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#kataang fic
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Do you know of any Kataang fics where they break up and get back together?
I know of a few, although to be fully honest I haven't read them yet because I haven't been in the mood for angst (they're in my Marked for Later though!)
Drag You Down by @chocomd: "After breaking up, Aang and Katara go their separate ways. But when unexpected events throw them back together, they have a hard time moving on—even if moving on is what’s best for themselves, and for each other. Kataang break up with eventual make up. No cheating or dating others. Post-ATLA."
re:union by foxfordcomma: "They loved each other for three years after the war. Then, for three years after that, they tried, tried, tried to stop. The love never went anywhere, though. Not really. He needed to go. She needed to stay. She wanted to go with him, but the hospital needed her more. He wanted to stay with her, but the acolytes needed him more."
Fate Never Fails by sukiyoshii: "Nine years after the war has ended and three years after Aang and Katara broke up, they're seemingly on different paths, though fate brings them together."
Republic City by carpethefanfics: "Katara hasn’t seen Aang in many years but as the Worlds Leaders gather in Republic City, they’re destined to meet again." (I think they have a more nsfw version of this called "Earth Kingdom" as well).
Painful Medicine by Briasalad: "It's a busy day in the emergency department for Dr Katara, but the day takes a sudden turn for the worse when ward alarm rings. Code Red. Someone must've been in a horrific accident. When Katara joins the crowd of doctors huddling around a patient bed, the last person she expected it to be is her husband, Aang, who she hasn't seen in 5 years. Modern AU. (Sequel to Painful Education)."
I hope at least one of these is something that interests you! Sorry I couldn't be of more help.
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jerk-bending · 2 months
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@sokkas-therapist @lilmartita @enby-spite
I have failed in finding the fic so I'll do my best on the cliff notes version and you can all suffer with me that I can't find the fic itself.
Harmonic Convergence happens when the Gaang is adults. It was posted before we knew Fire Lord Izumi's name, I think, because Zuko comes down first. His and Mai's daughter is not very old when she starts airbending and Zuko is like...I need a spiritual explanation bestie or we are gonna Agni Kai right here.
I think Ty Lee actually HAS the first airbending baby tho now that I'm thinking about it. Because the narrator says no one was too surprised. For some reason.
I can't remember if Suki or Toph is the next one, but Toph arrives literally dragging her floating kid along on a tether. Little Lin comes too. And Toph is like "Yeah explain this, Twinkletoes, cause how tf am I supposed to raise a flying baby."
Suki I think is the next one, and that paragraph is short because it's like, "When Suki's daughter sneezes and shoots some feet in the air, Sokka punches Aang."
Then you get Aang sitting in an igloo with an ice pack on his eye while Katara is giggling because she knows Aang isn't running around on her, and this situation is so absurd.
The punchline to all of this is that Katara and Aang have yet to produce an airbender of their own.
If that sounds familiar to anyone PLEASE drop the link I am on my KNEES.
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northerngoshawk · 9 months
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Pangu
Late entry for @kataang-week Day 2: Injured
Rating: T
Word Count: 10.3k
Summary:
Katara reached up and took his face in her hands, felt him soften under her touch. She craned her neck up to press her lips to his cheek, right where a teardrop was rolling down. “I couldn’t let you die either,” she murmured, “not when I could do something to save you.” But Aang drew back at her words, his eyes downcast. “But if I had just been paying attention, if I had just noticed what was going on, you wouldn’t have needed to.” He raised his eyes to hers, and in them she could see the shame, the guilt, the self-blame. “If I had just been a better Avatar,” he said in an anguished whisper, “you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.” And in that moment, she didn’t see the Avatar she knew him to be. Instead, she saw a fifteen-year-old—a fifteen-year-old who shouldn’t even know he was the Avatar, a fifteen-year-old forced from an era of peace to fight in a time of war, a fifteen-year-old with shoulders too slim to bear the weight of the sky and hands too young to hold the weight of the world. - Being the Avatar is a burden as heavy as the weight of the world. But as long as Katara is alive, she swears that Aang will never have to carry it alone. Written for Kataang Week 2023 Day 2: Injured.
read on ao3
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benwvatt · 1 year
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my recent kataang fics!
hi! I’ve written a few kataang stories recently and would love to share them. AO3 links included! And there are more fics under the “read more.”
my darling, how long do you want to be loved? is forever enough? is a rated-G oneshot about the two of them bonding over Katara’s pregnancy.
Katara laughs and buries her head in the crook of Aang’s neck. In bed, he’s been tracing lazy figure eights across the small of her back. “How did we get here?”
“Well, we left the Earth King’s party after thirty-seven minutes-”
Still laughing. Aang can feel her head shake against his chest, like a magnolia raining leaves in a storm. He wants to close his eyes as long as possible and memorize the ebbs and flows of her joy, the imprints it makes in the air.
