#not anti aang

[kittenfangirl20]

I want to know why Kataang shippers think that because I ship Zutara that I am diminishing the importance of Aang’s friendship with Zuko? I don’t want to because I think that they have a great relationship as a mentor and student as well as friends. Aang is probably the first person to see the potential good in Zuko which I appreciate as someone who loves Zuko and it shows that Aang is a good person because he wishes that him and Zuko could just be friends even though Zuko was chasing him around at that point. I don’t think pairing Zuko up with Katara would make that friendship less important.

#avatar the last airbender #atla #anti kataang #not anti aang #i seriously adore aang #he is a very sweet kid #i just don’t ship him with katata #zutara #aang

[juana-the-iguana]

I made a post a few days ago about why the narrative that Aang understands Katara's loss in the Southern Raiders is made by the fandom. I made the claim that he never compares her loss to the loss of his people, which a number of people (not-so-kindly, but justifiably) pointed out was incorrect, many of whom took it as an opportunity to attack my personal intelligence (which is not justifiable).

I defended my position to one person who reblogged it, stating that while I forgot about that line, it doesn't change the fact that the Appa-Kya comparison was BS and making that comparison alone disqualifies any claims that he understands what she's going through. They were not the only person who reblogged it and, quite frankly, I didn't care enough about that post to defend its content against other people, nor deal with the shit I was getting for it by simply having it up.

I feel the need to make this post, not so much for the handful of people who saw my original post, but for my own peace of mind, so I can feel like I've explained my point.

One thing that a lot of people brought up, which was interesting and I feel is worth addressing, is how Appa was Aang's last living tie to the Air Nomads and losing him was akin to losing Kya, because Aang was severed from that tie when Appa was gone.

Here is what I have to say to that: Appa was gone for months, Kya was dead for years. Aang never knew that Appa was dead so he was able to hold onto hope of being reunited, Katara knew for certainty that her mom was gone. Appa did not disappear, because he was protecting Aang, he disappeared because he was kidnapped while waiting outside of the library, which he physically could not enter, and Aang and his friends thought that there weren't threats in the middle of the desert (an understandable, but negligent assumption), while Kya died to protect Katara. The loss of Kya fundamentally changed the course of Katara's life and robbed her of her childhood, while the loss of Appa did not have that same effect on Aang, even during the time period when he was missing. And, this is important for context, by the time Aang was making that comparison, he had already been reunited with Appa. He had received a type closure that Katara could never have had.

Even comparing the two is condescending. I get that losing Appa is the closest experience Aang has to what Katara went through when her, but he should realize it's not the same and claiming otherwise shows a fundamental lack of understanding of her situation. Katara repeatedly helped him work through his anger and grief in a kind, sympathetic way and never claimed to understand what he was going through if she could not relate, let alone make such a claim in order to dismiss his feelings. If Aang could really empathize with Katara, he would treat her the same way that she treated him.

Instead, he tells her that she can either forgive Yon Rha or seek vengeance (which shows that he does not understand her perspective at all) and compares her to Jet (which is the antithesis of sympathy).

Pointing this out does not mean that I am ignoring that any of this happened. Pointing this out is not minimizing the suffering Aang went through when losing Appa and when finding out his people were killed. Pointing this out is not saying he had an easy life, that his pain doesn't matter, that he is terrible. His pain matters a lot and he gets the opportunity to deal with it a lot throughout the series, when he is overcome by grief and goes into the Avatar state, or otherwise lashes out (like he did after he found out that Appa was taken).

So yes, I was wrong to claim that the idea that Aang could relate to Katara over the loss of their culture was a narrative put forward by fans, because the writers did have him say those words. This is just another example of how Aang, despite having a lot of things in common with Katara (like losing his people), still does not understand her, and does not extent to her the same grace and patients that she repeatedly gives to him, which would be necessary to understand her.

#anti kataang #not anti aang #the southern raiders

[mfshipbracket]

#mf ship bracket #mf ship bracket 2023 #bonus round #kylo ren #rey #reylo #star wars #avatar: the last airbender #aang #katara #kataang #anti-reylo

[caramel-ribbons]

I just watched Avatar for the first time all the way through, and yeah, it’s great, but the one thing that surprised me was how different Katara was compared to the fandom interpretation I’d seen and internalized before watching.

Like, before you watch Avatar, you’ve seen all these memes about Katara and her mom, and based on those memes, you assume it’s one of those lines you have to get used to hearing at least once every episode. But then you watch the show and realize that she only talks about her mom maybe five or six times per season and you also realize she only brings her up when she’s trying to comfort someone or empathize with them because that’s how she processes her grief and that’s one way she connects with people.

