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[8nin]

"There's millions of Tumblr users" to you. To me There's only about 12 and we all reblog the same five posts from each other

[uchihaculture]

hate this “sasuke don’t deserve sakura” shit, he suffered for years, felt betrayed and lonely… that man deserved to be loved everyday of his life! sasuke deserves a kind love, a happy love, someone who loves him purely cause he exist… and that’s sakura!

[garlicbread-mybeloved]

I didn't actually want to post about this, at least not yet, but I need to. The demons told me to. Anyway.

Toph and Katara in LOK are both. So, so bad as a representation of women. They are literally the trad wive vs. the career woman archetype. You know, the one where you either get a family by sacrificing your autonomy or become successful by sacrificing your relationships.

(Notice how Aang is holding Katara as to associate them as an item? Notice how Toph is the only one who isn't making any physical contact with the rest of them?)

Katara, who is very traditionally feminine, gets to have a family, as dysfunctional as it is. Yeah, maybe the writing of the ship sucked, maybe we could have had better, but she did get to have a long, committed relationship to a man that she (according to the canon of the show) loved. But that's all she is. They say that she's a great healer? Casting aside the fact that that's not all there is to her, we barely get to see that side of her anyway. She's only ever been relevant as the Avatar's wife and mother of their kids. Who needs acknowledgement anyway? Certainly not a master waterbender who is the only reason the said Avatar is even alive and well in the first place.

Toph, who tends to reject traditional femininity, is the career woman in the stereotype. She gets fame, she gets respect, she gets agency. From a job that doesn't suit her at all, but she still does. But we don't see a single relationship work out for her. She has two kids from different people, who grow up with a neglectful parent largely because she prioritizes her work over them. The work in question is being a cop. She never gets a consistent partner to rely on and trust, but hey, at least she gets to advance her career in a profession she doesn't even seem to like all that much. What a win, am I right?

Both of these feel so wildly out of character for them too.

You're telling me that Katara - a master waterbender, a war hero, a fighter, and a person who passionately defied misogyny at just about every step she took to get where she is - would be okay with being reduced to just a housewife? Because I don't think she would be. It's like her literally fighting a guy for trying to get her to conform to a stereotypically feminine role or struggling with misogyny from even her own brother was never a thing.

You're telling me that Toph - the one who tried to reach out to her neglectful parents to reconcile, the one to give Iroh of all people valid advice, the "do you think friendships can last more than one lifetime" one - would choose her career over her loved ones? Because I don't think she would. It's like her being one of the most emotionally intelligent people in the show or having a strong (for better or worse) attachment her friends and family never happened.

I'm not saying that Katara can't have a family. I'm saying that aside from that she also deserves to be remembered for being a badass that she is, and not just a wife or a parent. I'm not saying that Toph shouldn't have had a job. I'm saying that she isn't the type of person to regard it highly enough to put it above her relationship with the people she loves. I'm saying that they deserve better.

Also, take it or leave it, but don't you think that it's kind of similar to how Pema and Lin are? Airbender baby factory and a hopelessly single and frankly probably depressed cop. LOK just doesn't want women to be happy, huh? ​

[avatarfandompolice]

So I’m getting reblogs on some old anti-NATLA posts talking about the pre-release media saying Toph would be “more feminine” that are saying that the new movie also did that to her and “ruined her.”

I think it’s just a byproduct of people being way, WAY too stereotypical with how they treat less traditionally feminine characters. You can find so much about Toph being some ultra butch lesbian everywhere, but she ultimately shows no interest in women, and even is disgusted and embarrassed for accidentally kissing Suki. At the same time, she’s shown having multiple crushes on men. Sokka, Satoru, Tagah, Ohev, etc. throughout ATLA and its supplementary materials. She even has a named baby daddy in Kanto.

Toph being a slightly promiscuous adult woman who is attracted to men does absolutely nothing to make her a weaker character or a weaker female character. This is the same genre of argument as saying Katara is a weaker female character for wanting to have children and raise a family, or saying Pema is a homewrecker and useless character for being, well, not Lin Beifong.

This fandom is brutally stupid when it comes to trying to promote progressive ideas then shoehorning the portrayals of them they deem good into the most stereotypical, reductive, and ultimately harmful versions of them.