“Oh, right! And we stole dumplings,” Katara adds gently, “wrapped in napkins in my purse! I’ll never get the grease stains out.” If only oil and water were similar, she could lift the marks with a swish of her hand.
“I guess you’ll just have to use regular ol’ soap and water. Like a peasant.”
“Like a fool!”
in reverence, my cup runneth over for you is a rated-T one-shot about Katara and Aang dancing in their kitchen.
They will raise children here someday. Aang wants a daughter with whom to dance in the kitchen. Together they will shift, clumsy under skeins of moonlight; he’ll toddle around, practicing steps by letting their girl stand on his feet. She will teach him the extra-extra-cool dance moves, picked up from magazines or some technology not yet invented, because grown-ups simply don’t understand.
Aang kisses Katara. Oh, she is going to be the rest of his life. The sheer notion of this runs through his mind like a horse unbridled.
“I love the kitchen,” she finally murmurs, hugging him closer. “No need to worry, not with me.”
He already knew, but a reminder never hurts.
He talks to her about the wilder dreams (not wildest, for those have already come true) and they waltz over dusty floorboards that leave speckles on the bottoms of their shoes. The kitchen will be furnished another time. Tonight is for dancing.
you’ve got me more than clumsy, but you’re my yellow lovely is a fluffy rated-G oneshot about Katara taking care of Aang while he’s sick. 
“Honey,” Aang murmurs, two full syllables this time. Voicing anything hurts at the moment 一 he’s taken ill this week 一 but he has to catch her attention. “Katara.”
She groans. “Yeah?”
“You gotta go. I - I’m gonna get you sick if you stay any longer.”
Her head shakes ‘nope’ and Aang can feel the brush of her hair against his neck. You could hear a pin drop. Even the crickets have ceased chirping tonight.
“I’m not fun to be around.”
“That’s a lie,” she whispers. “Can I kiss you?” He’s been trying not to get her sick all week, and she ought to ask before moving any closer.
“I miss you.” Aang wraps his arms around her and leans in. “I don’t think I should kiss you. Germs. Disease. Y’know, plague and death.”
“How did we get to death?”
i’d paint a river of stars for you (cross the ocean sapphire blue) is a romantic AU about Kataang getting together in the South Pole, set in a world where the war never happened and Aang routinely visits Katara and he’s super in love with her. Rated T!
Aang looks down at her hand. She’s still wearing the friendship bracelet he wove for her out of linengrass.
He wants, not for the first time, to press his hand to her face and kiss her. He wonders if her cheeks would be cold against his. Hasn’t ever been close enough to check. Aang moves his thumb an inch until it’s over hers.
He looks at her. Is this okay?
Moonbeams wash into the bedroom through the ice. She might be blushing but he can’t quite tell.
Do you want this? Do you want me? he tries to communicate with his gaze. He was never very good at this. Monks are taught to let go of desire, not harbor it deep inside.
when the ice forgives is an AU in the works. In which, post-series, Kya is discovered sleeping in an iceberg and Katara’s whole family bond over the discovery that she’s alive. Katara & Aang are also engaged in this story and they’re very sweet.
“Were you preparing something in the kitchen?” Aang asked. He’d slept in, and he was hungry.
“I… might have been.” She pursed her lips for a moment, then let the grin wash away any hint of neutrality on her face. “Okay, there’s some baozi. And I was wondering if you wanted to eat hot pot for lunch? That was, uh, the noise you heard.”
She was so comforting. Everything about it, from her culinary plans to her one morning cup of tea, stolen from him, was predictable. He loved her. He told her, and they curled into the bed. Katara laid down, absentmindedly stroking her thumb across Aang’s cheekbone, and reminded him he was a sap. An honest, lovable one, but still.
“I like you,” she whispered. The words hung in the white, almost silver, morning light. They were predictable too, and Aang couldn’t get enough of them. “I like you very much.”
He kept his gaze on her and ran his thumb over the curve of her eyebrow, down her cheek until he was tracing her bottom lip. “You’re so…” and he kissed her before saying, “special. I didn’t think I could meet somebody like you. Someone so uncommonly kind.”
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kataangisforlovers · 2 years
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Fic: Soft Words
For @kataang-week Day 6: Quiet Moments/Healing Techniques
"Is Mama going to die?"
The young girl's tone wasn't accusatory or distressed. The blue eyes weren't shiny with tears, the brow not constricted with pain. It was a straightforward question asked, Aang realized suddenly, by a young girl who had already lost her father, thus having already experienced one of the worst things that could happen in a young life. She wanted the truth, not platitudes or soft words that were little more than lies wrapped in a sweet tone.
