Adam

He/him. 24 yrs old. TWDG. X-men. Comms open for $20 USD

[misslacrymosa]

I think we have to accept that there is such a thing, especially in horror media, as a load bearing problematic ship. Yes, it's incest/age gap/abusive/manipulative , and its so important to the plot that trying to remove it destroys the whole thing.

[katara-and-zuko]

Aang acting like he owns Katara in book 3 makes me extremely uncomfortable. The writing supporting the mindset of “I’m a good guy, I deserve the girl” and people genuinely being okay with that as the development of a romantic relationship is terrifying.

[azuremart]

The new Avatar movie: A talentless sequel to a once brilliant show.

Finally gathered my thoughts on the new Avatar movie, and my only question is: why did this "legend of a fancy, empty fanservice shell" even exist?

The movie was doomed at the execution stage of its concept and script.

The creators had a bulletproof foundation: one of the most masterfully written shows in television history (Avatar: The Last Airbender), the canon comics, and The Legend of Korra, which already showed us the characters aged, with children and grandchildren.

And that is exactly why the idea of focusing on "Aang’s struggles and rebuilding the Air Nation" feels entirely redundant.

1. The Redundant Arc and Zero Stakes

We have already witnessed Aang’s grief, guilt, and pain over his people’s genocide throughout the original three seasons. That arc was closed and beautifully processed. The comics already showed the Air Acolytes, and TLOK put a definitive period on this storyline by bringing back actual airbenders.

Because we already know the future, the audience has absolutely nothing to worry about:

* We know Tenzin and his kids will remain the only airbenders for decades.

* We know exactly how long the main characters live.

* We know the fate of their families.

There are no stakes. Will they die? No. Will the future change? No. The answer is already known, making the entire narrative arc completely empty. We didn’t need a movie-length repetition of Aang’s trauma just for the sake of it.

Merely drawing pretty, adult versions of the characters is not enough to make a good movie. A film needs a core conflict, meaning, and a fresh idea.

2. Fanservice Wrapping, Empty Inside

If we look at this film as a standalone (even though almost the entire audience consists of old fans), it is hollow. The characters aren't explored; their screen time adds nothing substantial to their personalities.

So, why does this movie even exist?

* To force-feed us the Kataang canon?

* To show off Aang’s bizarre, unrealistic new design with a mountain of muscles that makes zero sense for a vegan monk with his lifestyle?

* To make him look like a self-insert of the creators who desperately need to force the audience into loving him?

The creators seem so attached to Aang as their self-insert that they still cannot accept that he never became the most beloved character in his own show.

So adult Aang is redesigned to be as conventionally attractive as possible. Broad shoulders. Huge muscles. Constant shirtless shots. A heavy emphasis on his romance with Katara.

The message feels almost painfully obvious:

“Look at him. This is the hero you’re supposed to love. This is the man you’re supposed to admire. This is the man Katara is supposed to be obsessed with.”

Seriously, it felt like watching a high-budget fan-animation for a mediocre Kataang fanfiction. It is so primitive and cheap how Katara throws herself at Aang’s neck in almost every scene, completely stripped of her independence. Worse entirely, Aang risks her life for the sake of his own elusive, idealistic hopes, making him the absolute worst partner imaginable. Then again, knowing what a terrible, neglectful father he turns out to be in TLOK, his toxic selfishness here isn't even surprising. What is surprising and deeply frustrating is how the creators force Katara to blindly love THIS and submissively accept whatever crumbs of attention or respect he throws her way. Once again, Katara is reduced to being a mere appendage to the Avatar—a disservice they already started in TLOK.

3. The Nerfing of the Gaang

The rest of the characters fared no better.

Everyone feels like an extended cameo rather than actual living characters.

* Sokka:The brave warrior who wasn't a bender yet stood tall against firebenders amplified by Sozin’s Comet is gone. Instead, we got a cowardly, quirky inventor making stupid jokes. He’s a parody of his former self.

* Toph: Completely useless to the plot. She is just there.

* Zuko: Just a pretty cardboard cutout who lost all of his signature charisma. He isn't even necessary to the plot. Not to mention the sheer stupidity of the writing: the literal Fire Lord, ruler of an entire global empire, is casually piloting a zeppelin completely alone—no crew, no royal guard, as if he has absolutely nothing to manage in his own country. And watching the Fire Lord personally repair a ship... God, it looked so incredibly braindead.