[jana-137]

You know, I really think that Katara's personality would be more pronounced in a relationship with Zuko than one with A.ang. Let me explain;

One of the most common things people say about the Ka/taang dynamic is that A.ang helps Katara have fun. So basically, it's like Katara is the too serious girl who needs A.ang to help her have fun and bring her out of her shell. There's nothing wrong with this dynamic but I don't think it's really accurate to Katara.

I mean yes, Katara is very responsible, relatively mature and focused, but I don't think the trope of needing someone to help her have fun fits her, I think it fits Zuko more. I don't think a lot of people stop to think about why Katara doesn't have fun much, it's not really because she doesn't know how to or because she needs to be brought out of her shell, it's because she's mostly stuck playing the adult in the room and taking care of things no one else wants to or can take care of. This then makes her look "too serious" many times in comparison. This is why when she talks about the kind of romance she wants, she doesn't say she wants someone to help her have fun, she says she wants someone to lean on.

Katara is an extrovert, she's social and Iikes meeting and connecting with new people

She revels in her fights

She can be very teasing

And she knows when to take a break and have fun.

In Zutara, Katara is the fun one, she's the one pulling Zuko to dance with her when he's hesitant, she'd be the one organizing social events and surprise parties, she'd be the one reminding Zuko that they need a vacation, teasing Zuko would be her love language. Zuko and Katara have that extroverted girl x introverted guy dynamic (which I absolutely love, if you can't already tell :))

Think Jin and Zuko except Zuko would be more comfortable with Katara since there'd be nothing to hide and he has a stronger bond with her. It doesn't surprise me that Zuko's date was written by Katie Matilla, a Zutara shipper. Zuko is reserved, he's the character that needs other characters to help him have fun and take a break. From Uncle Iroh to Jin to the entire Team Avatar, these characters do help Zuko relax and have a little fun and when Zuko's around fun people, post-redemption, he's actually quite open to participating-unless if there are more pressing matters at hand-especially if it makes them happy. Like how he tries to make jokes with the team or his little banter with Sokka in The Boiling Rock.

Zuko and Katara have the same level of responsibility, maturity and focus, so no one ever feels like they're parenting or babysitting the other, but their differences are perfect if you ask me. Katara's love would be more openly expressive, more bright while Zuko's way of showing love is more subtle but very tender and thoughtful.

Like trying to make Iroh's tea just the way he likes it and serving him, risking exposing his identity to make Jin happy

boosting A.ang's self-esteem when he seems insecure in the Firebending Masters, trying to cheer Sokka up when he's losing hope in the Boiling rock and where do I even start with Katara, the entire crystal catacombs scene, the entire Southern raiders episode, especially packing all their stuff and telling her to get some rest (There's a list of all the stuff he did in this post I made), that smile when he sees her 🤧 Heck, he even tries with Mai in The Beach by bringing her things in hopes they'll please her.

I love the dynamic of Katara's more bright, expressive and affectionate love with Zuko's more quiet, tender and thoughtful love. I also think his more introverted and reserved way of caring makes Katara feel emotionally comfortable.

Like in the crystal catacombs, he remains patient with her, let's her vent and just listens to what she's saying regardless of her angry tone. He interjects once when she unknowingly insults Iroh but other than that he just listens. She starts to cry and he ignores all the yelling and tries to sympathize with her instead. He then tries to connect with her by being vulnerable with her. He does every single thing right in this scene and his approach not only makes her calm down but even has her apologizing for yelling at a guy who's been her enemy for two seasons.

There's also The Southern Raiders, where despite how angry she is at him, Katara feels comfortable enough to open up to Zuko about the day her mother was murdered, and completely unprompted too.

This post by @allnewalldifferentwildspider also talks about how Zuko's empathy helps him pick up on what others are thinking or feeling.

Zuko is very emotional and passionate person. As much as he tried to hide it to appease his father, Zuko does want to open up and connect with people. Unfortunately, aside from his uncle, most of the other people he knows are like Zhao and Azula. Not the most understanding of crowds. But because of this he can pick up what people are really thinking and feeling. Think of it as a defense mechanism he developed growing up around people like Azula.

Something similar happens during The Southern Raiders. Zuko figures out that Katara is taking out her anger of being separated from her father by The Fire Nation onto him and even connecting her mother's death to him.

