#zutara asks

[burst-of-iridescent]

What would change in the Zutara ship/dynamic and/or Zuko and Katara individually if Zuko didn't betray Katara in Ba Sing Se and immediately chose her?

i think most canon divergent zutara fanfictions get it right: they'd probably become close friends in no time, and develop a dynamic similar to what they have in the ember island players. but there's a reason this scenario is best left to fanon - as fun as it would be to see more zutara bonding in the first half of book three, there's always something lost for something gained, and in this case it would likely come at the cost of the depth and intimacy they developed in canon through the WAT and TSR arcs.

it is vitally important to their relationship development that katara gets to be deeply, righteously angry at zuko, and particularly that she goes on her field trip to find yon rha while they're still not on friendly terms. not only does her anger bar her from instinctually falling into a caretaking role with zuko as she does with most of the gaang at one point or another, allowing her to be cared for rather than being the carer, it also frees her from feeling like she needs to fit into any perceived image he might have of her. katara makes it clear to zuko that she owes him nothing - least of all her friendship, and everything that entails.

and it is this very lack of obligation that gives katara the freedom to be wholly and entirely herself. people always point to how katara behaves "uncharacteristically" in the southern raiders to prove that zuko is a bad influence, but the truth is that the way she acts in tsr is an inherent part of who she is. katara can be cold, furious and vengeful just as she can be warm, compassionate and friendly, and the fact that she can freely show both sides to zuko isn't because he's pushing her to be someone she's not, but because she has no need to live up to an idealised version of herself.

this would likely still apply to a degree in a no-betrayal au (tsr would happen in any version of book 3, just because it's so significant to katara's arc), but i find it probable that katara might be more hesitant about bringing zuko along, or less willing to bloodbend before him so readily. katara has to witness zuko's lowest point before she allows him to see hers. she has to take her dark-night-of-the-soul journey with someone she knows has neither the right nor the willingness to condemn her choices, in order to be able to focus entirely on herself and what she needs. very telling that she doesn't ask aang, her future husband, to go with her for support.

it's because zuko allows himself to be a whetstone for the blade of her fury, because he cares enough to find out why, because he tries to help when she's given him no reason to do so, because he stands shoulder-to-shoulder with her at her darkest, most conflicted hour without forcing her to bear the burden of caring what he thinks or feels about it, that katara is able to forgive and befriend him. it is because they see each other at their highest and lowest moments that they're able to have the deepest and most intimate relationship of anyone in the gaang. and none of that would've happened without the betrayal in ba sing se.

after all, love is brightest in the dark.

#zutara #zutara asks #zutara meta

[starlight-bread-blog]

random, but I just realized that in, say, a hypothetical alternate universe where the writers made Katara and Zuko fall in love, get married, and have kids, Zuko would most certainly teach their child non-bending means of attacking/defending themselves. Hell broke loose when Tui was temporarily dead, which left all water-benders temporarily unable to bend. A Solar Eclipse event leaves all fire-benders temporarily unable to bend as well. Katara and Zuko both experienced what it's like for them and all of the fellow benders of their element to lose their powers on a massive alert scale. Zuko and Katara would 200% have their child learn the way of the sword and martial arts. Not just because of culture, but because Zuko and Katara know how scary things get when your bending is turned off in such a serious way, and wouldn't want their child to be defenseless.

AAAAA SO CUTE I LOVE THIS!!! Additionally, their uncle would be the Chief if the Southern Water Tribe and their aunt would be the leader of the Kyoshi warriors. They're fan and sword!!

Let's not forget that Ty Lee taught the Kyoshi warriors chi blocking!! Remember that Ty Lee destroyed Katara. If they have a none bender child theh could go toe to toe with bending masters.

And and and in my AU their kids went through one of these Water Tribe sailing tests that signify maturity. (Really hope Bumi did, Tenzin probably didn't).

Zuko and Katara would want their kids to know all non-bending martial arts so Zuko'd teach them swordsmanship and Katara'd ask Sukka for help and they'd be very normal about that.

Katara: Hey I thought you might want to teach A-

Suki and Sokka, together: Say no more.

(Author's note: in a modern AU Suki is already phoning Ty Lee).

