#especially if Katara is your favorite character

[zorosnavigator]

Me seeing the number of Zutara followers raising up every day for an entire week:

Also me seeing meme made out of Katara's guilt and pain from losing her mom:

[demaparbat-hp]

In almost all of your artwork you transform Katara into a different person. You take away her hair loopies, give her short hair (knowing how much hair is important to her culture), take away all her heritage, and now you have her join Fire Nation military because of your AU, which can be misinterpreted if your art is reposted without context. You’re really talented but as a woc, why do you like removing all of Katara’s culture in your AUs?

Hi! I had never given this much thought because I honestly didn't think it would ever be a problem, but I guess I can see where you're coming from.

Culture is something precious, and it's very, very important to me, as a creator, to get these character's cultures right. I've studied about cultural inspiration and lore in ATLA, especially their visual characteristics. They're so diverse, and I love exploring them. Especially through clothing and the characters' distinct features. Katara in particular is probably my favorite character to draw, and I always do my best to make it clear she's Water Tribe through visual representation.

That being said, I took the liberty of checking out the artworks I've posted to see things from your pov. And I guess you're right, to an extent. I can understand that, without context, it may seem as if I'm erasing Katara's culture.

Except that's not true. At all.

Even, as I already said, without context.

These are the only artworks I could find that fit your description. But I don't know if you've noticed, anon, the things they all have in common: each one of them is an AU, in which Katara is put in a position where she needs to hide her identity (the Hunters AU, as well as Lee and Kya) or has a different background all together (in the middle, the HalfBlood AU, where he's born in the Earth Kingdom as a water half-child); but even under these circumstances, I don't forget about her culture, and neither does she.

Instead of her hair loopies, she wears a Warrior's braids and beads, a waterskin, and a blue sash embroidered with silver waves; all of this while she's part of a Fire Nation crew that's trying to end the war from within.

The other AUs are like that, too. Katara finds ways to remember her culture, who she is, even if it's in the little details. A blue and silver sash in seas of green clothing, a betrothal necklace once belonging to her mother and grandmother. Her features.

I refuse to forget about Katara's culture and how it has shaped her, even if the AU demands it so. She is who she is, no matter what.

[burst-of-iridescent]

I'm writing this as a big Katara stan. I just found out that a new film about an adult Gaang is planned to be released, and Katara, like Aang, will be given a leading role there. I am so excited and glad that finally Katara will be given due respect as a character!

But for some reason, after searching on Tumblr, I saw joy about a new film in the entire Atla fandom except for our zutara community. on the contrary, there is a lot of discontent and bitterness. But why is that? Is it because zutara won't be in the movie? Well, yes, zutara is a fanon ship, it will never be anywhere but our fanfics and fanart. But after all, Zutara is not in the original ATLA show, and we still love it! This is no reason not to rejoice at the opportunity to see our favorite characters on the screen again, to see Katara again (God, I'm screaming with delight😍😍😍😍). Yes, there is a chance that the writing will be bad, but there is always such a chance before the release of any film. I'm just so happy to see Katara again, and the whole gaang too, and her new design for this movie seems so great to mе!

i mean this genuinely, anon: i love that you love katara so much, and i am really happy for you that you're looking forward to the new movie. i truly hope you enjoy it.

i don't want to speak for the rest of zutara fandom, but i can't share your feelings because - to put it point-blank - i don't trust the creators with katara's character. ever since they lost their writing team, nothing they've created post-atla has proven to me that they understand katara's character, or how to create a good arc for her. it's telling that the only post-canon comic featuring a decent story for katara (katara and the pirate's silver) came out in 2020, twelve years after the original show ended (and which was also, notably, the first comic that bryan and mike were not involved with).

i'm sure some people are salty that they won't see canon zutara, but personally i'm relieved that i won't have to see bry.ke ruin romantic zutara like they did with their friendship post-atla. i'm sure they'll do their damnedest to fuck up what remains of zuko and katara's platonic relationship in the new movie, which is why canon ended for me with the final agni kai. no magic pointy rock or canon ships in this household, thank you.

i wish i could share your excitement for the movie anon, but i just don't have faith in bryan and mike to do justice to the characters (especially zuko and katara) after everything they've said and created over the last decade. like really, calling zuko a bad boy in the year of our lord 2023? please watch your own show.

besides, nothing they can do for katara in this movie will retcon what they did to her in LOK. i already know she ends up as a sad, lonely housewife without any real power, impact or legacy; that can't be changed, no matter how they try to "fix" it. it looks like the movie has been delayed so my hope is that it just gets cancelled in production. atla has been milked to filth anyway; leave the og characters alone and do something new with the universe, or just let it rest in peace and find another story to tell.

[the-badger-mole]

While I don't hate Aang, LOK really ruined his character for me. The whole "the other air acolytes didn't know he had other children besides Tenzin," and Bumi literally apologizing to Aang's statue really makes me question how happy their childhood was, especially for Kya and Bumi. Like the show can pull that "oh they were actually a happy family" line, but you don't go into your 50s having that heavy and clear issues that both siblings can attest too. Oh, and assuming Kya and Bumi where Tenzin's servants? Again, what the hell??? (Also makes me wonder about Katara. Idk I have thoughts about that but I feel like if I voice them I'm gonna get mobbed)

No, but that's so true though! Here's the thing, as a lifelong hater of Aang, I am not at all surprised that he and his family turned out the way it did in LoK. Listen, his lowkey disrespect of Katara and her culture started in Book 1. In Book 2, Guru Pathik warned him that it was dangerous to put all this feelings of love and loss of his entire people on Katara, but neither he nor Bryke listened, and then in Book 3, the decent into Aang's entitlement really got kicking. Of course that guy turned out to favor his one airbending kid. Of course!