It's not the first time Zuko has done this either. He easily figured out that Sokka was planning on going to The Boiling Rock. He does it again during Sozin's Comet when he tells Katara that Aang needs to figure out what to do about Ozai by himself.

I think both Katara and Zuko shine in Zutara but in different ways. But like in The Headband for example, Katara is portrayed as shy, hesitant and needing to be brought out of her shell, even though she's never been shy about anything before and is more confident in herself than A.ang. Yes, A.ang is childlike but Katara is more self-confident. She's the one who tends to his insecurities, who advocates for him as the Avatar and whose been making public speeches from as early as season one. When I was doing research for Katara's personality type in a previous post I made, I found some sites where they genuinely mistook Katara for an introvert, likely due to her portrayal in the comics and LOK.

This extroverted girl x introverted guy dynamic is especially evident in Zutara fanart (Here's some of my favorites, one, two, three and four). I really do think that Katara's extroverted and fun side would come out a lot more in Zutara since she doesn't mother Zuko, she can lean on him, since besides her, he's the most responsible person in Team Avatar, she deeply trusts him, she's emotionally comfortable around him and likes to tease him.

This dynamic they have is also one of the reasons why I would've loved a part two to the Southern Raiders where Katara helps Zuko find his mum. The trip would be more light-hearted since the last one was emotionally heavy (as it should be). I think this trip would probably showcase the funnest and most teenage side of Katara that we've ever seen for all the factors I mentioned in the previous paragraph.

[soareleandluna]

Katara's type

Someone handsome and tall

"someone to lean on"

"I didn't even have to convince him of how important it is!"

"I didn't even have to convince him of how important it is!"

"I didn't even have to convince him of how important it is!"

Zuko trying to make his partner understand that there are more important things to worry about than their relationship

"a special connection"

[sokkastyles]

The idea that it's "adultifying" Katara to ship her with Zuko is hilarious because like, the argument is not that she needs someone mature because she needs to act like an adult, the argument is that she needs someone mature so that she doesn't have to act like the adult. Truly a piss on the poor moment.

But also, like, wanting to date a boy two years older than her would not be age inappropriate for her. Katara was down bad and ready to go throughout the series. She was planning her whole future.

This is why I dearly love the zutara headcanons where Aang is trying to get up the nerve to ask Katara out and wondering why she isn't magically becoming his girlfriend and meanwhile Katara is already dating Zuko.

[shadowrosegarden]

Can we retire the "Katara hated Zuko" argument against zutara already? Because I'm so tired of this being presented as some kind of devastating gotcha when really it's just like... so? That's kind of the point

People don't ship zutara because it was sunshine and roses from the beginning, but because of the tension. The journey from enemies and betrayal to forgiveness and friendship (and maybe something more) is what makes their arc so compelling and is exactly the kind of storytelling that makes people continue to care about a pairing long after the show has ended

Citing the enemies part of enemies to lovers as a reason the ship doesn't work is one of the most baffling arguments in zutara discourse

[tea-and-la]

TSR is katara’s story. regardless of the writers claiming it’s a story about aang and how he “levels the maturity by giving katara advice”

i think it’s very telling that kat/aangs describe the southern raiders as “she listened to aang” or “aang was right” and “katara was ooc.” There’s so much emphasis on proving superiority in an episode that is very heavy and nuanced bc of her specific trauma.

whereas zks, focus on katara’s response and her words. Zks are usually upset because katara was being invalidated by two people close to her with words that she would never say to them. We dont like that it was immediately assumed to be the worst and that she wasn’t comforted in any way. Zks don’t like that she is called ooc when trauma response isn’t perfect or pretty + the lowkey misogyny of assuming a female character is out of control or acting irrational. Zks are frustrated because years later, people still hold the words she said out of anger against her, even though aang has said the same thing.

one of these is more katara focused than the other.

[darklinaforever]

"The reason people don't ship Kataang is because of the kind of masculinity Aang represents."