Summary: As Katara assists at a high-risk birth in the South Pole, Aang makes the acquaintance of a very special girl..
Read on: FF.net | A03
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survivalove · 6 months
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Air Temple Island, the Water Tribes & the Real Life Influences that bring them together
I was gonna screenshot a post I saw and add it to my post but I don’t feel like giving that individual attention (and the 300+ notes they got), so I just decided to make my own standalone post debunking this narrative that air temple island is this fully air nomad brothel (yes they said this) with ZERO water tribe motifs which katara is forced to live in until aang passed away.
frankly it just reminded me of how little people in this fandom actually bother to analyze the actual content, instead preferring to write entirely made up scenarios of katara being reduced to an air nomad incubator along with dozens other female acolytes (yes they also said this lmao. also them acting like both male AND female acolytes weren’t living on the whole other side of the island 😭)
when in truth, i’ve come to find a lot of elements of both water tribes as well as traditional inuit elements across air temple island:
1. the paifang
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a traditionally chinese element that for some reason is exclusively found in the northern water tribe (why do they have a gate inside a throne room, you ask? ask the white people that made this show). the one on the left is actually one of two aang BUILT, at the main entrance and another at the temple entrance. this is just one example of water tribe design on the island.
2. the bagua mosaic
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another structure is the bagua mosaic on the training grounds. bagua is a set of traditional chinese symbols of the cosmology, taoism. the bagua composes of 8 sets of broken or unbroken lines that represent yin and yang. where have we seen yin and yang in the original series? oh yeah, as tui and la of the water tribe! (because atla is a mess of asiatic and indigenous motifs joined together and spread out across each nation, mainly traditionally chinese elements at that.) aang building this right next to the air nomad training grounds is a symbol of the dual bending heritage their children will have.
3. gold and blue accents
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now, gold and blue are the main colors of the exterior structures but is also very strong inside the air temple itself. note, the massive air nomad symbol designed fully in blue in the center and the blue banners and rugs throughout the temple. this is no doubt, for me, a visual depiction of both katara and aang’s representative cultures, but of course this is not limited to color only.
4. cloud carvings
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now, this is a slight detour since clouds aren’t a significant part of either of their individual cultures (that we know) but i love the kataang monopoly they have on clouds as a couple so i’m talking about it. if you look at these images very closely what do you see? CLOUD CARVINGS!! specifically near the ceiling of the pavilion (left) and the arches and walls of the temple (right) just imagining aang painting and etching these very consistent swirls, like he’ll never be the selfish inconsiderate unromantic loser you people want him to be, but let’s get more into the southern water tribe style interior.
5. interior design
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so here is a southern water tribe white lotus outpost vs the air temple island main dining room. first thing, the seat cushions and rug! while we don’t see air nomad eating quarters we do get to see enough SWT customs both in atla and lok, to know this is how they traditionally eat compared to the north (limiting myself on pics cuz mobile).
another thing is the dining table itself. both have what i believe to be built in fire pits (i couldn’t actually tell for the air temple island one cuz of the quality but if you zoom in you can see the lines go in the table plus the hanging kettle on it makes it obvious to me idk). the southern water tribe one however is clear and likely a more traditional version of what aang and katara have.
thirdly, the exposed timber on the ceiling. i actually looked it up and found this is a common element of these two inuit structures: left is an aasiaat peat house and right is an igloolik turf house. all this for me to believe not only did aang build air temple island to be a haven for the TWO of them but also that katara herself had a lot of input on the interior than people care to notice lol.
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maybe instead of projecting these loser fantasies of katara being some unwilling air nomad baby making machine so you can feel better about your fantasies of katara living in a red palace with people that tried to wipe her out for a whole century, you all can go study the actual canon you were shown and the real life cultures the franchise takes from.
6. lastly, some of my own headcanons/stuff i want to see in the movie
the bathroom because I LIVE for a white marble tiled bathroom. i just know katara has to have a HUGE tub and they have one of those insane glass showers that can fit like 3 people, with cloud swirls everywhere because aang clearly got it like that
the KITCHEN, i imagine it being timber like the dining room and is probably on the other side behind the built-in shelf (get into the details like hello). in a perfect world, it would be open plan but hey
the bedroom, now we saw it in lok a bit but i wanna see it in the gaang movie too. i’m on pic limit but there’s a lot of artwork and flowers throughout the whole house which i give katara credit for because I can. like the desk, the bookshelf, that fancy looking vase thing? these two clearly have taste like don’t talk to me rn
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I also didn’t show the rooms and aang’s study but there’s a lot of blue decor in those places which makes me think katara decorated the whole house, even the acolytes’ hall has blue sitting cushions and columns which i think is such a nice detail.