Zutara's kids will be so powerful. Especially the hypothetical non-benders. Ty for the ask, have a nice day💕

#zutara #sukka #zuko x katara #katars x zuko #sokka x suki #suki x sokka #atla headcanons #atla #zutara headcanon #ty lee #atla ty lee #ty lee atla #avatar the last airbender #avatar: the last airbender #avatar #asks #send me asks #katara #zuko #prince zuko #atla zuko #fire lord zuko #firelord zuko #atla katara #zutara asks #zutara forever #zutara nation #zutarian #the blue spirit #zutara incorrect quotes

[moonlitxeuphoria]

Hey! ^.^

Zutara Asks #12 & 13 please

Hey Ronin!!! Hope you’re doing amazing, dude!

(Had to type this all up before answering so that’s why it took a while for me to respond)

12. What are your steambaby headcanons?

- Everytime I think of Zuko and Katara and them having kids, first immediate thought is that their first born is a girl. Just no if ands or buts about it. Zuko - girl dad extraordinaire - just being absolutely enamored with his little girl, this tiny human who has his eyes and hair color but her mother’s features and her wild curls, always makes me so soft. Plus, the thought of him learning how to do the little hair loopies for her because she wants to be like her super cool momma gut punches me right in the feels UGH.

- Eventually they’d try for more, three seems like a good and solid number to stop at. Little trio of a fire bender, water bender and non bender kiddos (and the order of that tends to vary for me just cuz I haven’t really thought too much about it but this would be the lineup, for sure). This headcanon in particular is really influenced by some amazing steam baby art (specifically Hayley Wong’s art (absolutely adore everything she creates for zutara)) I’ve seen on here.

- They’d have the kiddos train in sword combat (blue spirit legacy lives oooon) as well as non-bender fighting techniques (with help from Suki and Ty Lee ofc) because you can’t always rely on solely being a bender to solve your problems. The thought of Ty Lee teaching the kids how to do handstands and little circus tricks like that in between their training is also super cute and fun. Small payback for the circus freak comments from when they were younger 🤣 And it also helps the kiddos bond and become even closer as they grow older.

- The kids would be massive fans of the blue spirit and the painted lady, both because of it having been their parents (they’d absolutely lose it at them having had like a superhero era moment back in the day) and being taken to see ‘love amongst the dragons’ every year as is tradition within their little family.

13. Do you think the Fire Nation would allow Zuko’s heir to become Firelord if they were a waterbender?

- Yes, but not without a decent amount of push back from those still blindly loyal to the old ways of the fire nation or are afraid of change. Which isn’t very many but it’s still enough to be somewhat of a hurdle to overcome, ya know. I also think the acceptance of a waterbender as the fire lord would really go to show the growth of the fire nation as a whole, doing away with the old regime once and for all if that makes sense. They obviously would’ve come around to Katara being fire-lady by that point but when it comes to a direct descendant of the royal family, I’d assume the change wouldn’t be so readily accepted and thus would spark immense debate in regards to the legitimacy of the child’s claim to the title on account of their bending being different than that of previous generations.

#random babbles #zutara #zutara asks #I’d like to add that Mai would also teach them knife throwing #just for fun #I’d like to think that her and Zuko become really good friends after the fact #especially since she’s happy with Ty Lee now hehe

[demaparbat-hp]

Little Zuzu for an incoming project 🔥

#atla #avatar the last airbender #zuko #atla zuko #zutara #avatar #prince zuko #zuko fanart #atla fanart #atla art #zuko art #I'm... kinda new here so I don't know the tags #Anyways you guessed it (it's a comic) #You may blame our only true God Hozier for making me do this #I never asked for the perfect Zuko song and yet I still received Arsonist's Lullaby #Amazing #Anyways he's literally the love of my life #Best. Character. Ever. #And I know I say this about... pretty much all my favorite characters but I MEAN IT this time #Also look at the pretty fire 🔥 #I've got a page that's literally just Dragon Fire so... I guess this was practice for Ran and Shaw????? #Gotta draw Zuzu here firebending in colors

[diornies]

zutara modern au 💭

the next song he sang was mr. brightside

#zutara #atla #atla fanart #zuko #katara #toph #suki #sokka #aang #gaang #I realized I never drew the whole gaang before and this was an odd idea to do it #also dont ask me about the logic of the scar and aang’s tattoos it just didnt feel right without them #my art #my comics

[longing-for-rain]

Hey! So, I just need some help understanding something... I heard that people think that Zuko took Katara straight to Ember Island after TSR. I missed it on my rewatch, and I don't get where this interpretation comes from, and whether it is just a headcanon. Do you happen, by chance, to know more about that? I LOVE this tidbit by the way; I just don't know where it's coming from. Sorry if this is random.

