#taang is cute as fuck

[woodlaflababab]

My biggest dissapointment in the (sane) zutara fandom will forever be that they collectively chose taang as their alt Aang ship instead of sokkaang. Smh

Sokkaang and Zutara are such fun pairs to put together. Zutara constantly having to keep Sokkaang's collective idiocy in check and Sokkaang on constant 'keep Zutara from getting themselves arrested' duty jsndnsnd like come on, the potential, it's so good.

And then Toph gets to be an aroace queen who's just there to have a good time and mercilessly mock her friends for suffering alloism.

Plz, I beg of you

[lilbagdermole]

Hello lilbadgermole, I looked at your Taang post about their dunebabies and it was so cute. I was wondering if the dunebabies have any names?

Thank you so much!!!

BTW, you guys can just call me Adri, instead of my full username, if you'd like ofc!

But as for the names:

Oldest Son (Airbender) [16]: Gyatso - Aang would want to honor his mentor and friend. Toph agrees (and also believes that it'll be omen that their first born would become just as good a bender as the deceased Gyatso once she discovers he's an airbender).

Second Son (Airbender) [14]: Tenzin - I have no explanation for this one other than the fact that I like the name (and he's one of the only good characters to come out of TLOK);

First Born Daughter (Airbender) [13]: Daiyu - It means 'black jade' in chinese. In Ancient China, jade is symbolic of purity, morality, integrity and wisdom; jade was understood to connect people with the ancestral spirits. I think it was a perfect fit to name their first girl of a mineral (Earth) that represented spirituality (Air). Note: This could be wrong and if anyone from chinese descent could confirm this, I would greatly appreciate it.

Second-Born Daughter (Earthbender) [10]: Ying - it means “brave beauty.” And Toph, after three tries, finally gives birth to an earthbender, and a little girl at that. Aang named her.

Third-Born Son (Earthbender) [8]: Bumi - though hesitant at first given Bumi had questioned Toph's self-proclaimed title as the best earthbender in the world, Toph had agreed that Aang could honor his late friend with their third son. Turns out the name suited their kid perfectly, as little Bumi was a menace the moment he learnt how to walk on his two feet.

Youngest Son (Airbender) [7]: Banzan - in Tibetan, this name means indestructible mountain. Toph had hoped her youngest kin would be an earthbender, just to equal out the playing field - her son, after a particularly nasty tantrum, nearly destroyed their home with a tornado. Though he couldn't move mountains, he carried himself with the same attitude as an earthbender.

Aang names all their children, though never without Toph's consent and approval. Toph never held any interest for meaningful names, all she concerned herself with was their well-being and making sure the six of her and Aang's offspring were in good shape and loved (she loves all of Aang's names and finds it endearing how much time and effort he places into finding the perfect name, though she would never be caught alive admitting it to him).

I thought really hard on these names! I read somewhere that Earth Kingdom names are based on Chinese names and Air Nation names are inspired by Tibetan culture.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

I never cared about zutara,but I really like taang. They're cute together and I love a good "soft boy x tomboy" dynamic. But the tag is mostly filled with "taang is good because toph would never let aang be such misogynistic little incel", which, senseless aang bashing aside, seems extremely reductive to toph's character? For a community touting themselves as feminists, kataang antis sure love to reduce toph, a badass and empowering female character to aang's... Life coach or something? Not one of these posts bring up what toph would gain from this relationship. Nothing about how aang was the first one to connect with her or to give her an escape from her controlling family. Nah, it's all about how aang doesn't have to be the abusive, misogynistic prick they believe he is because his tomboy gf is there to humble him down. It's just gross.

Combining that with Zutarians acting like Zuko's bad behavior is Mai's fault, and acting like Katara's life purpose is to be Zuko's girlfriend/therapist (and be the Wholesome Brown Girl that will fix racism in his nation), and misreading anything nice she does for Aang as proof that she's no longer her own person due to the relationship, I'd say zutarians really cannot grasp the concepts of:

1 - It's not a woman's job to fix a man (like you said, so much for Zutarians being "feminists")

2 - A positive influence/supportive partner/someone who calls you out on your bullshit is nice and can even be super important, but people don't change their bad behavior unless they make the conscious choice to be better.