I immediately stopped watching that TikTok when I heard that. Aang actually represents the classic hero, classic masculinity on the nice guy side. There's nothing different about him. The entire relationship with Katara was written from a misogynistic point of view to fulfill a childhood fantasy of Bryke's. A self-insert. There's no more classic masculinity than that. Just because Aang is a pacifist, vegetarian child doesn't mean he embodies a different kind of masculinity. You're analyzing the pure surface. It's astounding. Obviously, this opinion came from a man... Aang is such a pacifist that the show never confronts him with the potential problem of this viewpoint when facing Ozai by pulling a magic turtle out of a hat. He doesn't need to make any effort. He's a vegetarian but feels entitled to criticize the food of the Water Tribe or have bones read by Aunt Whu. He kisses Katara multiple times without her consent. He objectifies/idealizes her. He naturally expects her to reciprocate his feelings. He's excessively jealous. He doesn't understand her, as seen in the episode about his mother's killer, etc. Not to mention that he is constantly mothered by Katara, including in the new movie. If there are examples of different kinds of masculinity in this show, it's more Uncle Iroh and Zuko than Aang, honestly. Aang is an attempt at that, I won't deny it. But since he's essentially the self-insert of a complete opposite, the writing doesn't follow. And since Bryke obviously didn't really focus on characters like Iroh or Zuko, there are some truly different forms of masculinity here.

[charlottebaskerville]

I like aang and i do believe he was a little bit correct in his idea that violent revenge was pointless. And. At the same time. Imagine being katara in that scenario. Imagine losing your mother in a gruesome and horrific way before you were even 10, and then having the guy who claims to love you more than anything, who never even HAD a mother much less lost one, try to tell you how to cope with that grief. Imagine your closest friend and your own brother preaching to you and basically implying that youre being hysterical over a tragedy that you perceive as your own fault. Her telling sokka he didnt love their mom enough was tame imo because if it were me in that situation I would've physically hurt them at that point. I feel like the fandom is so intent on excusing aang's every action that they dont even bother to consider katara's feelings in that scene and as a woman it bothers me deeply. Zutara isnt even the point of my saying this, its about katara, but honestly zuko was the only one who could've possibly understood her on that level and the "he was the devil on her shoulder" thing is insanely illiterate. Zuko got to face down the man who took his mother from him. He could see that katara needed to do the same thing and gave her the nonjudgmental freedom she needed to decide for herself what to do instead of pushing his own views on her. The bulk of the fandom misconstruing that in the name of a ship war and putting a 12 year old boy on a pedestal is my roman empire fr because I cant tell if they're dense or just do not empathize with female characters at all

[thesungod]

and one last thing about zutara! i’ve recently made a post where i jokingly commend zuko for supporting katara’s murderous intentions in the southern raiders. but i want to push back on something many antis say, which is that zutara functions as some kind of “dark romance” ship where the two “make each other worse” and the usual spiel. the claim that zuko is a traditional “bad boy” in opposition to “good girl” katara has already been disproven a million times, but to dig deeper:

the charm of most straight dark romances is the lack of morality displayed by the male half of the couple. this appeals to people because a protagonist with no moral limit is willing to commit any type of crimes to protect or avenge his love interest. “i’ll burn the world down for you” is the most common dark romance trope. in that type of stories, the woman often functions as a moral compass and she ends up either fixing the man or being corrupted herself. while she’s inherently good, she does not have strong convictions. when the man changes, it is because he loves her, not because she’s successfully redeemed him and changed his views.

zuko and katara can never fit that archetype because zuko and katara have strong, unmovable, righteous morals. even as a villain, there are lines zuko refuses to cross. times and times again, he’s moved to act out of compassion and empathy. not for a woman, not for the Uncle he’s devoted to, but for people and creatures he barely knows. kindness is inherent to him. he’s more than willing to leave mai, the girl he canonically loves, to become a part of the anti-imperialist resistance because his conscience allows him no other path. even in a world where zutara happens, zuko’s redemption would not be kickstarted by his romantic love for katara.

zuko would not “burn the world down” for katara because zuko would not love a woman that asks that of him, and katara would not love a man that would. their sense of justice, their kindness and their willingness to do what is right even when it’s impossibly hard is what would ultimately draw them together.

[lorsanbitch]

figured out why k/taang bothered me as a kid.