Oh I’ve heard that before! From what I’ve seen, it’s based primarily on the visuals we see of the settings. Before leaving to find Yon Rha, everyone is camped out on this island:

It appears to be a small, uninhabited island (which makes sense if they’re in hiding) so clearly not Ember Island.

Then at the end, the final scene begins with Katara here:

This is definitely Zuko’s family home on Ember Island, with Katara sitting alone on the pier. In the second screenshot you can see Appa flying in.

Now here is the interesting part:

Zuko and Aang get off of Appa, and if you squint, it kind of looks like the others are in the saddle too. Based on the conversation that follows, it’s clear that this is the first time Aang has seen Katara since she left to confront Yon Rha.

So the implication here is that Zuko and Katara first went to Ember Island alone, then Zuko flew with Appa by himself to pick up everyone else from the other island. This actually makes a lot of sense logistically, because without Appa, everyone else had no way of getting to Ember Island from wherever they were before.

I really like this theory (and I think based on the evidence it’s pretty much canon) because it shows there are a lot of missing scenes between Zuko and Katara. It makes sense. He was the only one there to comfort her after something so traumatic. I love the idea that he thought to bring her to a place that was special to him, hoping to find her comfort. Then I’m guessing she wanted some alone time and he left her to go get the others.

I think it’s very sweet, to think about that time they spent together and what they talked about ❤️

#atla #zutara #zuko #katara #avatar the last airbender #meta #ask #ember island #the southern raiders

[ultfreakme]

But wouldn’t it make sense to make Zutara canon after all the baiting? Like the Instagram comments are flooded with Zutara shippers same with Tiktok and that way Gordon won’t get any hate like Aang does.

You know Anon, I was going to make this long post explaining how Kataang is integral to the heart of the show and point to all the hints dropped in the netflix show for Kataang and also show how much Katara in the show hates Zuko, the narrative themes, and why anyone woud hate Aang for zutara not happening etc. But.

Behold. Zukka will be canon because of all the bait

#riki asks #natla #anti zutara #zukka

[plushytoast]

No because why do I feel like the Zutara bait... might not be bait???????

I wouldn't be saying this if we were just getting scenes of Zuko touching Katara's scarf or Oma and Shu being red/blue. That'd just be your average baiting.

It's that Kataang's moments are being NERFED. He wasn't there during the secret tunnel. He didn't side with her when Pakku was being sexist. She wasn't the first person he saw after he woke from the iceberg. She didn't ground him out of the Avatar state.

Nothing has been added to substitute those vital moments.

The best part?

It's still believable for Aang to be into Katara. Just not for Katara to be into him.

Because they had some "moments" and enough for a twelve year old boy to catch feelings or misinterpret as being something more meaningful and project undertone upon. Which could cause him siding with Pakku because HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT KATARA NEEDS OR WANTS.

Katara, realistically, wouldn't forget that and might hold a grudge.

And is there anything more Zutara than pointing out that Aang is twelve, actually?

Meanwhile, Zutara is getting subtle, bait-esk (or just bait) content which makes sense because it is the first season and the writers don't have much to work with yet. If they build on the Zutara angle in this way in future seasons, that wouldn't just be smart but would save us from a shoehorned Kataang.

I still hope they keep Aang's love for Katara and I want similar for Mai and Zuko, but wouldn't it be great if Aang got to see Katara as more than a romantic interest and for Mai to realize her Zuko (which may have never existed, similarly as Aang's Katara) is gone and she doesn't fit into his life anymore?

I think that'd be nice. Interesting even.

Oh, and Netflix, if you need any points for representation make Sokka have a bi awakening with Zuko only to find the boy is straight and into his sister, because that's my experience genderbent and I would feel very represented. And Tyzula for the win.

#avatar the last airbender #it's most likely just bad writing #but a shipper can dream #zutara #katara #if you ask me #the show isnt good or bad #its fine #and there is definetly potential #it was never going to be better and i fully expected the first season to be not-great #second season will make-or-break it #and then the third season will probably be on the same level as the second #atla #atla live action #netflix atla

[ellakomskaikru]

What do you think of Zuko demanding that Katara trust him in the southern raiders

He didn’t demand that she trust him. He said that everyone else seemed to trust him, and wondered why Katara still didn’t, in a frustrated tone of voice. Then when Katara explained why she felt the way she did, Zuko asked what he could do to make it up to her.

