see why it fascinates. But my biggest problem with it is that it supposes that Katara gets subsumed into Royal Fire culture, becoming ‘Fire Lady’ and living her life in service to Zuko’s. Maybe if Zuko doesn’t become Fire Lord, it would be more interesting to me, but no fanfic wants to go that route. I don’t see Katara resisting assimilation in the way Toph would, if just because Katara would take it all seriously, while I can see Toph maintaining a wry detachment even while married to Zuko.

Katoph: Putting Zuko aside, I’m in love with the idea that Katara was nursing a little crush on Toph that helped fuel their rivalry, and her confusion about Aang was caused in part by also having an attraction to Toph that she didn’t realize. I don’t see the pairing working out, if just because Toph is canonically boy-crazy, but I think it would be amusing to see Toph try to let Katara down gently and Katara not having a clue what’s going on.

Kazula: I think these two could have an interesting dynamic, either romantically or not, but I’ve not seen enough to really get a feel for it, and I haven’t gotten around to any of my fic ideas for bouncing them off each other, so I can’t say much about it. But I think they have enough similarities that there’s something that could be done with them.

Ty Zula: I recently did a post on this.

MaiLee: I did a post on this as well.

Zukka: I struggle with this one. Zuko and Sokka have a solid friendship, and as I’ve said, friendship is a good basis for romance. I’ve even written a fic where Sokka is in a three-person marriage with Maiko, But I really do think there’s something more in their Bros friendship, as established by “The Boiling Rock,” than any romance could bring out. A little distance is necessary for the way they keep measuring themselves against the other, and I’d hate to lose that aspect.

Jetko: This is another one where I think the fandom over-estimates Zuko’s interest in the other party (the first being Jinko), but that’s what makes it hilariously fun. Jet as Zuko’s obsessed stalker who develops a kind of romantic fascination with him is practically canon, and Zuko dealing with that in a surly and exasperated way sounds delightful.

Zukaang: I mean, isn’t this one canon? Make Aang a girl, and I don’t think you’d have to alter a single line of dialogue in the cartoon to get the entire audience to see it. The pure hero bringing the angsty anti-villain over to side of the angels is the basis for countless romances, and “The Firebending Masters” shows wonderfully how these two would work as partners. And as the Avatar, Aang wouldn’t get subsumed into Zuko’s life as royalty. Honestly, it’s the second-best Zuko ship after Maiko, and that’s only because Maiko snuck in there with the Childhood Friends bit.

[shiroallura]

Why is zutara your notp, just curious cuz I don't really ship it and I'm curious why other people don't

ooh boi, um, long answer under the cut cause i don’t want it to be all be in the tags

Zutara was just always something I enjoyed as a brotp, instead of as a romantic ship. I was just never particularly drawn into their dynamic, and I like other ships for them better (Kataang and Maiko, or even Zukaang on the side). I also think they’re too similar and emotionally explosive to really work out in the longterm. Katara is a very giving person, and Zuko is someone who still has a lot of issues, and Katara would feel the need to fix all of them even though she can’t really, and if Zuko wasn’t receptive it would be very distressing for her, and yeah… I just don’t think them romantically is good for either of them, regardless of the fact I ship other things with their characters.

Then, there’s the fact that a lot of Zutara shippers hate Aang so terribly, detest Kataang, and say that any signs that Katara could possibly love someone like Aang is just ooc, and like… it doesn’t work that way? It was always very obvious to me exactly why someone like Katara, or anyone, could fall in love with Aang. I also have a lot of problems with the way the ATLA fandom treats Aang, which basically boils down to ignoring his pain and values as a survivor of genocide, and because he’s not a stereotypical masculine western lead… while also ignoring the fact that Aang and Iroh are the ones who made the biggest impacts on Zuko becoming the amazing person he is, and that in all likelihood, Aang would be almost exactly like Iroh in his old age. 

I’ve written extensively here on my main about why I love that Aang didn’t kill Ozai, which seems to be an unpopular opinion, even though choosing your own destiny, which Aang couldn’t if he went with the nameless Avatar destiny (even of justified murder) is the theme of the whole freaking show.

