#it will be my last for zk for a long long long while

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

One thing I really don't get is the 'argument' ZKs use that there was apparently supposed to be a scene of Uncle Iroh saying "Zuko and Katara are made for each other." in one of the final episodes but it was cut out by Bryke.

Like let's just assume for a moment that is true and they cut out a scene like that. So? Why is it such a big deal? I mean, having a scene like that would just be plain stupid. Why is Iroh out of nowhere just saying that these kids are apparently 'made for each other' when the Sozin's comet is a day away. What good would it do????

Bruh, that's a CLASSIC cope of obviously fanon ships that were never seriously considered as a possible endgame by the writers. "There was totally a deleted scene in the finale confirming these two were going to get together, but it was all changed at the last second because of the showrunners/network/audience pressure!"

A non-canon ship I really like, Robin and Raven from Teen Titans 2003, had a TON of fans that pulled that crap and kept insisting that their hug after the world is saved in the season 4 finale (that was originally going to be the last episode of the show before the Network decided to give it an extra season) was actually orignally meant to be a kiss, confirming they had romantic feelings for each other and were going to be a couple from now on.

I saw that shit EVERYWHERE for a long while, and even though they were my OTP at the time, I just never believed it - and eventually, of course, the writers themselves said they never really had any other endgame couple planned other than Starfire and Robin (even though Beast Boy and Raven shippers love to pretend the writers said BOTH ships were supposed to be endgame, even though, other than the few flirty moments he had with Raven, Beast Boy's love interest was clearly Terra, and he didn't end up with either of them because, again, the writers explicitly said they only cared about making ONE pairing endgame).

Even though season four is basically THE RobRae season since their dynamic is explored and treated as very special and important, it is still VERY clear that any shippy vibes between them were either accidental or the writers toying with ideas, but without ever really considering straying from the original plan - the episode before the season finale even had Robin and Starfire almost become an item before the plot interrupts their moment. There's just no way the writers would do that, then make Robin and Raven kiss at the end. They even had Raven turn into a little girl and Robin protect and care for her, telling her the story of her own life almost like he was reading her a bedtime story, and Raven explicitly says she was raised by her friends and they are her real family. It's just very clear that we were meant to think of them as having a sort of sibling dynamic - I'd argue the writers exagerated a bit and accidentally created a great ship´, but their INTENTION is easily identifiable in the text.

It's the same thing with Avatar. The Kataang falling out was clearly just the classic "main couple can't actually get together until the finale for extra drama", and just a few episodes before that we had gotten confirmation that, even though he felt leaving the Fire Nation was the right thing, Zuko was still very much in love with Mai - and her saving him from getting captured pretty much screams "They'll get back together once this conflict is resolved." Kataang was set up from the very beginning of the story, and we got our first hints of Maiko in the third episode of the second season.

Meanwhile, Zuko and Katara had only truly started bonding in the second half of the last season. No minimally inteligent writer or network would EVER consider making THAT pairing become endgame instead of the much more developed ones, regardless of it's popularity, because it'd just break the show's narrative.

And why would IROH, who had not seen Zuko and Katara interact and bond at all since he wasn't there when it happened, say they're perfect for each other, like he knew anything about how their dynamic worked? Iroh had no way of being sure if they were the best of friends, close friends, or just two people that had friends in common but didn't really have any emotional connection with each other.

It's just very clearly trying to take advantage of Iroh's image of "THE wisest character in the whole show" (which is debatable even if he is obviously pretty wise, AND would still not mean "always correct" even if it was 1000% true) to try and go "See? Uncle Iroh agrees with me, so you have to do the same." As an Azula fan, I see that ALL the time.

Plus, I wouldn't be surprised if they're also stealing from the Zuko and Jin romance, as Iroh was very encouraging of that relationship being a thing. Once again, Zutarians claim their ship was TOTALLY in the plans for being endgame, and all their proof for it is just stuff their stole from other pairings and slapped their own ship's name to it.

#anti zutara

[katara-stan-club]

17 Questions, 17 People

I was tagged by @stars-and-darkness, thanks!!!

Nickname: my name doesn’t nickname well so none!

Sign: I know what this is actually asking, but instead I’m gonna say that the sign for my name the deaf community at my church uses is the first letter of my name held from temple to midriff to show my long hair, which was the notable feature I had for a while (I used to be able to sit on my hair)

Height: 5′7″ and whatever the heck that is in heathen (metric) units

Last thing I googled: my godmother’s name cause if you scroll long enough in google images, the online photo album of her wedding pops up and I wanted to find pics of 5 year old me as flower girl

Song stuck in my head: Cemetery Drive by My Chemical Romance

Followers: 835 but like reminder this blog is Old and still has followers from before I changed it to a zk/atla blog

Amount of sleep: never enough because my cat consistently wakes me up about an hour before I would naturally wake up to harass me for food, no matter when I actually go to sleep

Lucky number: I don’t really have one/pay attention to numbers like that

Dream job: archaeologist working in a museum so I don’t have to teach

What I'm wearing: a Rebel Alliance baseball logo style long sleeve gray shirt and blue jeans from the men’s section at Levi’s (them pockets babey!)

Movies/books that summarize me: [404 error: answer not found]

Favourite song: how can I pick just one? I’ll go with History by X Ambassadors

Favourite instrument: forever the cello

Aesthetic: I oscillate between all black and pastel/vaguely vintage inspired for clothing, and I am a maximalist in design terms

Favourite book: how can I pick one!! uhhhhhh I’ll pick The Lunar Chronicles series and pretend it’s one book lol

Random fact: I have over 200 bottles of nail polish because uh what’s impulse control?

I am not tagging anyone because I have not seen the sun in days so who has the energy for that? not me! if you want to do this then go for it and say I tagged you!

#me #tag game #speaking of that nail polish I'm gonna go paint my right hand right now

[jonathankatwhatever]

It’s 25 June 2023 and I can’t help but blame myself for the timing of the house being for sale too near July 4. It’s that I believed this would be over. I’m not very good at looking out for myself. I’m better looking out for others.

That’s part of the idea, part of a theory I’ve never been able to name, about what is visible to you as it comes at you, meaning as you experience across your Thingyness, meaning from the physical to the remote in abstraction. It resists. As in, sometimes Things come right at you, and sometimes they sneak up from behind, like the way an injury begins and you don’t realize how bad it is for days or even weeks, while other times the injury is direct and ouch. That’s obvious 1-0Segmenting, but it’s more tha they sometimes correlate and sometimes don’t, which means they fit as solutions, true to the sense that they fit in this particular way at this particular moment in this particular context, when they would be intrusive or treated as false in other contexts.

Relative is, of course, a consequence of finite construction. Which is a consequence of 1-0Segmenting, and thus of gs construction in D-structure. How does that connect to the inability to see straight ahead? I’m gathering that there’s a shape involved, because I’m seeing this as say me in stick figure form looking along the zK, so the CR becomes like I’m at the center of a cone that bends away in every direction, like I’m in a trumpet bell except the bell reaches all the way around to the disk that forms if we spin sK around my location on zK. Or it would be a ball, deformed in this way.

I can see this idealize, like into a Riemann sphere, but I’m talking experiential, as a Thing, with all the 1-0Segmenting, all the finite construction, all the threads extending and thus various threads presenting as what? What is the perceptive object in this? I need to go for a walk. I’m very tired.

Continuing along with pictures I made. Can I insert those? Seems so. (This was done in Notes originally.)

So, the idea is that the answer to the question of the basic model for perception, another long-lived quest, reduces to a view from Start to End, across a gs, which is CM1 counting each step along the szK, which since this is grid squares, is a finite construction in which there is an Extent, and thus another End to the Extent, and thus each gs not on the szK is on that other szK, which then maps relationships which fit to the patterns of SBE and fCM.

The last line in handwriting there is ‘We just inserted the Observer!’ This is true because this simple drawing means we slide along that O-line and thus up and into the focal area, which is highly detailed to match reality and imagination (like the images in the dark or in a cloud), and then you’re in, meaning you’re into all that detail. It’s not like you zoom in and zoom out: we imagine machine-like pathways, when they’re actually groups that generate a result, which may not be what you want but what the group action generates given what it was fed. I guess I like to think of groups as somewhat predatory in that sense: they churn out a result which varies within the constraints imposed within the group and by its operations, which means they’re fed. You can see where the conception of a predatory God came from.