He didn’t demand that she set aside her feelings and trust him. He actually wanted to fix what he did wrong. And after Zuko and Katara returned from the trip, he didn’t demand that she forgive him. He gave her space, and then Katara decided on her own that she was ready to forgive him.

#atla #zutara #katara #zuko #atla ask #ella’s original post

[llamalpaca]

That Scarf Scene but make it Pride and Prejudice

#zutara #katara #zuko #atla #natla #scarfgate #i saw someone else tag it like this and um #listen the show...well it was a show lmao #but I'm here to enjoy myself thanks for asking

[burst-of-iridescent]

Hi! Just a quick message to say that I love your analysis on Katara and Zuko and their dynamics with each other. I personally love how you place the emphasis on them having their journey towards growth together, but an individual one as well. I've only started watching AtlA two years ago, but reading your remarks during my second rewatch of the show made me appreciate the nuances of their relationship and arc more <3 I was just wondering, because you've made some good Zutara fic recs in the past, which Zutara long fic would you absolutely recommend? Thank you so much!

aww, thank you so much! i haven't read long zutara fics in quite some time actually but off the top of my head here are my favs:

the color of the stars by bluenebulae: yes i know i've recommended this fic a hundred times already but i will continue to do so bc it's SO GOOD. this is a book 3 canon divergence where zutara get captured together on DoBS and need to find their way back to the gaang together and it is just everything.

tempest in a teacup by akaVertigo: if you've been around in zutara fandom for a while, you probably already know this fic but i couldn't not include it. this is an au where katara ends up in the fire nation as a child after her mother's death and she and zuko grow up together. fire nation katara AUs do make me a little suspicious because they can easily be done wrong, but this one does it right and the writing is absolutely stunning so trust me when i say you won't be let down.

zuko's tiny dilemma by boogum: book 1 au where zuko is accidentally turned into a 6 year old (with his 16 year old consciousness) and the gaang ends up having to take care of him. i know that sounds like a weird set-up for romantic zutara but i promise nothing gross happens. it's actually a very funny, sweet and wholesome fic so i strongly encourage that you give it a chance!

the worst prisoner by emletishfish: book 1 au where sokka accidentally kidnaps zuko during the events of the blue spirit, and shenanigans and zutara ensue. this is the funniest zutara fic i have ever read AND there are two more installments in the series so you will be good to go for a long time.

(i couldn't find this fic in my bookmarks at first because my browser logged me out of ao3 and i nearly had a breakdown thinking it was gone forever and texted my friends in full panic mode, so that should tell you how much i adore it.)

once around the sun by eleventy7: i would be deeply remiss in offering fic recommendations if i didn't mention one of the most goated zutara fics of all time. i'll warn you now that though this fic has a happy ending, you should absolutely check the tags or you will be stabbed in the heart halfway through just like i was. the pain is definitely worth it, though.

i hope you enjoy reading these! <3

#zutara #zutara fanfiction #zutara fic recommendations #zutara asks

[starlight-bread-blog]

Zuko abuses katara in the comics

First of all, next time you send me a negative ask get off anon or don't send it. It's listed as one of my rules in regards to asks.

I'm assuming you're referring to this:

This is horrible. I know how terrible this is. I'll never make an excuse for this Zuko. But my opinions on Zutara don't go beyond the actual shows (Atla & Tlok).

I read two comicses a couple years ago, so pardon me if I'm mistaken. I remember Toph suggesting Aang to steal someone's bending just cause he wasn't a great guy. I remember Aang agreeing to kill Zuko. I had a vague memory of a panel of Maiko that I found horrible, I don't have the context for these two, but it seems as though Maiko wasn't all that great in the comics as well.

The character's actions felt incredibly ooc. This is why I don't use Katara getting sidelined as an argument against Kataang. It's a comics problem, not a Kataang problem. And whatever these panels are, they're not a Maiko problem, they're a comics problem.

Same goes for this garbage. Post redemption, in the show, Zuko would never lay a hand on Katara. This is the same person who jumped in front of a lightning for her. Except it's not quite. It's not in the show, it's in the comics. It's not a Zutara problem, it's a comics problem.

#anti anti zutara #pro zutara #anti atla comics #atla critical #atla critisism #asks open #asks #zutara meta #zutara asks #zutara analysis #zutara forever #zutara #zuko x katara #zukoxkatara #kataraxzuko #katara x zuko #anti bryke

[moonlitxeuphoria]

14, 17, and 18 for Zutara asks please!

Hello there, kind stranger!! Thanks for submitting!