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if you guys have any air temple island headcanons of your own please reply with some i’m feening lol
big shoutout to this user:
atla-annotated (their page is so great and filled with a lot of incredible information if you guys like this sort of stuff)
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the-badger-mole · 3 months
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My brain just birthed a new pet theory (also, I was discussing it with some people on Discord. If any of you guys are seeing this, holla!!!). Aang is the only one really in character in the comics. His selfishness, short-sightedness and lack of empathy fall in line with his character in the rest of the series. What if instead of gaining "energybending", Aang actually got reality bending abilities, like in the "Legends" episode of Justice League?
One person involved in the discussion (who is free to reblog and add their full take if they want) suggested that Aang actually lost the fight with Ozai, and everything after that is what he's imagining while he's lost in the Fog in the spirit world. That is an idea that's just chock full of angsty goodness, if that's what you're into. I went in a different direction with it, though.
My plot bunny went down the "Aang bends reality because Katara chose Zuko instead" hole. It makes sense. Aang, as he's set up in the main series, would not just quietly accept his 4Ev@ GuRRRRLLllLL not picking him. Yes, him having an uncontrolled AVATAR STATE hissy fit is on the table, but if something- like the lionturtle- gave him the ability to control reality, that's absolutely something he'd take advantage of. That's the reason why justice seeking, won't turn her back on those in need Katara won't stand ten-toes down when Aang suggests anti-miscegenation. It also explains why Zuko who told his father "the Fire Nation spreading it's greatness is a lie" is suddenly onboard with colonialism. And why he seems to suddenly be flirting with Ozai's brand of villainy after everything he's been through. It also explains Sokka's sudden random aversion to fur...
Which ever way you want to go with it, though, it certainly explains why everyone is suddenly OOC except Aang.
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fand0mslut · 2 months
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looking for atla moots 🙏 the live action has inspired me and i need to write some ficssss LOL
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sneezypeasy · 2 years
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Original Script Analysis, Part 2: The Southern Raiders, The Finale, and What I Think About it All
Link to Part 1
So folks, when it comes to literary analysis, there are two categories that textual interpretations typically fall under: the Doylist explanation, and the Watsonian explanation. 
Watsonian explanations will contextualise an issue solely within the bounds of the story it is told in, so the answer to any question will be, essentially, “in-universe”. Imagine interviewing a character in the story, and asking them, “why did x happen” or, “why did y character decide to do z”. The answer you get will be a Watsonian answer.
Doylist explanations, on the other hand, are explanations that take into account things the characters themselves wouldn’t “have access to”, so to speak. These explanations often touch on writing concepts like theme, character arcs, tropes, setup and payoff etc, sometimes even referring to “real-world” motivations, intentions, or constraints that the creators were working with (or against). If an explanation or an answer to a question doesn’t sound like anything the characters themselves could have come up with, it’s probably a Doylist explanation.
I’m going to give an example from Titanic that I hope isn’t a spoiler to anybody at this point given how much this film has been memed to shit:
Jack dies at the end of Titanic. Now, why did he die?
The Watsonian says: He died because there was no room on the door.
The more intelligent Watsonian says: No there WAS room on the bloody door you smooth-brained koala did you even watch the fucking movie? They tried to get them both on there, the door just couldn’t hold the two of them because of something called BUOYANCY you fucking idiot-
The Doylist says: Jack died because it was the culmination of his character arc, and because he and Rose symbolise the class disparity of the victims of that tragedy; Jack is the poorer third class, and Rose is the rich upper class. Upper class women were the likeliest demographic to survive the sinking of the Titanic, and lower class men were the likeliest demographic to die. Jack had to die and Rose had to live; it’s symbolic. 
Here’s another example: on the r/DeathNote subreddit, someone asked why L fell off his chair in such an exaggerated and dramatic fashion upon hearing that shinigami could be real. The top comment provides a detailed Watsonian answer, followed by a Doylist one:
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Basically, Watsonian commentary is consistent with how the characters, in-universe, might explain/contextualise something. Doylism explains how a plot point or character decision serves a purpose beyond what the characters themselves would be able to conceptualise, whether that’s narrative payoff, authorial intent, or even marketing/executive decisions/budget constraints.
Why am I explaining all of this? Because I want to play a game with you guys.
You ready?
The name of this game is: Why, in the original script of The Southern Raiders, is Katara somehow asleep while LITERAL BOMBS ARE GOING OFF AROUND HER(!!!)