And 90% of these things is what I see from the zutara side of the fandom, and nowhere else. If someone ships zutara and they’re chill, or even also ship kataang, then they’re rad people in my book. But anyone who believes in the “Aaron Ehasz wanted to write a zutara book 4!!” can gtfo, and Aaron has said he loves Maiko, too.

But also, the show doesn’t support Zutara narratively, because simply speaking, they aren’t each other’s narrative foils. They’re strong, and secondary foils, definitely, but they both have far more compelling characters that compliment them better. Zuko has four ahead of Katara, even, and she has three.

Let me explain.

Zuko’s primary foil is Aang, and then Sokka, almost tied nearly as closely, but we’ll get to the latter later. Aang and Zuko are contrasted as foils in every way: cusp of being a teenager, of marrying age (as far as we know, so cusp of adulthood), blue and red/orange, avatar and firelord, both unable to ever return home without gaining their honour and redemption, which also leads to the redemption of the world. Hell, to the extent that Aang’s conflict starts because he doesn’t want to be the Avatar so he runs away from home, and ends with duelling the firelord and refusing to kill him when he’s thirteen, and Zuko refusing to fight the firelord and being exiled, to him running away from home to help the Avatar. They’re cheery and angsty, learn skills around the same time, their backstories ( “Bitter Work,” “The Storm,” ) and I could talk about the colour symbolism in Sozin’s Comet for days, but Zuko has a righteous orange (whereas Ozai is wicked) and Aang as a righteous blue (whereas Azula, of course, ends in tragedy) coming together to build a new world, and the fact that fire needs oxygen/air to burn, and smoke, and… yeah I think I’ve said enough, but I stand by my statement that they are the best narrative foils in modern fiction.

And Sokka’s primary foil in the series is Zuko, and it’s set up from the pilot when they’re both putting on their suits of armour / war paint. It’s always interesting to see how serious Sokka was at first, given we all know how much of a goofball he becomes, as Aang (as he does for every character, really) helps strip away Sokka’s false sense of maturity, and allows him to actually mature in a lasting and healthier way. But serious Sokka is similar to Zuko, and they have one key thing in common: both boys are defined by their refusal to give up. And their arcs are defined by their relationships with their fathers. The absence of their mother stings, of course, and we see how it affects both of them, but their emotional arcs as we see, are actually all about to do with their father. Both of them even reach their maturation arc, of becoming more than what their fathers were, in “Day of Black Sun,” and then have the last of their fatherly arcs concluded with their reunions with their father figures, Hakoda and Iroh, respectively. Hell, in DOBS they both show an emotional loss over their girlfriend (Suki / Mai) at the time. Seeing the parallels between them is one of my favourite things.

Zuko’s other foils are Mai (yes, because they are Fire Nation yin/yang, but I’ll talk about that another day), and Sozin, and then Katara. (Mai’s primary foil is arguably Zuko, Toph, then Ty Lee, but again: another post for another day).

And then what about Katara? Well, she has Sokka, Toph, and Zuko as foils (in that order, yes, I will fight people over it) but her primary foil is Azula. Both 14, both prodigies, both with older brothers, righteous and wicked blue set up against each other, and both of their emotional arcs have to do with their mothers. Like Sokka and Zuko, the absence or presence of their father defines them too, but what actually causes the root of Azula and Katara’s emotional issues is the loss of their mother.

Katara hallucinates her mother in the Swamp; Azula hallucinates her mother in the mirror. Katara feels rage about her mother’s death, and even towards the person responsible, doesn’t take it out on him. Azula feels rage about her mother’s seeming favour towards Zuko, and at her father’s treatment of her, and takes it out on her. The primary difference is that Katara is compassionate where Azula is cunning, and Katara has the inner strength and support system to bring herself back from the brink (ie. The Souther Raiders, when she bloodbends) whereas Azula goes over.