(This was a lengthy response so I apologize in advance)

14. How do you feel about “The Southern Raiders”?

- So many intense feelings, that’s for sure haha. That episode is just one of my favorites from the show overall, and not just because of the obvious showcasing of how good Zuko and Katara work together as a pair (though it does play a major part), or them finally having that moment of reconciliation after what happened in the catacombs, but mainly because of the highlighting of Katara’s internal battle over coming to terms with deep seated grief caused by the traumatic loss of her mother. Obvi, that loss is a big part of her character, considering it’s consistently referenced throughout the show but in ‘The Southern Raiders,’ we finally get to see and hear from Katara first hand about that awful day. The episode gives her the room to rage - to feel her and express those dark, ugly feelings - and delve into just how she’s been baring the pain of being the reason why Kya is no longer with them (them - referring to Sokka/Hakoda/Herself). It’s messy and cathartic and just great writing all around on the very real topic of how consuming grief can be; of how you can end up hurting others, be it purposefully or inadvertently, while navigating through it. With that, there’s also the flip side of being able to eventually find peace with the help of someone who truly understands that pain you’re carrying. That with the right person, that load can be lightened until it doesn’t feel as heavy anymore.

17. How do you think Iroh and Hakoda would react to Zutara?

- Iroh is zutara’s #1 cheerleader aside from Toph and Suki, and that’s just facts. There would be fireworks, music, and endless rounds of tea and food in celebration over the news. That sweet old man would be overjoyed at his nephew/adopted son having found someone who pushes and makes him into a better person and vice versa. Not to mention the endless supply of dad jokes, like come on. DAD JOKES.

- I feel like Hakoda - as easy going as the guy is - would be a little skeptical about zutara at first. Not just from general fatherly concern, but because of the stories Sokka and Katara more than likely filled him in on regarding Zuko during the aftermath of the battle in the crystal catacombs. He eventually comes around though, especially with the added help of getting broken out of prison by his son and the aforementioned ‘Prince of all jerkbenders’ and then later hearing about how the kid put his own life on the line to save his daughter from certain death. Needless to say, Hakoda cashes in on his own set of dad jokes later on at their expense alongside Iroh because seeing Zuko and Katara’s slightly mortified but amused expressions are absolutely worth it.

18. How do you think the Gaang would react to Zutara?

- Toph: this girl would be absolutely unsurprised. She’s the first one to find out and tell them straight up that it “took you guys long enough to figure it out” cuz she’s a walking, talking lie detector and those heartbeats never lie. She clocked them from the get go and takes every opportunity to tease them over it because how is it that the literal blind girl could ‘see’ they clearly liked each other but these two dunces couldn’t. (Deep down they know it’s her way of saying she’s happy for them without sounding too sappy about it).

- Suki: would absolutely be the second one to figure it out and is immediately onboard with it because who doesn’t love a good enemies to friends to lovers storyline. (One of us, one of us) She obviously teams up with Toph in teasing the hell out of them whenever the opportunity arises and the two end up bonding over how equally dense their friends were to the blatantly obvious fact that they’re so into each other. It’s borderline comical, really.

- Side note: In my head, Suki, Toph, and Iroh are the official but unofficial zutara council who get together every so often and gossip about whatever new updates on their favorite couple they may have over tea and cakes. It’s a grand old time for all of them and they all would absolutely lose it when Zuko finally proposes to Katara.

- Sokka: Ah my over dramatic water tribe boy. His reaction is just a thing of beauty, really. He would basically go through the five stages of grief because first off, that’s his little sister and second, that’s his best friend and third, what do you mean they’re together now???!! (I picture it to be like a Ross from ‘Friends’ type of reaction, specifically when he finds out about Monica and Chandler) It’s only made worse when Suki and Toph just say ‘called it’ and continue on like this isn’t the most earth shattering news to ever be released. After he’s processed it though, he’s 100% on board and later joins in on the zutara council meetings with Suki/Toph/Iroh.

