#which is also good news if you ship kataang

[the-badger-mole]

@allnewalldifferentwildspider

I will say, I think it's interesting when people say that arguing that the finale and Kataang happening the way it was just giving Aang what he wanted is somehow us taking Katara's agency away. Katara was rightfully angry with Aang in her last two encounters with him. Giving her agency within that narrative would look like her actually having a conversation with Aang and telling him how she felt. I don't just mean romantically, I mean having an actual conversation where her conflict with him is laid out and resolved, like it would be in any healthy friendship, and much more a healthy romance. People can argue that they had a conversation off screen. That's fine. I will never tell anyone they can't headcanon whatever they please. It's none of my business unless they make it my business. Have so much fun. Don't even think about me or my opinions. They don't matter.

However, she never had that conversation. It's not in the show. It's not in the comics. It's not canon. The way her moment of "oh, I like him" was set up implied that she only considered him romantically because he ostensibly singlehandedly "saved the day" (he most certainly did not). There's never a moment where she gets to be vulnerable with him and have him help her carry her burden. No moment of why she might like him romantically (and also, may I add, we never see what, aside from her looks, Aang likes about Katara). Any "build up" of Kataang on her end is largely done through external circumstances and not the result of her coming to understand her feelings (this from the passionate girl who wears her heart on her sleeve for the entire series). They are also never again brought up by her- and the times it brought up by Aang in canon are disastrous (Lava Fissure Incident. EIP. Arguably DoBS). Katara never has a chance to confront Aang on his blatant disrespect of her culture, and it's never walked back- in fact, IIRC, in the comics, he supports the soft colonization of the SWT by the NWT.

I can understand why people have the headcanon that Katara and Aang had a deep conversation off-screen that resolved all their issues and gave Katara a chance to tell him she liked him and why. I think that if you ship them, you kind of have to headcanon something like that. But I do not think canon supports it. Their deep conversations center Aang and his feelings. Katara's feelings never seem to matter that much to Aang. He didn't even care that Katara and Sokka had lost their father to the Fire Nation after Hakoda sacrificed himself to save Aang's stupid behind. He wanted to go run off and play. Our hero, ladies and babies. There has to be a lot of head canoning to make Kataang work. I know because everything I hate about Aang and Kataang is canon. If I'm basing Kataang on the canon, it looks just like the glimpses we get in LoK, only with a lot less hero worship of Aang.

Don't get me wrong, all the overt romance in Zutara is pure headcanon. I recognize that and I love that for us. What's not head canon is that Zuko shows Katara a ton of support and respect in their short onscreen friendship. And at the risk of upsetting Aang's fans, I will argue Zuko showed her feelings more consideration than Aang ever did in the entire series.

#atla #anti kataang #anti aang #zutara #i don't care what anyone headcanons in regards to aang #i'm not here to argue anyone out of their headcanons #but i still have opinions about aang as a character and kataang as a ship and what EYE think makes sense in the context of the canon #i don't headcanon a deep conversation between them #i headcanon that katara only ended up with him out of a sense of obligation to him #i also headcanon that they ended...quickly #canon is more of a set of guidelines than actual law #which is also good news if you ship kataang

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

i had seen the first post before and i didn't really feel like making a post about it, but that addition in the reblog makes me want to.

i don't ship zutara but i can see why people like it. it did have a lot of potential and after zuko's redemption arc, i don't think a relationship with katara would be toxic or abusive in any way.

the main reason for this is because their conflict was never personal. zuko and katara were enemies but neither of them knew much about each other, so there were no personal attacks. there were no jabs at each other's insecurities and for most part, they were on par with each other when fighting. katara was slightly stronger than zuko but she never used her strength to endlessly torture zuko and revel in his pain. he never did that to her either.

so yeah, an enemies to lovers arc would have been possible with zuko and katara because their conflict revolved around the fact that zuko was trying to capture aang. and after his redemption arc, he was able to form a good friendship with katara, which could have then turned into a romantic relationship. (it didn't but i'm not in the mood for kataang vs zutara discourse rn i'm not a big fan of either ship)

it's not my cup of tea but it is a healthy relationship with mutual respect.

that's not the case with c//a. you cannot compare it to zutara because catra's and adora's relationship was toxic even before they became enemies. catra had started exhibiting abusive traits from when she was around 5 or 6. and she never stopped it.

and catra's “redemption arc” doesn't do shit to save their relationship because she remains self-centered and toxic till the end. she keeps victim blaming and manipulating adora and they still get together somehow.

“toxic ppl just can't understand redemption arcs” ah, the uno reverse. i see you. calling people toxic for not liking your favourite ship is totally justified, i guess. also calling them sexist and lesbiphobes, that's nothing new in the spop fandom honestly. and calling catra's characterization in s5 a “redemption arc” is the biggest joke i've heard.

this person really saw zuko's redemption arc that stretched out in three seasons where he slowly sees the damage the fire nation did to the entire world and starts taking accountability for his actions and making amends, then saw catra literally making a last-minute decision to save glimmer and doing absolutely nothing else to change herself or reflect on her actions, continuing to abuse her partner/sister; and they thought “yep. these are the same.”