Most children's media I watched back then was primarily directed at young boys, and atla was no different. Aang is the main character, and the center of the main romance (although this was very much not the focus of the show), which is mostly shown from his perspective. The writers also talk about it from his POV. Katara is the cute older girl who sees Aang like a little kid she needs to take care of. She loves him "like a babysitter, like a little brother". But there's the wish fulfillment; even though you’re a goofy kid, the pretty older girl likes you back. I had seen that dynamic, that perspective, in kids media over and over and over again. It was always the girl who changed her mind. And as a girl who couldn't relate, it always felt like watching her get worn down. (disclaimer: these were my feelings, I'm aware they don't reflect the writers' intentions)

K/taang, from its inception, right from the mouths of the writers, was always about what Aang wanted, his wish fulfillment. What little boys would want to see.

The difference in zutara is that it’s not a male-centered fantasy. It’s not that the girl will come around eventually, it’s that the guy has to work and change to be her friend. It's female-centric. Even k/taang fans seem to recognize this, although they view it pejoratively. “You like Zuko cause he’s hot and you project onto Katara” Look, I’m gay so no I don’t want to date Zuko, but yeah womanhood is central to Katara's arc and so I relate to her more than I do Zuko or Aang. Of course the idea that someone would change to gain your respect is more appealing than being worn down into liking someone you just previously treated like your child. And hey! Romance is wish fulfillment! I’m sorry, is that supposed to be shameful?

K/taang fans have this constant misunderstanding that zutara is shallow and so are its fans. It's all about the aesthetic appeal of Zuko over Aang. Honestly the way they talk about it sometimes smacks of misogyny. No you can’t find this relationship deep or meaningful, you just think Zuko is hot. You don’t like their dynamic or development, you just project onto Katara because you think Zuko is hot. You dont like zutara over k/taang because they’re completely different kinds of ships that appeal to different tastes, you just think Zuko is hot and Aang isn't.

Because women can’t possibly think deeply about these things, they’re shallow and insipid, obviously. Do you hear yourselves?

I like Katara and Zuko together more because k/taang reminds me of every other male fantasy I had to see women be accessories to. Katara may be her own character in the show, with an arc and development and independence, but in her romance with Aang, she's just his girl.

[zizishleezy5]

Atlas problem with consent

Aangs characterization regarding his romantic relationships kind of follow the “nice guy” archetype. He’s 12 years old during the show, small, wide eyed, and over all very likable. He’s what any girl would want right? A nice guy who’s respectful and always sweet to the female lead, who wouldn’t want that? (I imagine that’s what bryke was thinking). Throughout the show, the writers depict his relationship with Katara through his eyes, making the watchers root for him, and genuinely want to see him succeed in his romantic endeavors. I’d say a certain amount of babying him happens in the show, but that’s to be expected because he is young. The creators (bryke) even pity him to a certain extent regarding his luck with Katara, using statements like “poor Aang”. I think this accurately reflects how watchers view him as well , seeing that’s how the creators want us to perceive him.

While Aangs crush on Katara is sweet, the show mainly develops their relationship in a way that makes you pity Aang, and want to see him “win her over”. It’s a classic “will they won’t they” story, and while I believe this trope can be used well, I don’t think it’s executed well in this story. I think it would’ve gone over better if we saw more of Kataras perspective regarding Aang but, there really isn’t much in the story that CLEARLY solidifies that she likes him romantically, and even if you were to argue that she had a crush on him towards the end of the series, that in itself is not explored fully, as we never spend enough time inside Kataras head.

I think what really hammers my point in is their interactions toward the end of season three. To be honest the writers really shot themselves in the foot writing their relationship. From the unfinished chakra ark, to Aang kissing Katara without consent twice, the writers show the viewers that it really is unclear if Katara likes him or not, and we’re left wondering if she is really is the best choice for him long term (and short term since he has to defeat the fire lord). There are a crap ton of debates out there regarding Aang kissing Katara. Honestly I feel like if you have to bend over backwards to prove she liked both kisses you’ve already lost the argument.