- Aang: Oooh, our little flighty boy. This one was a tough one to settle on, let me tell you, buuut I think I figured it out. In my head, I think that Aang would obviously hurt for a little while over the news because Katara is his special person. This girl literally saved his life more than once, has seen him grow up, has supported him through so much, and seeing that person you so deeply love end up with someone else isn’t easy. Never is. He would more than likely keep his distance while he works through his feelings. But then one day, he starts really paying attention to how they interact with each other and Aang feels something in his brain click. Zuko understands Katara, and I mean truly understands her. He thought he understood Katara, that’s why he knew in his heart that he loved her, but seeing the two of them together makes him realize that maybe he doesn’t. His perception of her - her wants and needs - are vastly different from his and that’s probably why nothing ever truly developed between them. Sure there was maybe a spark or two but never anything big enough for a full on flame to burn, ya know. And that realization is what eventually pushes him to be in full, genuine support of their relationship. Because how could he deny her that deep understanding that Zuko is more than capable of providing? (To end on a happy note, he later joins the weekly zutara council meetings and full out cries happy tears when Zuko finally proposes to Katara because oh my god two of his favorite people love each other so much and they’re making it official.) Now keep in mind, this is how I think his reaction would be once he’s had some time to grow and actually understand (and I mean understand) that Katara is her own person and doesn’t belong to him (she’s not an object that someone can simply say is theirs).

This was so long oh my goodness but what a fun set of questions!!! Really got my brain’s gears working overtime to think up of some eloquent-esque answers for each of them 😊💗

#random babbles #zutara asks #zutara

[katydoodles]

zutara just silently together, like something just happened to one of them and the other is the only person who really understands it. They’re not looking at each other but they’re just barely touching bc they need the support. Do you get it

just that small touch... (っ °Д °;)っ

#ask #zutara #ATLA #Avatar #zuko x katara #doodle #paint tool sai 2 #fanart

[demaparbat-hp]

WIP

#atla #zutara #zuko #avatar the last airbender #katara #atla fanart #atla netflix #zutara fanart #temporary post #I know I'm such a tease #But my people asked and I felt compelled to provide #Also is that Katara in Fire Nation armor??? #Hmm... I wonder why that is... #Wink wink #In my defense you'll hear more about that AU when I make the actual post (once I finish this one) #But that new Kiawentiio & Dallas Liu picture gave me huge OMG-that's-ZK-in-the-AU-I've-been-working-on vibes #So I took a few creative liberties with the pic #Fight me #When will I finish the artwork and post it? Only Agni knows #Funny story I was working on another piece (two page comic) for this very same AU when the promo pictures came out #So I was like... well now I have no other choice #Redrawing isn't really my thing but if their chemistry out of set is anything to go by then the actual series will (probably) be a treat #So I had to do something about it #My point? #I'm just begging for ZK crumbs at this point. And I'm not ashamed of it

[firelxdykatara]

I too ship Zutara and think they should have been canon. Although for me it's important to know how such a rewrite would go down. I tried to think, and I'm lost.

After Mai betrayed Azula for him, will he just go "sorry, not interested"? He isn't obligated to date her because of this, but her redemption hinges on Zuko and I don't see it being satisfying if he ends up rejecting her after this.

I thought the solution would be to rewrite her arc in boiling rock to make her have a moral realization, but then the problem with Maiko is practically solved. Their relationship wasn't salvaged by her redemption because last time they talked, Mai still didn't understand what's wrong with the Fire Nation and only changed because she loved Zuko. So how do you make it both satisfying & logical?

With Kataang the problem is the Chakras. The problem with the original (in my opinion) is that after he opened his chakra, letting go of his attachment to Katara, he's still attached (forcing a kiss on eip). Should TCoD get rewritten so that Azula shoots him before he opens it? Then why wouldn't he just open it later? Maybe the chakra would be locked so he feels as though he doesn't need to overcome his attachment just yet. In that situation, how would his chakra even unlock? The stone thing felt like nonsense, so how would I do it?

So yeah I have no idea how to approach this. How would you? (Thanks)

I've been rotating this ask in the back of my head like a rotisserie chicken for a few days--it's interesting because I don't generally stop to think like, how would I write them out of these relationships, I either ignore the relationships completely (which isn't hard, they were barely footnotes in the cartoon) or play a little bit with jealous exes or something. Thinking about like, In A Perfect World where Bryke wasn't in charge of ATLA post-canon (because if zutara had been canon, you can be sure they would've made us regret it) is interesting, and I do have thoughts on how I'd handle their relationships in a rewrite.

(this got long, so the rest is beneath the cut)

Assuming you mostly want to keep canon intact, I think maiko would be the easiest to work around, given how little relevance their relationship has in canon. The problem with maiko as an endgame ship is that it was not set up that way--if it had been, it would not have begun entirely off-screen and their whole relationship would not have been a study in misery and utter inability to connect emotionally. His relationship with Mai was there to showcase just how much he had changed and how little he fit into the life he had been so sure he wanted more than anything since his banishment. It worked very well to highlight Zuko's growth--how that contrasted to Mai's lack of it and why she could not understand him even at his most open and vulnerable--and did not work nearly so well when she was shoved back with him in the epilogue, after he'd quite literally forgotten her existence (he never mentions her again after Boiling Rock, not even to say a word of mourning, considering he'd have every reason to believe she was killed for defying his sister).

