#Low key also kataang

[turquoise20seashells]

Prompt

person A: *blushing* this feels wildly inappropriate.

Person B: I AM LITERALLY HOLDING U AT GUNPOINT WHATS WRONG WITH YOU-

[airbender-dacyon]

Just some quick personal thoughts on Netflix’s adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender before it premieres tomorrow.

I know I’ve not been as active the last couple years, especially in the Kataang and AtLA fandom, but I started this blog for Kataang and AtLA and it will always be a blog for Kataang and AtLA. And it’s been a while since I’ve talked about my favorite fandom and ultimate OTP.

First and foremost, I think the adaptation is completely unnecessary (same goes for the HTTYD live-action movie that’s currently being filmed). The story has been told in a visual medium already through its original animated series.

That said, I feel this live-action series will be an improvement over the 2010 film, though that is admittedly a very low bar to clear.

Despite that I feel it’s unnecessary, I do intend to watch it after I rewatch the first season of AtLA. I want the first season fresh in my mind because I’m planning to do some level of a review of each episode as I watch it, if anyone’s interested.

My expectations for the show are that it will be… okay. Somewhat good even. Slightly above average.

From the trailers and clips released so far, I have hopes for some aspects of the adaptation and disappointment and irritation with other elements. It seems like they’ve handled some concepts well (set design, costumes, casting, visual effects, some character bonding moments, expanding upon some of the lore and characters, etc.) while it appears they may have failed to grasp the significance of key plot points and character arcs (Aang is a kid, please let him be a kid and have his fun; Sokka needs to grow as a person; Katara needs to relearn how to be a kid and have fun; Ozai scarred Zuko because Zuko refused to fight him during their Agni Kai, so why is there apparently a fully choreographed fight?).

I’m hoping I’m proved wrong on the rumored issues regarding plot points and character arcs.

I understand there are always differences between adaptations, but some of these things do worry me.

All of this said, please do not attack the cast and crew if you dislike the show. Criticism is fair, but do not go after the people who worked on this adaptation, no matter how much you disagree with some (or all) of the decisions.

And I think most importantly, be kind to newcomers to the fandom and if they liked the show, encourage them to watch the original animated series. We have an opportunity to show people that the original series is worthy of its praise and that any adaptation, no matter how well done, won’t be able to recapture the essence and beauty that made the original series so special.

I say this because it was only thanks to the live-action adaptations of One Piece and Percy Jackson that got me interested in the originals. It wasn’t that I never had an interest in them, but I had other shows/books/fandoms/interests that overshadowed them for literal years. Now I’m planning to read the OP manga and the PJO books once I’ve got some free time. And I imagine I’ll enjoy them both more than the live-action adaptations.

Last, but not least, I’m hoping to see some bonding between the main trio and especially hoping the Kataang friendship is strong. I doubt there will be any indications of anything romantic, but if they at least handle Katara and Aang’s friendship well, it will serve as a foundation for any romance in potential future seasons.

So, these are my ramblings.

If anyone is interested in me reviewing the episodes, let me know and I’ll try my best to write them up when I get a chance.

In conclusion, be respectful of the cast and crew, be kind to fandom newcomers (and please do not incite ship wars), be open-minded about the show if you watch it, but also do not be afraid to critique the adaptation.

[noperopesaredope]

(This isn't a bash against all Zutara shippers. I'm sure plenty of you are chill. This is more of me talking about the general toxic attitude of the Zutara fanbase)

I try so hard to not be a Zutara hater but GOD does the Zutara fanbase make that difficult.

The funny thing is, while I know there is a whole Kataang vs Zutara rivalry where both sides have been very passionate, but most Kataang shippers I have seen have been extremely chill with other ships that involve Aang or Katara (besides Zutara). Funnily enough, the only ones I've seen insult Kataang are Zutara shippers (maybe there are some exceptions to this, but I have yet to know).

And when I do see people refer to Kataang shippers in a derogatory manner, it's usually in the context of 'Kataang AND Zutara shippers suck' or 'Kataang shippers are basic bitches' (which is honestly kinda fair, and I say that as someone who likes the ship).

Kataang shippers seem to like wholesome and fluffy relationships (aka Kataang) and their main problem is that so many Zutara shippers will constantly insult Kataang and even slander Aang like crazy. I've mainly just seen Zutara shippers start fights and Kataang shippers end up falling for it every single time.

But while they constantly fight with Zutara shippers, as I said above, Kataang shippers seem to be chill with most other ships. In fact, almost all the ships seem to get along with each other besides Zutara. I've seen a few Kataang shippers who think ships like Taang are really fun, among others.

I think the thing is that while everyone says that the fandom has a toxic shipping culture, when you look around at the fandom (or at least how it is today), you realize that most of it is really chill and casual. And I think that if most Zutara shippers were more chill and less pretentious (because that's how some of them feel at this point: pretentious) and didn't shit on other ships, most people would be fine with it.

It would be just another one of the ships that has its own little corner of the fanbase. I'm pretty sure even I would think it's pretty okay and wouldn't feel such deep distain for it if Zutara shippers weren't constantly complaining about their ship not being canon. If Zutara shippers weren't always saying how "Kataang was bad and Zutara should have been canon" when literally nobody else cares about what ships are canon, then everyone would get along great with them. But the problem is that the overall Zutara fanbase loudly expresses dissatisfaction with what they don't have rather than cherish what they do.

Yes, Kataang shippers have their own part in the shipping war, but they have also establish goodwill among other ships and will usually just do fanart or whatever (and I'm pretty sure a lot of them wouldn't even care if the ship never became canon properly). Meanwhile, Zutara shippers have instigated so much shit, the fanbase has burned bridges with all other ships as a result and is low key known as "the toxic side of the fanbase."

Conversely, every Zukka shipper I've seen has been pretty chill towards and had good relations with other ships like Maiko, Sukka, Yukka, Jinko, Jetko, and even Zukaang when Zuko is aged down/Aang is aged up. They also respect the women and will acknowledge the validity of these ships. And all these ships respect each other in turn.

Zukka shippers know that their ship would never be canon and most (including myself) actually kind of prefer it that way. They think various other ships are fun and cute, and many are willing to explore other potential ships that could also be interesting on their own. Half of the reason this ship came into existence is likely because people thought "teehee this would be funny," and don't take it too seriously.

Basically, public image matters, and how you treat "opposing" ships will affect whether or not people will like your ship at all. If outsiders see a shipping fanbase with a shitty attitude, it won't matter how much chemistry the characters have or how much you analysis their scene: people will automatically like your ship less.

So just don't whine about canon and be nice.

I think that one of the reasons I hate zutara and I like zukka is because the zukka fandom is pretty much the opposite of the zutara fandom.

I've never ever seen a post where someone tries to prove that zukka should've been canon or that it IS canon. Zutara shippers take every scene between the two and over analyze everything to the point that it's exhausting and annoying.

