hi! i never post on here but today that changes. ive started a fic!
it’s klance and it’s short as of now but it will get longer, don’t worry. hope y'all enjoy!!!!
i am indifferent towards your shoelaces
thanks. i obtained them through entirely legal means wholly unrelated to any country's head of state
You remember how Aang was a dumb little bitch who hid the letter with Hakoda’s location in s1 e15 all because he was a jealous, petty attention whore who decided that he literally couldn’t trust Katara and Sokka to help save the world all because he wasn’t the center of attention for a few hours? Do you ever, along with that, think about The Boiling Rock, when Zuko literally busted Hakoda out of prison alongside Sokka and brought him back to Katara? And, then, do you ever think about, say, the parallel between Aang giving up the avatar state for Katara and, later on, when Zuko jumped in front of lightning to save her? Like how Aang threw away the avatar state over his crush on Katara, as though that wasn’t something he would need in order to keep her safe, and then, eventually, was forced to give her up anyway because -shocker- he needs the fucking avatar state to keep people safe? As opposed to how Zuko didn’t hesitate at all to sacrifice everything in order to save her life? Or how about when, in s3 e16, Zuko was able to, with no judgement, both understand and help Katara by finding Yon Rha so she could finally have closure? As opposed to Aang who judged her by his morals and insisted that she just pretend that PTSD and years of pain and rage aren’t an issue and just conform to what he wants her to be so he doesn’t have to deal with her not being perfect and -*gasp*- having and showing actual emotions? Not to mention that he didn’t trust her, the young woman he’s supposedly in love with, to just… not murder a person? Unlike Zuko, who trusted her implicitly, enough that she was his immediate first choice on who to take with him to face Azula? Yeah, me neither.
“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 yin and yang. 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 cartaker, 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.
I wanted to tell you that I still liked you, but you’re talking to another girl now. It’s fine, it’s totally fine. I’m not at all upset and I’m not at all jealous. You needed this, you needed someone new and someone nice, someone not me.
They deserve more respect from the general public…
who?
The retail worker reading this
level of identity crisis: zuko doing one good thing and then contracting a fever so bad he almost dies
this is literally what i look like when i’m reading one of those 20k word fics with the really long lowercase titles that are formatted (like this) and i finally reach the part where the characters both realise they’ve been mutually pining for each other the entire time
jimmymcgill