#like yeah i've personally encountered instances of “these characters are siblings” that i feel are slight oversimplifications

[anistarrose]

what I mean when I say I'm tired of people making found families into nuclear families:

among other things, it's kind of annoying when people act like the romantic couple are automatically the "most obvious" candidates to adopt a kid; or act like a pair of people in a romantic relationship can't happily co-parent a kid with people outside of that romance

what I don't mean when I say I'm tired of people making found families into nuclear families:

people using "siblings" or "parent and child" as a shorthand (or even non-shorthand) for characters' relationships sometimes

#like yeah i've personally encountered instances of “these characters are siblings” that i feel are slight oversimplifications #but there's also not a great concise alternative word #and sometimes? characters CAN just be adopted siblings! #and also if i can be completely honest #sometimes i want a way to gently clarify that i'm interpreting the relationship of two characters in a non-shippy way #without having to put a big aggro “don't tag as ship!!!” disclaimer up #i actually we believe we need to decouple “i'd like to avoid mentions of this ship” from the implication of moral judgment #(or even like “i am judging you but only for your subjective taste and you don't deserve harassment”) #but in the meantime some people probably *will* interpret “don't tag as ship” as moral judgment #so i need a concise little way to bring up organically that i'm not into a ship!

[stitch1830]

How do you think the comics would have went if they went with the Zutara/Taang route? Personally, I've only read "The Promise" and "The Search."

Oooo this would be interesting, but also tons of adjustments (well, kind of...).

So I think the order is The Promise, The Search, The Rift, Smoke and Shadow, North and South, and Imbalance (Plus like, the Katara, Suki, and Toph comics, some are during the timeline of ATLA).

I don't think Zutara or Taang would happen right away as far as romantic relationships go, but their bond would be apparent in all the comic stories and you would be able to see how much better the characters are when they have their 'future partner' by their side. Both Taang and Zutara balance each other out and would provide reasonable arguments and reassuring words. I usually HC that the Gaang go their separate ways so that they can grow and develop on their own, but I can see the comics showing quick instances where they all gather to help each other.

In The Promise, I'm guessing we'd see more support from Katara to Zuko if he's the Fire Lord (and from like... all of his friends). She also wouldn't nod her head morbidly to say that Aang should kill Zuko if he starts acting like his father! :D Toph would give more push back against the whole "let's keep the nations separate" and talk some sense into him. Since the main conflict in the comic was that Zuko was super stressed and his friends thought he was crazy and that Aang was being stubborn and thought separate nations was the only way... It would be a relatively short comic lol.

The Search I think mainly revolves around Zuko looking for his Mama, so... Katara would be all over that and be super supportive. I can see a conflict in the story being Katara has a bit of jealousy (maybe resentment) toward Zuko because while she lost her mother forever, Zuko has this opportunity to find his. She'd be adamant that he keep looking for her, but would also probably be a little short with him. And then at the end they hug it out and problems are resolved because ~communication~

The Rift would probably stay the same. Minus the whole icky Sweetie parts and just romantic relationships in general. Toph and Satoru hitting it off would still make Aang a bit annoyed and jealous (a little more so in Taang/Zutara versions), Toph would be irritated at Aang's "that's just how things go" vibe and still rebel. I feel like Katara would probably talk with Toph to see why she feels that way, more sister bond/communication stuff. And then Zutara crumbs would be that Katara is all "aww, Toph likes Satoru!" and Sokka says something snarky which creates sibling banter, then Sokka replies, "You're one to talk, you're all googly eyed with Zuko and you borrow Hawkey everyday! Poor guy needs a rest." Cue furious blush and a sisterly slap on the shoulder from Katara lol. Otherwise, I think the main conflict stays the same because Taang is pretty prominent in The Rift!

I can't say I really remember the plot of Smoke and Shadow and whether or not Katara is really in this comic, but maybe it's just a Fire Nation conflict and some face-off between Azula and Zuko, and then on the side we hear about letters that Katara and Zuko send to one another while Katara is helping rebuild the SWT. Azula may use the letters as a mocking tool or threat against Zuko, to which he would not respond to well perhaps...

North and South may not even exist as a comic because... If Katara and Sokka are at the SWT a lot, they would probably protest any odd deals that were trying to be implemented. Yes, they're still teens and may not be 'in the meetings' but Hakoda would listen to his kids and I think the three of them would sniff out any troubles before they occurred. But, if there was conflict, Toph, Aang, and Zuko would drop everything to help, and I think this is where Zutara would shine and lots of awkward encounters, but tons of worry and sincere actions from Zuko. Katara is upset about some things about the SWT (I think??? I have to reread) and Zuko would be there and would always ask "How are you doing? Are you okay?" And... yeah you feel the slow burn that's for sure.

In Imbalance, I would say that the romantic lens would shift to Toph and Aang, maybe Sokka and Suki? Katara would raise suspicious eyebrows at how close Toph and Aang are becoming... But they swear they're just friends and they just know each other really well. The Taang crumbs would probably be them partnering up and working well fighting together. Otherwise, not sure if there would be a ton of changes to the plot.

And... those are my thoughts on Taang/Zutara comics! I wouldn't say that any romance actually happens until both couples are older, but we get some nice crumbs and some "what if" moments haha!

Fun ask! Thanks for sending it in, and hope you have a great day!

#taang #zutara #atla #toph #aang #zuko #katara #sokka #suki #toph beifong #atla comics #headcanons #my asks #thanks for the ask! #wingchunwaterbender #oof i went all out ope #sorry this is long lol