Let me make myself clear, consent is not something that is debatable, just because you’ve kissed someone in the past (since I think it’s canon that they kissed in the cave of two lovers), does not mean that consent carries through till the next time, especially if you aren’t dating the other person. Consent isn’t meant to be confusing, if you don’t know if someone wants to kiss you, you probably shouldn’t kiss them. If you aren’t clear on the other persons feeling towards you, you probably shouldn’t kiss them. Aang and Kataras relationship is strange (on purpose!) because the writers don’t want you to be sure about Kataras feelings towards Aang (really showing us how they view her agency…). Now, for the most part, the “kissing your partner unaware” is a pretty popular trope to use in romance media, particularly from the male pov but I’m not saying it can’t happen vice versa ( aka Sokka and Sukki season 1). However, the lack of clarity regarding where Katara stands within their relationship is what makes the first kiss not okay, in fact it’s only solidified later on because we NEVER KNOW what Katara thinks of it, it’s never brought up or acknowledged by the plot until the Ember Island Players Episode, where Aang DEFINITELY kisses her without consent again. I really want y’all to understand that CONFUSION IS NOT CONSENT. Saying “I don’t know”, or brushing off the other person also isn’t consent. My real problem with the writers approach at Kataang is that these instances are not seen as significant enough to be bright up again, and worse, Kataang becomes canon right after.

This is especially harmful to the children watching because it is SUBCONSCIOUSLY telling them, boys specifically, that is it ok to kiss your crush without consent as long as you “like them enough”, or if your feelings are strong enough/genuine, it’s ok to pressure them until they give in. All you need to do is just keep pursuing them, they’ll give in eventually. I’m not saying atla is the sole perpetrator of this idea, in fact, it’s already so common and in romance media that that’s why I’m being especially hard on them. Just to clarify, Aang feeling guilty for his actions is NOT the same as apologizing and learning from your mistakes. It is problematic that atla writers chose to include these tropes in their story, and double down on them instead of giving Aang a proper arc where he experiences hardship and LEARNS FROM IT.

[burst-of-iridescent]

aang choosing katara over the avatar state being seen as a touching display of his love for her is honestly one of the most egregious misreadings of the source text that exists in atla fandom and i really wish this interpretation would stop being touted in support of kat.aang when it is anything but favourable to either the ship or aang himself as a character.

aang having to let go of katara isn’t — in fact, logically cannot be — about having to let go of love, because there is no mention of having to do the same for sokka, toph, appa or momo. and even if we make the caveat that pathik was referring only to romantic love, it still can’t be true because we know that previous avatars have loved and been loved romantically without issue. roku, kyoshi and kuruk all had romantic partners, so there is no reason aang cannot. then it follows that aang needing to let go of katara specifically can only be because what he feels for her is not love — true, pure, selfless love — but attachment. aang’s choice isn’t actually for katara at all; it’s a choice for himself, because he doesn’t want to let go of her.

there’s a reason that aang’s grief over the air nomads gets brought up in this same episode, because it is inextricably intertwined with both his feelings for katara and his role as the avatar. after all, it was his being the avatar that led to the fire nation’s attack; it was his abandonment of that role out of fear that caused him to survive instead of being slaughtered with the rest of his people. the weight of his responsibility, and his failure to meet it, is the weight of his grief, and he cannot accept the former without coming to terms with the latter. this is a large part of why aang has latched onto katara, as a crutch to avoid having to face not only the reality of his loss, but the reality of who he is, and why he has to let her go in order to master the avatar state, the embodiment of what he once ran from.

the narrative framing of the guru episode makes it clear that the audience is meant to view aang’s choice as the wrong one. there’s pathik’s ominous warning — aang intentionally concealing the truth about not having mastered the avatar state from toph and sokka — and even iroh’s advice about choosing love over power (which gets thrown around a lot to defend the narrative dropping this plotline later on) is notably given without iroh being aware of the actual nuance of aang’s situation. with knowledge of the full context, it’s highly likely that iroh (a proponent of meeting your destiny on your own terms) would have said something entirely different.

it’s also narratively inaccurate to attribute the choice of the avatar state to being the choice of power, just as it is to attribute the choice of katara to that of love. within aang’s arc and the set up of his character, the avatar state does not represent power but actualization: the manifestation of who he truly is, and must become. it’s the equivalent of aragorn taking up the crown of gondor, simba returning to pride rock — a staple of the classic hero’s journey, where the protagonist fulfills his goal by facing what he does not want to face and accepting who the story needs him to be. if we apply the Want vs Need paradigm here, then katara is the Want while the avatar state is the Need.

