#ZUTARA SHOULD'VE BEEN CANON I HAVE ENTIRELY TOO MANY IDEAS ABOUT IT AND ENTIRELY TOO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT ANALYZING IT
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aaaahhhh omg hi to you too!!! i think you're cool too and i did low-key stalk your page after i saw the reblog lol. we can definitely be moots! :)
also im relatively new to tumblr so sorry if this is an annoying way to reply lol. i just wanted to make sure you knew i saw it and we really did deserve katara with her firebending bf.
THE WAY I SCREECHED WHEN I OPENED THIS ASDFUSILDFHA HIGH KEY FREAKING OUT- i stalked ur page when i hit follow asfjdk LIKE NOT TO BE CREEPY I'M JUST FANGIRLING AB THE FACT THAT UR DOWN TO BE MOOTS I'M SORRY ASDFOI;HJ
also i have to apologize for ur perusal of my blog, it's my main so it's absolutely a mess and i'm only just coming back onto my zutara kick--it's always been there but it just comes and goes in waves (hehe, waterbending puns) it's probably gonna be more full of zutara what with zutara month but i'm an avid genshin impact player so there's a lot of that too lol
no worries ab being new to tumblr! i've been on tumblr for years, so if u ever have any questions, i'd be glad to answer them if ur comfy asking!! :D ty for letting me know, it absolutely isn't annoying, i saw u in my notifs and was internally freaking out that u even saw my tag and know i exist
#ZUTARA SHOULD'VE BEEN CANON I HAVE ENTIRELY TOO MANY IDEAS ABOUT IT AND ENTIRELY TOO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT ANALYZING IT#trophy wife katara? uh uh#satisfied with being at the south pole? sure#but only for as long as it'll take to remember all the hardship she's seen and get the itch to help#the urge that led to katara as the painted lady will not suddenly DISAPPEAR bryke#sorry this is probably such a long response to smth that you probably didn't expect such a long response for ehe i'm just#i'm v easily excitable#lyz.moots#the way i'm lowkey ASDF;UDSOIH about using that tag oh my god#lyz.asks#NOBODY HAS TO TALK ABOUT MY UNDIGNIFIED SCREECHING I'M FINE
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The funniest thing about june teasing katara and zuko about being a couple is that she just sees a pretty girl and an attractive guy, both looking almost the same age which immediately makes her go "you two must be a couple" and it just reminds me of zvtara shippers, you know what i mean? I'm convinced one of the reasons a lot of ppl ship them is bc of their looks. katara being the female protagonist and also a pretty, smart and powerful girl & zuko, despite not being the male protagonist, being the most attractive guy in the gaang. Boom, a "bomb ass ship". It is worth to recall that "people ship zutara bc they projected onto katara and had a crush on zuko". And if they say they don't ship them for that reason, then it's bc they read too much between the lines in every interaction they have. So, back to june, she didn't even care if they had chemistry or if they were friends or anything, she just straight up teased them about being a couple lmao. Because in all honesty zvtara can be an appealing ship in anyone's eyes but THAT'S IT, it doesn't go further than that. I can be testimony of that😅Before even watching the show i was like june, one day i saw a zk fanart and was like "wow aren't those zuko and katara from atla? They look so good, she's gorgeous and he's hot" i already knew kataang was endgame and that mai was zuko's love interest but seeing zuko and katara together was pleasing to my eyes. However once i watched the show for the first time (2 months ago i think) i realized there was really no romantic chemistry between them, nothing, literally nothing, i mean, i wasn't even waiting for the zvtara content in the show that made ppl ship them so much, i was actually very neutral about ships, i couldn't care less about them, but i still realized nothing was happenig between them and that it was obvious since book 1 ep 1 that kataang was endgame. Zuko and katara were two teenagers from opposite sides of a war that tried to kill each other multiple times and when zuko changed sides they developed a completely platonic relationship. As i said, people either ship them because it's an appealing and aesthetically pleasing ship (water/fire, enemies to lovers, opposites attract, the common red & blue ship) or they just love reading too much between the lines, OR BOTH, because they were so thirsty about it they ended up convincing themselves there was romantic tension between them, that they liked each other and that zvtara was scrapped when it was never planned in the first place. Not to mention the reasons why they claim zvtara should've been endgame are based only on symbolism and things they have in common that are just so ??? Random. e.g. (i saw these on a post on facebook and the comment section was hilarious, it was full of ppl being sarcastic about it & making fun of it) saying they should've been canon bc:
1. "They both lost their mothers at a young age" (?)