The creators literally removed his chest scar and gave him zero meaningful interaction with Katara.

The authors' eternal fear of the Zutara fandom is honestly getting hilarious at this point.

It is especially glaring how they tried to deflect attention: "Quick, let's throw in some hints for Zukka, and let's have a half-naked Zuko catch Toph!" It’s a desperate attempt to distract Zutara fans, as if stuffing the movie with "cute" Kataang scenes wasn't enough to stop people from even thinking about Zutara. They feel so deeply uncomfortable with Zutara's mere existence that they have to forcefully shove Kataang down our throats while aggressively trying to erase any trace of Zutara.

4. What We ACTUALLY Needed to See

Instead of retreading old ground, the movie could have explored the massive blank spaces in the lore that actually lead into the future we know:

* The Birth of Republic City: Show the first rise of social inequality. Show how Aang failed to solve this issue, leaving it as a heavy mistake of the past Avatar for Korra to fix.

* The Bloodbending Ban: Give us a real story about why Katara had to ban it. Show us why it couldn't even be adapted for medical use. The canon ban still feels unconvincing—sub-bending is potentially useful, and even lethal lightning-bending wasn't banned but redirected for the public good.

* Characters with Unknown Fates: Give us someone to actually worry about! Where is Azula (did she redeem herself or is she still a threat)? What about Ty Lee and chi-blocking leading into the Equalists? What about Mai?

* Suki's Tragedy: Address the theory that Suki died young. It would perfectly and tragically explain why Sokka ended up alone and never started a family—losing two girls he loved could be his personal curse, making him close his heart to risk.

* Kanto: We could have been introduced to the mysterious Kanto as Toph’s future love interest—someone serious, with a personality resembling Lin, so the audience could see something familiar in him.

* King Bumi: Even showing old King Bumi sacrificing his own life to protect the heroes would have been better, so that the name of Aang’s firstborn finally received a powerful emotional justification.

But no. Instead, we wasted time on things that had already been said.

The Bitter Truth About the Creators

It is glaringly obvious that the people who made ATLA deeply emotional and complex were missing here. It was Aaron Ehasz and the brilliant room of writers who gave the original show its soul, layers, and emotional maturity.

On the backbone of that collective work, Bryke built a sequel franchise that proves once again: on their own, they simply do not know how to create something truly great.

It’s a shame so much money and years of work were wasted on this hollow fanservice. People will not be analyzing the depth of this movie years from now like they still do with the original ATLA. Because there is simply nothing to analyze.

[twinsarekeepers]

Okay, so I was talking to a KA on TikTok and they said that Aang and Katara pushed each other to experience “unweighted joy” and …? We see Katara and Aang both enjoy many things that have nothing to do with each other and the only instances I can think of them referring to are the penguin sledding and the dancing … neither of those constitute as “unweighted joy” to me. In both circumstances, there’s still a whole war hanging over their heads.

[burst-of-iridescent]

I'm so tired of the "Zuko would've taken the lightning for anyone" argument against zutara. (I was very recently engaged in that argument once again.) I loved your response to it. I've seen alot of great points. One thing I keep thinking is that, while Yes Zuko would've very likely taken the lightning for any member of the gaang, I think that in a situation where all the members were being targeted simultaneously and Zuko could only save one, he would choose to save Katara.

The fact that he chose Katara to be at his side during the Agni Kai, the fact that he and Katara became practically inseparable the moment she forgive him, the fact that she was the first person he opened up to about his deepest trauma, that she was the first person to touch his scar, that she was there for him during his reuniting with Iroh, that he cared more about what she thought of him than anyone else, I think all of these facts prove it. (I know this is sort of a pointless "what if" scenario, but so are all the "what if it was Sokka/Toph/Suki he still would've taken the lightning bolt" arguments)

Romantic or Platonic, by the end of the series, Zuko considered her his closest friend. He loves her especially and people try to downplay that love, and it frustrates me!!Sorry for the rant. I'll finish by saying I love your Zutara takes <333

And have a wonderful day!