3 - Needing support and making mistakes every now and then doesn't make you a bad person that is exploiting the loved ones that are supporting you through it.

4 - Being in a bad situation will fuck you up and make you do things you wouldn't normally do, and that does not mean you're the devil, and it sure as hell doesn't mean your loved ones are to blame for not forcing you to see reason somehow.

And yeah, its a damn shame that they keep poisoning the ship tag with their bullshit, because Taang is a legit cute ship, Toph and Aang grow a lot because of their friendship, and Aang literally uses Toph's move in the finale when Ozai is about to strike from behind. Plus their interactions are funny and that's always nice.

[burst-of-iridescent]

What made you start shipping Taang?

i ran across this post on the taang/kummi theory on the day i finished atla, when i was trawling the depths of zutara tumblr in my "the-fuck-do-you-mean-zutara-wasn't-canon" rage, and that kind of opened my eyes to the existence of taang as ship. i didn't full on ship it then, but i did find the idea interesting and the theory fairly plausible.

then when i rewatched atla a few months later, i began to realize how many of my favourite aang moments involved toph: bitter work and the blind bandit are two of the best episodes for aang's character growth, and both heavily revolve around toph, their cute exchange where she asks if friendships can last more than one lifetime and he goes "i don't see why not" and takes her hand, the fact that he sees her in the swamp where you see people you loved and lost...

when i paid closer attention to their dynamic on rewatch, i also realized just how much the two are able to actually meet each other on an equal footing. aang respects and sees her for who she wants to be right from the very beginning, while toph is able to look past "the avatar" to the boy beneath - flaws and all. they challenge each other in a way that is necessary and beneficial to both of them, with aang encouraging toph to go after the freedom she so badly wants and toph pushing aang out of his comfort zone to try new approaches and adopt new perspectives in his bending, which is so crucial for the avatar in particular to learn. she doesn't coddle him; he doesn't view her through rose-tinted glasses. much like zutara, what i love about taang is that it's a friendship where both parties know and love each other exactly for who they are, and that's the perfect foundation for a beautiful romance to develop.

add to all that a sprinkling of elemental symbolism and reincarnation trope and well... what else could i do but ship them?

[ecoterrorist-katara]

Idk if male Kataang fans or pick-me women Kataang fans are worse

I find certain Ka/taang female fans so interesting because they’re like “Ka/taang is so wholesome” and I’m like, you think taking on the bulk of the domestic and emotional labour of a relationship is wholesome? And it’s usually accompanied by “not like other girl” sentiments like “I don’t care for bad boys / stereotypically masculine men / I think it’s cute that he’s shorter than her.” It just feels like an impulse to demonstrate that you have a morally superior or progressive taste in relationships. (Never mind that Aang is shorter than Katara and not stereotypically masculine because he hadn’t gone through puberty. I would feel like a fucking weirdo if I looked at a real life 12yo boy and declared him “not stereotypically masculine” but hey that’s just me.)

ultimately tho I do think male Ka/taang fans are worse, because in my experience the ones who send death threats tend to be male. Plus they’re usually quite possessive over Katara in a truly unhinged way. I’ve seen comments on Zutara art that’s like “I feel weird looking at this bc Aang is getting cucked” and I’m like who’s the self-insert now??? They’re also often obsessed with the fact that Aang got Katara pregnant which is both ???? and 🤮

[yaboisbullshit]

Fucking real. Do you know how irritating it is to have a say “Yeah I ship zutara, but I also love the other ships too! All of them. Kataang, Zutara, Maiko (not really literally just because Mai gives off CRAZY LOUD knife kink lesbian energy, but pansexuality exists so I digress), Zukka, Suka, Taang, SuKiKo (Sokka/Suki/Zuko, idk the ship name), all of them. They just vibe. Plus it’s a FICTIONAL FUCKING UNIVERSE! Why would I be mad that they aren’t together? Would they have been cute? Yeah. But the official canon couples are cute too! Either way, why be upset with the perfection that is ALTA, just because you don’t like the canon couple at the end?

Mad respect to the zutara shippers that are normal about their ship and don’t hate on the canon ships

X

[starry-nights12]

I always wanted a zutara version of The Headband dance in the show.