I don't think you can fix this by giving Mai some moral realization, because there simply is no room for it. As @araeph says in the essay I linked:

As a character, Mai is very useful to the story during Zuko’s return, because she represents everything that Zuko gains by sticking by his father. A girl who cares about him; the ability to indulge her; the authority he has over others at the palace; we see it all in his interactions with Mai. But this makes Mai a tether to a life he has long outgrown. Her function is not to advance Zuko’s character development, but to obstruct it, which also unfortunately means that Mai gaining a full understanding of Zuko’s trials would be disadvantageous to the story. If she knew everything about him and still wanted him to stay, it would give Zuko more cause than he should have to remain in the Fire Nation, but if she knew and encouraged him to leave and join the Avatar, it would rob Zuko of the triumph of making this decision on his own. In other words, there are good narrative reasons for keeping Mai in the dark; it just doesn’t make their relationship any stronger.

The seeds of a genuine redemption arc (one that includes some sort of moral realization and change to her moral framework) for Mai would have to have been planted far earlier than five episodes from the end of the series, but doing so would have of necessity detracted from Zuko's own character arc and the realizations that he makes despite his attachment to Mai (or more specifically to their relationship, which I feel like he was clinging to more out of a sense of abject loneliness he couldn't shake rather than genuine feelings and emotional connection).

So, in my mind, since we're tackling this with an eye towards getting rid of maiko with the fewest ripples to the overall story anyway, the easiest way to do this would be make one slight change to the end of the Boiling Rock two-parter--have Ty Lee (who had always been the least gung-ho of the trio about bowing to Azula's whims and had to be textually threatened into joining her in the first place) save Zuko's life, and then have Mai (who showed the most genuine affection for Ty Lee anyway) save Ty Lee. I love Zuko more than I fear you always fell flat for me as some epic declaration of love, anyway, since a) Zuko is not around to hear it, and b) unlike Ty Lee, she never showed much fear of Azula to begin with, so it wasn't a very high bar to clear. It was a cool line that was entirely unearned, and I don't think it would be missed, there would be some cute mailee crumbs this way, and a throwaway line of getting them released from the prison after the war ended could wrap up their presence in the story pretty nicely.

Now, kataang is a little trickier, if only because the last leg of Aang's character arc is almost completely derailed by his refusal to let go of his possessive attachment to Katara, to the point where he never naturally reopens his chakras, he has to have the Rock of Destiny hit him in just the right place, and the deus ex lionturtle there to give him a way out of having to make a hard moral choice. (I've maintained for years that if you work the final act of your main character's overall arc in such a way that it could have been solved by one good session with a chiropractor, something got fucked along the way.)

The thing about Aang's chakras is that, narratively, his whole thing with Guru Pathik and leaving his training early to save his friends was basically his version of Luke running away from his training with Yoda on Degobah because of his Force vision, only to find out that his friends were in the process of rescuing themselves and then losing his hand because he hadn't completed the most crucial part of his training. What's missing, therefore, from the last act of Aang's character arc, is the return.

See, in Star Wars, Luke pretty explicitly makes the wrong choice when he chooses to prioritize saving his friends over attaining enlightenment and fully mastering the Force. It was the only choice he could have made, but it was still the wrong one--because, like Aang, his friends did not actually need him to save them, he actually almost makes it harder for them to get away by requiring them to save him because, like Aang, he loses a battle in a very critical way. This was a lesson he desperately needed to learn, and it is clear he has learned it by the time he makes it back to Degobah and witnesses the end of Yoda's life, his own enlightenment having already been reached.

But Aang never goes back to the Guru.

And the text refuses to allow us to sit with the fact that he made the wrong choice in prioritizing his attachment to Katara over his ability to master the Avatar State. He is actually narratively vindicated about it, because the plot bends itself into a pretzel so that he doesn't have to spend any time during the last book trying to reopen his chakras and regain access to the Avatar State, handed both in the final battle with no excess effort on his part, and handed the girl into the bargain. (The girl who never even wanted him, so far as we can tell from all the lack of cues she gave him that she actually returned his feelings.)