Or you hear the infamous line, “then you didn’t love [our mother] the way I did” and you prepare yourself for one of the worst character assassinations ever only to see the scene after nearly three seasons worth of context and realize she was kinda right. She’s been the mother, the nurturer, the comforter. She’s been patient, gentle, and accommodating where everyone else has gotten to be insensible and reckless and childish, and the one moment where she allows herself to feel her grief, suddenly she’s this evil bitch and not, y’know, a 14 year old girl whose been thrusted into adulthood in a way no other character has. A 14 year old girl who should be allowed immaturity and raw emotion and anger instead of the patience and grace she’s been forced to extend to every character without even the smallest amount of gratitude or even consideration in return.

Or you see all of the clips where Katara puts Aang in the “friendzone” and you expect to have this wishy washy back and forth where Aang is putting his feelings out there only to have Katara neither commit nor express any clear reciprocation or rejection. Then you watch and realize that, as cute as the ship is initially, that there’s never a point where Aang returns any comfort or grace to Katara despite her always doing this for him to the point of coddling. That for as much as Aang says he loves her, he never seems to outgrow his perception of her so he can recognize her as someone who feels grief, anger, and pain as much as she expresses love, kindness, and maturity. And instead of having moments where he learns to see her beyond her strength or compassion, you’re instead given moments where Aang forces his feelings onto her, both romantic and non-romantic, and Katara is expected to just…shoulder those feelings the way she shoulders everyone else’s.

Katara is the most misunderstood character in the show. As much as people recognize the complexities of Zuko, Sokka, and Azula, they struggle to do the same for Katara because they see her struggles as somehow lesser, and therefore, less deserving of sympathy. They can handle her so long as she’s being endlessly patient and loving and kind, but the moment her endless love, patience, and kindness runs out, she’s suddenly this annoying bitch who can’t shut up about her mother or reciprocate Aang’s feelings. But Katara’s trauma does matter as much as anyone else’s. No, she wasn’t banished from her kingdom. No, she didn’t lose her entire community, and no, she isn’t the only one who lost her mother. But the difference between her and everyone else whose experienced loss because of the Fire Nation is that she’s never given time to process her trauma. Aang gets to lean on Katara constantly. Toph gets to express her feelings to Katara, and yeah, Sokka also lost their mother, but unlike Katara, he isn’t put in the position of being a substitute for everyone’s parent. He even admits that he sees his sister as a mother. The only characters who ever comfort Katara or allow her to vent is Zuko and her father and that’s, like, three scenes in a show where the other characters are consistently given opportunities to seek out Katara for unconditional support.

The fandom interpretation of Katara has been so bastardized that even those who haven’t watched the show know her for this fanon version and not for who she is. She’s such an interesting character beyond her fandom limitations, though. She’s brave, hot-headed, and hopeful as well as gentle and caring. She wishes to learn waterbending, not only because she wants to fight in the war, but because she wants to continue her culture’s practices because, and people often forget this, she also lost an entire subculture within her already fractured tribe. And she wants to defeat the Fire Nation both because of her deep love and empathy for other people, but also because she wants to avenge her mother. But because some of the fans have reduced Katara to a bitch who constantly whines about her mother and friendzones Aang, you wouldn’t know any of this, and it sucks because she’s the only character whose been dumbed down to such an extent.

#avatar the last airbender #avatar #katara #you can tell she’s my favorite character #female character #zutara #I’m not anti or pro either #just something I noticed #I’m ​not against Aang either #just this writing

[katy-89]

save me characters who are still hated and mischaracterized in 2024 for the sake of a fanon ship save meeeee

#aang #avatar the last airbender #atla #mai #anti zutara #anti zuko stans #anti zutara stans

[lilith-91]

Fanon:

Canon:

This man is a MALEWIFE

Another L for Aang's delusional haters

#avatar the last airbender #aang #katara #kataang #atla #another L for that fanbase #i will defend aang with my life #i'm so tired of these weirdos #LEAVE HIM ALONE #also the mai hate ewww #anti zut*ra #anti zu*o stans

[k8lynjoy]

I'm so tired of people telling those of us who are upset about the LA atla remake that we are "being too dramatic" or are just "finding things to be upset about". We are allowed to be upset that something that we love so dearly has been butchered, AGAIN. If you liked it, then that's your personal opinion, but don't sit here and tell those of us who didn't that we're the problem.