Lighting in ATLA is a metaphor for abuse, and outright violence. In “Crossroads of Destiny,” Zuko chooses Azula, the sister who was pleased with his banishment, over Katara, the ‘sister’ who wanted to heal that same scar. Then, in Sozin’s Comet, Zuko chooses to save the sister he can, from the sister he can’t, because he knows that Azula is too far gone right now, and then Katara defeats Azula, because she was always meant to. It’s some of the most stunning, beautiful writing I’ve ever seen, and it only works if you see them plaotnically, and just… I’ve never understood why anyone else would want to see it any other way.

Hell, the show is so well written that even Katara’s scathing remark to Sokka of “Then you didn’t love her [their mother] the way I did!” is actually perfectly foreshadowed and set up. Doesn’t make it right, or true, but why she says it is there (Katara seeing their mother in the Swamp, but Sokka doesn’t, and Katara hearing he can’t remember Kya’s face, etc.). In a show this well written, the last thing they were going to mess up on is romance,

So yeah, Zuko and Katara are just far more compelling to me as a friendship, and I just don’t see Katara ever picking anyone over Aang, either.

[authorjoydragon]

Oh man I’ve been meaning to do this for a while so here we go… thanks for the tag @invnciblesummer @tea-and-la @gimmezutara @thesavagedaughter0627 (and if I missed anyone else sry!)

1. Favorite Zutara Trope: I adore awkward Zuko and bold Katara. Just… Zuko fumbling constantly and Katara teasing him relentlessly.

2. Uncommon Opinion: Hmm… maybe that I think Maiko and Kataang needed to be canon in order for them both to realize what they don’t want in a relationship. I think they would need that time and experience before they got together later in their 20’s.

3. Favorite Zutara fic? Uuhhmmmm shit I should really bookmark stuff huh. Can I cop out and say anything written by my friends? Here’s what I do have bookmarked zutara wise:

Stitch Me Back Together by spacelattes

of ugly turtleducks and bedtime stories by @stand-on-the-horizon

The Proposal by @thesavagedaughter0627

Summer of Distractions by @gimmezutara

Little Spark by @neurologicaldamage

4. A song for ZK: I’ve begun a playlist! Not many songs yet but here they are

5. When would they get together if at all? Kind of as I said above, after Kataang and Maiko break things off amicably, Zuko and Katara would rekindle those feelings from when they were teenagers.

6. Do you have any steambaby headcanons? Many. All over my blog lmao. I also change them constantly but usually I stick with three kids. Fire bending girl, non bender boy, then water bending girl. Their names change always I’m sorry lmao

7. Which ATLA character would be the biggest Zutara shipper? Honestly I think the fam (Iroh, Hakoda, and yes even Sokka reluctantly) would be all over ZK. Non family member though would definitely be Aang. His TWO BEST FRIENDS? IN LOVE? He loves it.

8. A ship similar to ZK (any fandom): Todomomo from My Hero Academia! I adore the respect and admiration they have for each other, and I think it’s very similar vibes to Zutara.

9. If you had to pick a different ship name besides ‘Zutara’ what would it be? Katko. I think it’s cute. Maybe Zukat? Either way Zutara sounds best lol

10. What is your favorite ZK piece that you have created? Oh that’s tough. Honestly… probably my little drabbles that I do. Prospects has some great gems. So does Tumblr Requests.

Tagging: anyone mentioned above that hasn’t done it yet! And @zukos-calming-tea @silversandwichbites @siambre @marijayne-writing

Zutara Tag Game

@zutaraweek Day 4: Free Day

Hello, this is Ana (formerly with the username @analynasi)! In honor of free day for this year’s Zutara week, I decided to create a little Zutara tag game. My answers are down below, and underneath the cut there is a blank template to copy and paste from if you would like to do this too! The answers can be however long or short as you’d like them to be <3

1. Favorite Zutara trope/headcanon: I have many favorite tropes, but one of them is when Toph picks up on the romantic tension between Zuko and Katara and acts like a gremlin child by making fun of them about it, or actively trying to get them together, or both.