Zukka shippers don't do that, and most of the fandom is just like, "Haha, what if these two kissed?" And honestly, I love that sm more than the over analyzing

[sparkles-and-trash]

I just had a pretty rough day, and I was wondering if you had some spare Modern Zukka or Kataang or Mailee or just gaang headcanons? Your writing always brighten up my day! It’s okay if you can’t, just wanted to ask <3

oh no, anon, I’m so sorry your day was dumb, and I can sure try to make it a little better! <3

some random Modern ATLA headcanons, ft. Zukka, Kataang and Mailee ~

I know they’re not usually seen together, but I 100% think Suki and Toph would be best buddies 

badass girl pals, punching the patriarchy in the face together 

Zuko totally dresses like a total dork, sweater-vests over button-downs type of dorky, and he totally cuffs his jeans and wear loafers 

Azula, and then when they start dating, Sokka, totally has to help hm out in the fashion department 

Sokka is obsessed with ocean life? 

Sokka and Zuko’s first date was at the aquarium okay 

they still like going there a lot 

Katara studies medicine, I love med student Katara 

she and Mai are low-key pals 

Mai is studying forensics so some of their classes interlude 

Ty Lee is a high ranking gymnast and Mai is her biggest supporter 

she even cheered loudly once 

it’s true, Azula, Sokka and Zuko was all there, they all heard it

they all love telling everyone about it, and people who doesn’t know them have no idea why it’s so hilarious 

Aang and Ty Lee would totally volunteer at a animal shelter together 

Aang adopted both Appa the huge, hairy mutt, and Momo the sketchy, little cat from there 

Katara loves them both so much, Sokka loves Appa but is a little weary of Momo 

it’s mutual 

Zuko sometimes joins Mai when she’s going to visit Ty Lee while she’s there, Mai visits her a work so much people think she works there too 

Mai loves animals, like, ay more than people 

Zuko finds Druk the three-legged cat there and of course he takes him home 

this cat is so... just so, so ragged and weird 

dark brown and orange-y fur, huge orange, almost red eyes, a tooth sticking out of his mouth, one of his ears are chipped, and yeah, he’s missing a front leg 

but Zuko loves him with his entire heart and soul, so of course Sokka does, too 

Zuko got himself a whole ass business admin degree, because he thought he was gonna take over his dad’s company, with Azula 

but when they cut him out, and he was later taken to jail for being the worst (also embezzlement and a lot of other real crimes), Zuko was almost done anyways so he just finished

but it ended up being great anyways, because Iroh is expanding The Jasmin Dragon, and Zuko ends up running the second location 

he loves it, and turns it into some sort of tea shop/book store thing, and it thrives under his management 

Azula is ofc still a boss bitch lmao 

idk what she ends up doing, but she does everything well so she’ll be okay, we all know this 

[loopy777]

I hate to send this rant to you but I need someone to vent to. I am becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of conclusion to Mai and Zuko's story. I have been a huge Maiko fan for almost 8 years and they are the only thing keeping me in the fandom honestly. They have been broken up since I was 10 and I am 19 now😭. Like i am so tired. How long do we have to wait to just get a simple yes or no answer to if they got back together. PART 1.

PART 2. I low-key wish the comics never existed because it just created more problems for Maiko. It seems like when the creators want to start some type of relationship drama they always have to do it through Maiko. Like its so frustrating. Why can't they just let them be happy like the other couples. You have Kataang with barely any problems in their relationship. Sukka are being so cute in the comics but Maiko has to suffer? For what? I don't know what the writers are doing anymore.

PART 3. Like okay I get the break up in the Promise. They wanted Zuko to be at his lowest so they made his girlfriend break up with him. But Smoke and Shadow was supposed to be some type of resolution to their break up. It was built up for them to get back together. Mai showing she still had feelings for him in Rebound and Zuko confessing to Mai that he still misses her and wants her back. And then at the end of the comic it goes no where. Literally nothing is resolved.

PART 4. Even worse more problems are created in the way Mai is wrote in S&S. Like Mai is a already polarizing character and although I absolutely love her (she is my favorite character actually), S&S gave the people who hate her more reasons to continue the anti-mai bs. The Creators say the love Maiko so why do they continue to do this to them. The Avatar Studios further increases my anxiety because what if they mess up there too. Idk I am sorry to drop the long rant on you but I am so tired.

If you need to vent on this subject, you've come to right blog. Here, we make visual aids to show just how frustrated we are about the treatment of Mai and Maiko in the comics. XD

I can clear up your confusion about why Maiko was targeted for sabotage, though, though. Gene Yang wanted to break up or somehow mess with Kataang, according to interviews, but the Mike and the Bryan explicitly forbid it. (He also wanted to resurrect Jet. I don't think Gene Yang understands AtLA at all.) He's never commented on Sukka, that I've seen, but after the Maiko breakup there were all those weird hints that he was trying to bring Zuko and Suki together, so presumably at some point Sokka would have been dumped or just cheated on. So Gene really had it in for all the canon ships.

I know, that doesn't make me feel any better, either.

At the time of the breakup, I didn't even have a problem with the breakup. Maiko didn't get the greatest development in the cartoon, and Mai's subplot was tied entirely to her romance, so I was open to the idea of giving her an arc separate from Zuko and/or giving Maiko more focus and building it back up. But, as you've said, nothing has been done like that. I don't know if Gene Yang intended to do such a thing and just never found a way forward (hence Smoke & Shadow running place and having Mai break up again with the same terrorist boyfriend from her FCBD one-shot), or if he expected to do more Avatar comics. Perhaps he pitched a big from-the-ashes arc for Maiko, and that's what got the Mike and the Bryan's approval. But the result now is that I think it will likely never get resolved. Gene's gone. Faith Erin Hicks doesn't seem to have any interest in that subplot, and I have a hard time believing that Dark Horse would release a one-shot graphic novel devoted to cleaning up a storyline from a decade ago.

However, there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel.

While we'll never probably see how Mai and Zuko get back together, I don't have any doubt that they do. Izumi looks like Mai. I believe that the cartoons are being prioritized over tie-in material, so I really doubt that the comics are truly allowed to overwrite something established by the cartoon's ending. At some point we'll get some kind of a confirmation that Zuko did indeed marry Mai, perhaps as an aside in a Korra comic, and that will be the end of it.

It won't be worth the decade of annoyance, but it will be a victory, of a sort.

[secretsecrettunnel]

Fic: Another Life

Part: 2/2 - Now Word count: 442 AO3 Link Notes: This is part two of my Kataang Week Valentine’s Bash. The prompt was complimentary and I went with Then and Now - both complimentary but also opposites. I wrote short pieces, but I think they work as a whole.

She’s seen him a few times now. Usually he’s tucked into the back corner of the coffee shop she works in, a knitted beanie and hoodie swamping his frame as he sips at a flat white and taps away on his laptop. Sometimes it’s across the college library, a baseball cap pulled low over his hair as his eyes skim the reference numbers on the stacks.