Unfortunately, I'm also not surprised that Katara didn't put an end to that. The entire series, Aang was her blind spot. She never stood 10 toes down against him because all her hopes for ending the war were pinned on him. And the way the finale framed her and Aang getting together suggests that it wasn't what she really wanted, but what she thought she was supposed to do. Her big "Oh!" moment happened because Aang was being praised for ending the war. The comics reduced her to the Avatar's Girlfriend, and she had no respect from any corner in LoK. I'm sure Bryke will say she was happy to be Aang's wife, and nothing else (I understand they're backtracking because of the post LoK criticisms, but too little, too late). I'm sure, given who Katara is, and the fact that Kya and Bumi didn't seem to have an issue with her, she did her best as a single mom to them, but I sincerely doubt she actually spoke out against Aang's favoritism the way she should have.

[sokkastyles]

Hi,

Hope you are doing well.

Thank you for the answer on the Final Agni Kai. I had some questions regarding one of your favorite topics TSR.

Aang's line, "I forgive you, that give you any ideas?" which he uses when Zuko and Katara take Appa seems wrong to me in many ways. It really feels like he desperately wants Katara to forgive Yon Rah, not even realizing that its just not possible for Katara to forgive Yon Rah. In a way, it really shows his discomfort with Katara's darker emotions, but she had been feeling that way since her mother died, along with the fact that she had no idea she could even confront him till Zuko gave her that information.

Do you think that a huge moment of growth for Aang would have to acknowledge this side of Katara as well?

I would like your thoughts on this.

Yeah, that "I forgive you" line is Aang being desperate. It's also really condescending and tone deaf to even compare his "forgiveness" in this scene to Katara forgiving Yon Rah.

I put forgiveness in quotes because Aang absolutely does NOT forgive Katara for taking Appa. He just knows he can't stop her at this point. The sarcastic tone and "that give you any ideas?" make him look pretty hypocritical because he is neither being forgiving nor understanding, he's just being flippant and dismissive.

It's also really clueless for Aang to make this comparison in the first place because, once again, Aang thinks the way to get Katara to listen to him is to compare her to a murderer. People talk a lot about how hurtful it was for him to compare Katara to Jet, when Katara was strongly against the things Jet did and was hurt by him personally. But let's talk for a minute about how Aang's new tactic is to literally compare her to her mom's murderer and compare her forgiving Yon Rah to him forgiving her for taking Appa without permission after she repeatedly tried to get Aang to listen to why she needed to go and he shut her down.

It takes a lot less for Aang to forgive Katara here than it would for Katara to forgive Yon Rah, so this kinda puts a damper on his whole "forgiveness is hard" theme. And even so, as I said above, he's not really forgiving her, he's just making a sarcastic comment while still judging her. Aang is not being the arbiter of forgiveness here that he pretends to be.

Let's also look at the conversation in context because I have more to say here.

Aang is flippant and dismissive - while also implying that Katara taking Appa is comparable to her mother's murder. And I'm not saying it wasn't probably hurtful to Aang that Katara would take Appa without his permission, especially considering what Appa means to him, but it's not comparable to cold blooded murder motivated by genocide. In any way. And, like, considering how they left things in the previous scene, with Katara telling Aang she had to go, what did Aang think Katara was going to do?

I'm pretty sure I've also mentioned before how this plot point is manufactured to make Katara look worse. However, in the previous episode, Sokka tried to take Appa without permission and the only reason he didn't was because Zuko pointed out that it was a stupid idea and he happened to have a war balloon stashed away, which he conveniently no longer has as of TSR. This is basically a case of moral luck, where a character's morality is judged based on plot contrivance.

(I've also said before that Aang not killing Ozai is down to moral luck, but that's another conversation.)

So Aang is flippant and condescending, and Katara seriously and very directly tells him that yes, she is going to take Appa. Mae Whitman's voice acting is phenomenal in this scene, btw. She sounds so sad, because I think she does feel that she is betraying Aang by doing this, but she tried to tell him why she needed to do it. She tried. He didn't listen.

Then she says "don't try to stop us," and Aang says he wasn't going to and that "this is a journey you have to take," but, again, it doesn't feel like he's saying this because he really believes it. It feels like he's saying it because he has realized at this point that he can't stop them from going, short of attacking them. But if he thought he could, he definitely would have continued to try to stop them.

Which brings me also to Zuko's sarcastic comment. Because Aang's the one who sets the tone for this conversation. Zuko simply responds in kind. Katara, by contrast, continues to speak in the same sad, hurt, but firm and direct tone, and thanks Aang for understanding. She thanks him. For understanding. When Aang is offering none of that to her.

I actually think Aang could learn more from Katara about forgiveness, given how much restraint she uses towards Aang here and the way he's treating her.

I think Zuko saw that, too, and that's why he responds angrily to Aang here. Not because he disagrees with Aang's beliefs but because Katara keeps quietly but firmly telling him what she's going to do and he keeps ignoring her and acting like she's being irrational.

I've said this before, too, but that would also be triggering for Zuko to watch this happening, considering how he's been gaslit by his family. Notice how he's quiet until the end of the conversation (and didn't say much in the conversation before that, either.) Aang's language, even if well-intentioned, would probably set off something in him and he's not wrong to defend Katara.

[kataraslove]

I just stumbled across your acc and I gotta say, I agree with alotta ur takes

Ur sooo well spoken and I really enjoy reading your thoughts and opinions

Katara is one of my favorite characters and it makes me really happy to see someone appreciate her and her writing

Ngl a lot of atla fans r lowkey braindead so ur acc is pretty refreshing

Thanks for posting!! 🩷

thank you! 🩷 your words are too kind. i appreciate it.

i did mention this before, but this blog stemmed kind of entirely out of spite. i was sick and tired of fandom on here telling me that there was only one way to interpret and enjoy my favourite character, dictating who i could or could not ship her with and how much of a stan that made me. it’s not an experience just unique to the atla fandom, of course. it’s becoming something more apparent nowadays especially, the ways in which multiple readings and interpretations of a character is heavily discouraged by fandom in favour of just one.

it’s baffling how, for so many years, there was a strict binaric interpretation of katara’s character, with 0 being non-canon and 1 being completely in favour of all things canon. either you had to vehemently agree with everything that bryke wrote for katara’s within atla and post-canon, to the point where i have seen people defend the lack of statues of her as “oh, she probably didn’t want one anyway,” (NO!!) or you had to have deep-rooted anger and rejection for all things that were done to her story, in the guise of katara deserving better.

katara does deserve better narratively, but NOT in the ways that the tumblr fandom thinks she should have. not in the ways that she should be ambassador to the fire nation, or become firelady (a racist depiction in fanon and nothing but a decorative title in canon) and live out the rest of her life by zuko’s side, serving and prioritizing zuko’s nation.