2. Uncommon opinion about zk: I don’t like the idea of Zuko or Katara being given a betrothal necklace by the other when they get married to each other. The betrothal necklace always seemed like a Northern Water Tribe tradition, not a Southern Water Tribe tradition. Plus, I don’t like the idea of anything replacing Katara’s mother’s necklace on her neck, and I don’t think Katara would like the idea of it either.

3. Favorite Zutara fic: I have many favorite Zutara fics, but Once Around the Sun by eleventy7 will always hold a special place in my heart, as not only the first zk fic I ever read, but also the first fic I ever read overall.

4. A song that you think fits zk: buzz cut by lovelytheband and MisterWives always reminds me of Zutara in a modern AU!

5. When do you think Zuko and Katara should get together romantically, if at all? I like the idea of them getting together when they’re around 16-ish and 18-ish respectively (just because a few of my favorite zk fics have them getting together romantically at about that age), but it takes a very well-written fic to pull that off in a well-paced and mature manner. I also don’t mind them getting together when they’re in their 20s.

6. Do you have any steambaby headcanons? I think that they would have three children. I like to imagine a girl, a boy, and a girl (in that birth order).

7. Which atla character do you think would be the biggest Zutara shipper? Iroh. He wouldn’t be pushy about it, but I think he would be very keen to how good for each other Zuko and Katara are.

8. A ship that you think is similar to Zutara (can be from atla fandom or a different fandom): Red Crackle, the ship between Carmen Sandiego and Graham Calloway from Carmen Sandiego (2019)! Someday I’ll make a post about all their similarities.

9. If you had to pick a different ship name for zk besides “Zutara,” what would it be? If I were joking around, I’d probably say “Kazu” or something like that. But if I were being serious, I like the idea of a ship name based off of their elemental combination. Like “Thundersnow" (the result of a combination of snow with lightning and thunder), for instance.

10. What is your favorite piece of work that you created for Zutara (art, fics, edits, gifsets, headcanons post, etc. plug whatever you’d like to here!)? And if you don’t create content, feel free to share a piece of favorite zk content here: I really like this playlist gifset that I made for Zutara, and the Zutara spotify playlist I made to go with it!

Tagging @flameozukohere @authorjoydragon @precious-metal-girl @sunandmoongobrrr @that-turtleduck @juldooz-atla @thebluesunflower44 @kaligraphy @katara-stan-club @theotterpenguin @thebansheeandherboy @hanadoesstuffwrong @risemaclay @nerdybookworm25 @lotustiled @stand-on-the-horizon @theaalvez @aang-beifong @stitch1830 @jasmine-tea-latte @airiustide @whoracefitz @firelord-kya @asongofhopeandjoy @mycomfortblanket @rosy-cosmos @tea-and-la @fallen-ophe @fire-lord-katara @thesavagedaughter0627 @losergrl25 @fiction-vixen @atomicpeache as a few of my zk mutuals to start this out (no pressure, ofc) <3 Absolutely feel free to do this even if you aren’t tagged though!

Keep reading

[themomentofdavyprentiss]

Could you please write your essay on the zutara, kataang and maiko analysis? I would like to hear what you have to say...

Yes! Okay so I recently reblogged this post about Yin and Yang and how Zutara does not represent it, but Mai/ko and Kat/aang do. As I said in my tags, as a zutara shipper I do have a lot of thoughts on the interpretations of these three ships written in this post. 

The interesting thing about this anti zutara analysis and the reason I reblogged it is that I almost completely agree with everything said about zutara.  

In the original post, OP goes on describe the two most popular ways that people associate yin and yang with zutara and refute them:

I have seen two flavors of the yin and yang argument for Zutara. The first is the somewhat grounded point that Katara is a female waterbender and represents yin, while Zuko a male firebender and represents yang. The second is the completely clueless assertion that Zuko is “dark” and therefore yin and Katara “light.” therefore yang.