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Is it:
A) Katara trained herself to sleep through Fire Nation raids and bombs from a young age
B) Katara is just generally that deep of a sleeper 
C) Elizabeth Ehasz wanted an excuse (any excuse, really) to force Zuko and Katara to interact (because this is their episode, after all-)
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Yeah, maybe I’m just unimaginative but I’m pretty sure it’s C. I’d love to hear your best Watsonian take for this one though (please, go nuts, lmao)
Like all the other changes we’ve seen, nothing has been done to the dialogue, which plays out how it does in the show:
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I’m sorry I just can’t get over this 🤣🤣 “Character A and Character B hate each other/are not talking to each other/are currently in the process of biting each other’s heads off, now let’s come up with some ridiculous excuse to make Character A and Character B play nice and help and warm up to each other” is a pretty solid fanfic trope but I think this is the first time I’ve seen “MAKE CHARACTER A SLEEP THROUGH A FUCKING MISSILE ATTACK” utilised for this specific purpose.
Logically I understand why this was changed for the show, but I’m ngl, I’m slightly sad we didn’t get to see this version. 🤣🤣🤣
Interestingly, Katara doesn’t catch Zuko after he gets blasted off the war blimp - the script doesn’t specify anyone catching Zuko, it just says that he “lands safely on the bison” (sorry, I thought I wrote this one down in full but I only wrote down that quote, my bad 💀).
(It does make me wonder though, whether the storyboarders/animators looked at the “Katara sleeps through bombs” bit and were like.... “ok how about no, but we’ll give you ‘Katara catches a skydiving Zuko’ instead, fair trade?” 😂😂)
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Continuing on from that, I have to say that even with the voice lines unchanged, Elizabeth Ehasz’s vision for Zuko and Katara’s deepening connection and understanding continues to trickle through this episode at various moments:
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Katara sobbing as she recounts her trauma? Zuko getting teary himself hearing about Katara’s grief and love for her mother? Katara visibly relaxing as a result of unburdening some of her feelings onto him? Zuko pulling Katara back and making sure she’s okay before she ploughs on ahead?
😭😭🥰🥰
And then of course, there are times when Elizabeth’s subtlety is not so subtle at all (here you go, you guys have well and truly earned this one):
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Welp. I can tell you I wasn’t expecting to see that - at all. I came to the WGF hoping, maybe, to find some small crumbs - tiny clues that might give a slight nudge to the rumours that Elizabeth Ehasz was a ZK shipper, and that shippy subtext viewers may have picked up in TSR maybe wasn’t entirely lacking in substance.
I wasn’t expecting to find a page where good ol’ Elizabeth had a zutara fangasm all over her own writing 🤣🤣🤣
On the hug itself, Elizabeth’s notes were very brief:
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I was a touch disappointed not to see any more fangirling, though after that serotonin boost up above I really couldn’t be too greedy. 🤣
Zuko and Katara’s scenes together in Sozin’s Comet and the Agni Kai are generally the same as what we see in the show, though I thought you guys might like to read the lightning scene anyway:
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This might be a good time to mention that I had the pleasure of working alongside @korranguyen on one of the two days that I visited the WGF. If you found the descriptions of Azula’s downward spiral in the Agni Kai uncomfortable to read, you might appreciate her essays here and here.
Unfortunately folks, we are indeed near the end now. And we know how the story ends:
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Wins, eh? Interesting choice of words there. Almost makes it seem like there was a competition? Like there were, oh I don’t know, other contenders?
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Now there’s something else which I think some of you may find very interesting about the script of Sozin’s Comet Part 4, and I will get to that in due course, but for now I want to discuss the way the ships were treated by the show writers and creators. As I summarised earlier and as you probably noticed yourself from reading these scripts:
From season 1 up until Day of Black Sun, the writing was heading towards a Kataang conclusion. And development-wise, it wasn’t too shabby! There was a clear and steady progression. Maybe a little subtle, from Katara’s side, but nowhere near as ambiguous as in the show. And again maybe this is just me, but I wouldn’t have been frustrated with it either, if it was shown like that.
After Day of Black Sun, the writing takes a weird turn. Kataang takes a nosedive while Zutara gets a ton of positive development (reconciliation, forgiveness, synchronicity and cooperation* anyone? lmao), which is canon in the show too but it’s… even more pronounced in the script? Aang is more aggro, Zuko and Katara are more tender/vulnerable with one another, they don’t scoot away at the suggestion that they like, like each other – and these are the final drafts? What the heck were y’all writing in the first drafts?? (No that’s not a joke actually, I wanna know 😭)
Kataang “wins”. Wins?!? I thought y’all said there was never even a contest!!**
Okay, time for some speculation/theorising on my part. To me, it seems like, at some point after writing the “Kataang” episodes but before actually animating and producing them, and before writing the later episodes in season 3, and perhaps even right up until the writing of Sozin’s Comet Part 4, there was a collective (if not unanimous) decision to “keep things open”. The question is: why?
Did the writers disagree, or was it just shipbaiting? Or was it some combination of both?