#also zuko and katara aren't siblings hope that helps! #spop salt #spop criticism #spop discourse #spop #spop critical #she ra #anti spop #anti stans #anti catra #anti catradora #anti c//a #antic//a #anticatra #anticatradora #not to mention zuko never tried to end the world #or abused any of the characters #anyway ik this isnt really worth saying bc c//a stans are never going to get their heads out of their asses

[survivalove]

Kinda random, but what made me really start shipping Kataang was how determined Aang was to get Katara's necklace back from Zuko, especially when we know how important said necklace is for her both as part of her family and part of her culture. And the thing is, Aang is always doing nice things for Katara without expecting any reward, like offering to fly her to the North Pole and refusing to train under sexist Pakku. Things that made me go from "this is a cute ship with good development" to "this is my OTP."💙🧡

So true, anon that’s a great scene!! Hmm I don’t know what made me ship it cuz I was 5 when I watched it for the first time so I really didn’t care about ships. But as I got older I started watching the show for Katara and she kept touching him and asking him how she looked dhdjfj it was beyond obvious TO ME (bass amplified).

That and every time she cried over him. It just felt really intense I’d be like why are you crying queen 😫😫😫 she’s so extra I can’t.

But I think a singular scene that really made me ship them was in The Serpent’s Pass when he said she made him believe in hope and she cried. When I think about it, Aang’s opinion seems to mean a lot to Katara and I think he notices that and makes sure to praise her so she won’t doubt herself. I liked seeing the fmc be praised and loved by the boy she liked without having to grovel and look pathetic, you know?

That reminds me of a meta I read the other day about how Sokka (yes I have to mention sokka or katara when I talk about the other 🤪) doesn’t really take compliments and I think Katara is also like that in a less extreme way.

Like when she tried to discredit herself when she revived him with the spirit water and Aang was like hello you literally saved my life??? dhdjdj I don’t care what delusional fanon shippers have to say, Aang compliments and appreciates Katara more than anyone, and that’s my fave part of their dynamic.

Anyways yes I agree with you. Aang always does what Katara wants simply because he wants to and she wants to. They don’t really force the other to agree with them either, even tho they both clearly care a lot for each other’s opinions. I think the show does a great job of setting the foundation for their romantic relationship this way through all these platonic moments.

Back to my fave scene in the Serpent’s Pass, I especially like how that scene shows Aang letting go of one of his beliefs for Katara which is linked to bigger moment of him refusing to let go of her to master the avatar state in the Guru, and eventually finding a whole new way to end the war while still staying true to himself. I don’t wanna say Aang and Katara getting together is integral to his arc or her arc, but I do think they link it in this way on purpose, and it’s why a lot of people that claim “Aang never changed” often don’t ship Kataang and the same for people that hate Katara and call her annoying then say they didn’t understand the ship. Like clearly my guy.

Anyway, to sum up this ramble 🤭 this is why I love the Serpent’s Pass scene and think it’s very underrated among kataang fans. I’m curious to know what kataang scene made oomfs ship too? I loved this ask and thank you for sharing that with me anon xx

#atla #katara #aang #kataang #anti zutara #antizutara #kataangtag #my asks #pro kataang

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Saw a zutara tagged post that went kinda like this:

“If you canon pairing feels threatened near some friendship relationship, than maybe you canon pairing is so shallow and this friendship is just so strong and romantic”.

I don’t need to specify that “canon pairing” here is kataang and “strong romantic friendship” is zutara, do I?

Meanwhile: every zutara fan plot that does not make Aang and Mai absolute monsters, have them either absent or dead. Because, I guess, zutara is such a strong pairing it has no problems with Katara and Aang’s or Zuko and Mai’s friendship… Zutarians, take your own medicine.

And again, they say that, yet I, who spent too much time watching people react to the show, can confirm that most people new fans are not only not into Zutara, lots of them are VERY confused as to why it's so popular and why so many fans INSIST there was ever a Aang/Katara/Zuko love triangle.

Zutara really is "a threat to the canon ships" solely on their large echo-chamber, and nowhere else - and I'm including the minds of sane zutara shippers when I say "nowhere else" because even though they like the ship, they don't lie to themselves about it being this universally loved thing that somehow snuck it's way into the show against the writers' wishes.

Also, this notion that fanon ships are only good if they "threaten" the canon ones is very weird and a result of Zutarians being desperate to keep the fandom ship wars alive even as nearly everyone else got sick of it well over a decade again. More than one potential pairing can be good at once - yes, even the rarepairs that only has five fans. People are allowed to like Zutara AND Kataang/Maiko - hell, people are allowed to want Zuko, Mai, Katara and Aang to all be in love which each other. Fandom folks need to stop being cowards and embrace multi-shipping already, dammit.

To quote a wise brazilian proverb "Se organizar direitinho, todo mundo transa" (If we set this up correctly, everyone gets laid)

Once again, if these people would just chill and enjoy their ship without trying to force it down everyone's throats, them and their pairing would not be so infamous and this blog would not exist, yet they just can't resist shooting themselves in the foot over and over again.