“but wouldn’t it be empowering if katara sat on the throne of her oppressors and got to dictate - “ no. it’s not. stop advocating for that type of ending for women from oppressed and marganized groups. stop acting like that is the ideal future that katara wanted this whole time, that ruling as part of a foreign monarchy that decimated your people and your culture is the ultimate threshold for liberation.

i’ve seen people who claim to take a doylist perspective for critique of atla (read: kataang)’s writing completely lose all comprehension when it comes to critically assessing post-canon zutara. by that i mean, if we continue with the writing direction that we saw for all of the female atla characters in the sequel series, a zutara endgame would position katara in a worse outcome than she got narratively. but you tell anyone that and it’s an instant “zuko would have given her 10 statues!!”

but most importantly, nothing has radicalized me more over this year than seeing the “katara deserves better (in the form of zuko)” crowd, the same crowd who is currently dreading any form of fixing or retcons from avatar studios in upcoming content, defend the hell out of natla katara’s writing. the very same people who were praising katara’s arc to the stars, stating that it was nearly complete until the two grown men decided to pair her up with aang and ruined all at the end.

well, what about the group of zutara shippers in the natla writer’s room who handed her everything in the narrative, who removed her flaws, her anger, her compassion, who stripped her down to everything except hope, all in the name so that she wouldn’t appear unlikable to audiences. i mean, that tremendously backfired for them, because now the young actress who plays katara is getting hate spewed at her for failing to portray katara interestingly, when the problem has always been the shit writing.

anyway, i appreciate this message! glad i could be of service and it’s nice that you’re a zuko fan who ships kataang! lots of people who love zuko do.

“a lot of atla fans are braindead” LMAO you can say that again!!!

[lilbagdermole]

Hey adri! do you think we'll be seeing any taang or zutara moments in the new film with them as adults?

Hi anon!! Thanks for sending me an ask 😊

In regards to your ask, well...

I wouldn't get my hopes up, anon.

Not because I don't want to... I would pay good money to see adult Toph and Aang just kicking ass and serving look; or any Zutara interaction that isn't OOC or hostile at this point.

But considering that the main producers for the upcoming film are non-other than Bryke themselves, I really can't help but prepare myself for the inevitable disappointment. ATLA isn't a romance-centric story, nor should it ever be praised for it's romantic themes given how poorly the canon couples are built and written. I'm certain the film won't be focused solely on Aang and Katara's relationship, but, Bryke are very biased for the ship and have proven, time and time again, that they do not hold any respect for the fan favorite non-canonical couples, especially Zutara.

What I'm most concerned for is how they'll depict these characters. In the post-ATLA comics, all of the cast are horrendously OOC; Zutara's chemistry and history are erased and forgotten; characters become one-dimensional and distinct from the characters we grew to love; K@taang is forcibly shoved down our throats in an attempt to prove to us, the audience, that they are, in fact, perfect from one another and are in a 100% secure, perfect and happy relationship. It's bad. So, I'm preparing myself for what's to come.

I don't expect much and I'm not going into the theaters in 2025 with the expectations of seeing Taang or Zutara interact at all. Bryke, quite literally, forgot about Toph and Aang's supposed connection and sublot (foreshadowed in 'The Swamp') and shipbaited Zutara during the final season of ATLA just to spite shippers.

It should also be important to keep in mind that Aang and Katara are the confirmed main leads and protagonists of the film whilst Sokka was downgraded into a side character. If Sokka (one of the main characters in the animated series) is reduced to a side character, I can only imagine what Toph and Zuko's roles will become. Hopefully they'll given more than a one-time appearance or cameo... I NEED to see adult Toph in her prime (I would also like to see her stand beside Aang just so we can get their canonical height difference as adults, it'd be glorious).

But hey, anon, listen, whatever happens it shouldn't erase your love for the series and ships. We've survived this long off off what was gifted and hinted at throughout the show. Luckily for us, our fanbase is filled with a plethora of talented artists, fanfic authors, editors, theorists, etc. that I'm certain we'll be well fed and thriving!

[zukkaart]

I’m about to lose it over Sokka

So I bought “The Lost Adventures” yesterday and Sokka's Poem almost made me cry the person who wrote it is a genius because it’s so PAINFULLY in character

If you haven’t read it ->

“Oh I know Sokka and his dumb jokes Sokka who lost his girlfriend to the moon. Sokka who can’t even bend paper except with his mitts. But at the risk of blowing my own horn, who rescued Suki from the prison at Boiling rock? Who defeated the wolf spirit? Well sort of. Lots of battles to fight, lots of strategy to craft, It’s a busy life But then night comes. The air is still the waters placid the fire banked the earth dense and unyielding. No one is combining with a spirit. No one is reincarnating. No one is kidnapped. Everything sleeps. Everyone vulnerable, barefoot, and drowsy. This is me at my best, when people I love or revere or both need me whether they know it or not. I almost never sleep. There’s too much to do and only I can do it!”

I would like to gently remind you all that this is canon before I continue.

I know Sokka is the main comic relief character and everyone focuses mainly on Katara and Zuko's trauma because it's the most visible but I think there is really something to be said about how Sokka copes by being a Type A personality.

I've said this before but I'll say it again. Sokka is the one who has arguably the most reason to be paranoid. There has not been a single person in his life that he has cared about who hasn't been killed, kidnapped, or tortured. It's often overlooked because the gaang is all friends with the same people but it's deeper than that.

Yeah Katara and Aang liked Yue but not like Sokka loved her, and the same goes for Sukki. Sokka is such an intense lover and always dives in head first for every one he meets even if he denies it (see: the nomads from the tunnel) and that's a depth that I think is sometimes lost on us as well as the other characters.

