#how kanna mirrors katara in so many ways

[comradekatara]

I rewatched “the boy in the iceberg” the other day, and it’s not an episode I revisit often, but when I do, I’m always kind of amazed by the level of insight it provides into katara and sokka’s upbringing, but only when you watch it through the lens of having already seen the entire show.

for example, kanna as a character does not register for the viewer unless you already know her backstory as it’s revealed to us in “the waterbending master,” at which point the fact that she is shown to be unflinchingly harsh and stern and keeps preventing katara from the fun and adventure she clearly yearns for actively signals to us what kind of toll the war must’ve taken on her and the responsibility she feels towards keeping katara out of trouble. the fact that we see kanna push katara from aang, warning her to not pin her hopes on this boy and telling her she needs to do her chores, is really interesting because it frames the fact that katara does a lot of chores not as something she might have volunteered to do, or even is expected to as a girl, but rather something that kanna forces her to do as a distraction method (both from her grief and from her impulsiveness).

it’s clear that kanna sees far more of herself in katara than she does in sokka, but that comes with the acknowledgment that katara has the capacity to be just as adventurous, reckless and impulsive as kanna was at her age, and that means keeping a close eye on her at all times. I’m convinced that if kanna had ever said “sokka, be a man and wash your dirty socks,” sokka would’ve done that shit without question, but instead kanna made katara do all of the laundry because it meant keeping her in their house for longer, where she can keep an eye on her granddaughter and make sure she isn’t running off to go penguin sledding or exploring the ruins of an old fire nation ship (two things she immediately does the second she makes a friend her age) or god knows what else. kanna has no need to keep an eye on sokka because he is extremely cautious, takes his duties very seriously, and refuses to entertain the notion of having fun of any kind, so there’s no chance of him wandering off and getting into trouble.

when sokka says “I knew I shouldn’t have taken you fishing,” because of what he says next (“leave it to a girl to screw things up”) he makes it sound like it’s because he believes that women can’t fish because their tits get in the way or whatever, but I bet that katara begged him to take her because she was bored and was clawing at the walls desperate to go outside and explore, even if it meant putting up with her annoying ass brother (not like she has any other friends her age). she probably went through all her chores really fast and then caught sokka on his way out and did adorable puppy dog eyes and had a whole numbered list ready with reasons she should go until sokka relented (only to immediately realize that fishing is just as boring as doing laundry).

kanna did not approve of the idea of katara going alone with aang to the north pole, but once it was sokka’s idea to go rescue aang and travel the world, (and it was clear he had packed the necessary provisions, unlike katara, whose decision to leave with aang was a spur of the moment thing,) kanna gave them her blessing. and her respective farewells to both of them are also so telling in that regard, because she is giving katara permission to be hopeful, to finally live up to her heroic potential, whereas she tells sokka to look after katara. on their travels, katara does have some practical skills sokka doesn’t (sewing and midwifery being the primary two things sokka is fucking useless at) that she acquired from spending every waking second since kya’s death doing chores with kanna, but she is also constantly getting herself into trouble, with or without aang (or toph) as her accomplice. and every time sokka is just like “yup, classic katara shenanigans. just so you know i disapprove but also will do everything in my power to help you out of this mess.”

watching out for katara, making sure that she doesn’t get herself into trouble, and then helping her out of said trouble, is the exact kind of thing both hakoda and kanna told sokka his primary responsibility was, and it’s clear he takes that responsibility very seriously. it’s also probably why he was way more chill about the consequences of toph’s scamming. like, he told her to be careful after noticing her wanted poster, but he wasn’t mad about it the way he was when katara attracted the wrath of pirates, because he didn’t spend his whole life being shown and told that toph needs someone responsible to keep her in line. and he does feel a level of responsibility and protectiveness towards toph, that much is clear, but he also trusts her judgment because he’s never actually seen her make an actively bad judgment call (excluding katara from the scams was mean and wrong of her, granted, but it’s clear he doesn’t wanna involve himself in their beef).