I need to make some dinner.

[jerkbend]

be sweet 2 me, baby 🌸

for zutaraweek day 4: lavender 💟

dedicated to the lovely zk week moderator who graciously organized this event by themself for four years. thank you endlessly for all the hard work you’ve done for us all these years; i hope you know there people in this fandom who greatly appreciate you. we don’t deserve you.

let’s be kinder to each other, happy #zutaraweek2021

#zutara #zutara week #zutara week 2021 #zutaraweek2021 #if I’m being perfectly honest i didn’t really do this w very much love #i was thinking about royai the whole time #and my drive to complete this was mostly motivated by spite #this fandom is disconcertingly cruel and hostile toward its own content creators #and that behavior is incredibly off putting #it’s a terrible shame bc this fandom has some of the most talented and lovely individuals I’ve ever encountered #i did have fun making this and i genuinely hope y’all enjoy this piece #it will be my last for zk for a long long long while #I’ve loved zutara since 2014 and this will be my first and last time participating in zk week #be nicer to each other and remember that there r real people behind the screen when ur accusing them of heinous things that have no basis #mine #my art #q

[narutakijune]

About ATLA Relationship Arcs

So, this is me, finally trying to write some meta after lurking in my little tumblr corner for months! Hi!

Although I’ve tried to tag properly, if you are a Kat*anger and just want to enjoy your favourite couple in peace, this might not be the post for you. I am not trying to bash characters but I do have a lot of critical stuff to say about the writing.

Anyway, you have been warned and here is my story about my personal first Atla experience: I watched the show this year for the first time, and after the end of Book 1 I decided to look up spoilers, because after what happened to Yue, I wanted to make sure that Zuko and Iroh would be ok. So I knew what was going to happen: Kat*ang endgame and absolutely no Zutara at all. Still, by the end of Book 3, I was convinced that I had read wrong - that there would be an epilogue with a different ending or at least that Aang would only get together with Katara post-show- in that Korra series or something - because anything else wouldn’t make sense- right?

….

After I got over my shock and surprise, I went online and found out about that decade-long aggressive passionate ship war and how even the showrunners got involved.

And then I really worried that I might have missed a few points. Apparently ”Aang and Katara were the DNA of the show”, according to the creators themselves, and “Zutara could never have happened”.

Another popular anti-ZK argument I found was: Why do you always go on about Katara and Zuko? Just look at Zuko and Aang! They are the hero/ anti-hero and each other’s foils, their relationship is much more meaningful!”

So I tried to find out what it was that I apparently couldn’t see.

(Another disclaimer: I love analysing stories (like many Zutarians apparently) and this will get long and rambly. If you get bored to tears when people start talking about “narrative structure” you will probably not like this.)

Talking about narrative structure, I do believe that, in order to let your story, your characters and their relationships really shine, a good basic structure is important. There should be a recognizable development and individual parts of the story that build upon each other and lead to consequences and change, until there is a completed arc - because it is all about the journey that takes you to a satisfying ending, right? So that’s what I tried to do, with my personal Kat*ang vs. Zutara take, I tried to look at the structure and development of their relationship arcs.

The argument that threw me off track for a while is that compared to Aang and Zuko, Zuko and Katara’s relationship is not supposed to be that relevant for the plot. After all, Zuko is the foil, the anti-hero, the deuteragonist to Aang, who is the hero protagonist.

This is all true of course. But then why is it that in every finale, Zuko’s main opponent (and later ally) is not Aang but Katara? Why is it that their sun/moon, red/blue, fire/water dichotomy is so obviously highlighted?

I think one reason why Zuko and Katara are paired off so frequently in the story - as opposite elements, as opponents and as allies - is that they BOTH are Aang’s deuteragonists. While Zuko also acts as antagonist and Aang’s foil/mirror, Katara takes over the more traditional deuteragonist role of confidant / best friend/ narrator.

Protagonist Aang is what connects them, although they are on opposite sides: Both need Aang because he represents their hope to save their world. Very simply put, Katara protects him, so he can make the world a safer place again, and Zuko wants to capture him, so he can go home and be safe again. That rivalry between them is already established in the first episode, even before they meet each other: Katara, who hopes that the Avatar will return (as she tells everyone in the intro), and Zuko, who seems to be obsessed with finding him for more sinister reasons.

And just to make sure, I am not talking here about the characters’ feelings and emotions! This is just about the abstract roles they have been assigned within the narrative.

When regarding Zutara’s special connection to Aang and their rivalry with each other, it makes absolute sense to stress their “same but different”ness as well, visually and metaphorically: Red and blue, fire and water, sun and moon, arguably Painted Lady/Blue Spirit, and, when you put into account their story arc, also Oma and Shu.

With this basis, which puts them together and sets them apart simultaneously, their relationship already becomes very dynamic and interesting, even before you consider any romantic potential.

And here’s another thing, Zuko and Katara also have their own story arc within the main plot. Although they don’t have many scenes together before Zuko joins the Gaang, when they do meet there is always a new shift in their relationship and in quite a few cases their interactions are important for the main plot as well. If you just look at their “end fights” at each book’s finale, there is an obvious and consequential build-up, like any decent story arc should have:

Book 1 starts with Zuko as the powered-up enemy and Katara as the weak newbie waterbender. Both are battling over Aang. At the end of Book 1, they are finally established as equally powerful fighters but still fundamentally different (You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun!)

In CoD at the end of Book 2 happens the next step: they realize that they are not different at all! But Aang still doesn’t represent the same for them and they end up on opposing sides of the war again.

In the Book 3 finale, when Zuko has completed his own (anti-) hero's journey and Aang represents the same “hope” for both of them, they do not only join forces: Their “same but different”- traits make them such a uniquely suited match that they are even able to save each other’s lives during their fight with Azula (who in turn happens to be Katara and Zuko’s antagonist/mirror/foil).

And in addition to their own story arc they even get an individual recurring theme, which also appears in every book whenever their relationship status changes: The lost mothers, especially Katara’s mother.

In Book 1, Katara’s necklace (the symbol of Kiya) plays not only a major part in two of Zuko’s capture attempts, it is the reason for their very first one-one one encounter in the story.

Their first friendly connection in COD in Book 2 happens because they start talking about their mothers. And in Book 3, their final reconciliation (sealed with a very cathartic hug) happens after their life-changing trip which is, of course, all about Katara’s mother.

Again, I am not even trying to analyse their characters and motivations within the story - there are many metas that have already done that much better, more detailed and with screenshots. This is just dry structure and tropes and themes. But I think people recognize and connect with a well-structured arc, even subconsciously, which is one of the reasons that makes Zutara such a compelling couple. They complete and contrast each other, their relationship dynamic constantly changes, builds up, falls apart, reconnects. Such a setup is the perfect playground for a lot of creative takes on what-ifs and alternative scenarios and of course, shipping them romantically is extremely tempting - think of all the possibilities! It’s no wonder that the Zutara fandom is still so active decades after the end of the show. And it’s also no wonder that the Zutarians are known for “over-analysing everything”. You can only over-analyse if there is anything that gives you enough food to analyse to begin with. Which brings me to

KAT*ANG

I just go right to the top and take the quote from Br*yke themselves:

Kata*ng was in the DNA of the thing from the start…. [Zutara] was just dark and intriguing.

If you read this quote and then start watching the show, I would (grudgingly) agree that:

Aang and Katara understand and complement each other really well. Aang gives her the chance to have fun and go on adventures and in turn, Katara is his fiercest supporter from the very beginning, something that he really needs after he lost all his people AND has to find out that the world thinks the war is sort of his fault. In turn, the journey to the North Pole is as important to Katara as it is to Aang, because it is her dream to learn waterbending properly. That’s what she literally says when Sokka & Co try to banish Aang: (Sokka: Where do you think you’re going? Katara: To find a waterbender. Aang is taking me to the North Pole.) In that way, they are friends who give and take equally and are equally taken care of. They even have the last Airbender/ last Southern Waterbender status that connects them. The few times they have a fight, Aang does something in the end to redeem himself (perform some heroic feat) and Katara sees that she is right to believe in him.