I personally think the CGI, costumes, and sets all look terrible. None of it is immersive. Sure, it LOOKS like atla, but it doesn't FEEL like atla. The heart of the og is gone, and people are allowed to be upset about this. They've altered characters to the point that they aren't the character anymore (looking at you Aang and Katara), which is a huge upset for me personally because Katara is one of my favorite characters ever. So watching her be turned into someone meek and docile is more than a slap to the face. Not to mention them removing her as the narrator as if Bryke themselves didn't state that Katara is the person the story is being told through. And before you start telling me that Aang is the same. No, he isn't. Major parts of his development through season 1 (him coming to terms with the fact that he's the avatar and embracing that role, and him also accepting the fact that he RAN AWAY and how he is never going to do that again, which is also pivotal to his character later on) are completely removed. And don't even get me started on what they did to Kataang. Regardless of whether you ship them or not, those 2 are deeply connected to one another from the start, and their relationship is a big part of the show, so to see that butchered is heartbreaking for me.

This isn't just about them "making some changes" or it not being a 1:1 adaptation. I'm fine with adaptations that aren't 1:1. What I'm upset about is that the changes they are making are VITAL changes to characters and dynamics between characters. They're rushing through the plot and condensing the story (and I will scream if I hear one more person say that it's because they couldn't fit it all in with their runtime. The runtime is an HOUR LONGER than the og, so yes, they did have the time). The changes they are making make it evident that they do not understand the og show, and if you don't feel like that, fine, once again, that's YOUR opinion, just as this is MY opinion. So stop telling us we have no right to be upset and that we just want to hate everything. That's not true. What is true is that we are expressing valid complaints about another bad adaptation of something dear to us.

Edit: If you also come at people who are upset bc they were expecting a faithful adaptation and didn't get it bc "its not supposed to be the cartoon," you're missing the whole point. An adaptation is ADAPTING SOMETHING from one medium to the other, not rewriting it. "Yall expected it to be just like the cartoon." No, I expected a FAITHFUL ADAPTATION and was met with poorly written fanfiction.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #natla #netflix avatar #katara #aang #kataang #never made a post before but it had to be said bc it was starting to make me mad #atla is my favorite show of all time #stop trying to dictate how i feel about the remake #there is no live action in ba sing se #anti natla #anti LA atla

[longing-for-rain]

Look I know people love to act like Zuko is the most dangerous, toxic, and temperamental character… but there is exactly one (1) male character Katara was canonically responsible for calming down from violent, destructive tantrums at risk to herself and it wasn’t Zuko… 🐸☕️

#another overlooked toxic trope tbh #zutara #atla #zuko #katara #aang critical #anti kataang #canon critical

[yourhighness6]

Me, screaming into the void: I DON'T HATE MAI I JUST FEEL LIKE SHE NEEDED MORE DEVELOPMENT OUTSIDE OF ZUKO AND HER ARC SHOULDN'T REVOLVE AROUND HER LOVE INTEREST

Also me, still screaming into the void: I DON'T HATE AANG I JUST QUESTION WHETHER HIS ROMANTIC INTEREST IN KATARA BRINGS OUT THE BEST SIDES OF HIM AND FEEL AS THOUGH HE AND HIS DEVELOPMENT IS NOT ABOVE NECESSARY CRITICISM

#why do antis think I hate either of them the moment I question their development and the writing choices bryke made for them #they're good characters I just want them to live up to their full potential #a lot of their actions in season 3 especially revolving around romance were counter intuitive to their arcs made them come off as jerks #it got to the point of character assassination istg #anti maiko #anti kataang #mai #aang #criticism is not hate #aang critical #anti bryke #this doesn't have anything to do with zutara but tagging for exposure #zutara

[prying-pandora666]

I don’t know how to say this tactfully, but I’ll do my best.

If other fans online have convinced you to see the gentle, optimistic, empathetic, fun loving, whimsical, forgiving, wise beyond his years genocide survivor, as a sexist, racist, xenophobic, abusive, pro-colonization, sexual assault perpetrator who doesn’t care about anyone else and doesn’t understand trauma…

You have been LIED TO.

Please just think for a moment!

ATLA was banned in China from the beginning for a reason. Because they didn’t want anyone empathizing with a character based on Tibetan monks. Why? Because they are an actual oppressed and persecuted minority IRL. Their religious leader lives in exile. Their second most important spiritual figure is the youngest political prisoner ever taken (and to this day no one knows if he’s alive or dead!). China has actual prison and labor camps. Tibetan people get sent there for “re-education”.

Can you please think about what these “fans” are saying when they stomp all over this allegory in TLA and try to frame Aang as the oppressor?

Do you really think it’s appropriate or these people who call Aang all these horrible (and inaccurate) things are being in anyway fair when they call Aang “white coded”???

Even without the real world context, Aang is explicitly the only survivor of a genocide. The last of his people. He has lost more than anyone else in the entire franchise. There’s a reason he clings so hard to Appa.