“never turning his back on katara” is always sokka’s first priority, above anything else, and that shows even when he’s being a dick to her, saying inflammatory shit like “leave it to a girl to screw things up.” again, once you've seen the show in full, it’s pretty clear that sokka is just saying that because he’s insecure that all the warriors left him behind, so he’s projecting his insecurities onto her, but if you don’t have the context to understand how much the idea of “not being a true warrior” means to sokka, it just seems like he thinks boys rule girls drool. and if you don’t realize that kanna is actively making katara do more chores on purpose, whereas she trusts sokka to be responsible for himself, it does seem like katara is taking on an unfair amount of responsibility, in a gendered way. you take that conversation at face value, because you don’t realize (at first) that they’re both projecting their insecurities and blaming their personal frustrations on each other. you don’t realize that sokka is minimizing katara because he sees her as his annoying little sister who always gets into trouble, and you don’t realize that katara is telling herself stories of grand adventure because she feels cooped up at home, because this is the inciting incident where adventure does await, so sokka’s suspicion and exasperation seems out of pocket, whereas katara’s wonder and eagerness seems totally justified.

it’s similar to how when zuko sees the light from the iceberg opening iroh warns them that they’ve gone down this road before and not to have too much hope. kanna tells katara the same thing. both zuko and katara believe in the avatar as their salvation, and are so eager to put their faith in this narrative that they accept it without question. of course, we as the audience know that they’re right, but it’s also perfectly reasonable for sokka and iroh to warn them not to get their hopes up, to be careful and patient. it makes you wonder how many times not only zuko, but also katara have gone looking for the avatar before, firm in their belief that he’s still out their somewhere, and they will be the Chosen One to finally find him (of course, they’re right, but no one had any way of possibly knowing that). katara and zuko are obvious foils whose journeys mirror and intersect, but iroh and sokka are too, and they’re both there to support and guide their younger, less jaded family member, both in giving them the space and encouragement to be the best versions of themselves they can be, and also cautioning them or saving them once they get themselves into trouble due to their shortsighted impulsiveness.

the same way that zuko’s always yelling at iroh that he’s just a lazy old man who doesn’t understand the importance of honor is how i view katara’s rant to sokka that he “doesn’t do anything around camp” and “from now on, he’s on his own.” like, what does she even mean by him “being on his own”? his primary priority at all times is literally protecting her. he’s not the one making her do his laundry, their grandmother is. blame her, katara! (actually ykw i bet she does but just yells at whichever family member is in vicinity in that moment.) katara has every right to be bored and frustrated, but her anger is mostly misplaced (other than calling sokka sexist, that’s fair). and it’s clear that sokka doesn’t take any of what she says to heart anyway, because the entire time she’s ranting he’s just sitting there thinking about how they’re gonna get home without a boat.

what makes kanna so fascinating is that we only ever see her agreeing with sokka, but it’s clear she’s secretly rooting for katara, for her naive, impossible worldview to be somehow, against all odds, right. and when she is, when the avatar is revealed to be alive, kanna thanks her for bringing back the dormant hope she long thought gone for good. sokka, like kanna, has been utterly jaded, all and any sense of wonder pulverized by the war. but aang and katara bring it back, through their sheer optimism against all odds, their sense of adventure, their commitment to justice, and their dedication to preserving their childhoods amidst all the grief and violence they’ve had to suffer.

#katara #sokka #katara&sokka #best siblings best characters #analysis #kanna&katara #kanna #iroh&zuko #katara&zuko #aang&katara #sokka&toph #sorry this post is so long u cant shut me up abt katara & her family i simply have too many Thoughts #also i talk in other posts abt why sokka belittles kataras bending; why sokka is sexist (i sort of touch on it here but not nearly as much) #how kanna mirrors katara in so many ways #and also more abt how 'the runaway' further frames katara & her relationship to her family in general #i should make a longer post abt the iroh sokka parallels #i've been meaning to for ages #bc oh man. #anyway. it rly bothers me when ppl talk abt katara as if she is some Maternal Goddess #when all evidence points to her being a Loud Little Sister #its like ppl took some extremely shallow visual cues & some sentences out of context and Ran with it #the way kanna talks abt katara tho is so telling bc she knows her better than anyone #kanna is so no-nonsense she sees an airbender and she's immediately like 'why arent you dead.' i love her