She’s seen him a few times now. Usually he’s tucked into the back corner of the coffee shop she works in, a knitted beanie and hoodie swamping his frame as he sips at a flat white and taps away on his laptop. Sometimes it’s across the college library, a baseball cap pulled low over his hair as his eyes skim the reference numbers on the stacks.

Today, he’s sitting in the kitchen of the apartment she shares with her brother twisting open a bottle of water and swiping on a phone screen absentmindedly.

“Uh… hi?” Katara asks, her backpack sliding down her arm as she stops in the doorway.

He jumps, his hand squeezing the bottle in his hand as a reflex and sloshing liquid all over himself and the table. He looks up at her with his mouth open, water dripping from his hands as he stares.

She raises an eyebrow before huffing out a small laugh and shaking her head. Katara moves her arm, her fingers coaxing the water from his shirt and gathering up the pools from the table before bending them into the sink.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you…?”

“Aang!” He stands up, looks as if he’s going to reach out his hand to shake hers for a moment before pausing and pulling his hand back. “Sokka didn’t say anyone else was here - I mean I’m not a burglar - I have his keys! He told me to just meet him here?”

“And he gave you his keys because?” Katara asks, moving into the kitchen and dropping her bag onto a wayward chair. She leans back against the kitchen counter, crossing her arms over her chest and quirking an eyebrow.

“We’re working on a paper together and he said his fencing practise would run late tonight and I should make a start without him,” Aang replies. His eyes drift from Katara’s face to the phone in his hand and his unopened backpack in the chair next to him. “I swear I was going to start!”

“Clearly,” Katara laughs, trying to ease the tension slightly. “Don’t sweat it, I just wish Sokka would let me know when to expect strangers in my kitchen.”

“Have we met before?” Aang asks, tapping his finger against the corner of his phone case with a small frown. “It doesn’t feel like we’re strangers.”

“Maybe in another life?” Katara counters, reaching to pick up her discarded backpack. “I better get studying.”

“Yeah, sure, nice to meet you.” Aang watches her retreat from the room, her footstops tapping across the apartment. She can hear him huff out a small laugh. “Maybe in another life.”

[toph-bi-fong]

I guess I used to consider Taang when I started watching the show (I didn’t start watching until Toph was already introduced) but I wasn’t serious about shipping until after Katara and Aang kissed in DoBS. By that moment- I was convinced Kataang was meant to be. Now I see Toph more as pseudo sister to Aang (more of a sister than Katara was- lmao)

I low-key shipped Zuko and Toph for a brief period of time- probably because they were my favorite characters. But unlike zutarians, I was smart enough to know it would never be canon. Looking at it now- it definitely wouldn’t work out in the context of the actual show, but would make for an interesting AU. As of now, I really don’t care what the context of the relationship is- it’s just cool to see them together interacting fanart. (And let’s face it- those two seem to have A LOT in common that Bryke seemed to overlook.)

Zukaang has more of a foot to stand on than Toko, and I’m down for multi-shipping ZutarAang, as long as Katara and Zuko remain strictly platonic. I’m down with Zukka and SuZukka too (but the shippers are on ice for how they treat Suki and Mai)

MaiAang is also my favorite crack-ship.

I think I’d be more open to a ship like t.aang if it wasn’t almost entirely fueled by zvtarians who basically use it as a way for Aang not to end up alone in their fanon lmao. it’s just really fucking annoying. this is probably why I am way more invested in zukaang (if we ignore the canon material that gives weight to it), because I don’t feel like zukaang shippers use another pairing like kataang for example as a throw away ship or like an afterthought. granted I also just straight up hate zvtara and it’s almost entirely because of shippers but anyway lol. idk but I just feel like kataang/zukaang shippers have a fundamentally different understanding of atla and the characters than zvtara/t.aang shippers (at least for the most part)

like maybe I’d be more receptive to another Aang ship that wasn’t zukaang or kataang if it wasn’t shipped almost entirely by zvtarians who hate Aang and have zero understanding of his character/character depth

[boomerang109]

So I decided to combine two of my current obsessions: Hadestown and ATLA for a theatre kids AU.

Zuko and Sokka are juniors (maybe seniors, idk), Katara is a sophomore, and Aang is a freshman.

So basically this all started when I realized that Zuko has that gravelly voice to be Hades. So from there I needed a Persephone and I realized that Toph would totally be an awesome badass Persephone. I think at first they’re really awkward (my sibling is supposed to be my spouse?) but Toph ends up really enjoying being Persephone and we know Zuko is the ultimate actor so they would work really well together.

Okay next, Katara would be a great Eurydice cause she’s got the softness but also Eurydice is low key badass and Katara obviously is too. And because you gotta get that good Kataang content (and because he is an amazing baby) Aang is definitely Orpheus.

And this can be fun because either they weren’t a couple yet so Aang is just pining over her and at some point Katara is like yes I like you too and suddenly their performances improve a shit ton OR the director talks to them before the cast list goes up and is like, look I am against casting couples as couples in case things go badly and Katara and Aang are like even if we somehow breakup we literally love each other so much, we’d never cause problems.

Now, where’s Sokka gonna fit in? He’s Hermes because he’s not the best singer, but damn if he can’t tell a story. (And now Hades and Hermes are pining for each other, goddamnit, but they’re professionals so it’s okay).

Now the fates are where I really have trouble because I was gonna have Azula as our badass stage manager (she’s redeemed, deal with it), Ty Lee on costumes, and Mai on lights, but also they’d be an awesome trio as the fates. But Suki doesn’t have a role, so I think my compromise is Ty Lee, Mai, and Suki as the fates and Azula stays our stage manager who gets shit done and terrifies everyone. Honorable mentions to Haru and Teo as members of the ensemble!

[guileheroine]

atla rewatch thoughts

because i’d regret it if i didn’t write it down, here’s my thoughts upon rewatch off the top of my head! 

always interesting to see what new things come to the fore when revisiting something as an adult, especially when Something is excellent

this is my #1 fav show c: 

this show is so good! 

it’s not just character-oriented, which is the single most important factor in me giving a shit, but it has 2 things i think i value the most in a plot, overarching cohesion/consistency, and breathing room

book 2 was always my fave, but i have a newer appreciation for book 3 and i’d put them equal now (as i think most people do?)