#anti zutara #pro kataang #pro maiko

[b-else-writes]

it's so interesting to me how seeing the actual live action cast of ATLA has really made people realise that Katara and Aang together is weird because Aang is an entire pre-pubscent child with the maturity to match, and Katara is a whole teenager. you can hide that in animation easily, but once you actually cast people in that age range, it becomes glaringly obvious that a 14 year old girl would not be giving a 12 year old boy the time of day and how all the pictures of the four together make it look like a child, his babysitter, the babysitter's brother, and the babysitter's high school boyfriend.

but it does make me extremely curious how they're going to adapt then. we're only getting Book 1 so far, so i can imagine that they could keep Aang having a puppy crush on Katara, but they cut the (very minimal because Kataang was half-baked) evidences in Book 1 like the powerful bender blush - which they'd prob cut anyways given we're only getting 8 episodes, 1 hour each. and then they save the "development" for Book 3 where Aang's actor will be an older teen.

there's also been persistent but unfounded rumors that Zutara was the reason Bryke stepped away from the project. now i have shipped Zutara since i was a child, but it does give me pause here as well because Zuko's actor is gonna be 22 this year and Katara's actor is a minor still - but that's not say they won't do it anyways, since they're meant to be playing characters around the same age. i could see them just following what has been laid out in Book 1 and staying there, and then seeing what happens for future seasons, when Katara's actress is an adult (which still feels morally questionable).

of course, all of this assumes that the series will be good or popular enough to even receive renewal for 2 more seasons, and it is Netflix. how they're adapting the series has been kept under wraps heavily, the only rumor i've seen so far that seems credible is that they'll show the Air Nomad genocide in Ep 1, basically compressing ep 1-3 + 12 into the start. so we're not getting an exact adaptation.

now, i'm not on board with a live action adaptation because they ultimately don't need to be made at all. BUT, i do think if you're going to make an adaptation, then adapt. do something interesting with it, expand on stuff that was interesting but never went anywhere, remove stuff that didn't work the first time, etc. it's not going to be a shot for shot remake so don't try to be. i've always loved the live-action version of Sailor Moon because while it had the most god-awful special effects, it basically took the bones of canon and expanded on them in new and exciting ways that still felt true to the spirit, characters, and themes of the original. otherwise, don't bother. the cartoon will always exist so making a 1:1 adaptation is pointless.

so in THAT regard, i actually think using the live action to explore Zutara is not a bad idea at all - it's just.....everything else surrounding it that is like, hmm. which really could've been solved by casting a 17 year old to play Zuko as well, like Dallas Liu is cute as hell and there's also rumors that he and Uncle Iroh are the best actors on the show so i'm firmly of the belief he won't be an issue in enjoyment, but this man is old enough to have graduated from university! but again it's all putting the cart before the horse because this might all just crash and burn in Book 1 so it won't even matter. which just goes back to. time to let ATLA and its legacy be.

#i just have so many reservations about this and the shipping is like one part of that as well #we will really have to see #atla live action #zutara

[hello-nichya-here]

zutara shippers are so bizarre. if kataang truly is this horrible thing that no one likes then why are you in the asks of someone who doesn’t give a fuck whether ships are accepted by the general fandom or not to try and convince them how bland and awful it is after they expressed that they enjoy it? I’ve never encountered a shipping fandom before that has nearly two decades worth of popularity and is still so obsessed with what people who might enjoy the canon ships (occasionally or hardcore) think. how do they all have a superiority complex yet manage to still be so insecure?

Simple: They never moved on from the need to get canon validation.

There's an old, FAKE interview with Ehasz, in which he supposedly said Zutara was always meant to be, and evil Bryke ruined it by forcing Kataang to happen "out of nowhere." They still try to use that as evidence, even though Ehasz is a Maiko fan and has repeatedly said this interview never fucking happened.

When the live action movie we do not speak of was about to be released, some idiots were saying it would have Zutara and would "replace the show as canon."

Back when Korra was about to first air on Nick, there were Zutara campains about how their OTP could stil happen.

When Bryke announced they were working with Netflix for an adaptation of the show, there were online petitions to make Zutara canon since "kataang already had their turn." When Bryke left the production due some drama we don't know the details of, they were SURE, once again, that it would have Zuko and Katara get together, and that it would be so amazing, it would be seen as the new, and superior, canon.

They know they're popular. But they want to reach the point of being SOOOOOOO popular that basically the whole fandom agrees with them, so some adaptation/sequel will have Zutara be a thing to make sure people will watch it. That way they can claim they were always right. But since they don't have the numbers for that, they keep on pestering other fans to join them - but that only made the Zutara fandom infamous for being super toxic. The fact that many new fans didn't buy into the hype because they watched the show waiting to find all of this "subtext" Zutarians go on and on about, only to realize it was never there, doesn't help either.

And if there's any good side to Bryke having huge egos that sometimes prevents them from listening to genuine criticism, is that it also prevents them from falling into the trap of trying to pander to the audience. I don't trust Netflix not to give it a go, but based on their record, I doubt they can come ever close to capture the magic of Avatar, so it would not be the big win Zutarians have been pining for.

#asks #anti zutara

[shrinkthisviolet]

for my new ask game!

3, 8, 16, 18, 21, 33, 40, and 50

3. Have you ever written a soulmate AU? If you haven't, why would/wouldn't you write one?

I have this series! I wanted to take the soulmate AU and make it something more choice-based, more in line with “If soulmates do exist, they’re not found. They’re made. People meet, they get a good feeling, and then they get to work building a relationship.” It’s the best take on soulmates I’ve ever seen, and it’s the kind I tried to replicate in that series! Idk if it’ll ever get updated, but I do wanna use that worldbuilding for something else one day.

8. Have you ever written any friendships that could've easily become romantic relationships? How did you navigate it?

I have! Honestly, there are plenty of those. I just navigate it by writing what feels true to me—do I want to pursue a ship with them? What would it add to this fic, if anything? What does it add if I keep them as friends? What tropes does it subvert, one way or the other (obviously this in itself is not a reason, it’s just an additional consideration)

For example: there’s a ship in an upcoming fic that I definitely didn’t plan initially, but which I think adds a lot of weight overall. It drives both characters in interesting ways but never detracts from their character arcs—neither of them have to give up anything for the other, and neither would ever ask that of the other.

