zhtara

[zhtara]

some messy sketches bc i’m a sucker for katara initiating their first kiss

[zhtara]

Friendly reminder:

Of all the things Zuko could’ve “found” to track the Gaang by the end of the Imprisoned episode – Aang’s glider, Sokka’s boomerang – the writers went with something that belonged to Katara.  

Something she talked about earlier in that episode as something precious to her, as the last memory of her mother.  Something she couldn’t replace.  

Something she wore intimately around her neck…

…that Zuko dangled in front of her, teasingly…

…something that would, eventually, be revealed as a betrothal necklace. 

:P

Did the writers have any idea what they were doing?

Because if that isn’t an indication of dramatic irony and romantic coding, I don’t know what is.

[zhtara]

zuko when he saw the lightning headed for katara:

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I was looking at this screenshot

And I didn't actually realize what Ursa was holding until I zoomed in

And just smack me in the face with emotions, will you?

I mean, the symbolism is fairly obvious. All Zuko wanted was to go home, and now he's realizing that home is a place he can no longer fit in. But the realization that what he really wanted, that sense of safety and security and love, that it wasn't home he wanted, it was his mom. And that she isn't there. That's heartbreaking.

He also has flashes in this scene to playing with Azula, his father's hand on his shoulder, being held by Iroh and laughing with Lu Ten, but the handprint, that's his mom. Something definable and definite that not only connects him to the past, but is a permanent impression of how things have changed. His memories of his father, even memories of when he and Azula were kids, those can be easily obfuscated by trauma. Even the happy memories of Iroh and Lu Ten mask the horror of the war machine that both Lu Ten and Iroh fell victim to. But a small child's hand, being held by his mother? That's real, and gone forever.

[zhtara]

a common argument i see used against anti k@taangers is that we would ship them if aang were older and let me just say

no the fuck i wouldn’t??

if anything i would dislike the ship MORE than i already do. so much of aang’s unhealthy behavior is excused because he’s young, if anything the ship would be much LESS popular if he was older and acted the same way

like say aang was the same age as sokka and still pulled the shit he did in ember island players, people would have been OUTRAGED

[zhtara]

i love it when someone uses the “why can guys and girls be just friends” line for zutara, when… you know, the same could be said about kata.ang.

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[zhtara]

I find it a little strange how Katara seems to ONLY care about Aang in the comics. If it’s not happening to Aang, she’s either oblivious or indifferent to it. Even if it’s something where the real Katara would definitely care.

In The Search when they were in that lecture listening to that dude ramble on about families and the like, the REAL Katara would have noticed that Zuko seemed down. She would have expressed her concern, and he likely would have opened up to her about his mother. She would have told him that she would be more than happy to help him find his mother because she knows that it’s important to him, especially since the shared loss of their mothers is something they have in common. But Aang doesn’t think it’s a good idea, so neither does Katara.

In The Rift when Toph is being adamant about not wanting to bow down the the statue, much to the dismay of an increasingly irritated Aang, all she has to say about this is “Please Toph, just do it. This is really important to Aang.” The REAL Katara has plenty of experience with dealing with Toph when she gets all stubborn like that, and she also knows that it usually comes from a much deeper place of discomfort and vulnerability. The REAL Katara would have pulled her aside and grilled her until she admitted what was really bothering her. Then she would have told Aang to just let it slide. But since Aang tells her, to paraphrase, “No no, by all means, let her act like a stubborn asshole about this if that’s what she really wants to do” and so Katara just lets Toph continue to act like a stubborn asshole.

Tbh I haven't read the comics and don't plan to, so I can't comment on stuff that I haven't heard about from tumblr or haven't looked up on my own, but just like when Katara and Zuko both zeroed in on the mayor's family, it's funny that both Katara and Zuko were the only ones who cared about that dude's speech about family when Sokka and Aang were like "who cares?" Zuko and Katara literally have the same values and yet they aren't allowed to interact with each other at all lol.

[zhtara]

Shoutout to all my non cannon shippers. We out here STILL shipping our otps even tho they may never happen. Getting hate for it , and experiencing the pain of runing out of fanfiction to read . We really do have it hard . Bless y’all have a nice day !