On top of that he is self aware. He knows how much he loves and cares for the people around him and he knows that they're constantly in danger. I also find it hard to believe that he wouldn't realize the effect that his trauma has on him especially in terms of paranoia.

He is the one who makes the plans and hides the bodies and protects them while they sleep because he's the oldest. So he spares them all he can so that they might retain even the smallest bit of a childhood that he was never allowed to have.

In the comic when he speaks the last few lines it is also over a frame of Zuko which is so special to me as well because even though he isn't younger- Sokka truly doesn't mind being the protector of the people he loves. He never complains, never mentions it, and never falters.

I could go on about him for days because the poem in this book really intensely highlighted my favorite aspect of his character and the one I relate to the most. A lot of media focuses on sibling rivalry and it means so much to me that the A:tLA writers chose to focus on the need/want to protect your siblings from anything that could harm them.

Even if you know they are stronger or can take care of themselves that isn't the point, and Sokka's character is the perfect embodiment of this.

[ecoterrorist-katara]

2, 19, and 20 for the fandom asks!

heyyyy thanks for the ask!

2. My favorite fic from the fandom that I’ve read

I LOVE SO MANY!!! let’s narrow it to three…I’m a huge fan of crushinator’s Half Asleep and eleventy7’s Once Around the Sun, but if I had an icicle to my head and had to pick just one, I’d say colourwhirled’s Southern Lights. All three fics rival published books to me, but Southern Lights embodies a lot of things I love about fanfiction as a literary tradition (distinct from original fiction). It’s very, very long, which means we have plenty of time to dive into how different characters grow in a way that’s very difficult outside of long series. Katara’s journey is at the centre of Southern Lights, obviously, but we see a lot from Zuko, Sokka, Azula, Toph, Aang…I’ve compared it to A Song of Ice and Fire before for this reason. Because it’s a full AU, it also takes advantage of our knowledge of canon and works it into something very different, so there’s plenty of “ohhhhh so this is where x happens” and you get that delight of both familiarity and newness. Also the themes of colonialism, trauma, reconciliation, and oppression from your enemies vs oppression from your own people are done in a super mature way. There are no easy answers in Southern Lights, but I feel like the author trusts the reader to grapple with those complexities.

19. Favorite headcanon

Momtara and Dadko for the Gaang! I love the idea that Zuko helps her with chores in the Western Air Temple as a way of regaining her favour, and then he just keeps doing it. We love an equitable distribution of domestic labour.

20. Least favorite headcanon

I like Fire Lady Katara, and I’ve defended it before, but I don’t like the version of the headcanon where the people of the Fire Nation think she’s a savage / peasant and she has to get etiquette lessons and learn to be a FN noblewoman to get respect. I think Katara would sooner pull the “I won the throne so watch your mouth” card than to defer to people who think her culture is inferior, particularly because we don’t have any indication from canon that the Water Tribes are especially looked down upon (more than, say, the Earth Kingdom). And as much as I like Fire Lady Katara, I prefer United Republic Councilwoman Katara or Chief Katara. Both are obviously harder to execute so I understand why fic writers don’t go for them, but I have a serious soft spot for fics that depict her in those ways.

[ekwolfwriter-blog]

I just want to get this out but I am getting tired of people complaining about Live action Katara's lack of rage in the show. Especially because now, because it is missing from the LA show, there is a general trend of people that were annoyed with her behavior before now are defending it being part of her character. And before people think I am hating on them, no. I am not against people defending her rage, as I liked it a lot growing up and watching the show causally just as the next person. Katara was one of my favorite character of being a kind person while also taking names and kicking butt, she was that awesome. So more defense for her the better. Hell, I would say from just the interviews I have seen of Kiawentiio, she has - to me - the Katara sass and I am living for it.

What I am hating on is that the Live action Katara is getting ragged on for a lot of reasons - some valid, but other are (in my opinion) surface level stupid and not knowing of what actually might have been going on during the filming of season and probably the mindset that caused her character to be deflated. Because there is a lot to consider as to why it had to be condensed either for conveniences sake or - in my personal opinion - was done on purpose by two individuals that have a track records of curving that behavior in Katara to their desire.

Also: DON'T use this as an excuse to attack the actress! She is doing her best and giving her all! She is doing her job and any slander on her will be instantly blocked! I will not take any slander on her or any of the actors!

Also, mid spoilers so read at your own risk near the bottom

First thing we should consider: the amount of episodes. Yes, I am aware of the telling and not showing arguments that are being flown around. I get it. Normally, I am one of the biggest supporters that this show needed time to breath and let be to show than telling. If it had more time to breath, Katara's rage might have been more visible and we could have had more time for her arc to improve. And this is not to say that they could not have been able to do it, but I will say that this show NEEDED more than 8 episodes to be able to get as much in (To be clear, there are some shows that this works for - Amazon's Reacher and Legend of Zorro have short seasons and formatted for hour long content. But it makes sense for those shows because they are working within parameters of their medium and are newer (both are adaptions of older stuff but still) shows that can play around with the format better). For as ambitious as this project is, it has a lot to condense. At least that it is a show and not a movie, but still. Let's not forget that it could have been so much worst if it was a movie.

Now some people will say, "Well if they were good enough writers then they could have done more to show than tell," which fair. I will admit that there are infinite number of ways that they could handled some of the topics: such as Sokka's sexism and Katara's rage that everyone is missing. But with the landscape of media as is where you would be damned if you do damned if you don't if you so much as talk about some sensitive topic and you could be canceled for it instantly! Which leads me to the next point!

Second thing to consider: Multiple season renewal was never confirmed prior. Yes, we can all complain that the shows pacing was out of place. Yes, they cut some filler. And yes, it feels like we are getting too much of the world building through talking and now showing. But can you really blame them? To most people, if you saw the reaction of the cast before the news came out, you can see they were saddened by the fact they thought would not get a season 2. They changed their tune when season 2 and 3 was confirmed, and honestly happy for them. But again, that confirms to me that the writing had failed mostly because if they were never going to get their chance, might as well go all out. And with how easy shows can get picked up and canceled, I can see they needed to try and cram it in.