“zuko could’ve taken the lightning for anyone!” and appa could’ve landed on azula and squashed her flat, thereby saving us all from having to endure this same inane, tired old discourse every atla relevancy cycle, but that didn’t happen because the writers, and most people (including antis, even if they like to act obtuse) understand that stories set up certain narrative and thematic expectations that need to be met in order to be concluded satisfactorily.

discussions of the final agni kai tend to inaccurately anchor it in zuko’s half of the story arc, as though the point of the scene is simply that zuko had to take lightning for somebody, and it didn’t matter who that person was, when the truth is actually that the sacrifice doesn’t happen because zuko is there; it happens because katara is.

in some alternate, terrible version of atla where for some reason, zuko chooses to fight azula with toph or sokka or suki, the lightning moment likely never would’ve happened at all because the narrative scaffolding of the final agni kai has been intentionally laid such that the singular character capable of both fulfilling the thematic and symbolic requirements of the sacrifice and lending it emotional weight and gravitas is katara. the former is the culmination of just how narratively intertwined zuko and katara are, and have been, throughout the entire series; the latter is only possible because of the depth of their pre-existing relationship.

that’s why “zuko was closer to and had a more intimate relationship with katara than anyone else in the gaang” is the plain and simple truth, because if it wasn’t, then zuko’s sacrifice never would’ve landed with the impact and resonance it did. that’s not viewing the scene through a shipping lens, as antis claim; it’s objectively the audience picking up what the show has been putting down over all three seasons.

and — just a thought — if the writers didn’t want people thinking zuko sacrificed himself for katara because he was in love with her, then maybe they shouldn’t have pulled out the Sacrificing Yourself For Someone You’re In Love With deluxe special and romantically coded the scene to the nth degree with the slow-motion realization/close-up horrified faces/tragic violins in the background/drawn-out nooooo as zuko jumped in front of her. that one’s fully on you, bryan and mike.

[melobluelights]

This is the last thing I'll say about shipping discourse in ATLA and just happily blog zutara content but it's so interesting to me how people try to moralize these ships. You're problematic if you ship zutara and it's a toxic ship because Zuko is Katara's colonizer. None of that is true and he was redeemed by the narrative and you all ignore the thousands of other ships with Zuko (zukka, jetko, jinko, zukaang, etc.). Beyond that, I love ATLA but it's ultimately created by white dudes in the early 2000s and the writing isn't perfect. You would rather get on a soapbox and yell about people who enjoy a non-canon ship but have no energy towards the problematic elements of the story that are canon.

The show villainizes Jet and Hama yet Iroh gets to be forgiven for his sins. I love Uncle Iroh and he should be able to be redeemed, but why can't we also give the same grace to victims of the fire nation who were motivated to commit acts of violence because of the violence that they experienced? He just gets to live peacefully in Ba Sing Se now yet Hama is probably locked up somewhere still? Why is it that Jet died, but they found a way for Ozai to live? Why was Katara minimized to just be the Avatar's wife and mother to his kids in LOK? Why was she just a healer when the rest of the gaang (including Toph who was also a mother) was active in politics and still able to fight. Why is it that they tend to write women as either wives/mothers or fighters (+ terrible mothers)? In the movie the genocide of southern water benders is minimized and how Katara doesn't even know much of her own culture until she met Hama. I haven't read the comics, but many people have discussed how they are pro settler colonialism and specifically make Katara the supporter of that. And let's not even unpack how the white writers clearly didn't know how to properly write about the air nation because they don't fully grasp what being a nomad looks like and living in a communal society so they just shoved Aang in a monogamous relationship where he lived in Republic City and called it a day.

I love this show and I feel so much nostalgia for it, but it's an American children's show written in the early 2000s. It is amazing in so many aspects, but it has these few elements that fall short. Obviously you can enjoy the series, the story, the animation, the ships, the lore, etc. but stop it with the moral olympics because you just sound hypocritical for attacking Zutara fans but ignoring the issues that are actually canon in the series. I still enjoy the show for what it is because it is incredibly well written but let's not pretend it's perfect and anyone who disagrees with canon is evil.

[frogpropaganda]

Zutara enjoyers: I just don't think it's okay to show A.ang kissing Katara twice without her consent and then just having them end up together without ever addressing or resolving it. I don't think the way he's shown treating Katara in season 3 is fair, and it's a disservice to her character to give her to him like a trophy after the way he treats her.