If no-one else, Elizabeth Ehasz is quite clearly a Zutara fangirl; I don’t think anyone can deny that after reading the way she writes these kids 🤣 That paragraph does not read to me like a writer casually (or grudgingly) obeying directions to shiptease because it’s what the producers wanted, it reads like a writer unable to stay professional about how much she loves this one fucking ship. (We feel you Lizzie. We feel you.)
So was there actually some discord in the writer’s room about which direction to take the romance arcs? @zutarawasrobbed​​ pointed out that given the narrative decision to hinge Aang’s internal struggle and character arc around the need to “let go” of an “attachment” to Katara, (some?) writers may have seen a potential in deconstructing Kataang to fulfil this arc. This is especially possible if, after writing Crossroads of Destiny and/or seeing audience feedback to that episode, Zutara was increasingly beginning to appear as a viable alternative.
I mean, even by Sozin’s Comet, it doesn’t seem like they’d figured out how to resolve Aang’s whole “blocked chakra” situation –
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Aang “somehow” just happens to untangle what had previously been set up as an internal struggle, with the conveniently timed activation of some “chi bending nonsense” (and reverse-glowing arrows and “such things”).
Uh huh.
(To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand Rick and Morty -)
Of course, the other possibility is that most of the way through writing the script, and maybe about halfway through animating it, the creators simply recognized a clear potential for shipbaiting, and this is at least somewhat to blame for the hot mess that is the romance arcs of ATLA.
My personal theory is that writer disagreement did happen, and is at least partially why we ended up getting what we got. The fact that both ships are specifically referenced and granted “approval” so to speak, by different writers, and one of them ends up explicitly “winning”, sort of cinches it for me. Either way, the show was clearly pulling in different directions at different parts and under different creators, and in my opinion the scripts support these rumours.
One thing is for certain: whether this was just shipteasing, or actual production hell in the writer’s room, it is my opinion that Zutara AND Kataang were both robbed.
Kataang had a decent romance arc written out for it, and even if there may have been issues reconciling it with Aang’s internal conflict set up in the Guru and/or with the over-arching themes of the show, it would have been all right in the end if they had just kept it the way they originally wrote it. I can’t really see any but the most die-hard anti-Kataangers being mad about it, and Kataangers themselves would have loved it. They had a fine romance written out and they ruined it. If they did so because Zutara was being seriously considered as a possible outcome, then it’s just all the more frustrating that Zutara never ended up happening in the end. They put a lot of effort into sinking a perfectly serviceable ship and ultimately it was all for nothing. (Or worse, purely for shipbaiting). Just sad.  
So, that’s my thoughts on that. And that concludes this essay- oh wait.
Right... there was that thing I kept mentioning about Sozin’s Comet Part 4. 😈
*Ahem.*
So you know how I said all these scripts were final drafts?
That’s because they are - except for two episodes: Sozin’s Comet Part 4, and Jet.
Unlike the other scripts, which have all been labelled “As Broadcast Drafts”, these two scripts are ADR drafts.
What is ADR, you ask?
According to @lady-of-bath​, who works in the screenwriting industry, ADR stands for “Automated Dialogue Replacement” and is used when a script has gone through a process of re-recording or re-dubbing, because for whatever reason, the originally scripted and recorded lines are/were unsatisfactory.
(This is also something you can verify yourself actually, even if you don’t live in the LA area: when you search up ATLA in the WGF database***, even though you can’t access the scripts you can access basic details such as, the date the draft was finalised, the name of the writer, and - whether it was submitted as an “ADR” draft or an “As Broadcast Draft”.)
I even emailed the library to ask about this distinction as well:
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So if I understand this correctly, all the ATLA scripts you can find in the guild were first submitted, and then lines were recorded, and then changes were made to the script that didn’t involve dialogue replacement, and then it went through animation and post-production and ended up being what you now see on screen. This is supported by the fact that A) I definitely found some changes, but B) the changes I did find were all in the action lines/shot descriptions etc.
All the scripts submitted to the guild went through this process - all of them, except these two scripts.
These two scripts were not final drafts; I guess they might be more accurately termed “final final drafts™”, because they were submitted after some(!) lines were re-recorded, (changed? added onto? cut?!?) and the script was then updated to reflect these changes that had been made in post-production.
Which just begs the question: what lines had to be re-recorded??
What did the final draft look like before this???
(Might it possibly contextualise why Dante Basco and Mae Whitman apparently both thought Zutara was going to be canon?)