Which also plays into Katara's rage - they did not know if there was going to be a chance for her to grow and get bending abilities or go through her arc as steady as the animated. Again, I am not saying losing it was good, but that we need consider that if they were not going to get another season, they had to progress faster than usual. (Side note, while I like this show, Amazon's Hazbin Hotel has the same problem. We are steam rolling through what could be slow progression and change but can't slow because of episode constriction and no time to sit and allow the show to progress because it is so easy to drop the show for the studios, might as well end it on a note that at least can feel like it was it's own story.)

Speaking of studios, that would be my next point as well: studio and producer control. While I know directors can have a say in it, we should not forget about the studio that is allowing them to make this show in the first place and what they are asking for. As I keep saying, we don't know about what their restrictions are or if they can have more than a certain amount of episodes, and maybe that is a mandate of Netflix or something else, we as the audience don't know. We don't know what happens on set or behind the filming outside of glimpses and interviews, so for all we know, there was some changes to the script or teleplay to make it seem like they needed to cut Katara's rage to make her more meek. Which if this was the whole show, fine, that is a choice but not one I will have to like. But when watching the 3rd and 4th episodes, seeing Katara being a teenage girl and angry for once and even more open about her emotions was possible. Hell, it was the only times she was allowed to snap. And guess what people: it was because of the writing this time. That feminine rage you all wanted - while faint - was there. So clearly Netflix is not solely at fault - they have many mistakes but writing is not one of them.

But it is when you look who wrote what and where and what they were going for that - to me - puts EVERYTHING into place!

Final point: the original creators being brought on.

This might seem weird because one would think having the creators on the original show should be not as bad. The creators of the show is watching to make sure that the show is just right and that the characters feel the same or at least some of the story beats feel similar enough to enjoy. Why would them being on the set cause issues with the pacing and writing?

To a casual fan, yeah that makes sense. But to those that have been in the fandom, have see what they do post cannon to ALL of the characters - especially how they treat Katara in Legend of Korra - then anyone watching might have realized that that should have been a warning sign. Especially with how they would have wanted to depict the characters. And this is also the reason I think Katara's rage is gone: I think they wanted to make her like the comics version of her being a meek and demure girl that while caring was not getting as angry or as passionate about things because that would go against what Bryke wanted Katara to be in the show.

As I mentioned before, Katara's rage or at least genuine anger was only in for about two episodes out of the 8. And if you take out the 5th and 6th where she has been basically damseled with Sokka in the spirit world, that leaves on 4 more episodes to allow her to have her anger. Typically, one can thing, "Okay we can sprinkle it here or there in the other two and it should world". But all it takes is to see who was writing the episodes that truly not only hinder the world building of the show and breaks the rules of show don't tell or crammed it in so blatantly it feels like cringe and got rid of Katara being the one to free Aang because of her anger - was Bryke! They were the ones that were the head writers of the first episode and the 8th episode. The ones that had the most cramming down your throats dialogue, the clunky explaining of Aang's character out of now where and even curving Katara's rage or ability to be angry or snarky like she was in the show. Because Bryke wrote them, and also teleplayed a few - this being like adding notes and what the camera needs to do and how to frame scenes along side the dialogue. Meaning that they had some hand in making Live Action Katara this way.

If you notice in the episodes they didn't write: Omashu and the Cave of Two lovers - they were the only ones where Katara could be a bit more snappy and a bit more annoyed and vocal toward at least Sokka and Jet - not a lot but it was there. And oh would you look at that, the episode that they did not write had HEAVY hints for a certain firebender and waterbender being hinted at and color coded the lovers more vividly. And also, Katara getting to be empathetic while also not over explaining - which many always ragged on her for - where she could be human for once. Those episodes were the ones that they did not write and the story was somewhat better (Not better but I will take it over what we got prior)

And again, casual viewers might not know why this is a bad thing or probably wondering why I am against Bryke. But all it takes is looking at what they did to animated Katara that you all try to say "Was perfect as she was before" without considering what they did to her after the curtain fell. For any fan that has been following the show, you will find that most fans of Katara - the animated one -did not like what they did to her in the comics that continued their story and Legend of Korra, where she was a husk of a shell of her former self. And how she was all about "What Aang would have done, and what Aang did and oh how I missed Aang, he would know what to do". And yet, if she even showed any anger or negative emotions, she was painted as the bad person - easily look up Katara in the comics with a google search and you can see her being pushed around and flattened almost all the time when she is showing negative emotions that are genuine and not the funny mad in the show. Especially in the show as seen through this post, it did not always paint her anger in a natural thing for her or reinforced her angry as more comedic than actually something to consider as important until someone else stepped in to help her see it *cough* Zuko *cough*.

So to all the people that are trying to come after the live action Katara as being "Not the same energy girl power character who was expressive about her anger" you all "loved from the start'', please consider who and what was behind the scenes to make her this way. Especially since the animated show had other writers besides Bryke that understood Katara better if not more. Bryke wanted her to be more demure even in the pilot, and damsel. And yet the other writers gave her an actual story. Byrke have shown time and time again they do not want and angry passionate water bender that wants to be more active in changing the wrongs in the world, they want her to be more meek and docile and not fight back to let others save her in the comics and after. The OG had other writers that gave her her arc and Mae Whitmen give her the sass that we all love.

Live action Katara is no different. She has been trying to come into her own - with limited time to tell a story, limited time to get her arcs in fearful of cancellation, and with different writers, she can work, but not with Bryke. Same goes for the other characters too, not just Katara, but it seems that everyone pokes at Katara more and it is getting frustrating because some of these people just can never be happy with Katara.

Hopefully with season 2 and 3, we can have more time to flesh out the characters and maybe even have more show don't tell moments and being able to explore their feelings more. But only time will tell.

Rant over, sorry for the rambling mess.

[kingboohoo37]

Character Time

Time to talk about the greatest character ever made.