(…actually there’s two ships like that 😅 in different fics, but still)

16. Are there any relationship dynamics/tropes you enjoy reading about, but wouldn't want to write yourself? Vice versa?

I’ve read a few “love triangles” but I’d never write one. But that’s also a trope I try to avoid whenever possible anyway, because they’re usually love corners/angles, not true triangles. And it’s usually sexist af, because in this trope, the “triangle” is never really about the girl at the center, it’s always about the guys fighting for her.

18. Pick a few characters you've written for (or, for a fun twist, asker chooses). Tell me about their relationship in three sentences or less.

Hmm…Mai, Aang, and Katara.

Mai and Aang: absolutely the opposites attract besties. No one expects them to get along as well as they do, but Mai finds Aang endearing in an odd way (he reminds her of Ty Lee), and Aang thinks she’s really cool, especially her sharp aim.

Mai and Katara: they aren’t sure what to make of each other at first, especially since their first meeting was them fighting each other. Really, it’s Aang who gets them to have a conversation after all of that—he just wants the two coolest people he knows to be friends. And it works! Mai and Katara hit it off splendidly once they get past the awkwardness.

Kataang: self-explanatory: they’re a badass power couple and I love them 🥰

21. Not all relationships are romantic. What's your favorite non-romantic relationship that you've written about?

Currently, Barry & Morgan 💞 I didn’t actually intend them to be as prominent to the AU as they are now — I loved them in s2, but writing the s1 arc just kicked that love into overdrive. They’re so, so special to me and I love them so much 🥹

33. Are there any canon romantic couples, in any media, that you just can't stand?

Reylo for sure, Spallen (do they count if they were only briefly canon?), Hawkmoon, Yasmetri, Quickwest (again, briefly canon), Toriguel, Samrobby

(Obviously this is not a judgment on the shippers, but…yeah, I’m not a fan of these ships 😅 there are others that I tolerate sometimes, but those aren’t on this list. Tbh I might even be forgetting some, but that’s most of them at least)

40. Pick a relationship (not necessarily romantic). What tropes apply to this relationship? What tropes does this relationship subvert?

Morgan and James! They’re Lovers to Exes (subverting the common Exes to Lovers trope)…and they’re also Exes to Friends. And ofc James is her Guy in the Chair—even after she joins Team Flash, he’s still there when she needs him (and vice versa ofc…granted he doesn’t have powers, but she’s still going to be there for him as much as he lets her)

50. Free space! Brag on yourself! Advertise your writing! What are you most proud of recently?

Currently, I’m super proud of the first Childhood Friends AU fic I posted! And my first Izumi & Zuko fic 💞

fanfic relationships ask game!

#fanfic ask game #anti reylo #anti spallen #anti hawkmoon #anti yasmetri #anti quickwest #anti toriguel #anti samrobby #brotp: i know my hero #morgan & james #mai & aang #mai & katara #kataang #izumi & zuko #childhood friends au #sorry if i answered 18 wrong 😅 tbh i’m not entirely sure what it was asking i just guessed

[alphinias]

I shipped zutara as a kid, but after recently re watching the show... idk I came out of it really appreciating kataang, it has really grown on me as an adult know haha.

I feel like zutara as a relationship wouldn't last imo. The idea of fire lady Katara... is just so gross to me? (Katara would never take that role!) I feel their personalities would often cause them to constantly bud heads. As much as I love zuko, he's just to moody for katara.

I think Aang’s personality fits better with katara. I just love how the show build up their strong friendship, with aang supporting katara become a great water bender and all that.

And with the new atla move coming out? And hearing katara and aang are the lead characters, and young adults? Oh I'm so excited to feast! AND AANG BEING 24! 😳

Also excited for the zuko movie, I hope aangs in it. I wanna see adult zukaang bromance! A girl can dream, right??

I’ve always loved Kataang honestly! I genuinely think a lot of the reason people dislike them is because of superficial reasons ie Aang being drawn younger than Katara. Which is whatever, I get it, but I think they’re pretty adorable. Though for them I’m also not crazy about the little blip at the end of S3 but overall I found their development pretty solid. They always supported each other and grew together.

See I think zutara as a ship would doable personality wise but they’d definitely fight. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because sometimes I think that can help you grow. But I do agree about Kataang being exceptionally compatible. Even in the southern raiders ep (which is one of my favorite zutara eps!) the show goes out of its way to show that Aang knows katara best. She didn’t kill that man and she would’ve never let go of the war or forgiven herself if she did.

I think the only way zutara could end up together would be an AU form ending because I also just don’t see Katara as the fire lady. But then you can’t really separate zuko from leading the fire nation in a way that brings things full circle either. Whereas Mai makes sense as the fire lady but I still don’t particularly like her with Zuko. I wish they’d given him someone more warm and lively personally and that’s where I do like someone like Katara for him.

I REALLY hope the new movies are good. I wasn’t crazy about Korra (look I know people love it but as soon as I saw lightning benders working plentifully in a factory I kinda lost interest) so I hope these new ones live up to the original!

