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zukoshotleafjuice · 4 years ago

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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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gnostic-heretic · 7 years ago

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Also other thing that is semi related to this but I have to say it to someone. For years I see people saying that Hetalia is dying bla bla bla support artists, support writers etc etc but in my opinion it's not dying bc there are always new people coming BUT it's completely stagnated. Hetalia has the capacity to attract people but very rarely can keep them interested for a long time (cont)

Bc there's this mentality of 'quick works are good but often more detailed stuff is ignored' especially on fanfics. How are people supposed to keep being interested if more serious and detailed stuff are being overlooked? Don't get me wrong both are fine but there should be a balance between both and not dismiss one of them. Hell I like when my memes are reblogs I laugh a lot with them but I wish that my fics that I worked hard on had the same attention (cont)

And i'm sure others would too. Idk where I'm trying to get here but I think that the fandom has potential that is not being used bc damn it after 11 years people are still coming so there are very attractive factors going on here but there's no power to retain people why? More support on both styles of work could help imo but that's me

@aph-belarusia

i’m making another post because i’m gonna get long and i don’t think replies are the most comfortable way to have a conversation...

i agree with you like, whenever people call hetalia a dead fandom i always roll my eyes because ... y’all... i’ve been in fandoms made of like ten people. these kids have NO IDEA what a dead fandom is dhsjfh but while it’s not dead i think there are a few issues, namely

some people are afraid to reblog hetalia because the anime/fandom has a bad reputation. i can’t count the number of likes i get on my works from people who do not seem to be into hetalia at all at first glance... and i always wonder if it’s a mistake but after i see the same non-hetalia person liking my posts... twice... four times... ten times it’s obvious that it’s no coincidence here. i do not think that the fandom’s attitude to self degrade and joke about how horrible and problematic and embarrassing hetalia is helps at all. if we content creators and fandom in general started talking positively about hetalia, and owned the fact that we like this anime and the related fanwork even more instead of being like “uwu i may draw and reblog hetalia but i don’t support it and i’m not in the fandom” maybe people would be less hesitant about reblogging hetalia content.

there’s this ... extremely widespread attitude among artists and writers to be like, “reblogs not likes! if you like my art you might as well ignore it and spit in my soup and call me worthless!” and yet... i rarely see the people who are so adamant about this ever reblog (or like) anyone’s fanwork but their own which is interesting, considering :^) i understand pride and no one’s forcing you to reblog anything of course, but sometimes a “nice!” in the replies if for whatever reason you cannot reblog someone’s work will make someone’s day.

quite a few people i talked with told me they feel too shy about leaving comments or talking to me and.... seriously. y’all. writers are huge fuckin nerds. if you are nice and don’t come with insults or entitlement, no one will snub you or be rude to you. i swear. i’m actually dying to yell in chat about headcanons.... and so are... 99% of writers from what i can tell

so here’s some Fandom Praxis i hold myself to, usually, as i try to navigate these tendencies in the hetalia fandom:

art made by people and posted directly on tumblr > reposted pixiv fanart (yes, even those that say reposted with permission) i usually never reblog fanart that is reposted from pixiv or keep it to a bare minimum. people seem to be super fond of the “Pixiv style” and often reblog fanart reposted from japanese pixiv accounts and disdain more “tumblr-looking” style of art,, but i don’t think it’s fair towards the person who gets their art reposted and there is never any proof in those posts that the permission was actually given other than “op says so”. even if someone’s style is not the most aesthetically pleasing to me, when i see art i like (keyword: i like) here on tumblr i try to support the artist and interact with the post even if i just leave a like

networking > guilt tripping build a network of friends and followers with similar interests who will enjoy not just your work but also enjoy talking to you and exchanging ideas because fandom is about FUN and about creativity and human relations not about the number of notes on a post. engaging with people and sharing your ideas generally builds positive connections and community solidarity... it’s not about the notes you get but also about the notes you give to your friends and fandom peers and the relationships you form this way. i’ve found so many friends i’m grateful for through the hetalia fandom!!! any genuine relationship and genuine exchange of ideas and yes even of notes and comments is what makes fandom such a good place...

if you like a fanfiction leave a kudo and/or a comment it doesn’t have to be literary analysis a “(keysmash) i love this” ... is enough seriously as someone who’s been a passive reader for ages before i became more engaged in the fanfiction writing side of fandom it never occurred to me but it’s so important to let writers KNOW DIRECTLY that you enjoyed their work. so often people devalue the skills it takes to write something and take fanfiction for granted but it’s such a stressful and long process and it puts the person publishing their work in a really vulnerable place... because writing is always a piece of someone’s heart and soul that they are showing to you. if you like something, show it! and...

explore tumblr ship/character tags and fanfic writers networks instead of sorting by kudos/views on ao3- seriously, the best fics i’ve found never made it to the “sort by kudos” top pages and they really deserve to- but they can’t if people continue to stubbornly ignore smaller writers with this sort of filtering. fanfiction is not one-size-fits-all and finding writers with similar interests instead of going by the opinion of the faceless crowd will make your reading experience so much better

do not be afraid to talk to writers like seriously we are all fckin nerds i cannot stress this enough

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