Aang has this very sweet crush on her and it will be very sweet and wholesome when Katara will return his feelings at the end of their adventure after he has hit puberty. On the other side, there is also some heavy shipbaiting with Zuko: I save you from the pirates. The betrothal necklace. June and her excellent shipping taste. But in the end they are enemies, they barely know each other and, come on, it would be too dark and intriguing! There is no real threat against friends to lovers Kat*ang, the soft heart of the story. It’s very straightforward and there are a lot of simple “the hero saves the day” scenes for Aang but that’s fine! It’s not really my kind of ship but that’s not the point, it works for the story they want to tell.

End of Book 1.

In my - probably harsh- opinion, everything you really need to know about the Kat*ang relationship has been told by this point. If you want to be really mean, already by Book 1, episode 3.

That explains maybe why many (not all! but many) pro-KA arguments sound as if their shippers have not watched Book 2 and 3 at all. The Book 1 synopsis also perfectly sums up Bry*ke’s quote above. But then Book 2 and 3 are still there and I don’t know what happened but it seems as if they somehow decided that the Kat*ang story does not need any new and lasting input. Maybe because they were afraid that too much new development and change would stray too far away from their original Kat*ang vision. But there are still 2 more books and more adventures and Kat*ang somehow has to be kept apart until the finale.

So the tension in their potential romance is based largely on the question whether or not Katara will return Aang’s feelings. In general I don’t have a problem with that will-she-won’t she-technique. It works well in books where the love interest is not a POV or in shows/ movies where the love interest is not one of the main characters. But Katara is not only the female lead but also arguably the narrative voice of the whole story! As a result, this kind of writing makes Katara look as if she doesn’t have any agency in their relationship, which is not surprisingly a very popular anti-KA criticism.

Additionally, since her dream - learning waterbending - has been fulfilled by the end of Book 1, the relationship work becomes a bit one-sided. Of course Aang is the hero and his journey is the heart of the story. But in order to highlight their special connection it would have helped to give Katara another personal agenda, which Aang could have supported in some way. She is still the last Southern Waterbender and he the Last Airbender but this is not really explored in the Kat*ang relationship. And her other personal agenda, her mother, is already reserved for the Zutara arc.

Instead, in Book 2 and 3 the Kat*ang story is somehow all over the place. Of course there is new conflict and a few romantic scenes as well. But obstacles are either introduced too late or just dropped when not needed anymore, conflict is not resolved and their flirty, romantic moments never lead anywhere- and if they do, they lead to more conflict that is not resolved (yes, I am looking at you, EIP Kiss!).

Take for example Katara’s very sudden argument that they cannot be together now because there is a war going on. We hear her saying that for the first time in the very last episode (EIP) before the 4-part finale. That is too late to have any impact! That she has these kinds of thoughts was never even alluded to before. Not once.

Or the pattern Aang runs away/ is flaky - Katara is upset - Aang comes back and does his hero thing - Katara is relieved. In regards to their relationship arc, nothing changes here between Book 1 and the finale, only the stakes for Aang’s heroic performances get higher.

Or Katara being the one who is able to calm Aang down when he cannot control the Avatar state (which, in my personal opinion, is neither romantic nor healthy). This is also connected to the problem with the seventh Chakra, that Aang needs to let go of his attachment for her. I will be angry forever with how they wasted this for a possible relationship development! That Aang has to decide to either do his duty or save his forever girl (because let’s be fair, he did try to let go and only ran when he had the vision of Katara in danger) - that’s a fantastic setup!

But no, it doesn’t have any real consequences for Kat*ang at all. Instead there were only half-baked attempts – Aang does lie about his failed practice with Guru Pathik but the ultimate reason why his chakra is blocked is Azula, not his decision to run. Aang does try to let go of Katara for a little bit but then Azula shoots him. Nothing in Book 3 shows any change in his feelings that could have been a result of his instant let-it-go. If anything, he gets weirdly obsessive - which could have been used as a side effect of his blocked chakra but – again, no, nothing happens.

I suspect the whole thing was just introduced to create temporary drama for poor Aang, but it is never explained why Katara holds him back, what aspect of the attachment is blocking him or what would happen if he did let her go. Maybe they tried to make a statement about how love is more important than Avatar rules – which would have been fine but it’s also never properly explored. Instead, as soon as that plot point becomes inconvenient it’s simply dropped like a random rock™.

Compare all that to the Zutara arc, where both characters’ feelings about each other are always very much in the open, and where every interaction causes lasting effects in their relationship. Yes, it is unfair to compare that to Kat*ang, because up to the end of Book 3, Zuko and Katara almost never meet, while Aang and Katara spend almost every episode together – of course they cannot do meaningful things all the time. But on the other side, with Kat*ang, there would have been a great chance to show a subtle, gradual build-up instead.

It also doesn’t help that the Zutara arc seems hellbent on sabotaging every romantic moment Aang is allowed to enjoy:

There is Kat*angs first maybe-kiss in the dark before the background of the Oma and Shu legend. But it does not lead anywhere. Instead, Zuko and Katara almost reenact the legend itself in the Book 2 finale as two real enemies to almost-friends, including a glowy rocks-backdrop and the right costume colours, just so nobody misses the message.

In Footloose The Headband, Aang and Katara have a really sweet dance together, and everybody can see how they almost intuitively know each other's moves. This could be a great hint on how well they will fight together in the finale. But is it plot-relevant? No, because the final tag team is Katara and Zuko! While Aang gets paired off with random rock™.

Then there is Aang’s riding off to battle- kiss in DotBS, which Katara is not even allowed to enjoy, because keeping her feelings vague is apparently more important than character development at this point. It is the only romantic moment that gets mentioned again, but in a way that sinks the former cute and wholesome ship into the deep ocean, and the reason is - Aang is jealous of Zuko!

If all of this was only done for the sake of shipbaiting, then it really went out of control at some point.

In the end, the showrunners still had their reasons to choose Kat*ang, maybe because that corresponded more to their own vision, and there are still enough people out there who agree with them. Which is absolutely fine! In the end, what matters most is how you personally connect to the characters and nobody needs to defend their personal taste. But the typical anti-ZK claim, that all the Zutarians with their crazy analysis and rambling meta essays are reaching and delusional and that they desperately try to construct something that isn’t there, is not only a very lazy argument but simply not true.

And I’d claim that in spite of the canon choice, Zutara is technically the better written relationship. By far.

#zutara #antikataang #anti kataang #anti-kataang #atla critical #atla writing critical #long post #atla meta

[lovebecomeshim]

hello! your zutara posting today has finally motivated me to ask this question because I came to atla very late(last year, to be specific) and I Love It Very Much but am 1000% out of the loop as far as why what remains of fandom (at least that I've seen among my friends) is so very strongly zutara. I'm not opposed to it per se I just don't really know what has driven it to apparently be such a popular ship? can you help me understand and maybe convert me a little bit?

Hey!! Your ICON! :D I can try but I’m not sure how coherent I’ll be; however I AM sure someone a lot more competent will be willing to add to this. Either way, I’m glad you asked because my plan was to drag down as many people as possible with me.

*smacks the hood of zutara* this baby can fit so much mutual love and support!

This got so long, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how to put it under a cut on mobile and it already got deleted once so I’m scared to mess with it lol. Moving on.

I’m gonna start this with a disclaimer that im on mobile so formatting is tricky and I’m also really new to atla in that I only completed my first watch through in like 2019??? So some of my info is all just based on what I’ve picked up from Discourse 👀 so anyway the sparknotes version: zutara was wildly popular from the beginning. To the point where the atla crew internally disagreed on which ship should be endgame. (Ex. Bryke [showrunners] asked the writers to rewrite The Southern Raiders to make Zuko seem less ideal for Katara than Aang [which failed, depending on who you ask]; the animation team purposefully created a visual parrallel between Oma and Shu in the Cave of Two Lovers and Zuko and Katara in the catacombs under Ba Sing Se in the Crossroads of Destiny; etc.)