So,idea that instead of Aang;

Zuko and Katara does it at his birthday party (cough cough) or at a party celebrating the end of war.

But Katara dips him.

It's not traditional for a woman to dip a man but Zuko's like:

AND THEN I THOUGHT;

In The Headband Aang dances with Toph instead.

She didn't want to at first but relents bc:"Oh,what the hell? 🤷🏻‍♀️"

They're dancing and all Aang's classmates,Sokka,and Katara starts cheering for them.

Toph slowly smiling bc she's surprisingly having fun and starts laughing.

Aang gives her the softest smile while heat rise to his cheeks as he gazes at her with admiration.

Which is weird because he usually feels that way about Katara...but now?

Hmmm...

🤔🤔🤔

After the dance Aang rubs the back of his neck.

"I,uh...I had fun. Thank you for the dance Toph."

Toph crossed her arms and scoffed.

"It was alright I guess."

Then Aang exclaimed "Ow! " when she punched his arm.

[authorjoydragon]

#94 “A kiss for good luck?” for taang

“A kiss for good luck?” For Taang

Aang watch as Suki peppered Sokka’s face in kisses. He turned to his girlfriend and pouted.

“Ttttooooooooppppppphhhhhhhhhhh.”

“Ugh, what, Twinkletoes?”

“I need a kiss!”

She raised an eyebrow at him from across the bonfire. “Then come get it.”

“No! It’s a good luck kiss. You have to kiss me!” Aang did his best puppy eyes, forgetting they were ineffectual on the blind girl.

“A kiss for good luck?” She asked in doubt. “Like you need luck, Mr. Master of All Elements.”

Aang grinned slyly. “Oh? So you think I’m a master of earth bending now?”

Toph backpedaled. “No! You’re earth bending is rubbish, and I’m sure your water and fire bending are too. Maybe even your air bending. How should I know?”

He laughed and shook his head. She always kept him humble. “See? I definitely need some good luck. Kiss me!”

“Ugh, you’re such a whiny boyfriend, ya know that?”

“Pleeeeeeease!”

She huffed and stood from her log, marching over to him. “Fine, if it’ll shut you up.”

Toph gripped his face roughly and slammed their lips together, masking his yelp of surprise.

Aang felt overwhelmed by her fierceness, and he drew her hips closer, tilting his chin back more for her open-mouthed kisses. Her lips were somehow fast and slow on his, making him slip away from reality as he focused only on her.

And that’s when he fell backwards off the log and grunted as he hit the ground. The wind was knocked out of him as Toph’s weight fell on top of him.

Toph laughed loudly as she pushed herself up. She smirked down at him, her green eyes were playful and full of amusement. “Am I that good, Twinkles?”

(Yeah. She was.)

[rllymilerlly]

Canyons

[lonesplashy]

It’s alright to enjoy something and realize it’s not going to be canon.

[krastbannert]

I'm back.

(2) Cute Waiter with Taang

Always love having you back for more, Comfy.😏

I really need to write more Taang. This was a lot of fun. I actually kinda want to write the continuation of this.

Just for reference, the restaurant Toph mentions, "Ping's Cuisine", is supposed to be the one Zuko and Jin went to. It doesn't have a name, so I gave it one. Sue me.

@atla-multishipping-bingo

Modern AU Bingo B3 - Cute Waiter

Aang can’t help himself. He doesn’t mean to stare, he really doesn’t, but he just…he can’t keep his eyes off her. He keeps watching the way she moves, weaving between tables and barstools and people like it was nothing. She’s solid on the ground, though, both feet - bare feet, he noticed, which is…odd - planted firmly on the stone floor.

(That was another odd thing, he thinks. Stone floors. He hasn’t seen stone floors in…a long time. Since he was a kid, really, long before he’d moved to Ba Sing Se.

No one had them anymore, hadn’t in a long time, but this bar…it was strange. He liked it, though. It was different.)

He watches as she takes another order, and she smirks, chuckling at someone’s joke. That smirk…he couldn’t stop staring at it. It’s cute, and for some reason he wants to see it as much as he can. And her eyes, brilliant green but somehow glazed over - she’s blind, he’s fairly sure, which leaves him more mystified.