And NO ONE can ever change our mind,so suck it

[zhtara]

i don’t like a gold rush, gold rush i don’t like anticipating my face in a red flush

i don’t like that falling feels like flying ’til the bone crush

everybody wants you, everybody wonders what it would be like to love you

everybody wants you but i don’t like a gold rush

what must it be like to grow up that beautiful with your hair falling into place like dominos?

my mind turns your life into folklore

i can’t dare to dream about you anymore

at dinner parties i call you out on your contrarian shit

and the coastal town we wandered ’round had never seen a love as pure as it

and then it fades into the gray of my day old tea ’cause it could never be...

everybody wants you ... but I don’t like a gold rush.

[zhtara]

i honestly think a lot of the rage towards zuko  /  zutara stans when we criticize a.ang   /  k.ataang is because the narrative supports them in not paying attention to these flaws because aang is the good guy & they’re meant to be together so anything that happens in the course of that relationship is essentially padding because of the secured endgame.

zuko is consistently held accountable for the harm he does in the show. he isn’t allowed to just hide behind his age or being traumatized like a.ang is, when zuko does harm, he has to face the consequences of those actions & he does. alongside that, zutara can’t just happen because the writers said so because there is such a history with these two characters that this combined trauma & hurt between them has to be brought to boil & put in the past. both of these things happen continuously through the story & the narrative encourages the watchers to do so, to point out when zuko has done wrong & to support katara when she doesn’t forgive him right away. it supports the watcher in seeing them forgive each other but then says stop, that’s far enough & tries to pretend like it didn’t put in a fair amount of romantic tropes for them.

whereas with a.ang, whenever he does anything wrong, the show has a multitude of excuses to hide behind for him so he never has to change or grow. a.ang hurts katara? he didn’t mean to, he’s new to firebending & sokka is framed as in the wrong for keeping him away, even though katara warned a.ang to not piss about. a.ang kisses katara twice without consent? ah that doesn’t matter, he’s only a kid. who expects him to know about consent, even though he’s apparently old enough to be in a relationship where consent is the first & main thing to matter. why are you hung up on it, the show said it’s fine, look ! katara kissed him back in the finale ! just don’t pay attention to how she told him she wasn’t ready, he never apologised & then they never talk about it again before that big finale kiss though.

& on the subject of katara, in k.ataang, she’s treated pretty much as a goal. it’s a.ang’s goal to be with her & that’s the predestined endgame so really, her agency doesn’t matter. what she wants, doesn’t matter. hence why there’s barely any romantic reciprocation on her end & when she is upset with a.ang, it never lasts. whereas with zuko & zutara, it’s much more of a balanced act & katara is given the agency to be mad at zuko, to hold him accountable for how he hurt her, & they are both allowed to grow.

a.ang doesn’t have to go through half the emotional growth zuko does without things being handed to him on a plate  —  the solution to defeating ozai  —  or the selfish actions he takes  —  choosing not to give up katara with no lasting repercussions  —  & this is all treated as normal by the narrative & writers. it all becomes why are you picking on this child, ignoring that zuko is not that much older & is just as traumatized as a.ang, or why are you so determined to hate him, when no. people are not determined to hate a.ang, but we do hate the hypocrisy between the way he & zuko are held accountable & how people pitch a bitch fit whenever this is pointed out. because to them, the narrative supports never holding a.ang accountable so neither will they.

zuko & zutara have to work for their fulfilling arcs. a.ang & k.ataang don’t.

[zhtara]

urgh i’ve been staring at this zutara sketch so long i’m no longer convinced it looks good but i spent a whole evening on it so i’m posting it anyway. still obsessed with them + hands. for this one in particular i was thinkin about the hushed conversations they’d have in public. banter, gossip, inside jokes, secrets….

[zhtara]

Can you imagine the episode of The Runaway if Zuko had been with the Gaang in this moment? It makes me laugh imagine when Toph tells Katara that she is very motherly and Katara begins question if she is motherly. With Zuko there it would have been epic.

Toph: Katara is so motherly.

Zuko: Yeah, she’s a total MILF.

Toph: What?

Zuko: What. 

Aang: What’s a MILF? 

Sokka: 

[zhtara]

No, women don’t prefer Zutara because we’re shallow and think that Zuko is hotter than Aang. Women prefer Zutara because it’s a relationship where Katara gets to talk to Zuko like a friend, confidant, and equal instead of talking down to him like a child. It’s a relationship where Zuko takes care of Katara instead of her constantly having to coddle and take care of him and getting nothing in return. It’s a relationship where Katara gets to be her full, authentic self at all times and Zuko absolutely loves her for it instead of having to censor herself to make him more comfortable. It’s a relationship where Zuko respects Katara’s personal beliefs instead of trying to force his own on her. It’s a relationship where Katara gets to be crowned an actual queen instead of being reduced to a healer and “the Avatar’s wife.”