AANG! i love him. he is so special. he is an absolute joy to watch, a character that just glimmers with understated complexity, humour, heart, cleverness, strength, tragedy, integrity. an icoooon. and just unique from a meta perspective- had a great discussion about how there are truly no protagonists in popular western media like him - there’s things about his characterisation, his arc that i’ve always appreciated deeply that i didn’t rly have the tools to articulate until this time around 

by the same token, i can better pinpoint my issues with a lot of fandom reception of him (in particular, though this applies to all the characters) (touched on one aspect here)

i love the entire gaang but my unpopular onion is that ehhh... suki isn’t really part of the gaang? i mean she literally has her own gang give them some credit (real talk this is because she’s a static character compared to them whose inner life we aren’t privy to, though there’s nothing wrong with that)

atla gives effortless dimension to its secondary characters, and this applies to azula but not i think to the degree it should given her narrative agency, role as zuko’s foil, and the complexity of her whole... complex. she’s the one character that is slightly close to being a caricature imo, and we don’t see Into her early as we should because it’s cooler when she’s #slick. i’d love to have had a bit more of her. 

if i could change anything else about the ending, i’d give zuko prince wu’s abdication ending from lok

aside from that, the show has such a deft, sustained, multidimensional treatment of imperialism and colonialism that truly sets it apart within the genre and beyond 

also the first thing that ever caught my attention about atla is how asian the aesthetics are and i will always love that! i don’t know how americans ever executed this galaxy brained concept but i’m so glad a massively popular anglophone cultural product that speaks directly to us, can belong to us, before white people exists (#representationmatters and all that, but it’s altogether more liberating if your entire fantasy world is noneuro and no one even has to exist in relation to hegemonic whiteness. utopic!)

i happily drink that delicious pan-asian soup, but if you asked, i’d say i wish we saw more explicitly south asian characters given how much the show borrows from indosphere culture/religion (including but not limited to the titular concept)

could take it or leave it when i first watched it, but as an adult who knows they can just not like stuff, and whose tolerance for perfunctory het is at an all time low: i don’t like maiko. like all atla ships, there’s potential, but my instinctual read as i watch is that as they are, they’re bringing out the worse aspects of each other (in zuko’s case, the malaise that characterises his whole personal/moral quandary after returning home is usually on display in scenes with mai, whether that just makes maiko a victim or circumstance or not)

the show is def a product of its time wrt heteronormativity, regardless of how queerable it is to those interested. this is something i’m interested to see change in the live action, because i think it will have to change! 

i still think it would be equally poignant and tighter without most of the overt romance, and i continue to not be hot on the ending scene

kataang shines bright regardless. no amount of clumsiness on that front can elide how pivotal, touching, and enjoyable their actual dynamic is. they’re the emotional bedrock of the whole show 

zutara tasty, but i’m always like (to quote zuko) ‘where’s the rest of it?’ when i jump into the show after the fandom 

zukaang manifesto time! this is undeniably the non-canon ship with the most TEXTUAL juice. their mirrored journey is my favourite throughline of the show and it’s arguably the throughline with zuko as the deuteragonist and their convergence/shared destiny being the key to the war’s end. that’s not coming from a shipping lens (it was true before i ever really shipped them), but this particular flavour of narrative basis adds real magic to shipping. when there’s no difference between what you appreciate intellectually and indulgently in a narrative and they just compound each other endlessly..... eliteeee 

related, can’t stop thinking abt how roku’s homosexuality started the war 

i preferred when toph/sokka/suki instead of sokka/suki/zuko was the go-to gaang ot3 but what i really want to see is zutaraang supremacy 

aang, zuko and katara are the show’s tentpoles, especially emotionally. they each foil the other two so well - in their personalities, and esp for zutara/zukaang, on a wider thematic level. and they’re such well articulated characters that it’s easy to extrapolate that to the three-way dynamic. it’s probably most (in)famously on display in 3.16 but there’s a deeelicious little moment in 3.18 when aang leaves distraught and zuko is the one to stop katara from immediately going after him. the #dynamics that were simmering, whew. 

i think mai/ty lee is getting the generic uwu soft girls treatment that is the bane of all popular femslash ships (same way zukka’s getting the generic dudeslash treatment) because azula makes tyzula a little too spicy. however i would like to see more tyzula, especially of the spicy variety

i wish there was someone in this show i could thirst over. hakoda is sort of a dilf? 

[korranguyen]

Some thoughts on romance in TDP and ATLA: What Does Rayllum Get Right?

Okay, I know this post doesn’t do much service to this claim, but I don’t love the idea of directly comparing ships to one another. Every relationship is different in the context it takes place, and it’s just as unfair to directly compare any two relationships as it would be to compare two different couples in real life: every person, and by extension, every character, is unique in their own way. Not to mention I’m a bit hesitant to write this because TDP just found its footsteps away from ATLA with the new season, and I honestly fear plaguing the lovely positivity of the TDP fan base with old wounds from the ATLA ship wars.

BUT since there are already a lot of popular Kataang/Rayllum comparison posts floating around, I feel the need to share my two cents on the bit as someone who wholeheartedly enjoys the trajectory of Rayllum, but had my... reservations when it came to the canonized romance in ATLA.

Instead of dwelling on those reservations, though, I’m gonna focus on talking about and validating the parts of the ships we do like (meaning both Zutarians and Kataangers).

This essay, in a nutshell:

Two ships form an unlikely bond and find their peace in the midst of warring kingdoms fandoms. #amirite

What Rayllum Learns from Zutara

TBQH I surprised by how many embraced the Kataang/Rayllum parallels because the setup itself reminded me of Zutara— not Kataang. They share a similar origin story: Rayla threatens Callum in an attempt to pursue his little brother, just like how Zuko often pursued Katara to capture Aang. Their introductions are antagonistic, if not explicitly violent, but because the writers take the time to humanize both characters outside of these interactions, the audience understands that these conflicts happen because they’re driven by motivations from opposite sides of the war. Of course, when they are forced to become allies, it’s... not as smooth-sailing as you’d expect.

At its core, both Rayllum and Zutara are very cautious friendships. They don’t trust each other right away. It’s not perfect; they have their outbursts, reluctance to trust, and painful blows to their bond. But against all odds they eventually establish trust in each other. And because that trust isn’t just given, but needs earning, it takes its time dwelling on wounds necessary to transgress those lines and establishes extra depth in the meantime, making it well-earned and conducive to an understanding relationship. When they find their peace and friendship, it feels earned and respected on both sides, and both parties have a deeper understanding of each other than they could've had with a happy-go-lucky friendship.

Also, a side effect of the bitter work (sorry I had to lol) it took to to build that relationship, both Zutara and Rayllum have become especially in-tune with each other’s emotional cues. On the behalf of Zutara, there’s the moment when Katara comforts Zuko as he’s cowering in front of his uncle’s tent. She immediately recognizes that something’s wrong and approaches him about it:

Zuko opened up to Katara yet again about his insecurities and fears just like he did in Ba Sing Se. I love how easy it is for him. Zuko’s normally so guarded yet doesn’t mind being vulnerable with Katara. He’s so worried because he doesn’t see how Uncle Iroh can forgive him. It’s important that Katara’s the one encouraging him because she was also someone he betrayed that day. Someone who had faith in him to make the right choice, someone who changed for the better. She forgave him and she knows Iroh will too. That carries some weight with him. 