How did she do it?

(She looks familiar, too. He’s not sure why, but she…he feels like he’s seen her before, somewhere, but at the same time he’s absolutely sure he’s never met her.)

“Aang, buddy, you’re gonna start drooling if you stare any longer.” Sokka’s voice breaks him from his trance, and he shakes his head.

“What? No, no I wasn’t staring!” He tries - it doesn’t work. Zuko and Sokka look at each other, and a knowing grin tugs at the corners of their lips.

“Go ask her out already,” Zuko rasps.” You’ve been staring at her the entire time we’ve been here.”

“No! That would be creepy!” he stammers, the blood rushing to his face. It’s not like it was his fault she was gorgeous! And funny, too - it might have been his imagination, but she seemed to keep coming by their table, with some joke or something funny to say, always addressing him.

It bugs him, not because he doesn’t like it, but because he wants to know, for sure, if it’s just his imagination, or if she really is coming over to his table repeatedly.

“Who’s asking who out?”

Oh, fuck.

She’s right behind him.

Sokka bursts out laughing as Aang’s cheeks heat up - he looks like a tomato right now, he’s sure. He sighs, hides his face in his hands.

(Wait, she’s blind, he’s being stupid.)

“What’s wrong? Crocokitten got your tongue!” She smirks, and damn he can’t stop staring at her, at the little twinkle in her eye and the tilt of her lips.” Or just see something you like?”

Fuck, he’s gone.

“Uh-uh nope! Nothing!” he says before he thinks, and he immediately slams his palm into his face. He pointedly ignores the sputtering laughter of his friends at their table.” Wait, no, I didn’t mean that!”

The waitress - Toph, he remembers her introducing herself as - just laughs. It’s bright, cheerful…and a little sly, too.” Don’t worry, Twinkletoes. I know what you meant.”

“You, uh…you did?” he asks.

“Sure,” she says. Toph leans over, resting her hands on the table.” Tell you what. You know where Ping’s Cuisine is? Meet me there at 7 o’clock tomorrow, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

He stares at her for a brief moment, stunned, before he shakes his head, smiles.” Ping’s at 7. I’ll be there. Can I, uh, have your number?”

She doesn’t say a word, just grins and holds out a napkin, and his heart skips a beat. Scrawled on it is a phone number, and her name. Toph Bei Fong.

Did she…make this? Just for him?

“Alright, Twinkletoes, I gotta get back to work, but I’ll see you tomorrow?” She leaves it almost as more of a question, like she’s hopeful, too.

“Definitely,” he smiles up at her, his heart thudding hard in his chest, and he can’t help but smile as she walks away, her hips swaying in time to the beat of the bar’s music.

“Did…did you just get a date?” Sokka asks slowly.

“Just like that?” Zuko adds.

“...yeah,” Aang smiles, still staring down at the napkin. He already knew he liked her - now, though, he’s practically enthralled.” Yeah, I think I did.”

[hello-nichya-here]

Since you guys are discussing it, I think Taang (Aang/Toph) being in the shadow of Zutara is unfair since, in my opinion, it's the better ship.

More plot diversity, far less mischaracterization to get them together, no demonization of characters (i.e., no Katara bashing), funnier interactions and more fun scenarios.

It would be cute seeing Toph growing up to become a responsible person while still remaining a free spirit, while Aang has someone that can keep him company and make him have some fun on his journey to become a fully realized Avatar.

That's not to say that they wouldn't bicker with each other - they would. But they're understanding, forgiving characters, so if they were mad, they would still make it up with one another.

And I would want it to exist preferably without Zutara. It would be nice if Katara was just... single for once. Katara is a strong character lead and she doesn't really need to be with a guy. Or at least, if she should be with anyone, Haru would be a better option than Zuko. Jet would be fine too if he wasn't so fucking dead, you know?

What do you think, Nichya? I know you don't really care about it but from a more neutral point of view, what can you say about it?

Taang could work REALLY well. Their bickering is better than Zutara's bickering, and their cuteness is better than Kataang's cuteness.

[theyapper0]

Sorry about the last question lol. Can you do both? I rlly like your opinions on things!

Yeah totally!!!