I could not agree more. So many anti zutara shippers (and even a lot of casual zutara shippers) like to picture zutara as the good girl/bad boy ship and I really hate that because the ship is so much more complex than that. Katara is not a goody two shoes pure angel, and Zuko is not an evil badboy who needs Katara to redeem him. 

The first of these arguments, of female, water-associated, yin Katara and male, fire-associated, yang Zuko is true as it goes according to the traditional concepts of yin-yang, but it’s incomplete, outdated, and even dehumanizing in my opinion. It’s basically saying two people are right for each other based on what they are, characteristics that were inborn or cannot be changed, instead of who they are, their personality and individuality. Their actual personalities tell a very different story, as I will discuss below…

…Also frankly, the parts about masculine yang and feminine yin are the products of heavily sexist societies from two millennia ago. They reflect archaic gender roles where men are expected to be aggressive and assertive and women to be submissive and supportive….

…That’s why I don’t like the “female waterbender and male firebender are yin and yang = instant romance!” formulation. It’s sexist and heteronormative, and literalizes what were meant to be symbolic representations…

…If you’re actually interested in applying philosophical yin-yang to individuals and their relationships, it may help to think of yang as “drama” and yin as “chill.” Yang is starting things, getting in people’s faces, wearing your heart on your sleeve, raised voices. Yin is resolving things, calming down, contemplation, quiet conversation or just silent contentment. Everyone has some drama and some chill, but some people have more of one or the other. If one person in a relationship brings tons of drama, it strikes a good balance if the other can bring the chill. In this understanding of yin and yang, it should be clear Zuko and Katara are both drama llamas, that is yang ascendant. “But female waterben-” shush. Katara is more than her gender and element. Also the gender and element are symbolic representations of yin anyway, not the actual thing.

Based on what OP has written (I recommend reading the original post, even though the quote above is very long, I cut a lot of good stuff out for length) I completely agree that Katara and Zuko are both Yang. Up to this point in the essay, I 100% agree with everything written about Zutara. 

Here is where I start to disagree…

Zuko and Katara, then, don’t personify the yin-yang balance at all. They both have too much fire, too much drama, and that’s why their interactions can spin out of control and bring out the worst in both. Remember “The Southern Raiders?” Where Katara set out to murder a war criminal and Zuko egged her on? It was Aang’s calming words, his chill, his yin that ultimately moderated her rage and helped her remember her better self. Aang is the yin to Katara’s yang.

Countless essays and analysis’ have been written about how ‘The Southern Raiders’ does not, in fact, bring out the worst in both Zuko and Katara, and so I’m not going to directly respond to the above statement. I will respond to the statement about Aang and Katara, however. 

If you take Katara and Aang’s individual personalities, traits, and mindsets, I absolutely agree that Kat/aang could be a wonderful representation of Yin and Yang. Aang’s role as Avatar is to be a mediator and to bring peace. Keeping in mind Katara’s fiery personality and emotional drive, I think that the two could have had a really amazing balance if written well. The issue, however, is that we don’t see this at all, which can all be boiled down to the fact that Aang doesn’t understand Katara. Let’s look at the scene between Aang and Katara in ‘The Southern Raiders’:

Aang: Umm… and what exactly do you think this would accomplish? Katara: (sighs and shakes her head) I knew you wouldn’t understand. (She begins to walk away)Aang: (Cut to a close up of Katara as Aang and Sokka look on behind her) Wait, stop, I do understand. You’re feeling unbelievable pain and rage. How do you think I felt about the sandbenders when they stole Appa? How do you think I felt about the Fire Nation when I found out what happened to my people?Zuko: (off screen) She needs this, (everyone turn their eyes towards him) Aang. This is about getting closure and justice. Aang: I don’t think so. I think it’s about getting revenge. Katara: (off screen) Fine! (Cut to an angry and frustrated Katara) Maybe it is. Maybe that’s what I need. Maybe that’s what he deserves. Aang: Katara, you sound like Jet. Katara: (defensively) It’s not the same. Jet attacked the innocent. This man, he’s a monster. 