Do you think it’s fair to compare a 12 year old misreading signals and trying to kiss a girl who already consensually kissed him before, and immediately backing off and giving her space when she says no, to rape?

Tweens and teens miscommunicating and trying to comfort each other with kisses, only to realize that’s not what their friend needed and immediately backing off is the same as having your body violently violated against your will? The same as having your “no” ignored?

How do you think this makes survivors feel? To see people use their experiences as a shield and cudgel for ship discourse? It certainly upsets me as someone who experienced intimate partner violence, let me tell you! And I know I’m not the only one.

And how is it in anyway feminist or pro-Katara to ignore her own agency and deep love she shows for Aang? Yes, that includes her own crush on him! It IS reciprocated!

Lastly, you don’t need to demonize Aang to ship whatever you want to ship. Please understand that the majority of these takes are bad faith and born out of bitterness and insecurity over a friggin FANON SHIP.

And none of it is necessary! You can ship whatever you want! You don’t need permission or excuses. You can just ship them! You can make your case for why you like another pairing better without misrepresenting what happened in the show and what these characters are like, let alone what they represent.

There’s already plenty to work with in the show as it is! Otherwise why bother?

I’m imploring fans taken in by persuasive and manipulative metas to please just think about it. Get off social media and rewatch the show for yourself thoughtfully.

It doesn’t need to be like this.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #avatar #Aang #pro aang #anti Aang hate #Kataang

[kittenfangirl20]

Anti Zutara/Kataang shipper: Zutara fans keep shoving their ship down everyone’s throats, no wonder the rest of the fandom hates them. Ignore that I went onto a properly tagged Zutara/anti Kataang post in order above anti Zutara rhetoric down their throats by saying it is stupid and how it doesn’t make narrative sense, because that would make me a hypocrite.

#avatar the last airbender #atla #zutara #anti kataang #hypocrites #hypocrisy #anti toxic kataang shippers #not anti aang #tired of this shit #i just want to enjoy things #i just want to enjoy zutara #i don’t care if you don’t ship zutara

[katerina-q]

We know

Except on tumblr and TikTok

#avatar the last airbender #atla #aang #katara #anti zutara #kataang

[elena--89]

Zuko and Zutara's STANS need to be humbled because it's getting boring

Glad that atla Twitter is waking up -_-

#avatar the last airbender #atla #aang #katara #suki #anti zuko stans #anti zutara stans #i LOVE zuko but the fanbase is obnoxious #jesus

[starlight-bread-blog]

Katara's other canon love interests give her agency, and her pov.

And gets a moment where the two connect over similar losses.

Except Aang.

Kataang is framed entirely from Aang's point of view.

Even when he violates her boundries.

And is unable to handle Katara's grief.

But Zutara?

We get Katara's pov, and give her agency.

He saw her at her very worst, and wasn't at all hostile.

And Katara opened up to Zuko in the most significant way.

#How are they not canon #katara didn't even forgive Zuko while opening up to her #Aang had 3 books #and yet she opens up to Zuko #not her canonical love intetest #oh my god #zutara #zutara meta #anti kataang #aang critical #anti aang #anti anti zutara #kataang critical #the southern raiders #atla critical #anti bryke #bryke critical #avatar critical #pro zutara #pro zuko #zutara analysis #zutara was robbed #zutara forever #zutara evidence #katara of the southern water tribe #katara #zuko #zuko x katara #kataraxzuko #atla katara

[punkeropercyjackson]

"We need to normalize kindness!"You guys can't even handle that making fun of eachother isn't a sign of love for everyone because some people can't handle it so it hurts their feelings and instead call them losers for it and prove their point that you're genuinely cruel

#idc about normalcy bro i'm here to break the cycle of abuse as hard as i can #anti percabeth #antijayroy #antitodobakudeku #percy jackson #dick grayson #jason todd #tim drake #cassandra cain #damian wayne #duke thomas #barbara gordon #roy harper #anti bakugou #izuku midoriya #todoroki shouto #sokka #katara #anti zutara #zuko #aang #pro kataang #azula #antizucest #pjo #batfam #anti rhato #bnha geekery #atla geekery #summerposting

[ecoterrorist-katara]

Why I feel like Ka/taang is one-sided, despite textual evidence 

ATLA does try to convince us that Katara has romantic feelings for Aang. For example: she seems thoughtful when she realizes that Aang is a powerful bender; she’s offended that he didn’t want to kiss her in the Cave of Two Lovers; she gets jealous when Sokka says On Ji and Aang look good together.

So…what’s wrong with anti-Kataangers? Do we just lack media comprehension? 