The ship was popular enough that Bryke actually chose to display zk fanart at a con for the sole purpose of mocking the fans, but that’s neither here nor there. The entire episode Ember Island Players, while a love letter to/parody of the whole show, was an opportunity to address zutara’s viability as a canon pairing (while, again, mocking zutaras for romanticizing that catacombs scene). Point is! It’s always been popular but with it not being endgame, there’s got to be something that’s given it staying power.

And that’s honestly got to do with three things: their dynamic, thematic cohesion, and potential.

(You know what... you know what, it’s four things. The fourth is they’re so aesthetically pleasing together and individually. Like, they’re just good looking people [specifically when they’re grown but they’re also cute kids] and that absolutely doesn’t hurt) (but it’s not the Point, it’s just nice to point out sometimes)

The dynamic is hard to get into without also looking at the canon pairings, but I think I can do that without unnecessary bashing. It’s just that part of the magic of zutara is really highlighted by what they give to each other that their other relationships don’t.

First off, it’s classic enemies to (would be) lovers. The absolute truest form of it. It’s not too different from how CS started out: a rogue antagonist with a job to do—but no personal vendetta against the future love interest—who is deeply and emotionally invested in his personal storyline (revenge/redemption) with little regard for how it effects other people after his entire life and genuine good nature are marred by suffering, and a fierce warrior girl with a strong moral compass and her own personal investment in stopping him (protect her family and save the world doing it). Obviously frustration and animosity grew between them by the nature of them being on opposing sides, but that just lends itself to the sweetness of their later reconciliation.

The thing is that while they’re wildly different on the surface (he’s a hot-headed prince of a fascist regime who is trying to capture the Avatar to please his father; she’s a nurturing daughter of the chief who is trying to protect and train the Avatar in order to topple his father’s throne) they find out that they have so much more in common both in their experiences and their personalities.

(What follows is an excessive use of the word “both” and I’m sorry about that)(I can edit it. I can do that. That IS an option............)

They both have an innate sense of justice that they are determined to see done (zuko, at the war meeting, sticking up for the Earth Kingdom kid when the guards torment his family, choosing not to steal from the pregnant couple despite his circumstances, abiding by his word to leave the SWT should Aang come willingly, etc.; katara, literally.... at any point). They both have pretty one-track minds at accomplishing certain goals once they’ve put their mind to it, regardless of a lack of support in that endeavor (it goes without saying I guess, but zuko’s entire hunt; katara’s determination to get the earth benders to fight back, her determination to absolutely destroy Pakku until he agrees to teach her, etc.). They both lost their mothers at young ages. Their worlds are war-torn and traumatizing to them both, if in different ways, but that ultimately forces them to grow up too quickly to be wholly independent individuals. They both have issues with their fathers (for WILDLY different reasons, but). They both hold extreme prejudices that they need to learn to overcome (which ties into thematic cohesion)(bit like Lizzie and Darcy in that way but magnified by a million). They’re both extremely emotional and empathetic—which can and often does result in loud outbursts. Katara’s a bit better adjusted and can temper her anger for longer than S1 Zuko can, but they both feel that anger deeply and have no compunctions expressing it (Katara is, usually, more justified, particularly in S1. Again, S1 Zuko is severely maladjusted but at the point when they could’ve feasibly become a couple, he’s so much better off with the way he carries himself). They both struggle with feelings of inferiority in their bending abilities when confronted with prodigal benders like Aang and Azula, but have the work ethic required to double down and become two of the most powerful benders in the three remaining nations. This is a little more minor but it is a parrallel that appeals to some shippers that they both have these alter egos in the Painted Lady (notably fire nation coded) and the Blue Spirit (water tribe coded) that are pretty different from who they are day-to-day and are useful in accomplishing a purpose that they as themselves cannot.

(I’m.... I just realized that this could potentially get very long. Should I have made a slide show with bullet points??????)

Anyway, similar. I know there’s more but there’s literally so much to love about zutara that I’ll drive myself a little crazy trying to compile all the ways they’re similar. (Just gonna say that at this exact moment I went back to add more similarities.... so okay then)

Once they’ve reconciled, we see how all of these things only lend themselves to a deeper intimacy together than they share with literally anyone else. There’s a steady partnership that positions them as the mom/dad of the gaang, while also providing the support necessary to allow the other to not have to carry so much responsibility. A lot of zutaras will point out how zuko is actually depicted doing the more domestic chores that are normally relegated to Katara once he joins the gaang, since the others in the group are two 12-year-olds and sokka. The one that sticks out the most is how he makes tea for the group and then serves them, while Katara is able to just relax with her friends around the fire. Fanon expands upon this a lot to Zuko helping with the laundry or the cooking or whatever else needs doing since he, as a once-refugee, is used to doing his own domestic tasks. Before Zuko joined, Katara was the one mothering everyone, sewing for them, cooking for them, etc. She’s always tending to the needs of the group, and that includes emotionally. She does the emotional labor for the gaang 99% of the time, but when she’s the one falling apart, she’s usually doing it alone and without the comfort that she normally provides for others. Until Zuko. And that’s before they’re even friends.

Which is WHY people romanticize the catacombs of Ba Sing Se so much. Katara is verbally attacking Zuko out of her own righteous anger but also her own prejudice when Zuko, surprisingly, chooses to be vulnerable with her. He’s been on a journey that’s opened his eyes a bit, but he’s never actively chosen to expose the rawest parts of his past to anyone. But for some reason he chooses to do that with Katara of all people. While she’s yelling at him. He sees her humanity, and for once can look past his prejudice and empathize with her. And this time, when she breaks down, she gets to be comforted. Katara normally talks about her mother when she’s trying to explain to someone else that she sees and understands they’re pain, as a form of comfort to them. Here, Zuko uses the exact same tactic. He sees her and he understands. And for zuko? He’s not being shut down. He’s allowed to articulate his pain regarding his mother without being ignored and made to internalize it, and he’s allowed to process how he feels about his scar out loud without being told that he deserved it. And then he lets her touch his scar, something we’ve seen him actively avoid before. He’s completely open to her and she’s completely open to him and all it took was one five minute conversation. She was about to use the little bit of Spirit water that she had, that she was saving for something Important, to heal the scar that still daily causes him pain just because they had, somehow, connected.

Plus there’s the whole parallel to the star-crossed lovers forbidden from one another, a war divides their people—

And then zuko messes up, he regresses, he gets what he wants and he HATES it. And the sense of justice he had as a child has been restored to him against his will and he can’t think of anything he wants to do more than the Right Thing, so he joins team avatar. Before he does that though, we get to see his relationship with Mai, which is where comparison really comes in. And what we see is Zuko, fresh off of his encounter with Katara in the catacombs, trying to be emotionally honest with Mai... and getting shut down and dismissed. Which is just how Mai is and it’s fine, but not for Zuko. Still, he keeps trying, and he keeps getting ignored or scoffed at or yelled at. Which is really a larger symbol for how he doesn’t fit in his old life anymore, but again that’s about thematic cohesion. He tries to articulate his anxieties about returning home, he tries to make romantic gestures, he tries to explain how morally conflicted he’s feeling—and Mai diverts to some kind of physical affection to shut him up and a parting comment that is pretty much always, in essence, “I don’t wanna talk about this.” So they don’t. On the other hand, once zuko and Katara are friends, we see him again emotionally distraught and caught up in his anxieties about facing Iroh, and it’s Katara who comes to him and listens to him and comforts and encourages him.

Similarly, we have Aang clamming up and getting uncomfortable whenever Katara shows any negative emotion, usually resulting in him making excuses or running away. Or, in the case of the Southern Raiders, lecturing her on how she needs to just let go of her anger about her mother’s murder. People have talked this episode to death and usually better than I ever could, so imma... keep it brief. There’s a serious disconnect between Aang and Katara in his ability to empathize with Katara and her needs that has her tamping down her vulnerability and amping up her anger. He tells her that he was able to forgive his people’s genocide and appa’s kidnapping (petnapping? Theft??), which is blatantly not true but also not an entirely equal parrallel to Katara’s situation, and continues making these little remarks throughout the episode. But it’s Zuko that Katara opens up to. It’s with him that she’s able to talk about the most traumatic day of her life, and it’s with him that she’s able to get the closure she needs, cementing their bond as friends and partners. This disagreement between Aang and Katara is then... never resolved. They just never bring it up and hear what the other is saying.