#plus the scenes Kataang has are more small and cute and steady and zutara has like zuko diving in front of lighting so it’s very memorable #I ship both Kataang and zutara but I don’t particularly like maiko (is that their ship name?) #anyway loving the Atla discussion today it’s such a lovely nostalgic show #Kataang #Atla #ask

[share-the-skye]

9 People You Would Like To Know Better

I was tagged by @xyrnys awhile ago! Thank you! 🫶

Three Ships: 1)SoRiKai (Kingdom Hearts) obviously lol 2)Lura/McKay (OC’s that my fiancée and I made together when we first become friends! We stopped writing stuff down for them awhile ago because just talking through scenarios is faster but they are a big part of what drew us together.) 3)MariChat (Miraculous Ladybug) I’ve been introducing a friend to the show so it’s been on my mind a lot lately. This is my favorite side of the love square! There is no escape from this hell (affectionate).

First Ship: Toss up between Kataang (atla) and RobStar (Teen Titans Cartoon Network) I was big into both of these shows at around the same time so I don’t remember which came first. I wrote Atla fanfic on the Nickelodeon forums waaaaay back in the day (and got several chapters banned for being too graphic when I gave Aang an injury pretty much identical to how he’s hurt in the season 2 finale…) so Kataang I guess has a little more weight? But I honestly was way more emotionally invested in RobStar. Shoutout also to Terra/Beast Boy, I suppose. I wrote an edgy pre-teen poem about them 😂😂😂

Last Song Listened To: Had the Suzume soundtrack on shuffle while making stuff, and I don’t have the track names memorized yet. But it was one of the instrumental score, not the few with lyrics.

Last Movie Watched: Suzume and by god was it good! I wish it had been in theaters longer so I could have gone twice.

Currently Reading: The Storm of Echoes by Christelle Dabos. It’s the fourth book in The Mirror Visitor quartet. Annnnnnnd I’m gonna have to restart it again, because I keep setting it down for too long and forgetting what’s happening and it is not a book you can do that with. Beautifully written and translated, though. I love this series.

Currently Watching: Technically Shadow and Bone s2 and whatever fucking season of Grey’s Anatomy is new. But I don’t really care about either of them. I just binged all of Li Speak’s content on YouTube and that was delightful.

Currently Consuming: Still slowly but surely making my way through Neo:TWEWY. Also Girl Scout Cookies 😂

Currently Craving: time for all my creative pursuits. I have too many hobbies and not enough time management skills

This was fun! If anyone else wants to participate please feel free but zero pressure. Gonna tag @transpanda-1 @thesmolcryptid @storm-driver @alphascorpiixx @vanibear @caitas-cooing @miraculorum @sirathurheit @elizabeth-dicewielder

#I know I tagged some of you in both this and the banner one hopefully that’s not too annoying #I don’t have a ton of mutuals to pick from 😅😅😅😅😅😅 #tag game #not kingdom hearts

[the-badger-mole]

Aang has to be one of the least popular protagonist I have seen on ao3. Out of all the main characters who appeared in season 1 and beyond (aamg, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko) aang has the least stories. I have never seen that happen to a main character before. Aang has like 13,000 stories and he is a side character in a majority, so it makes me think, why do so many people argue aang is such a great main character when he seems to be the least liked even by his fans.

This isn't me trying to do some popularity contest, it just seems like even fanfic writers can't do anything interesting with his character, which is sad because he has a lot of potential to be an amazing character.

Child who lost everyone he has ever known to war and time, waking up a hundred years later with the weight of this new world on his shoulders while still grieving his previous life, is such an interesting character, and the show did nothing with that and so neither did the fans.

You know what show did that premise justice? Futurama.

I think Aang's lack of attention comes down to him being ultimately a boring character. Yes, the premise of Aang had potential, but then Bryke turned him into a Gary Stu. And not even a particularly good Gary Stu. I think the lack of fics centering Aang have few explanations. Making Aang a more interesting character would take a lot of work. A lot more than people who aren't his biggest fans are probably willing to put in. It's easier to treat him like a side character, because frankly, that's what he should have been.

Second, fans who do like Aang- like his canon story and his canon ship- probably don't have a ton to add. I think that's not uncommon with a lot of canon ships. Most of my ships have been canon and although I have written for those shows, I'm a lot more prolific with Zutara- my one non-canon ship. I sincerely doubt I'd still be this invested if Zutara were canon. I'd still love them, but the same way I love Usa/Mamo. Content to just let the story be what it is, for the most part, unless inspiration strikes.

I also imagine some of it has to do with not wanting to admit how awful the canon made him seemingly by accident. In order to make an interesting story about Aang, they'd have to add some conflict, and no die hard Aang fans seem to be anymore willing to do that than Bryke were. Take that with a grain of salt, though. This is just my opinion. I don't spend a bunch of time reading Aang fics.

Third, the lack of Aang centered fics may actually be based on his popularity. I don't know. I think there are way fewer Aang fans than there seems to be, it's just that the main Aang fans are so loud. I wouldn't be surprised. After all, he's the most boring of the main cast, his tragic backstory notwithstanding. I only know two or three Aang/Kataang fans in real life, and they are very, very casual fans. Most of the other ATLA fans I know prefer other characters/ ship Zutara. Obviously, online Aang isn't the most popular character either. Oh, sure, there are plenty of polls that put him/his canon ship at the top, but if you look at the actual fan content...well, you can see for yourself.

#atla #anti aang #anti kataang #is aang cursed by his ship being canon? #or is he just a boring character to write for? #you be the judge #personally as long as the zutara content keeps coming i don't care who's winning the popularity contest #easy to say when my ship is the most popular but...