To be clear, on their own, these gestures can indicate romantic interest. But at the same time, we have stuff like “Aang is a sweet little guy, like Momo.” We have her ambivalent facial expression after he kisses her before the eclipse, and her hedging during Ember Island Players, and her anger when he kisses her anyway. In the context of these conflicting cues, Katara’s possibly romantic reactions can absolutely be interpreted in a different way, because: 

Acknowledging a friend as a potential romantic interest is not the same as actually being romantically interested in them. (Imo this is something young women struggle with, due to a combination of romance-centrism and heteronormativity that make women feel like they should be in romantic relationships, and that boys and girls who share intimate and deep feelings for one another must be romantically into each other) 

Wanting someone to find you desirable is not the same as desiring that person. (Which is something a lot of women, especially young women, struggle with. Remember all the discourse around Cat Person back in 2017?) 

Being jealous when someone flirts with your friend is not the same as wanting to be with your friend. (Especially when you see your friends as family, or if you’re accustomed to a specific type of devotion from that friend. It is jealousy, and it is possessiveness, but it doesn’t always arise from romantic feelings) 

Growing up in a patriarchal society means that your desires are always filtered through what men want from you, sometimes in an abstract male gaze-y way, and sometimes in a very visceral and interpersonal way when a boy wants you specifically. And Katara’s reactions are just that — reactions. Reactions to what other people — including Aunt Wu, Sokka, Aang himself — have insinuated about her and Aang. She’s not really proactive in her interest in Aang: we don’t really see Aang, romantically, from Katara’s POV. Under the framework of “Katara is reacting to a romantic prospect she’s kind of uncertain about,” it is completely plausible — and indeed likely — that she would sometimes act in ways that indicate romantic interest, in addition to moments where she indicates the opposite. 

Ka/taang shippers often bring up other evidence, like Katara’s despair when Azula hits Aang with lightning, or how protective she is of him when Zuko joins the Gaang. The thing is, these pieces of evidence aren’t necessarily indicative of romantic love. The fact that Katara genuinely loves Aang makes the whole thing more complicated, not less, because — especially at that age, especially when Aang is twelve years old and grew up in a sex-segregated society of monks — it is really difficult to tell the difference between platonic love and romantic love. Their mutual devotion is layered and complex yet straightforward in its sincerity. What was not straightforward, until the last five minutes of the show, is whether this devotion on Katara’s end is romantic. The romantic arc for Katara and Aang is not really an arc, as Sneezy discusses in this classic ZK video. Katara actually becomes more conflicted over time and we never see an event that clarifies her feelings. She seems more interested in him in The Headband than on the Day of the Black Sun, and she has never been more hostile to his romantic overtures than in the penultimate episode. 

And in light of this, it’s pretty easy for fans to fill in the blanks with a different interpretation: maybe Katara’s weird expression after their kiss at the invasion means she didn’t enjoy it; maybe the kiss made her realize that she doesn’t actually feel that way about Aang; maybe against her will and her better judgement, she’s developing feelings for another person, a person who hurt her and whom she fervently tried to hate until he pulled off what is in my opinion the greatest grovel of all time in the form of a life-changing field trip. Maybe. Am I saying that Zutara has more romantic interactions than Ka/taang? Of course not. But ironically, the lack of romantic interactions means that it’s not inherently one-sided, the way Ka/taang became in the latter half of season 3.

I’m not arguing that Katara’s unequivocally not into Aang. Obviously the text declares that she is, because they get married and have kids. But I am saying that there’s a very good reason that so many people, especially women, see Katara’s interest in Aang as ambiguous. It’s not because we can’t pick up “subtle” hints of growing affection. It’s because we know not all affection is romantic, and it’s really easy for someone else’s insistent romantic intentions to muddle what you want.

P.S. I first started thinking about these topics (platonic vs romantic love, desiring someone vs wanting to be desired, etc) in the context of compulsory heterosexuality, a term describing how queer women contort themselves into relationships with men even if they’re not really into men. I saw a post a few days ago joking about why so many queer women seem to be into Zutara. I wonder if part of the reason is because as queer women, we are very sensitive to the ways in which we can talk ourselves into wanting things we don’t actually want, and Katara’s romantic interest in Aang can be easily seen that way. 

#Anti Kataang #Zutara #anti Bryke #Katara deserved better #From Bryke who offered her so little romantic agency #I actually think Aang and Katara’s mutual devotion is really compelling because the wires get crossed when you have such intense love #And navigating romantic vs platonic feelings can be very complicated and interesting #but no we did not get that bc I guess they just had to end with a romance however shoddily developed #my meta