-- Geektastic08

Because of how many more opportunities Rayllum than Zutara to show off their perceptiveness of each others’ emotions, I could name off a lot of similar moments-- but I’m going to go with when Rayla slices open the mummy on the Cursed Caldera. When she returns and anxiously gets to ushering people forward, Callum notices almost instantly that Rayla’s acting off and expresses his concern. And, of course, Rayla opens up that she did, indeed, see something “horrible”— immediately opening up to him on the fact she was afraid, almost instinctively overcoming her reluctance to show her fears and weaknesses as established from previous episodes when Callum is the one who asks about it.

Also, this:

"I know that face. It’s your dumb idea face.” =)

Another reason: balanced-out co-parenting is a thing (Ezran vs. the rest of the Gaang).

On a more grand-scheme note, their relationship actually also shares a lot of the same “thematic importance” as Zutara as a symbol of overcoming differences and bonding. As cheesy as this line low-key is (IMO), Harrow says:

“I ask you and your brother to reject history as a narrative of strength and instead have faith that it can be a narrative of love.”

Yeah, read by the human boy crossing foreign lands with a she-elf to return the Dragon Prince to his mother as a gesture of bonding elves and humans and ending the war between nations. Having faith that history can be rewritten as a narrative of love and compassion.

To top it off, Rayllum owns it when it comes to living up to the not-overtly-kissy romantic foreshadowing of Zutara.

This is an allusion to the established Moon symbolism from earlier in the episode. As painful as it was, finding out about the king winds up illuminating, and eventually fulfilling, the possibility of deeper relationship and understanding of trust they originally couldn't see (but was still there) when Callum crosses the barrier into the “light face” from the “dark, shadowed side”. 

Also, this shipper’s haven scene:

Agh, yes.

What Rayllum learns from Kataang

Okay, so one of the bigger (and very understandable) issues with Zutara is that all of their development (aside from “Crossroads of Destiny”) happens very late in the last season. No matter how solid the moments we do get are, there simply isn’t enough time to fully wash away their damaged terms only a couple episodes prior, much less transgress necessary lines before a healthy relationship can occur. Whether or not their build-up does justice for their relationship arc as friends, by the end of ATLA, Zutara’s negative interactions still outnumber their positive ones by a sheer majority, so pushing that relationship into romance so soon comes with negative implications. (Which is where the Book 4 rumors seep in, but let’s not touch those today)(Anyway, even as a person who generally supports Zutara, I don’t advocate for that relationship to be “endgame”, or even as a part of canonized material because romance that soon after establishing that trust wouldn’t have conducive to a healthy relationship.)

On the other hand, Kataang gets a lot more credit in the time department. Because their friendship is established in such a positive light from the very first episode, Kataang has the benefit of faith from their countless endearing moments capturing a casual, comfortable friendship we can know and love, and then can grow nostalgic about over time. Even when their angrier moments play out, they usually fizzle out in the pool of happier memories they already have, so such instances are easily forgivable from the majority of the audience.

Now, despite initially being at odds with each other, Rayllum is established early enough to have the advantage of 5/6/7 seasons under its belt to build to that healthy relationship. Even in the less-immediate circumstances of their trust, the show still leaves plenty of time to fill with the necessary builds and prove their friendship through positive interactions. This is evidenced by the fact that by the end of Season 2, their negative interactions— even Rayla’s original position as Callum/Ezran’s killer— is water long down the bridge.

(Random tangent: To all who believe Zutara is an unforgivably abusive ship because of Katara’s and Zuko’s previous enemy relationship, let me pitch this to you: Rayla literally corners Callum and holds a blade in his face, about to kill him in the second episode yet Rayllum is very inarguably not abusive. The issue with Zutara isn’t that it’s inherently a sour relationship because they used to be enemies, it’s that there’s a dire lack of time to ease the ratio of interactions of Zuko hurting Katara to him helping her before the end of the show where starting that immediate relationship would have come with poor implications. In the case of Rayllum, Rayla actually gets a very extended chance to make that up in a larger span of time and exceeded those numbers two weeks ago long ago)

Thanks to all that screentime, maybe if our Season-2-Shipper-Scenes can be read as glimpses of a possible building crush early on like Kataang’s, that’ll stir up some of the heartstring garble later that it did with Kataang, too (for some, at least).

Rayllum’s interactions share the lovable silliness of Kataang. When it comes to picturing your ideal, sugarcane relationship, we will often find our soft spots in the couples who spend the most time smiling, laughing or being casually friendly with each other.

Also, here’s an interesting parallel: Katara was Aang’s primary support through his loss, just like Rayla was for Callum. Also, both Katara and Rayla struggled to hide the fact from their “romantic counterparts” at first, in fear of hurting newfound friendships with people they cared about, only to have this backfire later. However, I’d say it’s interesting to note that because Callum is almost 3 years older than Aang and thus arguably in a different phase of maturity (older childhood at 12 vs. teen at almost 15), the way they processed that realization took remarkably different forms between the two characters. Breaking the news to Callum meant surfacing more relationship-based questions about trust, meeting its resolution in a heart-to-heart conversation about honesty and hurting people you care about. On the other hand, because Aang is still, for most purposes, a child, that recognition on Aang’s part, as well as the honesty/lack of censorship on Katara’s part, doesn’t exist as much as an expectation in that relationship. Consequently, Aang’s grief process in “The Southern Air Temple” was wholly Aang-centric, coming to life in a display of rage and pain before he comes to accept his new position as the avatar and the last airbender in the arms of his new “family”. (I actually think the most obvious comparison to Aang here is Ezran, who became angry and ran away when he found out about his father’s death, then returned with a fuller understanding of the newfound individual responsibility he must face despite not being ready for as a growing kiddo. But that’s a discussion for another time; maybe I’ll write something on that later). 

Of course, the aforementioned covert foreshadowing of the Zutara ship comes coupled (pun intended) with the overt romantic foreshadowing of the Kataang ship! Because what kid (or kid in the heart) doesn’t let out the giddy squeals over that.

Also, it’s the male and female lead. Everyone’s gotta love those characters! Bet you money all the 2010s children who watch TDP are gonna get hella attached to that stuff and rack up the tears on how well-elaborated those characters were and how perfect they were for each other through thick-lens nostalgia goggles when they grow up. That’s just how dat shit works.

TL;DR If Zutara was too “dark” or “intriguing”, or “bound to make six year olds cry” (as Ehasz himself supposedly said in a class at UC Berkeley; lol), Rayllum re-illustrates that arc with the cushiness of a clear, lovable path and the positive-interaction-to-death-threat ratio, audience faith, (love for small critters,) and longer friendship screentime of Kataang.

Rayllum shares all of the literary nuances of Zutara and the sweet lovability of Kataang. And then adds its own little sparks of healthiness.

It’s a ship built for everyone to fall in love with.