the same arc is mirrored with zuko in the book 2 finale, drawing upon the two characters’ relationships as narrative foils. both zuko and aang choose wrong — choose the Want — and pay the price. then comes sozin’s comet and the agni kai, and the conflict of love vs power returns again with katara as its lynchpin — but this time, when zuko leaps in front of azula’s lightning, we know it’s the right choice because the story has established the choice of katara as the Need, as the completion of zuko’s actualization as a character. in aang’s arc, the choice of katara represents divergence, leading him further away from his destiny; in zuko’s arc, it’s a convergence, the re-alignment of who he was with who he’s destined to be.

and if the show had followed through with what had been initially set up, this moment would have happened simultaneously with aang letting go of katara, making peace with his grief and so earning the avatar state on his own terms in his fight against ozai — completing the reverse triangulation of the CoD plot. but instead aang’s side of this story thread is dropped entirely, fracturing the narrative symmetry between him and zuko, and his own character development in the process. and so, despite how hard both the show and the fandom have attempted to retroactively justify it, aang choosing katara over the avatar state is less a grand romantic gesture and far more an example of one of the show’s biggest narrative failures and frustrating wasted potential.

[zizishleezy5]

I feel like the "giving up cosmic energy for love" plotline would've worked better if the stakes were different. Usually when I see that trope in media the hero will give up their power for the one they love in order to STOP the villain. Like, usually the cost for saving the world is losing something special like that. The thing with Aang is that he had no control over the avatar state, and while I think he misunderstood what the guru meant by "giving up his attachment to Katara", she has literally said out of her mouth that she wanted him to either master the avatar state or stop using it because watching him have so little control over himself was scary. Like what???

[frogpropaganda]

Every flaw in the writing of Aa.ng's character can be explained by the fact that he is a self-insert and wish fulfillment fantasy for Bryke.

To be clear, I want to differentiate between a Character Flaw™️ and a flaw in the writing of a character. When I say flaws in Aa.ng's character, I don't mean things like his avoidance of his problems, his immaturity, or later on in the series his inability to regulate his darker emotions. These are Character Flaws™️, and every character needs them in order to be relatable, in order to feel real and not be boring. Aang having flaws is not a bad thing, it's just part of being A Character.

The flaws in the way his character is written, on the other hand, are the choices made behind the scenes by the creators that made him less likeable as the series went on. The Character Flaws he has are not things that condemn him to being labeled as a Bad Person who is worthy of hatred and derision, but it is the fact that his character flaws go almost entirely unaddressed by the end of the series that end up leaving a lot of people with a bad taste in their mouth about him by the end.

Do a close watch and take note of every time Aang does something wrong, every time he makes a mistake or harms one of his friends unintentionally, and then take note of whether or not his friends stay mad at him when they reasonably would and whether he ever apologizes to them before they inexplicably forgive him or seem to just forget what he said or did. There are definitely examples where he DOES apologize when it's needed, especially earlier in the series, but the times when he does not apologize vastly outweigh the times that he does, especially later on.

All of this can be chalked up to the fact that the things Aan.g would need to do to positively develop as a character are things that are not fun and therefore get in the way of the fantasy. Having your friends stay mad at you is not fun. Having to reflect on your actions and recognize your faults and be humbled and apologize for the ways you wronged your friends is not fun. Having to accept that the girl you've been pining over might not like you back and having to accept the possibility that you won't end up with her is not fun. Having her stay mad at you for yelling at her, for violating her, or for continuing to run away from your problems, is not fun. Having to apologize for all these things and admit your faults and grow from them is not fun.

What is fun is not having to ever be held accountable for anything, not having to give anything up in order to win, and getting the girl in the end anyway despite never making anything up to her.

I don't hate A.ang, but I'm censoring his name in this post because his stans tend to have fucking rabies and will foam at the mouth if you say anything critical of him or the way he's written or point out the ways he treats Katara poorly or imply that it's not a foregone conclusion that he NEEDS to end up with her.

He could have been a stronger character, a better written character, if they had actually let his flaws be flaws, but they don't. It's not that they don't give him flaws, it's that they don't LET the flaws be treated as flaws by the story. He doesn't have to grow from them.