Here are some of my ships!!! This is in no way to disrespect people who ship the ships I dont like (besides ships like Sasha and Grime. Guys, she's a teeenager)

I dont really have a lot of ships I dont like, I think anything is a possibility in fanon!! But I do have a LOT of ships I like! That's why I have an honorable mentions column lmao

I have some ramblings under the cut

ATLA:

Obviously we have Katoph there, if you scroll even a little bit down my blog, you're sure to find something of these two. I just think they're AMAZING!!! With Toph's neutral jing and the mix of positive and negative for Katara, they are literally all or nothing and I'm- I liked how their relationship started out rocky in the beginning but had the chance to grow into a mutual respect and kinship with each other

With the amount of Katoph stuff I do, I bet you're surprised that I LOVE Tophzula. I think their dynamic could be SOOOO interesting. Toph being with the only person in the WORLD who could lie to her and Azula being with one of the few people who could match her in abilities and strength?? Talk about a fucking POWER COUPLE!!!

And Zukkaang, listen LISTEN, this ship is GOOD. I LOVE THIS SHIP!!! I love the idea of Zuko and Sokka getting together first then, after a couple years Aang kinda realizes "oh shit I'm like, madly in love with these two amazing people" and straight up tells them. They'll obviously take some time to process but then they all get together AND GET MARRIED WITH 3 DIFFERENT CEREMONIES FOR EACH OF THEIR CULTURES AND HABE KIDS AND BE HAPPY-

I put Taang in my dislikes because I see Toph and Aang as siblings, like just,,, twins,, I think they have an adorable dynamic as these insanely string children who still like having fun and have a strong appreciation for freedom.

Tokka has similar reasons. I think Toph's crush on Sokka in the series was ADORABLE but I dont ever see it going anywhere. Honestly, I see her growing out of it quickly but Sokka reminding her of it everyday and SOKKA IT'S BEEN 10 YEARS SINCE THEN, PLEASE LET HER LIVE IT DOWN IT'S EMBARRASSING

Sokkla, I just see these two as frenemies who are CONSTANTLY trying to one up each other in ANYTHING, I imagine it's super funny to watch

And again, no shame or hate towards people who DO ship it!! People really make these ships work and stuff!!! It's cool!!!

Sokka and Suki are so cute as this sort of young love/clinging onto each other for any sort of steady ground because everything else is falling apart sort of way. And honestly?? HHHHH CUTE!!

Yuetara is of course here because OH MY GOD COME ON, THE OCEAN AND THE MOON??? THESE BITCHES ARE GAY!!! THEY ARE BALANCE!!! THEY ARE IN LOVE!!!!

Jet/Teo/Haru (anyone have their ship name??) Is just cute okay??? I liked Teo and Haru but I also liked Harua and Jet so I decided TO JUST SHIP THEM ALL BECAUSE YOU CAN JUST, DO THAT!! IT'S CUTE GUYS

Amphibia:

Sashannarcy,,, do I need to say more?

Grime/Hop Pop/Sylvia (ship name anyone?) Is SO CUTE!! I don't see Grime and Sylvia together though, they both just shake hands on loving Hopadiah Planter

I also don't know the ship name for Sprig/Ivy/Maddie but I think is adorable!!! I think that Sprig and Maddie don't like each other like that but both DO like Ivy!! I only have like,,, one ship in this fandom that isn't polyamorous,,,

Sprig and Anne, I don't like because I see them as siblings. Anne is such an older sister to Sprig in good and bad ways. Like, she'd help him no matter what (and literally went super sayian and beat the shit out of a king for him) but also shows him memes and is an overall TERRIBLE INFLUENCE on him and I mean that in the nicest possible way

Also, Felicia/Wally, I saw a post that headcanonned that they used to be lovers but couldn't be together because Wally's family disapproved and he was also Ivy's dad and HHHHHH I LOVE THAT!!! I love the idea of them not being together but still pinning for the other secretly, always looking at each other a little too long in passing and stuff like that,,,

But yeah!!! My ships!!! Thank you for the ask and I'm honored you wanted to know what I ship and dont ship!!