I honestly don’t care whether this winds up being a very strong friendship or a romantic relationship (though I’m inclined to believe from the narrative that it’s the latter), but no matter the direction the show takes, I love their relationship so much and have full faith it’ll be done right.

Let me know if I missed anything else! I know I might be missing the narrative importance and/or parallels others might see in Kataang because I’m a bit biased to Zutara as the poster of this multi-ship analysis (though I tried my best to counteract it for objectivity), so especially if you’re a Kataanger, let me know what you’ve noticed and I’ll be happy to add it in.

positive/non-warring reax only please :)

[rhys-ravenfeather]

Am I the only one that finds Maiko Abusive and a Kataang completely forced?

Oh, it’s Maiko, I got the ship name wrong, derp -___-

Seriously, though. 

No offense to any Kataang shippers, but I’ve seen WAY too many TV shows and movies where the main male and female characters end up together, and it’s honestly just tiresome. 

Also, it’s been a while since I’ve seen the series, but isn’t the last we see of Zuko and Mai of her threatening him not to break up with him again? And apparently, in the comics, she gaslights him into apologizing to her? As someone who was low-key gaslit by an emotionally abusive mother...not cool, guys :/

[thevagueambition]

Atla, Zukka and Sokka :)

ATLA

Favorite character: Zuko, 100%. He’s a character I relate to a lot, eg the whole “hard work vs natural talent” thing... I even have a costume, although I didn’t get a chance to use it when I meant to so I haven’t really done so yet OTL

Least Favorite character: Hmm, god, I don’t know.... Bumi, maybe? As a comedic character he feels a bit too “haha crazy” and he doesn’t really (imo) work well as a dramatic one... 

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon):

Zukka

Hakoda/Bato

Roku/Sozin

Tyzula

Jetko

Character I find most attractive: Zuko. Particularly s3 ofc lol

putting the rest under a cut for length

Character I would marry: idk. not big on marriage really

Character I would be best friends with: Sokka

a random thought: The true hero of ATLA is Iroh and I feel ashamed of not having mentioned his name yet in this

An unpopular opinion: The age difference between Kataang is 2 years which is the exact same age difference between Zutara and neither are particularly weird regardless of the fact that I don’t care about either ship

My Canon OTP: Don’t have one. Sokka/Suki is cute I guess is the closest I come to having strong feelings on a canon ship

My Non-canon OTP: Zukka

Most Badass Character: Toph but also low key Sokka bc he’s a non-bender

Most Epic Villain: That old blood bending woman who gave us all nightmares

Pairing I am not a fan of: Zutara, but that’as as much about fandom behavior back in the day as anything else

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): Korra, all of LoK 

They gave Toph too little to do in s3 and she SHOULD have had her Zuko outing like all the others >:( Actually Zuko and Toph have a lot in common in certain ways and that was never fully explored

Also obviously SOOOO many characters in this series who were written as straight when they shouldn’t be lol. We get it, it was a kid’s cartoon in the 00s, but they didn’t have to agressively pair off everyone in neat m/f couples by the end of the series

Favourite Friendship: Aang & Zuko

Character I most identify with: Zuko, as mentioned above. He’s also the same MBTI type as me haha (INFP). Also, Sokka mix of being simoultaneously really clever and extremely stupid is a gigantic mood.

Character I wish I could be: Idk... Iroh, in some ways, certainly. Honestly, by the end of the series all the main kids are pretty admirable people. Who wouldn’t want Aang’s kindness, Katara’s righteousness, Zuko’s determination, Sokka’s cleverness, Toph’s independence, Suki’s leadership, etc? Hell, Mai’s bravery and Ty Lee’s loyalty? I love all the main kids.

Zukka

When I started shipping them: Only a year or two ago, actually! I think last time I rewatched The Boiling Rock I was like 👀

Originally when I was an ATLA fan I was still in the “we must adheer to canon” phase of my existence in fandom and then for a good while I was still affected by my... hesitance to look like a, idk, stereotypical slash fan, in the sense that back in the day people were REALLY hostile to slash ships that seemed, idk, contrived. Zukka also just wasn’t a big ship back in the day I don’t think, Jetko has always been more popular. 

My thoughts: The cammaraderie that developes between them over their stay at The Boiling Rock is incredibly compelling to me and I think that... the ways in which Sokka holds Zuko accountable through “jokes” but still allows him the space to prove himself is really interesting and probably... something that is actually better for Zuko than either Katara’s rage or Aang’s kindness? Idk. 

Also they both have pretty complicated relationships to masculinity and what it means to be a man in their respective cultures and their sort of struggles with that and how those struggles look different due to circumstances like their parental situations and different cultural expectations... Zuko’s is less directly about masculinity per se because the Fire Nation has less strict gender roles, or at least ones that don’t code certain activities as purely masculine endeavours (eg warfare) but certainly there are shades of Ozai’s treatment of Zuko and Azula that are gendered as well as about birth order and it’s interesting how Zuko and Sokka both impose restrictions on themselves about how they should behave and what they should live up to culturally.

What makes me happy about them: I think they complement each other really well. They have a lot in common but are pretty different about their approach to things... I also just really like battle couples lol 

What makes me sad about them: Their respective trauma is part of what makes them compelling but it’s certainly also sad, so in that sense...

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: So much of it is modern AU and i don’t care for it lol. Completely ignoring any sense that the Avatar world must have some elements of homophobia bothers me to exist in the ways it does, but as does completely overplaying it, idk. It’s a balance not everyone strikes well. Also obviously when people demonise Suki or Mai to account for them not being in the picture that’s bad.

Things I look for in fanfic: Honestly, more than anything? Good characterisation. This is a ship that lives and dies by good characterisation. I also really like when they’re set during the time at the Western Air Temple.  

My wishlist:

Swordfighting duels!! Practicing swordfighting together!! Bonding over swords like the dumb teenage boys they are!! Yes I know about the innuendo that only makes it better!! 

Hakoda not just being cool with it but realising about Zuko’s abuse and being like Actually I Am Your Dad Now

I always want fic where the gaang find out about how Zuko got his scar and that with Zukka is even more *chef’s kiss*

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Hmm ending up with, huh? I like Jetko for the drama but not necessarily as endgame. Sukka is pretty cute so I’m down for that but Maiko is.... look, it made sense for the time that Zuko was back in the Fire Nation because but I 100% don’t think it’s something either of them benefits from afterwards. They’re better off as friends imo also Zuko’s gay

My happily ever after for them: I want them to travel the world together tbh? I never quite know how to account for Zuko becoming Fire Lord in my thoughts about him post-canon because... well obviously I hate monarchy and I don’t actually think Zuko would be particularly comfortable being the leader of a nation, so... I don’t know. Maybe after some years, maybe a decade, of guiding the nation back towards stability Zuko starts reforming the country towards something more democratic and becomes less personally involved in the affairs of running the country? I don’t see them as people who would or really could be tied down by each other because they each have responsibilities to their respective communities and I don’t necessarily find “and then they lived in the Fire Nation palace together for the rest of their lives” compelling... 