And I think this could have been solved with a few scattered scenes. Let Katara actually have some agency in her own romantic relationship (or lack thereof), insofar as noticing Aang's advances and clueing the audience in to how she actually feels. Let Aang struggle with the fact that he can't reach the Avatar State, that his mastery of the elements is in limbo because he can't access his full power, rather than ignoring all of this until the end of the show. If we're trying to keep the shape of the last season roughly the same, let Katara confront Aang about the invasion kiss.

This would have been the perfect time to establish that Katara actually does feel some type of way about Aang prior to the epilogue, and it could have saved us from the exceedingly cringey EIP kiss that Aang never apologized for. How it comes across now, of course, is that Katara basically pretends it never even happened, to the point where she doesn't even know what Aang is talking about during EIP until he reminds her--the death knell for any shot their relationship had at looking requited, because I can tell you, as someone who's been a teenage girl, if someone I had conflicted but burgeoning romantic feelings for had kissed me, I would not have completely forgotten about it only a few weeks later--and we never get any indication as to what she actually felt about the kiss (which was not mutual, despite what Aang's dialogue in the EIP scene implies) except for the fact that she looked away and frowned afterwards. (A change mandated by Bryke, who wanted to leave her feelings completely ambiguous; the original storyboards had her smiling to herself.)

So, with an eye towards wrapping up Aang's puppy love crush and establishing Katara's distinct lack of romantic feelings for him, have her talk to him about the kiss. A good frame of reference for this would be Meng's conversation with Aang in "The Fortuneteller", where she finally realizes that he doesn't like her in the same way she likes him. Katara and Aang's conversation about the invasion kiss could be a callback to this, with Aang having some important realizations--that just because Katara doesn't share his feelings doesn't mean she loves him any less, and just because he can't have her the way he wanted doesn't mean he has to love her any less, that she doesn't belong to him but that's ok, because she's still his family and they'll always have each other's backs. Which could have functioned well in helping him take another step towards unblocking his chakras. Going back to the Guru directly may not have worked, since by this point in the story we're hurtling towards the final confrontation and Sozin's Comet, but let Aang reflect on what the Guru told him with new understanding granted him by his experiences throughout the first half of the season.

To keep the stakes high and up the suspense, obviously, he shouldn't have fully unlocked his chakras and the AS before the final fight, but the seeds could be planted--little moments like a talk with Katara about the invasion kiss, maybe a little more empathy and understanding from him about why Katara needs closure in TSR, etc--and then, during the final fight, rather than hand him all the answers on a silver platter, have him almost lose. He still can't go full Avatar, he's out of time, he still doesn't know exactly what to do about Ozai given his own pacifism and desire to preserve that part of his culture--he tries to fight but he's pretty quickly overpowered. Idk how I would've animated this, and maybe it wouldn't have looked as cool for the final fight, but the true climax of the finale was the Zuko and Azula agni kai anyway, so it hardly matters--I'm picturing him doing the rock-shield thing and going into a brief meditative state, where he finally achieves the enlightenment necessary to unlock the AS on his own, no rock of chiropracty necessary. And at this point, I'd give Ozai a Disney Death, since leaving him alive causes more problems than it solves and it's not necessary for Aang to kill him for him to die--they're fighting on a mountain ffs--but if you don't want to change that part then him figuring out energy bending as part of becoming a fully realized Avatar would at least feel more earned than the lionturtle just handing it to him. (And that could've been foreshadowed better by seeding the idea for it earlier in the season.)

After all of that, particularly if you up the emotions during the agni kai and have Zuko and Katara kiss there (or something less explicitly romantic but still tender, like a brief forehead touch), it'd feel pretty natural to have a just friends ending for Aang and Katara. Maybe a brief, slightly awkward but ultimately amiable conversation if Zuko and Katara had a ~thing at their final fight, and then the final shot of the series could be the gaang all together, maybe zutara holding hands or Katara resting her head on his shoulder or something, but since they already kissed there wouldn't feel like a need to end the whole show on romance, something which I've always felt missed the point of the series.

And then, y'know, after that, the world's your oyster! This is how I'd do it if I were trying to keep the bulk of the final season intact. Of course, breaking it all down to its component pieces and rebuilding from the ground up is also an option, but that'd probably be a longer post lol.

#zutara #atla #m.aiko salt #k.ataang salt #atla canon rewrite #hey albert kim if you're taking notes on how to do season 3 of the LA................ #Anonymous #asked