There’s a fic called The Portraits of Ember Island that has a line that so completely sums up the heart of the matter for why people love their dynamic. For context, zuko has woken up early to help Katara with the cooking and they spend the whole time just letting one another talk, and zuko stops to ask why she always just lets him talk. And so she stops to ask why he’s always helping, and it goes as follows:

There’s just... so much mutual support! Trust! Intimacy!! And it just continues like that from the Southern Raiders on, listening to each other, advising each other, watching each other’s backs! And then! Literally saving each other’s lives!! I will never be over the last Agni kai. Not ever. Zuko may have been willing to jump in front of lightning for anyone, but he actually did it for Katara. And in a show, that’s the thing that really matters. It’s a fulfilled trope usually exclusively applied to romantic pairings, and it ended up applying to Zuko and Katara. And then she ran out into the middle of a fight with tunnel vision just to get to him.

Also!! Also Zuko pushing Katara out of the way of the falling rocks at the Western Air Temple!! And Katara catching him as he fell from the war balloon that he fought Azula on!! Before they’re even getting along, they’re the ones reaching for each other. They come to this place of equal ground, as partners, who watch each other’s backs, call each other out but still listen attentively and understand, and provide the support that the other has been sorely lacking up until they knew each other (whether that be from lack of effort or lack of understanding from others, or an unwillingness to accept it for themselves).

Then, trailing along under the surface of this, we see the themes of the show totally embodied by Zuko and Katara as individuals and in their relationship to one another. There’s a YouTuber, sneezyreviews, who has a, like, 2-hour explanation on why she not only loves zutara but also believes that their endgame would’ve actually elevated the writing of atla to new levels particularly because of thematic cohesion and resolved character arcs. It’s the zutara dissertation I never knew I needed, and it’s funny and eloquent and effective, so I’m just going to sum up her section on thematic cohesion to the best of my abilities and then link it for whenever you have the time. And I HIGHLY recommend it, especially if you want a full understanding of what makes zutara so great and gives it such longevity.

Guru pathik has a line that goes something like this: separation is an illusion; things that seem different are just two parts of the same whole. Iroh also tells Zuko something similar: balance and strength are achieved when the different nations come together and influence one another and celebrate what makes them each unique. And this lesson is a massive central arc that both Zuko and Katara go through, moving past a black-and-white, good guys-vs-bad guys, us-vs-them mentality and into a greyer, more nuanced view of the world. Zuko sees the fire nation from an entirely new perspective and while he still loves and hopes for his nations future, he surrenders his blind loyalty to them in exchange for an unflinching loyalty to peace and love. Katara too had to come to terms with the fact that cruel people exist in the earth kingdom and water tribes, while some fire nation citizens are just regular, kind people who also need and deserve to have someone speak on their behalf. And this is honed in directly on how they view each other. They grow in their individual journeys to be open to the humanity in the other and then, once they’ve found that, they’re able to grow more in compassion for others in a beautiful feedback loop. And this is all matched in the symbolism repeatedly and intentionally associated with them in canon: sun and moon, fire and water, yin and yang, Oma and Shu who found love despite their warring nations. Their individual arcs are completed in each other and complement the themes of atla beautifully.

The canon pairs... just don’t. Which, again, is fine. But the very things that give atla longevity and popularity are anchored in zutara. Kat@ang doesn’t accomplish this. They’re... nice. Sweet. Especially when you erase a good portion of their interactions in S3. It could’ve been just a sweet love story. (Personally, the dynamic between toph and aang accomplish the same thing that zutara does, with complementary personalities that fulfill the theme of opposites blending in harmony) M@iko, on the other hand, is less sweet but I think wasn’t even supposed to last. Zuko’s relationship with Mai seems to represent his relationship with his old life as a whole. He can’t be emotionally vulnerable, he’s goaded into abusing his privileges, his agency and opinions aren’t respected. They just don’t have common ground with which to discuss anything that matters, so they don’t. As far as themes, the relationship doesn’t fit with atla. It’s zuko returning to and sticking with what is (on the surface) like him, what’s expected. Fire nation with fire nation. Fluid water bender with the flexible air bender. Like with like, separated from what is different and challenging and complementary.

And all of these things combined of course lead to the potential for the ship. I don’t know how familiar you are with the post-atla canon but... well, miss “I will never turn my back on people who need me”, miss “I don’t want to heal! I want to fight!” ends up living quietly in the SWT as a designated healer who turns a blind eye to the water tribe civil war happening right outside her front door. Which can be fine! People change! Some people just wanna stay inside. I just wanna stay inside! But the potential future for zutara is so much more satisfying, with Katara becoming the most unconventional Fire Lady the uppity old cads who are stuck on the old ways have ever seen. Fanon has her serving as a voice for the other nations within a kingdom at the point of its biggest political upheaval, as a confidante to Zuko who can actually help him while he’s trying to figure out how to move forward and make reparations. They have the opportunity, together, to accomplish what they both have set on their hearts to fight for: positive change that lends itself to harmony and balance. And the steambabies! A popular headcanon is that their firstborn daughter, the crown princess, is actually a waterbender, which causes such an uproar among the people who are adamantly clinging to the old ways. It’s just a future full of potential to be forces for good together, full of trust, intimacy, joy. The exact era of peace and love and balance that zuko announces that he intends to ring in with the start of his reign as Fire Lord is, again, magnified by the very personal zutara relationship. And we love to see it.

tl;dr zutara isn’t for everyone. Some people just don’t vibe with it. Some are nostalgic. Some love the canon they grew up with. Some have been disappointed for years. Some just see themselves in other characters and want their happiness instead. Whatever the reason, that’s fine. But for me, I love the way these two, from the moment they give each other a fair chance, are able to lower their walls and prejudices to see the other for the kindred spirits they are. They see each other’s humanity, and their response is to pour out love and support and compassion. I love that they’re a power couple in battle. I love the symbolism and, honestly, soulmatism that colors their every interaction. I love that they embody the whole storyline of atla in their relationship and how it develops, which is notably why their seasonal arcs always culminate in each finale with how they relate to one another. I love that zuko adopting a waterbending move is what actually saves his life and then katara’s. I love the chemistry! And I love the future they could’ve had, instead of the ones they were given.

So, in conclusion: I just think they’re neat and I hope you do too, at least a little bit. Even if it’s just respectfully from a disinterested distance cause you do you. And now here is the video I mentioned. I’m sorry this post got so long and then I gave you an even longer homework assignment, but I can’t recommend it enough. She says it all better than I can.

#zutara #atla #zutara rant #like really the way the canon relationships were written throughout s3 #it would’ve been more believable for zutara to happen #or at least be hinted at #all of the major issues presented in those relationship were dug up extensively and then... never resolved #and then they just slapped some kisses on a screen and said ‘there all better’ #and we just kinda had to say ‘oh ok guess it’s all better then’ #this got long I’m sorry #I wrote it all out and then tumblr ate 2/3 of it #which is why it took so long #and what I’ve written now doesn’t even match what I had before #because there’s too much to say about why I love zutara #and the stuff I left out the first time is what came out this time #rip to my original thoughts but this post is different #anyway that’s why this took so long #and I should’ve just made a PowerPoint... #I can do that too if you’d rather not read all of this lol #I won’t be offended #this is incoherent #Alia rambles uselessly #also hoping this doesn’t end up in any wrong tags because I don’t wanna step on toes lol #it’s not anti!! it’s just critical #in a compare/contrast way #I can pinpoint the moment when I started trying to rewrite my points from memory #because everything gets shorter and more succinct #like... I really said all that??? sounds fake and I don’t remember it anyway so here’s the condensed version #with no!! smooth!!! transitions!!!! #also why am I so lazy with proper grammar over text

[badlucksav]

Let’s hear some post-war ZK headcanons!