[traveleroffarawayplaces]

Since I am still kinda new, I guess I could also talk about ships that I have. Usually, if you have read this, then you kinda know my mostly take on ships, but I have yet to talk about ships I like. (Below cut)

Well for starters, let me start with legend of zelda. I am a pretty big Zellink fan, but only some of the links I ship them together. Like skyward sword for example. Other ships, like Sidon X Wild (link, I just call them wild bc it's easier and linked universe fandom has rubbed off on me) or Mipha x Wild. I am not the pickiest and typically prefer Mipha x Wild or Zellink, but I am pretty open to almost all of them.

Amphiba? Well I have a big list. Sprivy is adorable and cute. So is Yulivivia (idk if that's their ship name or not XD). I don't know what to make of Hop Pop x Grime and such... so... questioning I guess. Sashannarcy is really good and its usually my go too. But Marcanne is adorable. (What can I say? Tiny Dragon toons got me into it. Their art is amazing!!) And anyone with Andrias I try to avoid.

Avatar and Korra is next. I personally like Katara x Aang, (Kataang) is pretty dang good, but usally my go to is Korra x asami. Tho Bopel is pretty good. I, don't know many other ships. I thought Korra X Mako was... kinda bad. I really was not a fan of that ship. It was too fast and Idk why it happened. Felt... wrong in my mind.

Voltron is next and dear lord. I think this is one of the only fandom I don't really have any ships for. Klance is cute, but I don't see it happening in my eyes. (Please don't kill me Klance shippers) Lance X Allura, I don't really know what to make of it I guess... Shiro X Adam though is cute.

Glitch techs? I see no ships here, so Imma skip it. Mainly platonic ships, which I am all down for.

Dragon prince? Rayllum. Rayllum for the win. Though, I wouldn't mind if it was platonic or not, its still a nice duo. I really don't see many other ships... Callum and Claudia I... I don't really care terribly much about.

Rick Riordan verse now!! PJO/HOO/TOA: Obviously Percabeth and Solangelo are both AMAZING!! I love them both with a passion. Jiper is cute. Piper X Shel though is another amazing ship. Another ship I will stand behind until my death is Frazel. Its so underrated and so adorable. Luke and Thalia? Nah, Thalia slay girl. THe ship of Thalia and Reyna is cute tho. I... Haven't read trials of Apollo yet, so I don't know any ships other than Solangelo from there. TKC: Tbh, Zia and Carter is cute but so is Sadie X Walt (I personally call the ship Salt just to confuse everyone.) Tho it did get a little complex with Sadie, Walt and Anubis. But I still think it was cool. Tho, I don't really know any other ships I guess... Anyone got some you can introduce to me? MCATGOA (A tongue twister, I know. Imma just refer to it as MC, (Magnus chase)): Okay, but Halfborn and Mallory were... an interesting pair, but I have no objections. Same with Samirah and Amir, cute and I see nothing wrong with it. Magnus and Alex however I absolutely ADORE!! Its cute, amazing and fabulous ship. I stand behind it til my death.

Hermitcraft? No ships here. As far as I can tell. Same with Dream SMP. I know that there are ships there, not too big with those ships. Like Tubbo and Ranboo? Adorable. Would I protect it with my life? No. Do I enjoy it? Yes. Yes I do.

I could go on, but this post is already long enough. I don't want to bored you. Tho, if you wanted to ask about ships, I guess you could ask me.

#Ships of Kit #Legend of Zelda #Zellink #sidon x link #marcanne #sashannarcy #@tinydragontoons you got me into Marcanne #Percabeth #Solangelo #Salt (Ship) #Sadie x Walt #Carter x Zia #hermitcraft #dream smp #tubbo x ranboo #halfborn x mallory #fierrochase #Why do some ships have first names combined while others have last names? #so confusing #thalia x reyna #jiper #piper x Shel #frazel #glitch techs #rayllum #sprivy #kataang #klance #lance x allura #shiro x adam

[shitpostingfromthebarricade]

Question 10 for Cosette, 20, 23? (And good luck with the driver's test!!)

10. What's your favourite piece of fanart for Cosette?

Someone else asked this same thing for this same character, so rather than choose, I'll just post different ones.  <3 This one by @pilferingapples is WONDERFUL, I adore it.

20. When did you first join Tumblr? How long was it between that and finding the Les Mis fandom?

I first joined in 2010 or so?  But like, I enjoyed AtLA a normal amount and watched Sherlock with my dad, and when I checked out those tags (Zutara vs Kataang flame wars and SuperWhoLock culture respectively), I was like, "Hmmm.  Let's not."  So I followed, like, HumansOfNewYork and fitblrs and social justice blogs until 2018 when ... inktaire, I think it was?  Kept posting about all of these characters in a musical I had been in the pit for but didn't recognize At All, and by the time I decided I was in the market for a hyperfixation, they had posted a link for WAR, and that was it.

23. Has your favourite character/ship changed over time?

Oh, for sure.  Entering the Les Mis fandom from the fanon end of things after only ever having been exposed to the musical definitely gave me a different understanding of the characters and their relationships than I have now that I've read the book/researched the era and figures/know more about the historical context/have seen a bunch more adaptations.  LM was also my first real experience with fanfic in general, so once the novelty of those tropes and styles wore off, I started actually exploring the story and characters more earnestly, rather than using the fandom to channel my interest in this new and unfamiliar genre, which meant that who and what I was interested in changed as well.