2. "katara was good but had rage in her heart and zuko was bad but had good in his heart so it was like yin and yang, and that was the main purpose/topic of the show" (?)
3. "they both had alter egos (painted lady and blue spirit)" (???) this one sounds like saying maiko was canon bc zuko worked in a tea shop and mai worked in a flower shop😂
4. "Zuko was the only one who supported katara in taking revenge on her mom's assassin" (?) if you ask me, that just proves zuko is not right for katara, he led her to do something she was gonna regret later (not trying to hate on zuko, i love him, and since i love him i acknowledge his flaws. I understand why he thought it was the best thing to do, he's an impulsive and resentful boy (he would've done the same if it was his mom) and he noticed how thirsty katara was for revenge, ofc he wanted to help her + he wanted her to accept him and thought it was the right thing to do in order to gain her trust, but it wasn't) unlike zuko, aang tried to make katara come to her senses and do the thing that was best for her: forgive and let go, and it was basically what she did at the end. She didn't do what zuko expected her to do. She did what aang expected her to do. She didn't forgive her mom's assassin, but she forgave zuko, and she didn't do THAT thing she (and aang) knew would regret later. Aang knew katara and what was the best thing for her to do.
5. and the most ridiculous one, "they both saved each other's lives in the final agni kai"(???????) and the funniest part is that it was followed by "WHAT MORE PROOFS DO YOU WANT???". Honestly wtf did ppl expect? Did they expect zuko to stand there and watch katara die? Did they expect katara to just stand there and watch zuko lay on the floor & die? And this has been said a million times and i am going to join and say it once again: zuko would've done that for ANYONE from the gaang, he would've done the same for toph, sokka, suki and aang. Because he learned to care about them. As for katara, she would've done that for anyone too wtf she healed aang once too and even brought him back to life. (I wouldn't be surprised if zk shippers used that as a parallel for romantic zvtara proof bc they're just like that💀)
There were more "reasons" but they're just so stupid and taken out of context like "they care for each other" & "katara was the one who encouraged him to talk to his uncle" like yeah that's what friends do. Basically all zvtara shippers do is REACH.
Also, i just can't see it happening. I like the enemies to lovers trope, maybe if the writers really intended to make it canon, i would have been down for the ship, it would've been interesting to see how it developed, but,, they didn't, and later i came to the realization that if it would've really happened, it would've been so... weird. Time to bring up the "colonized and colonizer ship" and how some ppl feel uncomfortable about it. Besides the fact that a relationship between zuko and katara wouldn't have worked (they're incompatible af, katara is a girl with a strong character and zuko is a guy with anger issues that takes everything personal, they'd be at each other's throats 99% of the time) it's just weird to think that katara would choose to marry a man from the fire nation, the nation that caused a big war that traumatized her, the nation that took her mother away from her. Imagine katara ruling along with zuko a nation she despised for years. Fire lady katara doesn't sit right with me, and i'm sure it doesn't sit right with a lot of ppl as well. I don't see katara doing that, and yes, i know she forgave zuko, but still, she would've never done that 🤦🏽♀️ i think it would've been so OOC tbh.
Another thing i laugh my ass off at is when they say "zuko should've chosen katara instead of mai" as if they were ever in a relationship for zuko to say "ok imma choose katara i wanna be with her". As if katara was EVER an option for him. They never showed interest in each other, what's not clicking?????? And zuko only had eyes for mai, not to mention that despite zuko and mai had a rough relationship, no girl would've dealed with zuko's bs better than mai. Can you imagine katara dealing with zuko blowing up over everything? Because i can't. Also people saying things like "zuko deserves someone who is always there for him and listens to him" (and ofc they're talking about katara) like, ok, you hate that katara is aang's "therapist" but you want her to be zuko's therapist. Logic? Where? And I do remember mai being a supportive gf and trying to cheer him up multiple times. Did they watch the same show as me?
Zvtarians try to play the victims about how they were "robbed" bc some voice actors shipped them and from what i've read people who worked for the show suggested to go for zk, but that's stupid, it doesn't count as "they planned it but scrapped it, we were robbed". The only word that counts are the creators' voice and they have stated they were always rooting for kataang, so no, you were not robbed.