Yassss 😌😌😌

So, similar to Taang, Zutara doesn’t happen right away.

Katara would return home to the South Pole for a while. She’s still a kid, and she deserves a reprieve for a year or two. She’d help rebuild her tribe, train some new waterbenders, and recover from the trauma of war.

In a canon where Iroh doesn’t skip happily off to Ba Sing Se after the war, I like to think he would either stay as an advisor or even as a regent Fire Lord as Zuko also takes time to recover from his traumas. Zuko is still a kid after all, and he deserves that. Especially in a post-war Fire Nation that would likely be rife with conflict and instability, he would need iroh and other trusted advisors to help things settle.

While this is happening, he and Katara are exchanging letters frequently. They’re bonded because of the Agni Kai and what happened before (and probably after, as I don’t see the GAang leaving the Fire Nation right away).

Eventually, Katara would return to the Fire Nation to visit. And because she and Zuko are close, she would know a lot about the political state of the nation, and how he’s feeling. I see her volunteering to stay as an ambassador or minister.

Their relationship would also be a slow burn, especially if he still gets back with Mai post war (I have thoughts on that if you ever want to hear them too). But after many late nights pouring over policies and proposals (perhaps sipping on fire whiskey or wine as well), I think that Zuko would start talking about the Agni Kai, and his thoughts in those moments where he thought she was going to die.

Katara of course would know she has growing feelings for the young Fire Lord, but she’s been reluctant to act on them because Zuko is a friend, and being with him is more complicated than a standard boyfriend. But after he tells her this, she would tell him how she felt in those moments when she was certain he would die.

And from there, their friendship would deepen. Suddenly, the Fire Lord and his ambassador are seen together frequently, having lunch or dinner alone, talking walks in the gardens together, sparring together. Finally, Zuko would work up the nerve to come out with it, and tell her that he wants to be with her and pursue her.

They’d marry in their early twenties. It would take some convincing for the Fire Sages to bless their union (with some help from Uncle Iroh), and even more so to get some of the nobles on board. But it would happen.

Katara would be a queen consort rather than a Fire Lady, and her title would always be first and foremost, Master Katara. She and Zuko would rule with compassion and work to make their peoples’ lives better through reform and social programs. Soon, the people would grow to love her, and have a deeper respect for their Fire Lord.

They’re both passionate people and they definitely wouldn’t agree on every issue, but they would work through them together.

They would be unorthodox rulers. I headcanon that the Fire Nation is not big on PDA, but they would disregard that, and every time they’re in the public eye, the people would see how much they love each other. They would bring back old traditions for festivals and such that were outlawed or forgotten during the war. They would put their people first.

Depending on my headcanon, they would have 3-4 children. The firstborn is Izumi, a firebender who would one day rule the Fire nation. She has her father’s hair and eyes, but her skin is more like her mother’s, just a few shades lighter. The secondborn is Kya, a waterbender. She would have her mother’s curly brown hair, her fathers golden eyes, and her skin would be somewhere between her mother’s and fathers. The third is Lu Ten, a nonbender. He would look similar to Izumi, but his hair would be lighter, like Kya’s. And the last is Iroh, a waterbender with lighter skin, blue eyes, and dark hair.

I’ve got more, but I think I’ve prattled on long enough haha. Thank you for the ask!

#zutara headcanons #zutara #steambaby headcanons #savage answers

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

A thing I noticed about ZKs watching the show with their eyes closed and completely failing to understand the characters: Katara's bloodbending.

ZKs love to frame it as Katara's "darker and edgier" side that she should embrace, not be afraid of and that bloodbending isn't necessarily evil ( which, totally doesn't contradict the first point, but, whatever )

Except, while I agree it's silly to apply human concept of "good and evil" on something that is essentially a tool ( knives aren't necessarily evil because they're a common murder weapon, just how they're not good because we use them to cut our food. At least, that's my take on the bloodbending), they fail to remember how she came to learn it.

Hama put Katara in the helpless situation, where she either uses the bloodbending on an old woman, who before that Katara had seen as her friend and a fellow SWT waterbender, or she lets Hana kill Sokka ( Katara's brother, her family. It's not like Katara has any trauma regarding loosing her family... Who's Kya? /s ) and Aang ( Katara's friend/crush and the world's last hope to stop the war ). That, on top of bloodbending generally being very fucking scary, especially for a 14 year old girl.

Can you fucking imagine how scary, stressful and traumatic of an event that must've been?! Of course she's going to breakdown after that to the point that she'll need Sokka's and Aang's comfort and reassurance! Of course she's going to walk away with severe trauma and fear of bloodbending!

Yes, she used it again in TSR (which seems to be the only episode from book 3 that ZKs watch), however Katara was NOT in the good headspace during that episode, she used it on the wrong guy and she regretted it.

Even during the Agni Kai against Azula under the Comet steroids Katara didn't use bloodbending! That's how serious her trauma regarding it is!

So, while I don't agree with Katara banning the bloodbending, I completely understand her and why she did this. It does make perfect sense for Katara and Katara ONLY ( hello, ZKs that think Aang forced her to ban bloodbending! ) to do this!

Sorry about the long ask, but I just passionate about bloodbender characters and their attitude towards their bending.

But anon! Don't you know Zutarians latched onto that specifically as a symbol of "girl power" for Katara, and that the fact that she used it in a episode that heavily focuses on her finally becoming Zuko's friend means it HAS to be a 100% good, totally positive thing on her life to make Zutara look good by association?

Who cares about consistent characterization, themes, and lore? Making sure Katara looks badass while in the same place as Zuko counts as a "win" for Zutara (for the cronically online at least) and that is all that matters!

#anti zutara

[steambend]

steambend’s end of year fic rec list [2020]

so i thought i’d just collate a list of my favourite fics i read this year. i’ll split it from completed to ongoing, and it will go from general to mature rated fics (each category is also in alphabetical order, because i’m that bitch). i’m sure most of these fics you will have seen or read before, but i wanted to get them all in one place and maybe start an annual tradition on my page!

these are all zutara fics

completed fics, rated: general

beautiful by dyce

zuko cannot stop noticing that katara is beautiful. 

brightest in the dark by soopersara

a less-than-friendly interruption in the crystal catacombs pushes zuko and katara together, and they have to work together to find a new path.

canon divergent from crossroads of destiny

completed fics, rated: teen and up

mending wounds by fictionissocialinquiry

'the fire prince is older. you can see it in the calmness of his expression, the relaxed carriage of his shoulders. he is smiling at her. she's never seen the fire lord's son smile.' while lost in the foggy swamp, searching for her brother and her avatar, katara is haunted by visions of the fire nation's disgraced prince. visions of peace after war, visions of honour and secrets...

stealing from pirates by dyce

without zuko to rescue her from the pirates, katara is captured... and finds that they already have a prisoner in desperate need of her help.

such selfish prayers by andromeda3116

katara's ambition, so long set aside for the good of others, breaks free and sets fire to her soul. or, katara has a vision of her canon future, casts it aside, and becomes a world-changing politician instead.

the color of the stars by bluenebulae

“roads were made for journeys, not destinations.” ― confucius

one moment changes the course of history. katara and zuko are imprisoned by the fire nation army during the day of black sun, and when they escape, they find themselves adrift in the fire nation with no one to rely on but each other. with only six weeks before sozin’s comet arrives and four nations to cross, the pair must track down katara’s allies, save the world—and learn to trust each other.

canon divergent from part 2 of 'day of black sun.'

there are worse things i could do by orosea

she thinks of how this must be so easy for sokka, to be married at home, to someone of his culture. she has nothing against princess yue, the sickly girl is kind, and frankly, far too good for sokka. which is the problem. sokka is in love with her.

and what does katara get? a marriage to a firebender. thrown into a country she doesn’t know, like fish carcass, to the nephew of the fire lord.

for her tribe, she tells herself.

rounding the edges by sadladybug

it can take some grit and hard work to grind out the sharp edges, but the effort can produce something that shines. a zutara oneshot in which katara learns a few new things about zuko, including the fact that he may be very difficult to live without. featuring unexpected teamwork, tense training moments, and more than a few awkward conversations. canon compliant(ish), book three beginning sometime between tsr and eip.