#thank you anon! #The five hours of video was WILD because the training video glitched so badly about a third of the time that it was incomprehensible #and then even though I was testing for my (automatic) motorcycle the test was like “how do you stop a car without ABS?” #girl idk I've never driven a car without an ABS #“how do you start up a manual car?” “what gear do you use going up and down steep inclines?” #idk I put the key in the bike and turn to go and squeeze to stop #I'm USAmerican so even when I drove a car it was automatic #I only knew to switch to low gear bc when I was droving to my village for the new year there were signs everywhere #telling big trucks to use low gear bc the road is four hours of mountains #anyway I was v close and will get it when I go again Monday #ask game

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

How do you explain the fact that frankly stupid and deceitful takes are very popular in the fandom? I mean, I understand why some ship, canonical or not, may be more popular, but I'm talking specifically about VERY strange takes that do not have canonical confirmation, takes which anyone who has watched the show can easily refute? ("Katara has never loved Aang", "Aang demonstrates toxic masculinity", "Zuko is a little duck without anger and toxicity problems", "Sokka is a fool", "Katara is gaang's mom", "No one has ever understood and supported Katara").

I mean... There are always people who believe in reptilians or a flat earth, but such people are NOT the MAJORITY. but these takes have hundreds and thousands likes and they are more popular than interesting and in-depth analyses of the show.

How do you explain this?

You want the regular version or the arrogant version of my answer?

The regular one is: the more "bland" and empty a fanon thing is, the least likely it is to offend people since there's nothing actually there for them to be offended by, and the easier it is for people to project whatever crazy bullshit they want to see (see all the pro-Zutara/anti-kataang & maiko metas that seem based on a completely different story, and that often contradict each other). The people who latch onto these kind of "empty" stuff also very much do no like it when others point out they are, in fact, empty, and so they double-down and try to bully others into accepting it as fact, and deliberately misrepresent what happens in a story to potential new viewers so they'll be more likely to create their own "proof" in their head as well due to confirmation bias.

The arrogant answer: Not everyone was blessed/cursed with good taste like I was, so they latch onto the boring shit instead of the good stuff.

#anti zutara

[doubleca5t]

RE-UPLOADED BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL HAD A TYPO

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

Transcription below the cut

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Makorra (Mako/Korra) - You are heterosexual

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#atla #avatar the last airbender #the legend of korra #tlok #korrasami #zutara #zukaang #kataang #taang #sukka #zukka #maiko #jetko #tyzula #tokka #sokkla #yukka #kyalin #pemzin #linzin #wuko #baavira #kovira #kainora #doubleca5t OC

[gtgrandom]

“Why I ship Zutara - since so many are inclined to believe it’s a Zuko fetish”

Is Zuko my favorite animated character of all time? Why yes, yes he is. Do I identify with Katara as a barrier-breaking feminist and woman of color? Yes, yes I do. Is that why I ship them together? No.

Look, when I first watched ATLA, I was 7 years old. I don’t remember shipping anyone, but I didn’t hate that Aang and Katara ended up together. They were cute! It’s whatever.

When I rewatched the show at 13, I still thought Kataang was cute, but I ended the series shipping Zutara, and as the years went by, they rose higher and higher on my list. Now they’re my #1 OTP.

So why do I ship them?

1) They’re two sides of the same coin. Both of them grew up too fast with the loss of their mothers. Both grew up under an elder’s influence. Both of them constantly fought to prove their worth to their peers, and both held resentment toward their fathers. Both spent the entire series improving their bending and incorporating each other’s bending styles into their own.

They have so much in common, and so many shared experiences and important bonding moments (defeating Azula together, Zuko saving her life, confronting Yon Rha together, the cave scene / turning point, their battle at the North Pole...)

2) They’re opposites. Fire and Ice. Sun and Moon. Passionate male energy and the soothing, healing touch of a woman (and her chilling bite). Realism and hopeful idealism. The Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady.

Zuko grew up without a healthy sibling or father relationship. Katara eventually obtained both of these. Zuko lived in an elite world surrounded by people and bending teachers, yet he felt alone. Katara grew up on an ice cube with no bending masters, but she loved her home and family.

The parallels go on and on.

3) Symbolism. They could have embodied the Cave of Two Lovers perfectly: benders separated by cultural divide, a cave to meet in secrecy where outside conflicts are put on hold, allowing them to grow closer, to love one another.

Plus, what better way to bridge two nations with seemingly irreparable tensions than a marriage between lovers? These two went from enemies to partners in crime to friends. Imagine if they’d fallen in love. Imagine a water bender as Fire Lady, and what influence she could have on the Fire Nation’s perceptions of the Water Tribe. Imagine the prejudices she could shed herself, living in this new culture, serving its people.

4) They’re good for each other. Zuko needs someone who can help him shift his nation’s perceptions of the world. He needs someone who can take on responsibilities of her own, rally a crowd, bring hope to his world, and not only become a mother to his children, but his people. He needs a woman who, like his mother, can encourage him to be the best version of himself.

Katara needs to feel useful. She needs to feel like she’s helping people and making a difference. She needs to be more than a wife or a mother. More than a traveling companion. She‘s a caretaker, but she’s also a leader, and she needs a mature man in her life who she can leave alone, unattended for a while. Someone she can speak to about harsh realities. Someone who will not judge her for feeling negative. Someone who will understand her sarcasm, and who will vent with her when she needs it.