People are just so in love with the idea of zuko and katara together they really convinced themselves it was likely to happen. Honestly zvtara it's a fine ship as fanon but ppl ruined it for me and what i hate the most is when they ship it and hate on aang and mai at the same time and make them look SO bad to invalidate kataang and maiko. Saying aang is abusive and mai is toxic is complete ✨bullshit✨ and lastly, it's ridiculous when they say the creators were cowards for not making it canon. They're cowards for not fulfilling your greatest childhood wish? Something they never planned? It is THEIR show. If you hate sm how things turned out then quit atla once and for all and go find another show that you know is gonna give you what you expect,,, it's tiring that they've been crying about it for 15 yrs , like, i joined the fandom recently but i can imagine how tired old atla fans must be of this.
OK so I have a lot of thoughts about this and firstly,,,anon I appreciate the dedication that it took for you to write this, and I agree with many of your points. However, the attitude I have on this blog towards Avatar ships is far more neutral than what you’re saying.
Ultimately, romance is not and never was the focus of Avatar. Romantic development was always secondary or tertiary plot, and the entire show was far more focused on platonic relationship development. My attitude towards shippers on here - including Zutara shippers - is that people can ship what they want, as long as they’re respectful of each other and of the other characters that “interfere” with their ship. End of the day, shipping is irrelevant to the core of the show.
People shipping something because they find it aesthetically appealing is honestly,,,fine. Personally, I think it’s reductionist, but I don’t care if you do because everyone has the right to enjoy media however they want to.
That being said, we absolutely should call out racist or problematic tropes that we see, including ‘fire lady katara”. I also agree that it’s upsetting when people bash other characters in order to further their ship, as much of the bashing is also pretty racist and/or misogynistic. Calling that out, however, is separate from calling out every single person who happens to enjoy certain ships.
“She didn't do what zuko expected her to do. She did what aang expected her to do. She didn't forgive her mom's assassin, but she forgave zuko, and she didn't do THAT thing she (and aang) knew would regret later. Aang knew katara and what was the best thing for her to do.”
I understand where you’re coming from, but I honestly disagree with this take. Both Aang and Zuko were approaching the situations from their own life experiences, but Katara didn’t do what either of the boys wanted. She chose her own path, by both sparing Yon Rha’s life but also refusing to forgive him. The episode is about Katara and her personal trauma and its focus should not be on her relationships with either Zuko or Aang.
When I make posts such as this, it’s less about hating Z*tara and more about how this fandom focuses all its attention on romance and shipping, to the point where if you acknowledge a relationship’s importance it’s assumed you pair the two romantically. I don’t read Zuko and Katara’s relationship as romantic (for reasons that it would take too long to explain here), but their relationship development is extremely important, the two of them share tons of parallels and the final Agni Kai marks the culmination of both of their character arcs. Yes, Zuko would have taken the lightning for any of the characters, but it’s thematically important that it was Katara. None of this inherently means it’s romantic, but refusing to acknowledge the significance of the relationship between them is equally reductionist.
This isn’t an attack on you, anon, and you’re 100% allowed to have negative feelings about a ship. But at the end of the day, it’s not worth getting this worked up over. If I were you I’d focus more on creating/consuming content for a ship you like than bashing ships you don’t!
#kind of nervous about posting this but oh well#atla#avatar the last airbender#shipping#zuko#katara#aang#asks
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I just read your articles about Kataang and Zutara. I agree that they should've shown more of Katara's POV, but I don't think Zuko would be a better choice for her than Aang? Okay, when it comes to chemistry, maybe, because they do have a lot in common. But look at "The Beach". What does Zuko do when he sees Mai simply talking to another guy? He gets jealous and tries to isolate her. Compare that to Katara befriending Jet or Haru. Aang has a crush for Katara since the pilot, but does he...