Often when criticizing Aa.ng's character, instead of refuting our points, his stans will just endlessly deflect to Zuko's actions and try to claim that we hold Aa.ng to a way higher standard than Zuko because people who criticize Aa.ng tend to like Zuko more, which may seem hypocritical from the viewpoint of an A.ang stan, because Zuko does way worse things than Aa.ng. Zuko stans who criticize Aa.ng do not think that A.ang yelling at his friends and acting like a dick and then not apologizing for it is somehow worse than the villainous stuff Zuko did, like (however unintentionally) setting fire to Kyoshi Island and showing no care for the consequences of such a thing. I'll die on the hill that canonically it was reckless negligence and not intentional arson, but that doesn't change that he didn't care once the fires started and consequentially the action has the same end result.

Zuko ends up being a more likeable character to us in spite of all of his crimes because he demonstrates visible remorse and growth in a way that A.ang does not. It's not that Aan.g does anything worse than Zuko or that Zuko's crimes are somehow more forgivable, it's that he takes steps to actually earn forgiveness in a way that A.ang is not made to by the narrative before being rewarded. Regardless of how much more mild Aa.ng's "crimes" are, comparing him to a character who has done worse things is not a replacement for actual growth.

A.ang's character declines in his likeability because his wrongs are not meaningfully addressed, he's just allowed over and over again by the story to get away with them and not have to atone or change for his friends to forgive him and pretend like nothing happened.

Zuko has to over and over again be humiliated and punished by the narrative, until eventually he is for the first time in the story rewarded for doing something heinous with everything that he thinks he wants and has to decide on his own, with no tangible reward waiting for him on the other side, that he's made a horrible mistake and must make things right no matter how ego-bruising it will be. Admitting you were wrong hurts, and the more wrong you were, the harder it is. And Zuko did A LOT wrong, so him having to admit that both to himself and to the people he's hurt and to try to make it up to them is a Herculean task for most people. The fact that he takes on that task anyway, and that the audience already understands that he is a character with deeply rooted self-worth issues, is impressive and admirable. It would have been way easier for him to do nothing, to keep living his empty vapid frivolous life of luxury and never have to face the people he's harmed, but he doesn't.

Comparatively, the fact that A.ang wrongdoings are much milder than Zuko's does not translate into him being the more likeable character, but the opposite. Because comparatively, it should be way easier for Aa.ng to admit his faults and apologize than it is for Zuko to do the same. He never burned down anyone's village, he never attacked anyone while their back was turned, he never threatened a bunch of terrified women and children with fire. It should be the easiest thing in the world to give him a moment of growth where he says something along the lines of "I'm sorry for how I spoke to you back there, I'm going through a lot but that doesn't mean it's okay for me to take it out on you." That is way easier to do than trying to prove yourself to people who you hunted and attacked across the world. Zuko's trauma and the fact he's had a rough life is never used as a replacement for his atonement. He still has to prove himself to them regardless of how he ended up the way he is.

A.ang's lack of character development can be directly attributed to his status as a self-insert for Bryke. Going through the growing pains associated with becoming a better person and developing as a character is not fun, so Aa.ng does not do it, because that interferes with the little-boy power fantasy they're trying to create.

And the most frustrating thing is that it didn't have to be this way, Aa.ng could have been a way better written much more likeable, relatable character if they had let his flaws be flaws and made him work through them, if they had shown us his growth. But they don't.

[rifari2037]

I don't understand the connection between Aang needing Katara to regulate his emotional outburst and real human interaction.

In real life, as a person matures, aren't they supposed to be able to manage their own emotions without relying on their partner?

Okay... let's say it was just their dynamics of their relationship, like every relationship has its ups and downs, and there will always be arguments.

But, in The Legend of Korra, Katara had been training Korra since she was a child, so they should have been close. Is it even possible that Katara never told her anything about Aang at all?

Yet when Korra needed advice from the person closest to Aang, someone who understood him best, she didn't instantly think of Katara? His wife, who had lived with him for decades?

Instead, she went looking for answers from Iroh, and the answer was Zuko.

Didn't it cross anyone's mind that Katara should be the one who understood Aang best? (If they truly loved each other, and their relationship was actually built on mutual understanding, oops).

So, until Aang died, was 'Katara didn't understand him' part of their relationship dynamics, or did she really not understand him?

I'm concerned 😭