[doubleca5t]

RE-UPLOADED BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL HAD A TYPO

What Your Favorite Avatar Ship Says About You (Avatar: The Last Airbender/The Legend of Korra)

Transcription below the cut

Zutara (Zuko/Katara) - Looking back on your childhood, you can pinpoint Avatar: The Last Airbender as the source of your crippling addiction to edgy boys who have trouble talking about their feelings.

Kataang (Katara/Aang) - You are a firm believer in keeping things canon and keeping things wholesome

Taang (Toph/Aang) - You are a firm believer in the inherent eroticism of getting dunked on

Sukka (Sokka/Suki) - Your ideal high school romance is jock x nerd

Zukka (Zuko/Sokka) - Your ideal high school romance is nerd x goth

Maiko (Mai/Zuko) - Your ideal high school romance is goth x goth

Jetko (Jet/Zuko) - Your addiction to edgy boys got so bad, one day you were like “hey, you know what’s better than one edgy boy? TWO edgy boys.”

Tyzula (Ty Lee/Azula) - You were absolutely fucking thrilled when “be gay, do crimes” became the hot new meme

Zukaang (Zuko/Aang) - Half of you came here after shipping Draco and Harry, half of you came here after shipping Sasuke and Naruto, all of you are now shipping Deku and Todoroki.

Tokka (Toph/Sokka) - You just wanted good things for Toph, and really, who wouldn’t?

Sokkla (Sokka/Azula) - You liked the dynamic from Zutara, but you liked Azula even more

Yukka (Sokka/Yue) - You’re kind of annoyed that the thing most people remember about this ship is that scene where Zuko says “that’s rough, buddy.”

Korrasami (Korra/Asami) - You want a girlfriend who not only CAN kick your ass, but will do so upon request.

Makorra (Mako/Korra) - You are heterosexual

Masami (Mako/Asami) - You’re a sucker for a good meet-cute. AND you’re heterosexual.

Bopal (Bolin/Opal) - Your ideal relationship dynamic is Sitcom wife x Sitcom husband

Kyalin (Kya/Lin) - You are a lesbian who loves MILFs. Also, you probably read the comics.

Pemzin (Pema/Tenzin) - You don’t understand why anyone would fuck around with an unstable, love-hate relationship when there’s a perfectly happy marriage right there.

Linzin (Lin/Tenzin) - You don’t understand why anyone would care about a happy marriage when there’s an unstable, love-hate relationship to fuck around with.

Wuko (Prince Wu/Mako) - You are a firm believer in the inherent eroticism of buddy comedies.

Baavira (Baatar Jr./Kuvira) - You are a firm believer in MEN 👏 GETTING 👏 PEGGED 👏

Kovira (Korra/Kuvira) - This is just the same joke as Korrasami but even more so and without the canon validation

Kainora (Kai/Jinora) - You just wanted good things for Jinora, and really, who wouldn’t?

Zhurrick (Zhu Li/Varrick) - Your ideal date involves wacky hijinks, after which, pain ensues

[invnciblesummer]

Taang Textposts

This set was made (late, I know, I know) for @aangweek Day 7: Love! Taang is my favorite Aang ship, and I love the idea of them together so much!

(Image Description:

Image 1: This is a screenshot from "The Blind Bandit." Aang is lying down in a bush in a garden. He is looking up to see an angry Toph standing before him, dressed up formally. A text box reads, "we’re all really just looking for that other dumb fuck we share our single brain cell with."

Image 2: This is a screenshot from "City of Walls and Secrets." Aang, Toph, and Sokka are at an Earth Kingdom party. Toph is decked out, and is about to grab something from a platter Sokka is holding. She is grinning slyly and saying something to Aang, who is looking in her direction with wide eyes and blushing. A text box reads, "turning up at a party with your cool friend."

Image 3: This is a screenshot from "Bitter Work." Aang is sitting on a rock trying to meditate. He looks slightly annoyed at Toph, who is sitting a ways behind him on a rock, holding a bag out and saying something to Aang. A text box reads, "babygirl you are strange and offputting."

Image 4: This is a screenshot from "Bitter Work." Toph is teaching Aang earthbending in a grounded stance. She is pushing him over, and he is falling to the side with a surprised look on his face. A text box reads, "it's yeet or be yeeten on this goddamn bitch of an earth."