This is conspiracy fodder galore, lmfao. Pardon the dramatics here for a moment, but with enough tinfoil-hatting this could easily turn into the Zutara fandom equivalent of 18½ missing minutes of Nixon tapes. 🤣
Anyway, that about sums up my detective effort on this whole thing. I did find some more tidbits which I’ll likely post in a Part 3/Epilogue type thing - mostly small changes (most of them not really zutara-related) that I found interesting or funny enough to jot down; I’ll be making a compilation of these for your reading pleasure as soon as I can. ^^
One last bonus for you guys: the “I’ll save you from the Pirates” scene:
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I must confess, I never really read this scene as romantically framed or “shippy” when I first watched it. But the way it’s written here looks like it’s taken straight out of a fanfic. “Right into the arms of Zuko”? Oh no. (Oh yes.) Oh me oh my. 🤣
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*Also, someone needs to write a Mr and Mrs Smith Zutara AU titled “Synchronicity and Cooperation”, I’m saying it now, this is my official decree. Write it, folks. We need it.
**Screenshot taken from: https://avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Avatar_Extras_(Book_One:_Water) (Under “Goofs”)
***I hope that link works, if it doesn’t, just navigate to their Library Catalogue and search up ATLA yourself. 
Edit: There was a minor typo in one of the passages - it originally read “Katara has a lot of energy and momentum, and Zuko pulls her back and STOPS her before they read the door” instead of what it was supposed to say (“before they reach the door”, lol). The typo should be fixed now 😊
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longing-for-rain · 5 months
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@zutaraweek Day 3: Union
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Closure — Rated T
After suddenly being left behind by Aang after a long and emotionally draining relationship after the war, Katara is given the shock she needs to reflect on her past and future.
With the help of a close friend—and an old flame—Katara finds herself again.
(Well technically re-union, but it’s about Katara and Zuko finding each other again)
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Note
do you have any fanfic recs for Kataang?
Ohhhhh yeah. I'm missing a ton; but here's a rough list of semi-recent favorites and I will try to reblog with any more I come up with later! Hopefully I will get my act together soon so I can write/post my first Kataang fic too ;) 
Y'all know I'm a HUGE fan of @itsmoonpeaches and some of favorite Kataang works by them are helpless (I am so into you), A Breath of Sky, The Soul-Farer, and Threads of Fate but they have TONS of fabulous Kataang fics to choose from so please peruse at your leisure!
look into your eyes (and the sky's the limit) by oreocheesecakes: “If it takes fighting a war for us to meet, it will have been worth it,” he said with a smile, his eyes never leaving hers. A fluffy in-universe Kataang AU where Aang saves the world without her, and they meet after the war instead. If you’ve ever wanted to read love at first sight Kataang, pining!Katara, and smack in the middle of charming and dorky!Aang, this might be up your alley. Inspired by the song “Helpless” from Hamilton." - AS CUTE AND FLUFFY AS APPA
No One Else in the World by BaSingSeSocialite: "On a vacation to Kyoshi Island after the end of the war, Aang reflects and muses." - very much in tone with the show, feels so much like an episode. Really great descriptions of waterbending too, which is SO tricky to write! Honestly all their Kataang Week 2022 works are great.
and my voice becomes the driving force by @thinkingisadangerouspastime: "Katara hates the quiet. That’s why she talks to him." - as they say in the notes, it's more of a Katara character study BUT explores what Aang means to her in a beautiful and deep way!
Speaking of @thinkingisadangerouspastime​ ...I also recommend broken pieces still belong (AMAZING exploration of Katara's character and her "emotional journey from the events of "The Western Air Temple" to those of "The Southern Raiders," as she experiences firsthand both the challenges and rewards of forgiving others (and perhaps even learns to forgive herself along the way)"; Exposition (incredibly inventive AUs!!!!! Like some of the most fascinating I've ever seen!!!); Love of My Life (a *chef's kiss* Katara and Aang reunion after the final battle that's filled to the brim with tension); and we have all eternity (to love the dead) (a remarkable take on the soulmates au).
Getting Even by SilverThunder: "Sometimes the most important thing is just settling the score - and Katara has some catching up to do." - One of the earlier Kataang fics (2012!!) but captures the playful flirtiness between them super well and the dialogue is so in character!
The Riot's Gone by margaerystark: "It didn't work. Katara clutched the amulet of spirit water to her chest, her heart pounding against her knuckles. The moment her fingers left Zuko's face - revealing unchanged, leathery skin - was the moment she knew she had made a mistake. The properties that the water once held were gone, and Zuko's scar hadn't even been healed." Katara goes through with using the spirit water from the oasis on Zuko's scar and bears the consequences." - SUCH a cool, unique AU and I love how it focuses on Katara's deep love for Aang through the lens of almost losing him
you cut through all the noise by wanderinghooves: "A year is such an excruciatingly long time. Aang is sent abroad for a year of diplomacy while Katara helps to rebuild at home. Distance makes the heart grow lonely." - Characterization and descriptions were GORGEOUS, and captured that deep love loyalty of Kataang that makes it such an everlasting romance.
teach me to live my life (because i can’t remember how) by @northerngoshawk (another one that is very much a Katara character study and helps paint a more nuanced picture of Kataang’s bond and their relationship dynamic imo) and their other fic gods don’t bleed (except you do): “Katara always thought that being the Avatar meant being a god. She learns from Aang that she is wrong.”
blue ribbons by OceanMyth: “Katara has always been fascinated with Aang's tattoos. In which old scars are healed, and broken tattoos are mended.” - Made me tearbend! I’ve never seen anyone write the take that Aang’s tattoos could be mended after he is scarred and I adore it so much. They have tons of short drabbles that are Kataang-centric too, so if you prefer short & sweet this is the person to go to!