Sokka

How I feel about this character: I love him so much. His character developement is so compelling and as one of the very few prominent non-bending characters he is also compelling in the ways that situate him within the world and forces him to look for other things to contribute with. Again, the ways in which he is undeniably very clever but simoultaneously kind of dumb is also just... Very Good and Relatable lol. He was someone I overlooked a bit for a while but I think Sokka’s Master really awakened me to how great he is and on rewatches he became one of my faves. Also, you just gotta love any character that uses sarcasm as a shield lol. 

Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: Zuko, primarily, as discussed above. I’m fine with both Yue and Suki as canon ships but I’m not really invested in it. When I was younger I liked Sokka/Toph somewhat but actually Toph is a lesbian so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ You could always do Suki/Toph, kill two birds with one stone you know

My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: Gotta love a good father-son relationship <3

My unpopular opinion about this character: I don’t know what the popular opinions about him are tbh. I’ll use this to say I think ADHD!Sokka makes sense though

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: Hmm, idk... the episodes he had that were focused on him were very good and did a good job of exploring his inner life in the face of how often he’s a comedic character, so it would have to be more in terms of his relationships with other characters. More interactions with Zuko would have been good ofc ! :3c

Favorite friendship for this character: Hm, probably Aang. Protective Older Brother Mode for a character that isn’t even technically his sibling is Very Good.

My crossover ship: I don’t really have crossover ships

[pidge-the-shalashit]

//sees there's still Avatar ship wars between Zutara and Kataang even a decade after the show ended and Kataang was endgame

I also feel like some Klancers are low-key old Zutara shippers hoping for a water and fire OTP to be canon LOL

[hundredyearavatar]

Are Korrasami shippers Kataang shippers, and Makorra shippers Zutara shippers?

A theory I received from a follower:

I have a theory that the groups who ship Korrasami and Makorra are the same groups who ship Kataang and Zutara, respectively.

This sounds pretty fun, so let’s take a look.

Why I haven’t examined LOK ships You might have noticed that I haven’t really touched shipping in LOK, and that’s because of this chart.

Over a third of the respondents ship Mako and Opal, leaving the other ships to scavenge the scraps in the data. Maybe I’m biased, but I don’t find this chart too interesting. I don’t feel like I need to pick it apart as I do with ATLA Primary F/M Ships.

As for F/F ships, the second most picked answer was “No answer”. And then the third most picked F/F ship was (blank), who are the people that didn’t even answer the question.

Maybe if there are some diehard LOK shippers out who want it I can just post a stack of charts without analysis.

Examination of reasoning I think the theory is a fair guess. Korrasami and Kataang are the two canon ships, and Makorra and Zutara are the moody fire boi ships.

But there are a few differences to note. A possibility I’ve examined before is that Kataang is popular because of its fairytale like inevitability. I reasoned that maybe people ship Kataang because, from the outset, it was a traditional choice. But if Korrasami and Kataang are linked, then this might suggest that being canon is what drives these people – not some sort of inevitability.

Makorra is a complicated fit. Using  reasoning I’ve put forward before, we can justify it being linked to Kataang or Zutara. If people prefer Kataang because it’s traditional, then Makorra seems to fit the bill pretty well. At least for me, I expected Makorra to become canon. But Makorra also resembles Zutara. One of my reasonings has been that heterosexual females might be inclined to self-insert into Zutara, and Makorra is probably the closest that can be gotten to that.

Comparison of three pairs of charts A problem for this particular question is that Makorra has 90 primary shippers, and Korrasami has 771. Another problem is that there is no comparative data for Makorra and Korrasami, as they’re separated into the two F/M and F/F questions. To get around this issue, we have to do a comparison of two charts. To do a comparison of each pair, click on the photoset to bring up the slideshow view and use the arrow keys to flip between the two charts.

What we have are three pairs of charts. All three pairs compare Korrasami and Makorra ratings. There are basically two ways we can conduct a comparison: looking at a single rating group, or looking at a string of rating groups to find a trend. When looking at a single rating group, it’s usually only worth paying attention to the extremes of 1 and 7. Finding and comparing trends isn’t always easy, and in the case of these pairs I don’t think any trends are easy to identify.

Let’s get straight to the point: the data supports the theory. Korrasami and Kataang are positively linked, and Makorra and Zutara are positively linked.

7 Korrasami’s primary ship is Kataang and 7 Makorra’s primary ship is Zutara. And for both 7 Makorra and 7 Korrasami, the difference between their primary ship and the other ship is 20% – a fairly large margin. Not only that, the data is suggesting that low Korrasami raters have an increased preference for Zutara.

I won’t go into the detail, but if you examine the Kataang 1-3 and Zutara 1-3 comparison pairs, you’ll see that these findings are supported. The reason I’ve included these two pairs is that they allow cross-referencing, which ensures that our findings aren’t just a fluke.

Future analysis What these findings suggest is that if we were to do the sort of analysis that we’ve done to Kataang and Zutara, such as demographic analysis, ATLA/LOK preference comparison, shipping behaviour analysis, then we can expect the findings would be similar. Unfortunately, these comparative analyses can’t be done in exactly the same way because Korrasami and Makorra don’t feature together in a comparative question.

I know that earlier I said I didn’t really care for LOK ships, but after this I am interested to see if this theory holds. LOK shipping data is very subtle, so it’s hard to work out if something is telling you something or if it’s just noise. But with this corner stone, I have expectations that I can examine when I rummage around the data.

If you have a question, feel free to ask and I’ll see what I can do.

[sparkles-and-trash]

Modern ATLA headcanons; random batch ~

(Zukka, Tyzula, Kataang, Suki/Toph)

trash note: this doesn’t go with any of my other modern AU’s, these are just to get back into writing headspace and air out some ATLA thoughts living in my head rent free, as well as testing a couple of new ships!  