Image 5: This is a screenshot from "The Avatar and the Firelord." Toph and Aang are holding hands. A text box reads, "interests: holding hands,"

Image 6: This is a screenshot from "The Runaway." Toph is saying something to Aang with a sly grin on her face as they both look at a small crowd of people in front of them. Aang is listening to Toph and registering the crowd. A text box reads, "if we turn 40 and we're still single let's get together to plan a heist."

Image 7: This is a screenshot from "The Blind Bandit." Aang and Toph are in a garden at night. Aang is looking around at the ground for something while Toph stands a ways behind him. A text box reads, "cute date idea: we go to a botanical garden u point out a flower and i immediately eat it."

Image 8: This is a screenshot from "The Blind Bandit." It is night time and Toph is running towards Aang and his friends with a smile on her face and a bag with a long strap that is worn across her body. A text box reads, "i would follow you to the ends of the earth with only mild complaining."

Image 9: This is a screenshot from "Bitter Work." Aang is saying something excitedly to Toph who has a neutral expression and hands on her hips. A text box reads, "I crave the most innocent parts of a relationship. Like holding hands and forehead kisses and being able to tell someone how much I absolutely adore them."

Image 10: This is a screenshot from "Bitter Work." Aang pauses expressing his happiness with his hands in the air to frown and look at Toph, whose right hand is touching his chest in a "stop" kind of motion. Toph has an angry frown on her face and her left hand still on her hip. A text box reads, "and absolutely slaughtering them at mario kart."

End Image Description.)

[southslates]

hello kataang is canon 😍

because i assume you sent this in to piss me off, and because i’m in a mood to get pissy, let’s go. i am a gigantic multishipper, it’s usually shippers and not ships which turn me away. it was that way with zvkka and it’s literally about to be that way with k@taang, because i genuinely think the ship is cute but the way people defend it is ridiculous

because CANON IS LITERALLY IRRELEVANT. it does not matter what canon is. please ship k@taang because you like the dynamic and you think they’re cute; but shipping it actively because it’s canon and acting like that’s a defense of your ship, like that makes it inherently better, just . . . doesn’t make sense?

fandom is literally transformative, content is transformative. k@taang being canon was literally a choice made by a bunch of writers (likely bryke). these people created the source content, and they did an incredible job at it before they nuked aang’s character development in season three and shoved in k@taang at the last second (because that didn’t fit the narrative, regardless of what i think about the ship) BUT 

k@taang being canon literally just means a few people wanted it to be

zutara being fanon has something like fourteen thousand fics, thousands of pieces of art and thousands of shippers. and fandom is transformative which means that each of those stories is just as real and valuable as the initial story; they don’t have the same reach, but they’re all content. you could argue that bryke and the writers of atla were scriptwriters, and yeah sure, but there are definitely quite a few professional writers in the zutara fandom who have written zutara fic. in fact there are plenty of zutara fanfic writers who have gone on to be published authors of original fiction. and even the non-professional ones put time and effort into creating content which is so, so valuable 

anyway all that i’m trying to say is that at the end of the day EVERYONE consuming this material is human, nothing is inherently perfection. atla as it exists is more vetted and more time-intensive because they were paid for it and we’re doing it for fun, but bryke and the other creators/writers aren’t more intelligent or better at writing stories than every fan creator out there. this is their sandbox, and we insult them and play in it!

transformative fandom questions source material. it looks at it critically and loves it, but also wants it to be better. and you can be a k@taang shipper but acknowledge that your narrative isn’t perfect; zutara shippers don’t have that burden because we aren’t canon, but we can still look at scenes and rewrite them-- we can rewrite the southern writers with more emotional depth, we create aus of the finale

omg i don’t even know where i’m going with this, but if you want to defend k@taang a) don’t say it’s better because it’s canon, because people can literally draw and manip these characters to life again because they are characters, and b) maybe think about why your ship is great rather than harass your competitors and c) be willing to criticize and understand that a canonical narrative is still one you can improve on

like if you’re so glad your ship is canon then why do you go around harassing zutara shippers? maybe because you know k@taang being canon isn’t the defense of your ship you’d like to think it is and you’re just fucking insecure :)