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zukobender · 1 month
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I also like both kataang and zutara!
But I don't read much zutara fics lol, I find most of them to be a little ooc for me, and to much aang bashing 😭
Kataang doesn't have to many fics, but when they're good, they're freaking good! 🗣
I'm going to share some if you don't mind <3
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10478104/1/A-Monk-and-the-Water-Nymph
https://archiveofourown.org/works/2050149/chapters/4453044
https://archiveofourown.org/works/23908735/chapters/57485947
https://archiveofourown.org/works/19864099/chapters/47042311
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8628199/1/Steam
These are some of my favorites! I can also send some nsfw ones, just lmk if you'd like those haha
I hope you enjoy them! <3
in this house aang bashing is not allowed. AT ALL. you are literally my hero. i can’t wait to read some kataang fics! i will make sure to check them out soon. i would be really happy if you sent me the rest privately, thank you!
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northerngoshawk · 1 year
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a love worth fighting for
ii. change
Rating: T
Chapter: 2 of 6
Story Summary:
He is the Avatar, and she is a Water Tribe girl. The world told them both to stay away from each other, for the Avatar must not become attached to mere mortals. But Katara would sooner fight hurricanes than let society tear them apart. Or: the Kataang forbidden lovers AU.
Chapter 1
Chapter Summary:
She was fourteen and he was twelve when everything changed. Both Northern Water Tribe leaders and Southern Air Temple representatives had come down to their tribe to meet with their people. They claimed there was a war approaching. They urged the people of the Southern Water Tribe to join them in the fight. Although Katara wasn’t exactly thrilled to have the Northern Water Tribe on their land (where were you when the ash fell and the firebenders came?), at least the presence of Air Nomads also meant another chance to see Aang again. At twelve years old, Aang had finally, finally, received his mastery tattoos. Katara had always known he would receive them soon—his airbending had surpassed anything she had ever seen before—but it hadn’t been any less exciting when he had told her the last time they had met. Unfortunately, that also meant she would have to deal with Hahn. - In which everything changes when Aang is found to be the Avatar.
read on ao3 or ffn
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benwvatt · 9 months
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Chapter 2 of the Katara Kyoshi Warrior AU is up!!! @kataang-week
Written for prompts: injury, spirits, and wind&rain
my spirit always drifts back to you, dauntless over spun paths (ch 2)
Truly, it feels glorious to weave her hands through water 一 to feel it pulse and glow, calling to the blood in Katara’s veins; to hear the rumble of chi, almost electric, twisting through the patient’s body and yearning, begging for balance. If you learn its language, you can say anything to the human body. The village people even gave her an honorific: the Painted Lady, a traveling spirit who calls all the four nations home. Under this guise, Katara can hold a person’s lifeline and tug them to shore.
She’d felt so small, so thin, when she’d been trying to suppress her bending. Day by day, she becomes more of herself.
“Madam!” A boy calls from the ground, muddy with rain, some ten feet below. Katara levitates above him, looming on a block of ice shrouded in fog. He’s sheepish and asks, “Sorry, do you prefer Miss? There’s an emergency-”
The sky rumbles, threatening to split even further open, and the rain pounds the ground.
Katara smiles. “Either! Take me there.” She hops down, bending stairsteps made of thin slabs of ice, each bar melting and falling and freezing in time with her movements. She runs after the boy. The edges of her gown are laced with mist so no one can see her worn shoes.
The village boy pulls Katara to a burned tent on the east end of Kyoshi Island. A sky bison lows, mourning; he’d be inside if he could fit. Inside, laid across a table, a man coughs four, five times. Nearby, two more scared boys are standing.
Chapter link!
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kataangisforlovers · 2 years
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Fic: No One Else in the World
For @kataang-week Day 1: Admiration!
Aang reflected for a moment on Sokka's earlier statement. His friend was right, but he was also quite wrong. Perhaps there were others out there that would want to be coupled up with the Avatar, but Aang knew that it didn't work the other way around.
Summary: On a vacation to Kyoshi Island after the end of the war, Aang reflects and muses.
Read on: FF.net | A03
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gigilberry · 12 days
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this is giving me such modern au kataang energy:
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