People who hate Zutara more than they like Kat.aa.ng, for whatever reason: OH YEAH BUT THEN YOU SHIP HER WITH ZUKO??? DON'T YOU KNOW THAT ZUKO [thing he atoned for], [thing everyone forgave him for], [thing Katara specifically forgave him for], [thing he was punished by the narrative for], [mischaracterization], [textbook example of an abused child's behavior], [thing he atoned for], WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THAT HUH??????

[qiimuna]

"How do people ship Zutara ??? Kataang is literally canon!-" OH MY GODDDDD WE GET IT . You got your ship , your kiss , your official ship children AND ship scenes . Just let us have this piece you greedy shit 🥀

[frogpropaganda]

Whenever I bring up A.ang violating Katara on two separate occasions, whenever I bring up his behavior in EIP and I characterize it as being pushy, entitled, and possessive, I get screamed at that I'm mischaracterizing him.

And I'd just like to ask, how? How is it mischaracterizing to accurately describe his behavior and to label it for what it is? What would you call it? No one ever seems to be able to tell me HOW I am mischaracterizing A.ang with these words. I'm not talking about his entire character throughout the series, I am talking about how he is in this episode in particular.

All I ever get is "you're mischaracterizing him!!!" without ever having it explained HOW I am mischaracterizing the way he's behaving here.

The only thing I'm ever told is that "he's 12" and "he's a genocide survivor, cut him some slack." Or an outright denial that it was non-consensual. Or some bullshit that just reveals that they think that he has some kind of claim over Katara.

Cause y'all know this is inexcusable, you know why it leaves a sour taste in so many people's mouths and why it's one of the biggest reasons a lot of fans are still not on board with Kat.a.ang and never will be.

And then there's my favorite: deflecting from this obvious violation that is never addressed or resolved by bringing up something that Zuko did before his redemption arc was locked in, as though trying to make it a competition over who is the more morally pure character via tally marks of bad deeds so you don't have to address the fact that the creators wrote Katara to fall in love with the kid who repeatedly violated her because they have very weird, gross views of women.

People will deflect by ACTUALLY mischaracterizing Zuko as being a self-centered, narcissistic jerk who didn't care about anyone except himself, y'know, the same Zuko that nearly got himself killed half a dozen times to protect his new found family, and in the same breath tell me I'm slandering Aa.ng for calling him entitled and pushy when he's acting entitled and pushy.

Make it make sense.

[vampirementality]

to me, midleven and kat@ang have the same fundamental problem: it's treated like an immutable conclusion and so the writers do not put in the effort needed to make it feel earned.

[frogpropaganda]

I don't hate A.ang I just really wish they didn't make him Like That in season 3

[panpytaked]

“Do I fail if I cannot seem to love her?” — My OC Gabriela, experiencing PPD as a first time mom!!

[muguathepapaya]

POV: The twin Princes Royal heard you talking smack about Fire Lord Izumi (their sister) in the earshot of their parents (Katara and Zuko) and have already started plotting.

This all came from wondering if Zuko and Katara's kids might end up with hazel eyes, lol.

[darklinaforever]

Yes... And when Zuko started attacking Aang during a training exercise the others weren't aware of, which could have easily been perceived as an attack, Katara just gave him a mild reprimand. It's almost as if she trusted Zuko deep down! Crazy! The anti-Zutara crowd are watching the show with their feet... And we're not saying Katara doesn't love Aang. We're saying the romantic aspect is poorly written and forced.

[darklinaforever]

So...

The anti-Zutara crowd must have some kind of psychological problem. They make posts saying Zutara is the problem... only to post them in the Zutara tag. But apparently, we're the problem. And then you have to explain their logic to me... They hate Zutara because, according to them, it doesn't make romantic sense... but they cite fanon ships that make even less sense as "more legitimate" Especially since it's just wrong. There's nothing wrong with liking purely fanon ships. But if you dare say that these ships have more romantic logic, that's insanely disingenuous. Zutara was discussed in the writers' room, and right up until the last season, they didn't know who Katara would end up with. There's a romantic subtext to the Zutara relationship. It's not even debatable, for crying out loud. And honestly, I think that's what bothers them. That's why Zutara, as a fanon ship, particularly bothers them. Because they could have been canon. It's common knowledge, and whatever they do, they won't be able to hide it or change the minds of those who would have (and still does) preferred Zutara as the endgame. Because for some obscure reason, they're obsessed with the Kataang canon. Also... even in platonic terms... the Zutara relationship is more important than the one Zuko shares with Aang and Sokka. Sorry, but it's a fact. Katara is the second most important after Iroh on his path to redemption. And that also drives the haters crazy.