No, I'm not talking about the straight-line piece from Tetris.

Yeah, it's Iroh and I don't think it's even close.

No character has as much wisdom and humanity compiled in them as Iroh does.

He is old, has had a lot of experiences, and of course made his share of mistakes.

Fought way too long in the war for the Fire Nation and lost his son in the process for which he blames himself to this day.

We don't know exactly what happened yet it is still perfectly portrayed that Iroh is not perfect.

However, he never falls into despair and keeps up his joyful self. He learned to move on.

He lives his life the way he believes is best. He knows what he needs from his life. Peace, tranquility, and tea.

My favorite scene was when he gave advice to Aang.

While he eventually says "If you just keep moving you will come to a better place", his first reaction to Aangs question "What if I'm not powerful enough? What happens then?" is "I don't know the answer"

This highlights that he is not just the smart old guy who always knows what to do.

He is a man. Nothing more, nothing less.

Which is precisely what makes him so relatable.

I guess the "key to good advice is proper aging" makes a lot of sense.

There is so much more I could say but all the quotes I posted the past few days already say enough about this character.

He teaches that there must always be a healthy balance between confidence and humility like nobody else does.

One last thing. Giving compliments comes very easily to him. When Aang tells him he has rejected the full power of the avatar state because he'd need to let go of Katara for it, he answers: "I think you are wise to choose happiness and love"

People, give others, especially your loved ones compliments every now and then. It could make their day.

[greengrungeemo]

I know the most emotional tale in Avatar Last Airbender tends to be Iroh's tale, especially because it's in honor and memory of his original VA, Mako! Iroh's my favorite character hands down. Toph too!

So, a scene I think about A LOT and get emotional to in ATLA is Katara & Toph's tale in Ba Sing Se. Specifically, after when Katara and Toph go to the spa and get their well-deserved break! They treat themselves to an awesome makeover and feel pretty. What's heartbreaking is that within 20 seconds (I counted) of them walking out of the spa and mentioning how they feel girly and good about themselves, they encounter a group of bullies who say, "Nice makeup", to which Toph thanks them, and they follow with, "... for a clown!" 20. SECONDS. They only had 20 seconds outside where they felt pretty, to be put down soon after. This results in Toph and Katara getting revenge and having a nice bonding moment afterwards.

It just bothers me and actually makes me cry every time I watch it. I know that's weird to admit, but bullying someone, especially a badass blind/disabled person, and making them not feel pretty when they were feeling pretty about themselves... just hurts really badly. I also know it's fiction, but it seems incredibly telling of a society we are when open-handed comments like that are thrown about carelessly, without ANY consideration of how the receiving end would feel, and how it would ultimately and potentially affect their entire day. Toph knows who she is deep down, the strongest bender around, and I think we all know who we are deep down to an extent, so it just sucks when people assume things about you and put their energy into putting you down unnecessarily. Be kind, have empathy! It's not hard! Women as a whole deserve to feel pretty about themselves and feel safe. We need to stop putting each other down.

I tear up the moment Toph has a tear fall from her face, because it's a sharpened painful tear from a lifetime of emotional burden. You can tell it really hurt. I'm gonna be there like Katara is for Toph, for all my friends and loved ones, always.

If anyone ever put you down for your appearance, how you dress, how you present yourself in any way, or for your disability/race/orientation, know for a fact that you're beautiful. Don't let any carelessly thrown about remark define you.

[demaparbat-hp]

Hi! I wanted to just drop in and say I love your work (both your art and your writing. The way you draw katara is my all time favorite, really!), and was wondering other than the AUs you currently have, are there any other ATLA ones you really enjoy? Lately I’ve been enjoying chaos!avatar/vaatu vessel zuko, and blue spirit/painted lady zutara. Though in less of a hidden identity way and more of a spirit touched, body-sharing fma:b style, way. But that’s enough about me, tell me about you!

Oh! I love this question!

As you know, AUs are my lifeblood, so it comes as no surprise that every now and then someone will post something about a new AU and I'll get obsessed over it for weeks.

@late-draft's The Last Air Key Holder AU has everything. Breathtaking worldbuilding, amazing character dynamics and designs, and a generally great use of futuristic elements (hah!) in the building of the world and the storyline. A Sci-fi ATLA AU that gets even better every time op expands on it.

Then there's @pineapple-frenzy's famous Soulmate AU, which I had to mention because...well, because I just had to. Flowers growing in the places of your body where your soulmate has been hurt is such a beautiful and bittersweet concept, especially when applied to ZK. This is such a sweet AU and I love it so much.

@bluespirlt's Blue Spider AU is such a fun choice for me because, despite my little brother's attempts at converting me, I don't really like Spiderman (Batman is better for me, tbh). But I cannot see this AU and not love it. The art is great, the concept is fun, the fic is amazing! The ZK dynamic is everything the Fandom loves about them packed into a vigilante AU and I am here for it.

Lastly, there's this beast.

A long time ago, @the-badger-mole made a series of drafts, AUs, I-don't-really-know-what-they-were AU Bot Plots. One of them, despite being terribly short, and most probably forgotten already, has made its way into my heart and decided to stay there for good. The infamous Library AU. There's nothing about that AU except for that single post, I believe. Do I care about the lack of content? No. Did it stop me from fanart-ing the hell out of it? Nope! Should I be less obsessed over the idea? Yeah, probably.

[chaoticly-shy-dragon]

so I am working - dragging my feet - through natla (1 episode left) and I thought I would share some of my thoughts and commentary:

Iroh: You must use your tact, your empathy-

Season 1 Zuko: [looks back at him]

*

Canon s1 ep3 Zuko: You... are working with Zhao. Willingly.

Show s1 ep3 Zuko: Yes? What's the problem? He is annoying but that's mostly it.

Canon!Zuko: UNCLE! DID YOU PUT SPIRIT MUSHROOMS IN MY TEA AGAIN?! I'M HAVING LUCID NIGHTMARES!!