These are not calming words. Rather than see Katara’s determination and anger and calm her, Aang riles her up even more. He doesn’t try to understand where she is coming from. He just assumes that he already knows. And then he delegitimizes her need for closure. Rather than try to empathize, Aang tells her she is wrong and refuses to see where she is coming from. He even goes so far as to accuse her of being a murderer. 

The ultimate irony here, I think, is that when Appa was stolen, rather than show the sandbenders forgiveness, Aang entered the Avatar State and almost killed them. He would have, too, had Katara not been there to calm him down and be his yin.  

The way Aang tries to be there for Katara mimics how Mai tries to be there for Zuko. Let’s look at this Mai/ko conversation in ‘Nighmares and Daydreams’:

Mai: Zuko, it’s just a dumb meeting. Who cares? Zuko: I don’t. Mai: Well good. You shouldn’t. Why would you even want to go? (Cut to shot of Zuko and Mai standing in the window, the Fire Nation Palace before them. Mai puts her arm around Zuko) Just think about how things went to the last war meeting you went to. Zuko: (sighs)I know.  

Zuko has been completely distraught about not being invited to the war meeting. This is a huge deal to him, he wants to be the perfect son to Ozai, and he feels like a disappointment and an oversight. Mai can’t understand why this is a big deal to Zuko, and rather than try to understand, she invalidates it and acts like it’s the stupidest thing in the world to be upset over. On top of that, she throws in his face one of the biggest shames of his life, all for the sake of making him feel bad for caring. 

Let’s compare these two scenes to two scenes of Katara and Zuko supporting each other. First, Zuko supporting Katara in ‘The Southern Raiders’

Katara: But, we were too late. When we got there, the man was gone. (voice cracks slightly) And so was she. Zuko: (Cut to a sorrowful Zuko) Your Mother was a brave woman.Katara: (Cut to a front shot of Katara as she touches her necklace) I know.

Katara just opened up to Zuko about one of the most traumatic moments of her life: the murder of her mother. Zuko doesn’t make this about him; he doesn’t talk about the disappearance of his own motheR. He doesn’t try to defend the Fire Nation, his home or tell her not all Fire Nation people. He hears what happened to her, accepts how awful this was for her, and affirms that her mother was a wonderful woman. 

Now for Katara supporting Zuko in ‘The Old Masters’:

Katara: Are you okay? Zuko: No, (turning his head away from Katara) I’m not okay. My Uncle hates me, I know it. (Katara lowers herself to the ground) He loved me and supported me in every way he could and I still turned against him. How can I even face him? (Cut to a sideview of a regretful Zuko with Katara looking on.)Katara: Zuko, you’re sorry for what you did, right? Zuko: More sorry than I’ve been about anything in my entire life. Katara: (raises her shoulders) Then he’ll forgive you. (Zuko looks at her) He will. 

Zuko considers betraying Iroh his greatest regret. Iroh is the father figure Zuko never had growing up, and one of the most important people in his life. Right now Zuko is terrified out of his mind that the only adult figure who has ever loved him and supported him is now done with him forever. He is convinced Iroh will reject Zuko, and he doesn’t even want to face his uncle. Here enters Katara. She sees the regret and fear in Zuko. She knows there isn’t anything to worry about, that it’s ridiculous to think that Iroh wouldn’t forgive him. But Katara doesn’t say any of this. She doesn’t tell him to suck it up, or that he’s being dumb. She allows Zuko to reaffirm his sincerity and then reassures him that everything will be okay. 

In these interactions, you can see that even though Zuko and Katara’s personalities are traditionally ‘yang’, when they come together like this, they find a perfect balance. They don’t egg each other on or bring out the worst in each other, they bring out the best, most vulnerable, and their truest selves. 

This is what I love about zutara. It isn’t about ‘opposites attract’ or ‘good girl saves bad boy’. It’s about two people with very similar, but ultimately complementary, personalities coming together on equal playing grounds and supporting each other in the most positive way they can because the level of understanding between the two goes beyond words. It’s just natural for them to know exactly what the other needs.