And yeah, maybe a beautiful teenage girl looks a little more natural standing beside a handsome teenage boy than she does standing next to a prepubescent middle schooler who’s at least a head shorter than her. Maybe red/blue is an attractive colour scheme. Sue me.

instead of talking down to him like a child

See, this is the thing that really gets me, and part of what really turned me off Kataang when I was watching. I love hurt/comfort stuff so I don't mind it when Katara comforts Aang, I actually initially found those scenes sweet (although it does annoy me when it's one-sided and Katara is expected to both mother Aang and be available as a romantic partner), I don't care at all about age gaps or the La Pieta thing. I grew up Catholic, sign me up, baby!

But stuff like this...

Katara: [Slightly annoyed.] Stop rubbing your eye and speak clearly when you talk!

Aang: [He and Sokka sit straight.] Yes, ma'am.

and

Katara: We've been through so many things together, and I've seen you grow up so much. You're not that little goofy kid I found in the iceberg anymore. [Aang blushes.] I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm really proud of you.

Err...

It's like they were deliberately trying to kill my investment in these two characters' relationship. How did "you're not that goofy little kid anymore, I'm proud of you" lead to French kissing?

[zhtara]

WHAT SPARKS OR CHEMISTRY THEYRE JUST HUGGING EACH OTHER, GO OUTSIDE 😭😭

at least this hug was consensual. 😘

[zhtara]

Is it just me or when Katara says “Aang, don’t walk away from this!” does it sound like a parent scolding their child?

It isn't just you, and the fact that this is their last scene together before their kiss in the finale is infuriating to me. After we've seen how much pain it causes Kataea to see Aang walk away, and after the show repeatedly made jokes about Katara being like Aang's mom at her expense.

The reality with Katara being coded as motherly towards Aang is that it isn't all that unusual in the way heterosexual romances are written by male writers. Women are typically expected to mother their male partners and simultaneously derided for it as if it were a natural state. That's why so many people accept it and don't see it as all that unusual.

But what really gets me is how the show deliberately chose this framing after not letting KA make up after their serious fights in the previous two episodes. They chose to frame Aang as a child rebelling against motherly, long-suffering Katara

And then chose to frame Zuko as the father figure stepping in to tell mom to let their son sort it out for themselves.

I mean, look at Katara's face when Aang is pointing his finger at her and look at her face when Zuko acts supportive.

She is totally shocked that someone is actually taking this burden off her. Not only is this one of the quintessential momtara scenes, it's also a dadko scene. And Aang is their unruly child.

I'm being slightly facetious but what really bothers me about this scene is how ugly Aang is towards Katara and how hypocritical. I mean, look at the dialogue.

Aang: None of you understand the position I'm in.

Katara: Aang, we do understand. It's just ...

Aang: Just what, Katara? What?

Katara: We're trying to help!

Aang: Then, when you figure out a way for me to beat the Fire Lord without taking his life, I'd love to hear it!

Remember when Katara told Aang that he didn't understand the position she was in wrt getting justice against her mom's murderer and the fandom constantly skewers her for it?

Remember when Aang said he did understand and then proceeded to tell her what she was feeling and what he thought she should do about it, and how Katara thanked Aang for understanding even though he clearly did not and continued not to understand up until he wrongly assumed she had done what he thought she should do? Contrast that with Aang immediately interrupting Katara when she tries to tell him she understands and screaming at her.

The icing on the cake here is that Katara had just made her own decision to spare the life of someone who didn't deserve it. If anyone is in a position to understand even a little bit Aang's position, it is her. But Aang completely dismissed her in that episode and was wrong about what she would choose to do about Yon Rha.

This scene just emphasizes how little Katara and Aang understand each other, while showing Katara and Zuko getting closer.

[zhtara]

Sun and Moon

slowly she approached him holding a letter containing all her thoughts and feelings she couldn’t bare his gaze not daring to look up, afraid of the ice in his eyes. ice mirroring the celeste and lavender of her dress, like the blizzard silently raging inside her heart when their hands briefly brushed.

“your hands are cold”, he noticed and the warm orange blossom scent had her remember the longing almost forgotten. he took her hand, heating it gently, setting her ablaze, melting away the cold in her core, drawing her in. she could not leave.