what fortune lent by lewilder

au; the southern raiders' mission aims true and katara is taken to the fire nation as a prisoner of war. as her circumstances and the political climate change, she forms unexpected alliances and makes it her mission to restore her people and find the avatar.

completed fics, rated: not rated

and you feel your heart (taking root in your body) by raisindeatre

"no one is now what they were before the war." - catherynne valente

after everything - the comet, the war, the coronation - katara tries to find the road back to herself. somewhere along the way, she also finds the road to zuko.

ongoing fics, rated: teen and up

in the kingdom of heaven by nautica_dawn

in her later years, katara will look back on the agni kai against azula fondly. in her younger, more immediate years, she wishes she'd turned down zuko's offer.

polar nights by crystalline talisman

in order to arrange a treaty for the long standing war between the water tribe and fire nation, prince zuko is sent to the south pole to arrange a truce by fire lord lu ten, where he is greeted by subzero temperatures, sea prunes, and quirky customs. this of course, is a cake walk compared to the revelation he'll be marrying the stubborn spiritual leader, katara. au. zutara.

the chief and i by jassmarie19

when the fire nation decides to take over the world, it is the temples that go down first (peacefully, and no one suspects a thing). then their eyes turn towards the mainland and all is lost for the earth kingdoms. at this onset of war, the southern water tribe shuts itself off from the rest of the world. it is a challenge at first, but the fire nation decides they have loftier goals than the tribal people of ice and water. they are forgotten.

a century has passed. the fire empire runs the world, emperor azulon at the head with his grandson, the herald of light, prince zuko of the southern isles by his side. fresh off winning the last vestige in the earth kingdom, prince zuko travels to the south to gain the last of the free world. but they come to the southern water tribe knowing nothing but snippets saved before the conquering. the herald of light has a lot of work ahead of him if he is to convince their vexing chieftain to surrender. the fate of the great imperial empire counts on this.

this might as well happen by owedbetter

stranded in a foreign country during a pandemic, zuko has a crazy idea.

ongoing fics, rated: mature

southern lights by colourwhirled

a world where the avatar has disappeared from memory. where sozin’s conquest was successful. where the unsteady order of the empire is threatened as members of the royal family are picked off one by one and lines are slowly drawn in the sand.

one last chance for peace forces an unlikely alliance between a homesick waterbender, a carefree air nomad, a runaway earth kingdom heiress, and the fire lord's inscrutable son. together they must learn to shed old enmities and become the balance they seek to restore to the world.

or:

the avatar has four heads.

x

[[chapter 4: "and always, his eyes, cautiously watching her. even when he thinks she isn’t looking. it drives her mad"]]

waste no more time by owedbetter

'waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. be one.’ - marcus aurelius

no one knew where the painted lady of republic city came from. they only know that one day, she did. healing the sick, fighting injustice where she could, and ruining profiteering capitalist organisations when she could.

and ozai corporations will stop at nothing to put an end to this brand of vigilante justice, even hiring the elusive powers behind blue spirit investigations to seize and desist her from further damaging the chaos her revolutionary care is inspiring among the people... by any means necessary.

a tale of justice, love, and revolution.

and that is it! happy reading guys, and feel free to reblog and add your favourite zk reads of 2020

#steambend's end of year fic rec list #2020 #fic recs #zutara

[forever--rain]

Hi ever! Any tips on making friends in the zk community? I think everyone is so sweet but I'm really shy + I don't write or draw so I mostly reblog other artists but I really want to befriend some people in the fandom :(

Hi, sweet anon!

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I wanted to have a coherent answer for you, so I took a while to think about it.

You're right! This is a fandom full of really wonderful people. As a shy person, I know how hard it is to reach out and make friends. There was a decent amount of time when I first started this blog where I only reached out to people on anon because I was nervous about how I would be welcomed into the fandom. (Honestly, I still carry that anxiety with me and frequently consider bowing out of the fandom altogether. I've never done well socially and stepping away silently whether in person or online is how I cope.) Sometimes I still reach out on anon when I'm interacting with someone new. It's a good way to get comfortable with people if you're shy. (Also, I firmly believe the way people act on anon or talk to their anons says a lot about them. So this gives me a good way to read vibes.)

I don't think you need to be a creator in order to form valuable connections within the fandom. There are a lot of Zutarians who just enjoy asking others about headcanons or talking about the show itself! Fandom isn't all about creating material, it's about appreciating what you love with people who also love that thing. It's 100% cool to just hang around and gush about what you love. That's why we're all here!

I think some good ways to start making friends in the fandom include, but aren't limited to, the following:

1. Participate in ask games! We all like to get to know one another here, and it's easy to pop in on or off anon to ask a question of someone you'd like to talk to. Ask games can be great conversation starters.

2. Post in the comments when you reblog someone's work. This is something that I would like to do more of myself. I know that a lot of us comment in the tags when we reblog, but sometimes posting my love in the tags in hard because they're not easy to edit. If you like something someone drew or wrote, don't be afraid to hit the comment button after you hit reblog! It's like a little, personalized message to the creator and I guarantee it will make them smile! You'll probably even get a reply out of it!

3. Don't be afraid to come off anon. It's totally okay to use it. Especially if it makes you comfortable. Like I said, I still use it from time to time. But test out coming off anon with someone you're feeling comfortable with! Chances are, you might get some new followers out of it and you'll also probably make a new friend. I for one love when I see new names pop up in my ask box. And when they start to show up over and over, that's when I get really excited!

4. Don't underestimate the power of what reblogging does. I follow a lot of blogs who only hit reblog on stuff, but it fuels a lot of my dash! I treasure those users! I get a lot of new content on my dash because of them. It helps things feel fresh. So even if you're just hitting reblog, you're still contributing to someone's blog somewhere.

5. Try out DMing a user you'd like to get to know better! Ask them a question about their art or their writing or what they like about X character or Y episode. You can test this out with me if you'd like to. Or, if you're nervous about initiating that, you can drop your @ in my ask box (I won't share it with anyone) and I'll hop over to your DMs to chat! (If that still makes you feel nervous, we can just chat through anon asks until you feel better about it.)

6. Don't be upset if someone doesn't respond right away--or at all. I, for one, log out of Tumblr and AO3 on the weekend in order to spend time with my loved ones and live my life (this also helps me maintain a healthy balance of fandom in my life). So chances are you won't see a response from me at that time. There are people I've tried interacting with both on and off anon who just never responded. And while that's rough for someone who's shy, I have to remind myself that sometimes peoples' vibes just don't mesh (or maybe those blogs are dormant and I just wasn't aware) and that's okay. Try again with someone new when you feel ready!

I know a lot of these suggestions can feel intimidating. It's like I said, though, if you can find a Zutarian you feel comfortable with, then give it a shot. I'm always here if you'd like to start with me! I can also point you towards some more wonderful, welcoming people (provided they're cool with that--I'd check with them before sharing their usernames).

Also! One last tip:

6. Don't feel like you need to interact with a lot of people in order to have a good fandom experience. I have a little bubble of people that I'm comfortable with and that makes my experience better because I know what I'm welcoming into my space. It's like making friends in real life. You don't need to have a ton in order to have a good time. Be picky. Find people who give off the right vibes for you. You'll have a lot more fun that way!

Just remember: We're all here to nerd out about the same stuff. 😉

#ask evergreen #evergreen answers #anon #zutara #making friends #advice

[jonathankatwhatever]

It’s 19 April 2023. Actual Patriots’ Day.

I just saw the entirety of the link between grid squares and descriptions of the cosmic scale. It began with hyperbolas, with 1 over x, which I heard repeating in my head as x into 1, x into 1, and I could then see that literalize into an image of a gs with the 4 Ends being 1 within 1, so the asymptotes are grid lines. That is where x and y and xK and yK exist, so then there is a divergence between the two forms, and this divergence can then be described.

That’s the short version. It was very exciting.