[kurlyfrasier]

No-One But Her: Part 2

Zuko x Katara

Synopsis: Katara flees from the newly crowned fire lord, thinking it's what is best for him, but the moment she sets foot on a Fire Nation supply ship she starts hearing Zuko’s voice and dreaming of how he handles her disappearance.

Word Count: 1409

Warnings: none

In all his finery, Zuko looks imposing, intimidating, feared. Even with the front open, revealing the scar (or maybe the scar helps the look). Her scar. She wishes he would take it off. She wishes he would go back to wearing his comfortable travelling clothes she remembers the smell of; campfire, sweat, spice. She wishes she could walk into his open arms and feel the warmth that can only come from Zuko.

He sighs, tracing the scar as he stares into the mirror.

“Why did she heal me if she wasn’t going to stay?” The question echoes in his chambers, now empty of fire whiskey bottles with light shining in through the cracks of the curtains.

She wants to scream that it’s because she could never live without him. That she could never live in a world knowing he doesn’t exist, she rephrases.

“I would’ve preferred death to this agony,” he rasps.

She wants to punch him. Kick him. Shake him as he closes his robe, hiding the scar. The thing that proves his love for her.

“Time to be Fire Lord,” he whispers. Straightening up, shoulders back, and holding his head high he turns away from the mirror and walks out the door.

She follows unwillingly down the hall and into a large conference room with a long table in the middle, snacks set on a side table (she notices what she thinks are fireflakes in several bowls) under windows that lined the outer wall. The sunshine was blinding compared to his room. In this light she sees the dark bags under his eyes. She hopes it’s not lingering pain from the lightning bolt causing restless nights.

“Fire Lord Zuko,” the advisors greet and bow in concert, their chairs screeching over the floor as they stand up.

“Please sit,” Zuko says in the most serious tone she’s ever heard.

They obey as he walks toward the end of the table - the head of the table. After sitting, he stares at the other end longingly. Katara wonders who is supposed to sit at the empty chair there.

The advisors’ curious gazes follow their fire lord’s.

“Ah, Fire Lord Zuko,” an advisor- Ruzu?- smiles knowingly. “Might you be searching for a Fire Lady?”

“No,” Zuko glares at Ruzu, daring him to continue. 

“But you need a Fire Lady by your side. You will appear-”

“I’m not looking because I’ve already found her-” the advisors gasp in astonishment and murmur to themselves with curiosity. Katara feels a pang of jealousy towards whomever her friend was talking about.

“Wh-who?” An advisor asks, barely able to meet his Fire Lord’s piercing gaze.

“None of your concern. I know what’s best for this country and myself and it is she.”

“If it is that waterbender,” Ruzu spit out. “Then she will never be welcomed on the throne.”

“That waterbender has a name and you know it well, Ruzu,” Zuko said pointedly, his golden eyes molten in his fury. Katara knew that if Zuko was not in the meeting his fists would be flames. “She saved your Fire Lord’s life. If I hear even a whisper of any negative rumors about Master Katara-”

“But she is a peasant-”

“She is the equivalent of our royalty being the Chief’s Daughter,” Zuko snapped his eyes in the direction of the advisor who dared call Katara anything less than what she is. “This conversation is over. Do not bring up marriage again. I will marry one person only and there is nothing any of you could say or do to change my mind.”

***

Katara stirred awake in her darkened room. It was a starless, moonless night. She could feel the rage of a storm in the distance. She thinks rain is exactly what she needs to cool her flaming cheeks after witnessing Zuko defend her so fervently, until she remembers Zuko stating he already has a fire lady in mind. She now knows it was good she left. Her heart wouldn’t be able to handle seeing another woman by Zuko’s side. She thinks he may have been speaking of Mai and believes she would be a good fire lady. Perfect for the role, actually. Not quite what the advisors were hoping for, she thinks, but definitely someone who would stick to Zuko’s side.