Other random thoughts:

[Suki proceeds to defy gravity with her fan to impress Sokka]

Me, exasperation incarnate: Suki, I didn't know you were an airbender!

and

[Previous incarnation avatar bashing sesh]

Me: [...] But I love Zuko-Iroh interactions

[The one scene. Zuko is shouting how they can't just ask around. Iroh is offering advice until he gets distracted by street food.]

Me: The fact Zuko stood there for a few seconds trying to figure what this proverb means before he realizes its very much not a proverb - cackling

Second-hand long-suffering friend, who is at the end of her wits after hearing me talk about the butchering of Kyoshi's character for 20 minutes: XDDDD He legit thought rice had sth to do with it XD

there is more but it's more of

Oh no, he is hot.

And oh no he is also hot

Why is every extremist hot?!

Bumi is very bitter. Very.... Jaded.

Aang has no situational awareness: He did not just ask Zhao (Zuko too) to let him go so he can go save other enemies of the Fire Nation. He didn't.

Also. Why the firebender this, firebender that. Are the Fire Nation non-benders saints or something??

Mai casually says Ozai sucks for not thinking Azula is perfect <- Me: I mean she is absolutely right but she would not say that.

Azula's whole. Thing. I felt the narrative was trying very desperately to make her seem competent and clever but the fact that Iroh's thoughts insinuated the frontal attack on the Northern Water Tribe was her idea left me in stitches

But yeah. They nerfed Azula

Zuko - feral, bloodthirsty, a loser. <- Me: Oh my god they captured his essence! Minus the honor thing!

ZUKO NOT SAYING HONOR

THE TRAVESTY OF SOKKA NOT WEARING A DRESS

I WANT SOKKA IN KYOSHI WARRIOR UNIFORM

Katara not having any emotions ::: Aang walks all over her saying he can't support her in her fight against the patriarchy that is actually just Pakku and Yugoda or whatever was happening in the 7th episode: Katara doesn't blow up at him. Sokka calling her a little girl and never actually apologizing about the whole Jet accusation especially when he did the same with the Mechanist. : Katara doesn't blow up at him

Me: sounds fake but okay

At this point when Toph comes along Katara will let her not be a part of the Team (no Gaang just Team Avatar) and not contribute and not bond and NO FOUND FAMILY TROPE

Aang teaching Katara waterbending, Aang not goofing off, No Kataraang (not even a smidge) - something in me shriveled up and died.

Why is Azula soft??????

And why is Ty Lee assertive and forthcoming??? Just?? Why????

And finally, my second favorite:

Azula, trying very hard not to mention Zuko's ludicrous tenacity: Commander Zhao is a great asset... Maybe he needs better resources to showcase his true potential.

Zhao who barely passed his exams according to Jee the gossip queen: Yes, I do need the best resources. Give me all the 'sources.

[revlischarm]

Someone doesn't understand sarcasm. It's just silly how much of a hypocrite you are, you don't acknowledge that Gray has made lucy uncomfortable so many times and has stalked her to her apartment but if juvia had done anything like that she would would be the 'abusive stalker'. You also propagandize juvia in your commision bracket but somehow still hate her? Or do you actually like her but are just being sexist?. And yes your character wears a fur cape just like juvia you're just shy about it.

I’m genuinely baffled here.

I haven’t been a part of the Fairy Tail fandom in years. I’ve barely ever reblogged anything about it in recent times, much less spoken about it. I’m not sure why you’re suddenly coming out of the woodworks and attacking me for something I scarcely even like anymore, given I'm not part of anything going on in said fandom right now, or any of the discourse.

You’re getting extremely riled up over nothing right now. And even then, Gray’s behavior towards Lucy is nowhere near comparable to Juvia’s? I can acknowledge that one time Gray followed her home. But you’ll have to also acknowledge the fact that everyone has broken into Lucy’s apartment before and invaded her space (especially Natsu). You’re missing the point here and it’s got me worrying about your reading literacy. Again, this is part of why I left the Fairy Tail fandom to begin with; the toxic cesspool that was that fandom at times.

I don’t “hate” Juvia, she’s a fictional character. I hate how she’s written and how little the fans seem to realize that.

In regards to my “character” you keep going on about:

This is the first ever design I made for them. I wasn’t even back in the Fairy Tail fandom then, I was exclusively in the Ninjago fandom.

Blue is a favorite color of mine, that’s why there’s blue there. Irl, I also have blue eyes, and it matches the theme. The point of the soft, fluffy white on the coat is to inspire the feeling of snow, as that’s what I’ve cultivated my sona around.

Some further examples of that:

Blue with white accents aren’t an exclusively Juvia color. You’re criticizing a design I first made when I was about 16.

Seriously, do you think Sans Undertale is also copying Juvia because he’s got a blue jacket with white fur? Or Katara and Sokka from ATLA?

My point is that Juvia did not invent the look you’re referring to. She’s not iconic for it. People can wear blue with white lining and not be “emulating her”.

Please stop harassing me now. Or at the very least get off of anon. Your behavior is just sad at this point.

[runawaymun]

if you don't mind me asking, what's wrong with kataang? i haven't watched avatar but i know the plot through osmosis, and wanted to hear your thoughts on that

Ah okay! Let me try to explain...

Caveat 1: this will probably be a bit rambly Caveat 2: it has been a long time since I watched either At:LA or TLoK, but I have watched it both as a kid (teenager, really) and as an adult multiple times.

My problems with kataang is kind of split into two categories: problems with the ship based off of who they are as characters from a writing/themes/narrative arc/messaging standpoint, and problems presented by how the creators of At:LA and TLoK - Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konieztko (not Aaron Ehasz you're doing amazing sweetie) treat the characters and seem to think about the characters, based off of choices that they made in the telling of the story, especially how the characters are treated in their endgame scenario in TLoK (which, notably, Aaron Ehasz didn't write for due to creative differences).

TLDR: IMO Kataang ruins the character arcs, they're bad for each other, and the writers did a disservice to Katara in favorite of their pet meow meow -- which hurt both character arcs and legacies, ultimately.