So, this literalizes sK and zK as 1/x with a limit of the Ends of a grid square when mapped on a coordinate plane. And this means you are correct. Rotate the square around and you are shaping the space. And all this is Pathway permutations.

So, all those metrics are 1Space ideal and 0Space calculable.

It was ridiculously difficult to say that last line because there has always been a gap in my understanding of 1Space and 0Space, and specifically with the concept of calculation. Where exactly does calculation occur in 0Space which is not 1Space? You can see it here because you can see the expanding Pathway potential in the hyperbola in the literal statement of sK and zK as asymptotes along with x and y, which are also xK and yK.

I’m glad now we put so much effort into the K conception because now it works relativistically.

It seems like we’ve connected to all the geometric versions. I can see, for example that you can take grid squares ideal and map the distortions in various ways because these all occur within the D-structure. Remember, grid squares are finite, so any conception is finite. That then gets into what portion of the universe is finite versus infinite process, which brings us to the present state.

This got confusing because the instinct is to say finite existence is finite so existence continues until the life goes out, at each level at which life goes out, but that doesn’t mean much necessarily because the life of this place above is what’s being developed. That was awkwardly said because I didn’t know the idea clearly until the word because. So if this life doesn’t develop in the higher levels, then this life ends. I’ve been trying to avoid saying this, but that ends is for all because you’re not much use above if you don’t keep offering them your best.

That’s the metaphor which has been hiding all along. We are all offerings to God, whether in the form of animals burnt as offerings, of people sacrificed in the name of a cause, and so on, meaning we enact this idea but in the wrong sense, which is the extension of Abraham and Isaac to all conduc which sacrifices others. There are many signs of growing awareness of this, like protected bicycle lanes prevent death while encouraging desirable conduct of many kinds. I’m getting sidetracked. What I’m trying to get out is that we are also offerings above, and what is desirable there is your higher awareness, your ability to work, your ability to contribute, but again the point is that there is a scoresheet for each person.

I’m also trying to say that apparent size of contribution is not the same as actual contribution. An example is that credit for discovery tends to be grabbed or misattributed. And all that does is distort the Pathways, maybe a little, maybe a lot, but it doesn’t change the actual credit. That is why Winding and Registry are such important concepts; they literalize into ways we represent memory and chains of connected memory. It is somewhat challenging to think of a triangle being wrapped with a very long thread, and each time the thread goes from End to End, that maps all the smaller triangles which hide behind that specific location. And thus we have this relationship where we can see the flat projection because each End to End is a transition across Ends, so this potential is at each identifiable point we can label an End at some level.

Offerings above is why we had a God of blood in the first place. It’s why the ancient conceptions of the Gods spoke about them becoming aware of us, of them learning to care about us, about our human struggles. It’s that connection. It’s them saying they enjoyed the battle scenes from afar but not up close where they could see the terror and the misery. So the message is to keep the excitement but lose the bad stuff, lose the killing and the hurting. Kill the monsters in your heads, instead of acting them out against others.

I need some sleep.

————

Let’s see if I can feel more comfortable with hyperbolas. The idea of x into 1, from ideal to some not-ideal. There’s the image and then there’s the meanings in words, and that’s a tough bridge to build. So, it’s as x gets bigger then y shrinks so the asymptote is x, and thus as y gets bigger than x shrinks to the y axis asymptote. That draws sK and zK as the midpoint line which combines these extremes in the whole K-construction which manifests as LayerView.

You can see the utility of LayerView when you identify the gs at the core of an hyperbola. Note how this enables gs process within the Layers: the gs space expands as the count expands and thus the chains must be built which cross that length, and that is fully associative even when it’s not commutative until the octonions. That is, if you construct the core unit gs over the quadrants, then you construct the complex universe mapped by Coordinate Rotation, which explicitly constructs values which contain the process, like Pi contains alternating series, and that alternating series is an expression of 1-0Segments over I//I.

Why can’t I get comfortable with this? I can’t get out the issue which repeats in my head. So, what you’re saying is that each gs has attached to it a hyperbolic structure like this. And that structure varies. So any construction has an ideal and an actual hyperbolic structure attached. Wow.

I need a nap.

[jaxsteamblog]

Zutara Fan Appreciation

Before the ZK Fanwork Week starts, I want to appreciate one specific reader who has quite literally carried my motivation to continue every single thing I’ve written. I don’t know how many parts this will ultimately end up as, but I’ll be posting every day a story inspired by prompts made by @sparkle-bunny

I’ll never be able to appropriately express how much your support has meant to me, or how integral you have been to keeping my stories alive. So I really hope you enjoy this one.

---

Uncle would most likely have a more eloquent metaphor, but Zuko could only equate his life to a series of rooms. After the war ended, it seemed like he would spend the rest of his life in the palace. But other rooms came, especially when the dragon incident happened or when he simply wanted to visit the tea shop in Ba Sing Se. The open field is where they each crafted their legacies, the stories they would pass down or be told about them. But rooms held their lives. It was where he made decisions and where he noticed what was actually happening.

Coming back to the palace and stepping into a room, seeing Mai and Ty Lee jump apart, he felt as vast and empty as the space around them.

Rooms felt vast and empty for a long while after.

Years had passed and Zuko decided he needed to settle back at the palace. More and more of his life was spent pacing back and forth through a handful of doorways. Sometimes he held the hand of a Fire Nation lady, but often he was alone.

When his friends would visit, the rooms were livelier. Eventually, Sokka and Toph dragged him out and Zuko got to gather more stories in more open fields. It was enough to distract him from what his life was becoming behind closed doors.

But he still had to go back.

Zuko stood in his bedroom, tying back his hair in the mirror. It had gotten rather long and only accentuated the thinness of his face more. He hadn’t yet come to a decision about it and he stroked his chin, wondering what a beard would look like.

“Fire Lord?” The call came moments before a light knocking on his door. Zuko turned and walked over, pulling open the door that led into the hall.

It still struck him as odd to be taller than people now.

“Yes?” He asked.

The woman bowed quickly and smoothed the front of her robes.

“News has come from the harbor. A water nation ship has just docked. It’s flying a South Pole flag.” She said.

“Thank you.” Zuko replied and the woman bowed again. As she retreated, Zuko closed the door, walking briskly to the other side of the room.

There had been many renovations to the palace over the years; one was moving the residence up to the second floor, bringing in more administration space to the ground level. Zuko’s bedroom was planted firmly in the center of the building, but he still kept access to the front. Yanking the door to the balcony, he could barely contain his energy as it flung open.

Sokka hadn’t sent him a note, but this wouldn’t be the first time his friend had shown up unannounced. The brief memory of Sokka currently being in Kyoshi only floated by in Zuko’s mind as he picked up his telescope.

From the palace, it was nearly impossible to see all the way down the mountain and into the harbor, even with the newest model of telescope. He could make out the larger ships, with their dull black hulls, but anything smaller would be lost in the blur of the glass.

Zuko thought he saw a smudge of blue and he smiled.

A shriek from above him made him jump and Zuko lowered his telescope. The messenger hawk tucked in its wings and dove straight at him, giving Zuko only a moment to step back. The hawk handed on the balcony and squawked at him. Looking around, Zuko sighed as he set the telescope back on its rack and picked up a soiled serving cloth from last night’s tea. Wrapping it around his arm, Zuko coaxed the hawk up and teetered when it stepped up. The birds were always surprisingly heavy.

Walking back inside, Zuko untied the message container from the hawk’s leg. Just inside the door, he rang the serving bell before unscrewing the container with one hand.

A servant appeared quickly, but was skittish as he approached the Fire Lord with a messenger hawk.

“Would you mind calling for the master of the mews?” Zuko asked. Looking relieved, the servant disappeared as quickly as he had arrived.

“Now, let’s see what Sokka has to say hmm?” Zuko scratched the hawk’s neck. It gave a trill and shifted on his arm, making Zuko sway as he went to his desk. He shook out the small rolled message and awkwardly unfurled it as best he could with one hand.

He frowned at the quick note.

“Well that’s no good.” He muttered to himself. The hawk squawked again and Zuko sighed.

He better get down to the docks.

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#jax writes #zutara #fanfiction