“I know I don’t deserve forgiveness.” 

She curled into herself as the whisper of his voice sent shivers down her spine.

“I know I don’t deserve her.”

His rasp tickled her skin.

“Will she ever come back?”

A solitary tear rolled down her cheek. 

“Where is she?”

With a quivery sigh, she rolls over, the blankets tangled in her legs. Faintly, she wonders if his voice will ever leave her- if the dreams will ever disappear- and allows sleep to consume her once more. 

***

The garden was just as beautiful as Katara remembered it. The pond glistened under the sun’s rays, warming the sleepy-looking turtle-ducks floating on the surface. She heard a blast of flames. 

Then another. 

And another.

Curious, she strolled through the garden, passed the gate, rounded the corner, and into the training field she had practiced in at one time. Before she heard the advisors speaking of how she would be a distraction, that she would never understand their ways. Anger formed in the pit of her stomach at the memory, until she noticed Zuko- shirtless- staring out at the ocean, chest heaving.

“What burdens you, Nephew.” Katara snapped her head in General Iroh’s direction. He sat by a pai sho table, seeming as if the current game consumed all of his attention. Katara knew better, though. The man always had a sense of his surroundings, especially when his nephew was nearby.

“Did you know, Uncle?” Zuko asked softly, gaze still toward the ocean. Katara wished desperately to see his face, although he didn’t look to be as lean as he was in her last dream.

So time had passed. She wondered when the last dream must have taken place and if this one was more accurate to the current time.

“You must be more specific. There are many things I know and even more I do not.”

“What the advisors had said about her?”

“And of whom are we speaking?”

“You know who,” Zuko snapped, finally turning around to find his uncle still bent over the pai sho table. “Ugh, isn’t that game over yet?” He muttered, walking over to sit on the opposite side of Iroh.

Katara’s heart soared to see Zuko looking well-fed and healthy, and rushed as if to hug him before she remembered- she wasn’t there. So instead, she settled with looking him over; his lean muscles were becoming a bit bulkier, powerful-looking, intimidating. She wanted to know if his hold would still feel the same in those arms. She felt a smile touch her lips when she saw his eyes no longer held bags under them, even if they still held a hint of sadness. And he seemed...taller somehow, now that she sat next to them.

“It is a long game indeed, to play by messenger hawk. Kanna is also a formidable player,” Iroh sighed and glanced up at his surrogate son. 

Vaguely, Katara wonders how Iroh knows her grandmother, but is too consumed by Zuko’s presence to pay it any mind. She barely even pays attention to their chatter as she soaks every facet of Zuko in. Oh, how she wished she could spar with him, one last time. 

“She writes that Master Katara has not been to the Southern Water Tribe.”

“Arg,” Zuko runs a hand through his shaggy locks. “Where could she possibly be!? She’s not with Suki, Sokka, or Toph, and Aang hasn’t seen her at any of the air temples. The men I sent out still haven’t sent back word. I don’t understand, Uncle,” he abruptly stands, marches to the middle of the training field, and starts aggressively fighting an invisible foe. “Why is she hiding? Do you think she really believed them? That she would only be a distraction?”

“Fire Lord Zuko!” A guard calls out, running into the training field, effectively getting their attention. Zuko’s stance changed from relaxed to ramrod straight, eyes narrowing as he waited for the guard to finish panting. “A cap- A captain claims he’s seen the Master Waterbender sir. Says she-”

“Speak no more,” Zuko cut the guard off with a wave of his hand. “I’ll speak to him in the throne room.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part 3

#zuko x katara #zutara #fanfic #atla fanfic #my writing #atla #zuko #katara #aang #sokka #suki #toph #kanna #avatar the last airbender #angst #happy #sad #water #fire #elements