5) I have always shipped them for their potential, not necessarily what we were fed in the show. So I understand how others don’t see it. But as a writer, I recognize that this pairing could have been an extremely valuable storytelling tool. Aaron saw that, the actors saw that, but Bryke wanted Kataang, so we got the typical “hero gets the girl” scenario. I get it. I just wish they would have gone the extra mile.

6) I don’t ship Kataang anymore

Aang is 12 years old. He’s a child (and a monk). That’s what makes the series work, why his victory is so powerful. His youthful innocence is a reoccurring theme throughout the series. And yes, he learns to accept many hard truths of the world, but in the end, he chooses mercy and idealism. As an adult, I can’t see him as anything but a child. And I don’t ship children. I definitely don’t want to see them make out with anyone 😷

Katara acts like his mother for most of the series. She’s his caretaker first and foremost. And it’s clear she loves him, but she’s not even sure how she feels about him several episodes from the finale of the series. I’m not about to act like their relationship wasn’t romantically coded, but it felt forced at the end. It felt like they set Katara up to be his mother more than his partner. It’s regressive to her feminist arc (and don’t get me started on Korra’s depiction of her!)

And yeah. I did not find 12 year olds attractive when I was looking forward to my first year of high school. If I had the choice between Aang and Zuko at her age, you bet your ass I’m swooning over the prince of the Fire Nation. 🤷🏻‍♀️

7) I really don’t ship Maiko. I love Mai as a character (gray characters are always fun). But her relationship with Zuko formed off-screen (never a good choice for a romance arc) and she was only ever regressive to Zuko’s character. She was never going to help him grow, to be a selfless leader, to consider the importance of other nations or the lower class (she jokes about ordering servants around for fun, big yikes). She couldn’t be a positive influence on Zuko until she had an enlightened journey of her own, which she didn’t get - her only arc revolved around Azula and her love for her boyfriend. She was a source of constant negativity and pessimim. That’s the last thing a leader of a war-torn nation needs.

So yeah. I’m not trying to convince anyone to ship my ship. I’m simply explaining why I love these two so much (since so many of you think it’s a bad boy fetish), and why I reject the pairings the show left us with.

I think Zutara would have created a stronger narrative for a near-perfect show, a better romance, and a more relatable protagonist, and no one will ever change my mind about that.

#zutara #atla #avatar the last airbender #zuko #katara

[enby-axels]

i have nothing against narusasu, in fact, i understand why an immense amount of people ship them. but i can't help but feel its queerbaiting? what do you think? at the end of the day, it's all business. kishi and the executives know that narusasu is the most famous ship so they took advantage of that. the canon ships are all just collateral and ways to create a new generation. it's like their thinking, "oh it doesn't matter if we haven't put any effort in developing the canon couples. as long as there's a new generation, we're good. we have narusasu anyways to keep majority of the fans engaged but we can't make them canon cuz otherwise, no kids. no new gen. no new series. no money." yes, developing a story as large as naruto ain't easy. there were other heavy plots to be addressed which are the main themes of naruto. romance is the least thing of significance but godammit, the way they executed the canon couples is so cheap and poor. i used to ship ss and it's really disappointing how these two characters' development got butchered. they should've just remained friends in the end if canon is how they're currently being handled. it's really telling that genin ss had more development and moments than shipuuden ss & adult ss combined. you're right, platonic sasusaku is underrated.

i honestly dont know. i wouldnt call it queerbaiting; personally, i think all the queer interpretations of sns are completely unintentional on kishimoto's part. and i dont know enough about the popularity of naruto ships to say for sure that sns is the most famous.

plus, with queerbaiting, there also has to be an expectation of representation. i for one never expected romantic sns to be canon, and most of sns fandom didnt either (im assuming).

i agree that the main ships (naruhina and sasusaku) werent developed very well at all. it feels like their romantic moments were just sprinkled in, rather than truly developed and prioritized as part of the storyline and greater narrative. for instance, compare the development of naruto's canon ships to the development of bleach or atla's canon ships. you can tell kubo and bryke actually cared enough about ichihime, renruki, kataang, and maiko, because the romantic relationships actually mattered to the plot, characters, and the main themes.

ichihime and renruki's relationships contributed significantly to bleach's themes of protecting loved ones and being protected by them. kataang and maiko's relationships contributed significantly to atla's commentary on imperialism, grief/loss, forgiveness/redemption, and choosing love over power/nationalism. meanwhile, naruhina and sasusaku's relation to naruto's main themes were put on the backburner. there was potential, but to me, it feels like kishimoto just didnt care enough about the romances to make them essential to the story he was telling.

and yes, platonic sasusaku is underrated. i wish there was more content, but we cant have it all 😞

just in case you're interested, here's one of my favorite naruto fanfics (x). it's sakura-centric and very focused on sasusaku friendship. i cant recommend it enough; the characterization, relationship development, and take on chakra theory are so good

(tbh, the more i think about it, the more i feel my preferance for platonic sasusaku is due to the way naruto fanfic writers portray it in contrast to romantic sasusaku. the platonic sasusaku fics i've read tend to have better characterization, in contrast with the romantic sasusaku fics i've (tried to) read)

#✉ #anon #nrtposting #sns #naruhina critical #sasusaku critical #pro platonic sasusaku #bleach #pro ichihime #pro renruki #atla #pro kataang #pro maiko #fic recs