- the Gaang have been friends since like, middle school  

- Zuko became their friend in late High School, when he was kicked out of his family home and moved in with his Uncle 

- everyone loves uncle Iroh and his teashop, he’s an adult they all trust 

- he genuinely cares for all of them, too 

- Hakoda and Bato are married, and Sokka and Katara loves Bato 

- Katara and Aang are totally that couple nobody really remembers not being together 

- Zuko and Sokka were truly idiots to lovers tho, took forever to realize their feelings for each other 

- when they did tho, they were already best friends, so their relationship is very natural and easy from the start, which is great for Zuko 

- Mai is aro/ace, and Azula and Ty Lee are High School sweethearts 

- Mai was the first one from his old life to reach out to Zuko when he was cast out by his father, and Zuko never forgets it, he values her and her friendships so much 

- Ty Lee is a competitive gymnast and Azula is very proud of her 

- she loves showing her off and bragging about her lmao 

- Aang is that kind of guy who sees a stranger in any kind of trouble, or sadness, and without a single drop of doubt he will drop everything to try to help them 

- it’s one of the things Katara loves most about him 

- it gives Zuko major anxiety tho, his stranger danger alert is always high 

- Toph decides to go in a totally different direction than what her parents want for her, and they cut her off totally 

- she honestly sees it as a blessing at this point 

- Sokka and Suki dated in Freshman year of High School, but became the best of friends after, and they always joke about how dating each other led to the best friendship ever and a double bisexual awakening 

- when they become friends, Toph has a crush on Sokka, but as they get older, the crush slowly transfers over to Suki, almost without her noticing 

- one day she’s like, oh thank god I’m truly over Sokka! and then Suki walks in and she’s like.... fuck’s sake 

- she’s almost as bad with feelings as Zuko, so she keeps it to herself for waay to long 

- those to actually bond over being rich kids with so much emotional baggage lmao 

- them having nights where they just sit in opposite sites of the couch, drinking wine, wearing facemasks and bitch about their families 

- it’s therapeutic as hell 

- I know a lot of people think Katara will be a doctor, but I really like her as a vet 

- I think she adores animals, and that she has such strong morals, she is perfect to help those who can’t defend and speak for themselves 

- she and Aang totally volunteer at shelters together

- Toph doesn’t have a seeing eye dog, but she still loves animals, and adores Appa, and loves brining him on walks etc 

- they’re still benders btw so that’s mainly how Toph gets around etc 

- always barefoot haha 

- Sokka is the king of athletsure style 

- Zuko is a typical all blacks kind of guy, which low-key hides his... sometimes unfortunate sense of style 

- Zuko’s hair is always between like, book 3 style and shoulder length, so it’s kind of an awkward look, but it also kinda works? 

- Suki is such a bicon y’all 

- she’s really funny on TikTok and has a pretty big following 

- Sokka also loves TikTok, but he posts so irregularly that he never really takes off they way Suki does 

- Suki’s followers loves it when the gaang is in her videos 

- they esp love Toph and her wittiness 

- some followers starts shipping her and Suki, and at first Suki is like, omffg whaaat, we’ve been friends forever!!! 

- and then, one day, they’re out at a bar drinking, and Toph is laughing at something Zuko said, and Suki is watching her like... she’s so cute and funny, wonder why I never realized befo-... oh no 

- Sokka dies when she finally tells him 

- you guys have to understand, Suki pestered him with his crush on Zuko for so long, finally it’s his turn 

...this got long, oops, I’m gonna stop here for now! 

requests for headcanons, either more of whatever au this is, or other atla or sp stuff, is open for a little while! 

[emletish-fish]

Agree so much that what we want and what we need is not the same thing. Especially at 12.

I feel like the lovely royal tea loving kookiness has explained why kataang didn't work from a consent/narrative pov. Here's why it doesn't work for me, specifically as Aang's happily ever after.

Aang has indeed suffered a great loss. Katara has also suffered a great loss. We shouldn't play at weighing who's loss feels heavier. They both live with being the last of their kind.

I want these two characters to be happy. Kataang actively denies me the happy ending I feel they both deserve. Sure Aang is getting what he wants at the age of 12, but that will most likely change by the time he turns 13.

Katara and Aang had such an interrsting, pure, layered and maternal friendship. It was written with Katara functioning as Aang's mother. Aang's arc looked like it was leading towards him learning to stop using her as an emotional crutch, to "let her go" (let go his unhealthy atrachment) and become his own person.

Bryke twist that beautiful friendship and Aang's character to fit the story they wanted to tell - into the entitled nice guy box, making Aang petty and jealous in the process It didn't suit either character, it made a mess of established storylines, and it made them think it was wise to animate a 12 year old french kissing.

(everything else aside, I found that inapropriate. A sweet lil kiss maybe, but full on tongues at 12?!!!! But see Bryke wanted to prove Kataang/they won, so they went way overboard. This is the problem with their writing. It is never about the characters, its always about them).

So instead of Aang letting go of an unhealthy coping mechanism, growing as a person and becoming healthier and happier, we got Kataang. Aang marries his coping mechanism??!!!??!!

LOK would have us believe that end result Kataang had Aang as a neglectful father who was passing on his last-of-the-airbenders legacy to only one child, and seemed low-key bitter that Katara hadn't given him more air-bending children.

Bitter, neglectful Aang who always runs away from his family and marriage with only one child - the only one who gets his "legacy" is not My Happy Ending for him.

Frankly, Aang deserves better. They all deserved better.

I wanted Aang to heal and recover and process his grief. I wanted Aang to make peace with his role as the avatar and define it in a way that worked for him. I wanted Aang to find the solution to killing Ozai himself, from within his own experience and wisdom. I wanted Aang to find the untrained air benders and work with them to bring back his culture while examining aspects of his culture in the first place. I wanted Aang, when he's older and age-apropriate, to be able to build healthy romantic relationships based on mutual desire and common values.

But instead, I got Kataang seved up with a side of this-makes-me-uncomfortable pre-pubescent kissing. This relationship gave neither of them what they wanted or needed.

Aang wanted Katara at 12, but she wasn't what he needed. Giving her to him like a prize or a bandaid to make it all better, regardless of her own feelings, isn't making him happy.

But it made two immature, nice-guy, middle-aged male writers happy. So I guess there's that.

Look want what’s best for aang ok? While everyone else is worried about katara I am worried about a literal genocide survivor being happy. Aang has lost everything yet no one seems to care they are all stuck on this “he got the girl because he’s a hero” you know I don’t know if you watch how to train your dragon but hiccup became a hero and guess what he didn’t start dating Astrid until later even then he still got a kiss. Women aren’t oppressed just because they date the hero.

What’s best for a 12-year old is not necessarily what the 12-year old wants. 

Look, I love Aang, and I want him to be happy, and process his feelings, his loss and find a way to bring his culture and heritage back and make it part of the balance. I feel for him, and I think it must have been unimaginably hard for him to wake up to the news of the genocide, and find his entire world gone. That’s why I really wanted a Book 4: Air, that focuses on Aang and his culture, and gives him a chance to find his closure and happiness. That narrative rightfully belonged to him, not to Korra.

But just because, he suffered a great loss, doesn’t mean he’s entitled to everything he wants. Katara (who is a victim herself - there was a genocide of Southern Benders, and she suffered through the murder of her mother, who didn’t even get the happy childhood Aang got) doesn’t owe him to be the salve to his pain. It’s not healthy for him to transfer the love of his people to one person. 

If they date, it has to be both their choice, because they really want to be together for the right reasons. And maybe it was, but it was not the story the show chose to tell and this is what the criticism is about. Not Aang as a character. It’s about the one-sided narrative of the romance.

A person’s suffering or loss, no matter how great doesn’t entitle them to anyone’s romantic affection.