… Try to isolate her from them too? No. In the play, however, he’s being portrayed by a girl and he’s being directly told he and Katara are just friends. It’s understandable that he’ll get upset. Besides, yes, kissing Katara when she said she was confused was wrong, but he did realize it was. Did Zuko realize he didn’t act properly with Mai? What makes you think he wouldn’t have similar issues with the more outgoing Katara? Now, I love Zuko, I just wanted to point out that he’s shown…
To be more entitled than Aang. I honestly can’t recall a single moment Aang feels upset that Katara doesn’t fit his mold of “perfect girl” like it’s stated in the post. Their relationship was built by friendship (though it probably should’ve stayed that way by the end of ATLA, I agree), he knows her and vice versa. In many ways, Aang isn’t traditionally masculine and I think he’s a precursor to, say, Steven Universe (rickthanieltumblrcom/post/162225640707/avatar-aang-feminist-icon)
I don’t ship Kataang or Zutara, but I think you guys are undervaluing Aang and I don’t think it’s fair to say he caused Katara to do less because she was overshadowed by him. That’s completely the writers’ fault, because they could’ve shown Katara be more proactive between ATLA and LOK and during LOK the way she was in ATLA.One last thing: while Zuko was the one who went alongside Katara to find the man who killed her mother, this doesn’t detract from what Aang tried to tell her. If you remember previous episodes, how’d Katara act if Aang got mad and/or entered the Avatar State? She’d try to calm him down, exactly like how he tried to do with her. Also notice that he lets her go, because he realizes she needs to confront her demons and he shouldn’t interfere. I really love your work, don’t get me wrong, I just…
Looks like your last thing cut off, but that’s okay, cause I do understand the view where you’re coming from.
First of all, I hope I haven’t mis-stated my own stance, but while I do find Zuko and Katara to be a more compelling romantic match in a general sense, I don’t ship them as they’re portrayed in the show proper. Them having a make-out sesh in the finale would have also not been free of issues, and felt a bit jarring, though I’m assuming if that had been the planned end-point, we would have gotten a bit more to their dynamic.
For that reason, I’m not sure we can really compare behaviors. Zuko’s jealousy at the beach was showing him in an incredibly unhealthy mindset in general (taking on the mantle of Prince of the Fire Nation wasn’t going so well, which the end of that episode showed), and Mai immediately told him he was being an ass and called him out for that. It was addressed in canon, and we outright saw his behavior change, especially when he left the situation that was causing him so much inner turmoil anyway. Could jealousy have still been an issue? I mean…maybe? But it’s rather moot, especially given Zuko’s continued growth in the comics in this department and how he handles his emotions in general.
Aang’s entitlement wasn’t addressed at all, and accidentally continued into the comics. Sure, he called himself an “idiot” for forcing a kiss on Katara at the end of Book 3, but then that entire scene may as well have not happened when the ending didn’t even involve a conversation between the two. I can’t make any sense of why “Ember Island Players” was scripted the way it was.
This is getting long…
I think in a larger sense though, this isn’t a matter of “either/or.” I have issues with Katara and Aang as a pairing because I have issues with Katara and Aang as a pairing, and the way they’re portrayed in canon, I don’t see it leading to a super happy life together. Which…LoK canonized, and that’s why I’m saying I love it, because it didn’t shy away from a damn thing.
Aang balking at Katara not being his idealized image was most easily on display in “Southern Raiders.” I understand it landed for you as Aang just trying to calm Katara, but to me, it came across as overly patronizing, and the genders at play in that situation really didn’t make it more appealing. Let’s not even touch the horrifying reaction he had at the idea that she might not have reciprocated his feelings. And we also do see canonical jealousy from him, at multiple points, such as when they hug in “Crossroads of Destiny.” Like…this reaction right here betrays, fundamentally, his entitlement, and it should be disturbing:
I know I used it in my piece, and I will continue to use it and shove it in everyone’s face because that’s how bad it is for me. This is not a healthy way to approach a relationship at all. I have large issues with the Nice Guy trope, probably because I dated one for 4 years, so this is a very subjective reaction on my part. Everything I’m writing is just to explain where I’m coming from.
We may just have to agree to disagree. Depending on experience and personal taste, I’m sure Katara and Aang’s lack of the whole “you drive me crazy” thing that’s shoved into a lot of TV ships was incredibly refreshing. And yeah, Aang is not a traditionally masculine guy. I do love that! Fuck, that’s my taste in men. He’s a good protagonist and it’s really cool to see a pacifistic series lead that’s also the victim of genocide and comfortable enough to make jewelry; it is refreshing. I just am not going to get to a place where I find his early romantic relationship with Katara compelling at all, though I love the implications that we ended up with.
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