My chief issue is that Katara and Aang are bad for each other, romantically. They bring out the worst in each other. They're bad at holding healthy boundaries, bad at communicating, and the ship itself is very unbalanced. And I wouldn't have a problem with this if it was recognized by the narrative or the shippers, but the narrative treats them as a great love story when really it's anything but. I won't get into age differences -- because by the time they marry a two-year age difference is very negligible and I don't really think it's a good argument against the ship (even if I do think that shipping a 12 year old boy with a 14 year old girl is insane like what 14 year old girl WANTS to date a 12 year old boy. 12 year old boys are gross haha <3) -- but let's talk about it from a thematic and character growth standpoint.

Aang's arc is fundamentally about not running away from his problems, and learning to step into his role as the Avatar. He struggles with responsibility, struggles with emotional regulation, and struggles in the tension between being very much a 12-13yo kid, and being the Avatar, who has to save the world. His arc is beautiful. It's done SO WELL. And he manages to stay true to himself and I love that for him.

Katara's arc IMO is fundamentally about learning to fight for herself, and not just for others. Katara is very maternal. She has had to grow up extremely quickly in the face of losing both parents at a young age, and understanding that she has to live in constant fear of being murdered for her waterbending abilities. She constantly has to stand up for herself, and has a bad habit of suppressing difficult feelings in lieu of helping others work through theirs. This culminates in Katara taking several seasons (iirc) to actually properly talk to someone about her grief and the burden she is carrying, and to learn to set healthy boundaries -- to help her friends and to grow into a strong warrior and work on herself.

The problem here is that the narrative, over and over, forces Katara to emotionally regulate Aang, and this is never really addressed. They have really poor boundaries and she's always mothering him -- Aang is not a partner for her. He doesn't often reciprocate the same level of support that she gives to him -- mostly because he is twelve. Katara, narratively, acts like a crutch for Aang to lean on. Aang actively holds Katara back from setting healthy boundaries and growing into her own person.

They have an emotionally imbalanced relationship, and again -- Michael and Bryan really don't ever try to rectify this, and I think also they're just really bad at writing romance idk. Because over and over Aang makes passes at Katara, and Katara never really expresses interest. That could be down to Katara being bad at expressing her emotions, but it really doesn't feel like it. The last straw for me -- from a narrative standpoint, is the episode where Aang confesses his feelings to Katara, Katara literally says "I don't know how to feel. I'm confused." And Aang, without asking, decides that this is the perfect moment to kiss her.

Which, fine. They're kids. Kids make mistakes. They don't do things perfectly. I'm fine with characters making mistakes. But for a kids' show that's pretty intent on helping us all learn good life lessons -- this is never addressed. Katara is never given the chance to say "Hey, I didn't appreciate that." Aang never is made to apologize for crossing a boundary. It's treated as just a big stepping stone toward their incredibly forced romantic arc. And I hate hate hate when stories tell boys that the appropriate response to a girl asking for space to sort out her feelings/being unsure is to oh, just kiss her, to help her figure it out! instead of, I don't know, let her make up her own mind and give her space. "I don't know" is not fucking consent, and they shouldn't treat it like it is. Especially not in a kids' show.

Which-- yeah, that kind of leads well into my second problem with Kataang - which is how the creators of the show treat it. To them, Kataang is endgame, it is in the "DNA of the show" as one put it. Which is very weird to me because it is so, so poorly done, and the writers really seem to care so little for Katara. Why do I think this? Because of how they choose to treat Katara in TLoK.

Katara, in her 80s in TLoK, is relegated to a healer and teacher. She's insignificant to the story when characters like Zuko and Toph get much cooler entrances and scenes. She's stuck being a passive bystander to a war (Katara would never.) She's stuck being a healer (Which, sure, she is. But so much of At:LA she chafed at being put in that box! She's also a fighter, goddamnit!) -- and some people have tried to say "well what do you want an 80 year woman to do?" and I don't! fucking! buy it! Characters in At:LA were badass fighters well into their 80s, like Hama (the fearsome bloodbender), Pakku (the Waterbender), Iroh (y'know...), and most notably, Bumi, who is 112 fucking years old. Don't give me "80 year old Katara sits on her ass at home while the men go out and do things and Zuko, at the same age, is literally riding around the world on fucking dragonback." I won't have it. It's Katara slander, I tell you! Let that old woman be a badass!!!

And the writers even go so far as to erase her from her kids' lives! They never talk about her!!! It is always about Aang! Always Aang! And you just get the impression that Katara dropped absolutely everything to be "The Avatar's wife" and SHE DESERVED BETTER RAUDGAHSGH

She doesn't! even! get! an honorary statue! On the very island on which she should! be a war hero! Aang does! Toph does! Zuko does! EVEN SOKKA DOES. The ENTIRE Gaang gets a statue, except Katara. That is a deliberate art choice! WHY did they leave her out?

They absolutely destroyed her ENTIRE At:LA arc in TLoK, and I am honestly not even surprised because the writers have said outright that Aang is a self insert character, and that Kataang is "that childhood romance that we both wanted as kids". Katara, in their brains -- and idk maybe this is unjust-- but she seems to be just the amalgamation of those 14 year old girls that wouldn't give them the time of day when they were snotty twelve year olds, except they're writing the story so of course Aang gets the girl.

Anyway, this doesn't even go into how there are infinitely better choices for Katara, and how Aang's arc is worsened by having a romantic subplot, and etc. etc. I could go on forever about how much I dislike Kataang from a narrative standpoint.

Literally my first thought when I heard they left the Netflix show "due to creative differences" was: "Oh my god, is it because there's no kataang???" and now that there's confirmed to be no kataang and that they may be going a zutara route instead, I'm convinced that's why.

Because it's "in the DNA of the show, you see" they have broken with cocreators before over their pet self insert ship and the narrative treatment of Katara (Aaron Ehasz), and I don't see any reason why they'd change.

alkdasdlkgh anyway. God. Thanks for the ask! Sorry about the really long anti kataang rant aslkdgh. This got kind of aggressive but I do feel very strongly about the treatment of Katara. My girl deserved so much better.