[lilbagdermole]

Katara, arguarbly the most fiery and just member of the GAang, passively watched as her husband (and father to her children) neglected and became absent to 2 of her 3 children, simply because they weren't born air-benders.

Katara, the most out-spoken character in the GAang, becoming submissive and quiet to appease her partner, holding her tongue as to not hurt her boyfriend/husband's feelings and always prioritizing his feelings over her own.

Katara, who deeply values her culture, heritage and home, choosing to reside far-away from her family and friends, just so her husband can be closer to Republic City.

Katara, who taught the Avatar, who mastered water-bending in less than a year, who helped defeat Azula and ended the one-hundred year war... Not being honored with one statue, being reduced to the Avatar's wife and mother of his children, becoming known as a healer when she was one of the best benders of her time.

Bryke, you shall pay for what you did to her.

[darklinaforever]

"When aang and katara go penguin sledding, he’s the first to remind her that she’s a child."

Damn... that whole penguin thing only happened once in the entire show! It doesn't constitute an arc! And even less so the fact that Aang would help Katara feel like a child again! For that to happen, it would have to be repeated throughout the show, but it isn't! Because what's repeated is Katara's maternal side, especially towards Aang!

"When they go to kyoshi island, she gets jealous of aang getting all the attention. She lashes out at aang bc she’s mad he’s a better bender."

Yes, Katara is "jealous" on Kyoshi Island. Except it's not romantic at all. She's just eager to get to the northern tribe to learn waterbending!

"Duing the cave of two lovers, she suggests they kiss."

Yes. Katara suggests they kiss... mainly because that's what the whole context around them suggests. It wasn't an idea that came to her on its own. And after that episode and that awkward moment, she reverts to a maternal attitude towards Aang. Because instead of wanting to create an organic romance, the writers constantly wanted the viewers to wonder if Katara and Aang would actually end up together, rather than when it would happen.

Besides, I'll avoid using this cave in favor of Kataang... because the truth is that with the end of season 2 it was mostly a teaser for Zutara which ultimately led nowhere narratively because Bryke are idiots who wanted to finalize their fantasy of having their babysitter by proxy.

"During the souther raiders episode, aang is the voice of reason while katara and zuko lash out at him and try to steal his bison."

No, Aang is not the voice of reason in this episode. No, Katara and Zuko are not shown to be fundamentally at fault. The episode is about Katara and her alone. Aang wanted her to forgive. Katara never forgave. She's not even sure she did the right thing by letting her mother's murderer live. Aang's worshippers can go to hell.

"She is not the caring, eternally loving mature mother figure yall are acting like she is, nor is aang the childish figure yall want him be. The mother/son/jesus /mary analysis works when you ignore anything in the show that counters it and cherry pick what does."

Except that the maternal aspect is the majority of their dynamic. That's a fact. Their entire main dynamic revolves around Katara being a maternal figure, like an older sister or a babysitter. The creators themselves have said so. We're not reducing Kataang to this dynamic. We're saying it's their main dynamic, and that's a fact. There's no dynamic where Aang teaches Katara to be a child again. A single scene can't constitute a dynamic in a three-season show. What this idiot is trying to do is take extremely rare moments of the Kataang relationship and put them on the same level as their main dynamic, the maternal one, to diminish its importance. Because the truth is, even they are uncomfortable with this concept deep down.

Katara's annoyance at Aang's attention while she's in a hurry to get to the Northern Water Tribe to learn waterbending doesn't diminish their primary maternal dynamic. Nor do the extremely rare occasions when Katara seems to have feelings for Aang. These rare moments are merely there to justify Katara ending up with him later, without ever truly exploring Katara's thoughts and feelings about her relationship with Aang. Because I imagine that's not important to the writers...

@sokkastyles