#zutara parallels each other

[colduaire]

ENEMIES TO LOVERS, here we come!

#gordon and lizzy #giving off azula and aang energy #this is perfect #look at them pretending to hate each other #zutara parallels each other #azulaang #zutara #atla #natla #avatar netflix #avatar the last airbender #azula #aang #katara #zuko

[burst-of-iridescent]

never forget that katara canonically knows what zuko’s lips feel like

#zutara #they rlly tried to gaslight us into thinking this was platonic when miss ma’am had her whole ass thumb on his mouth #just a couple of besties tenderly touching each other in a secret cave that parallels the other secret love cave #nothing to see here

[sokkastyles]

JUST because Zuko had a redemption arc and Katara FORGAVE HIM and they HUGGED TENDERLY and bonded over their respective trauma and had copious amounts of romantic chemistry and are mistaken for a couple multiple times in the show and she touched his lips softly and the climax of both their stories was sacrificing themselves for each other and they’re actually really similar in personality but also complement each other like yin and yang, a parallel the show literally goes out of its way to make, doesn’t mean you should ship them, what’s important is that Zuko was once a bad guy and that’s bad because he turned good, I mean that’s good because he’s not bad anymore but it’s still bad because he was once bad, or something, so, uh, definitely don’t think about Zuko tying Katara to a tree and saying she’s a big girl now and Katara saying give Zuko a kiss for me, or them sleeping together on Appa or going on a journey together to avenge Katara’s mother’s death, nickelodeon owes me millions of dollars in damages for the sinful thoughts it implanted in my head. I apologize to the world for shipping zutara.

#zutara #zuko #katara

[ultfreakme]

Look you can’t dismiss Zukka as a crackship when they, overall, had more positive interactions with each other than many other fanon Zuko or Sokka ships that are taken more seriously because they’re het.

Like okay, you’ve got

the episode 1 armor parallel

 Sokka saying “if there’s one thing I know about Zuko, it’s that he never gives up”

Zuko’s time at Western Air Temple where Sokka’s the only one who’s helping him to his room and even smiling at him.

Then we get TWO WHOLE EPISODES(TWO) of Zuko and Sokka working together extremely well and the narrative itself showing how they complement and support each other positively.

Need I talk about the tent scene, yes its funny but also Sokka felt comfortable enough with Zuko at that point that he talked about his mom with Zuko.

The SWORDBENDING KAI

the fact that Zuko, Sokka and Suki become a little sub-trio during Ember Islands

the Search comic where they’re the only ones awake and they’re talking about family.

every zukka shipper knows this one, *ahem* “The prince and the fool, is that all you were, or were to one another?”

If we’re talking on Zutara terms, Zukka is equally as valid. Like yeah it’s funny as a dynamic but also, it’s not like this is completely out of nowhere. There’s stuff in there that backs up the ship rather well.

I think overall, Sokka saw Zuko as more of a person? The crystal caves thing put Zuko on Katara’s shit list, rightfully so, but it’s because Katara’s an idealist and sees the best in people. Unfortunately it goes the other way, she’s a lot more black and white about people than Sokka. Like if it were Sokka in the crystal caves and Zuko had pulled the mom story, Sokka would empathize but he’s not going to trust Zuko in any capacity or see him too differently unless he showed results.

Like he knows to some extent Zuko’s capable of good and even says that just being capable of good isn’t enough. He needs to show it. Zuko betraying them in the Ba Sing Se definitely would’ve pissed him off but like, to some extent, he’d have seen it coming. Sokka’s always been more nuanced on the morality thing than Katara and Aang. Which is why I think he more quickly was willing to give Zuko a chance at the Western Air Temple. Zuko was acting on his ability for good. Sokka being a skeptic actually helped them a lot(oh, Jet my boy).

Anyways Zukka rights

#zukka #zuko x sokka #fanon ships can be not serious and all but i get miffed when people act like zukka is some utter joke #coming here after weeks #but i'm gonna get killed for this #but uhhhhhhhhh zukka has more backing than jin and zuko #I'M NOT SAYING DON'T SHIP those two but #they got one episode and heterosexuality of the early 2000s demand for a love interest #IF that whole thing wasn't a thing i'm p sure jin and zuko wouldn't be a thing like at all #if sokka were a girl and boiling rock happened he'd be considered a love inerest for zuko #or vice versa if zuko was a girl and boiling rock happened everyone would expect them to end up together #but because they're both GUYS it's like 'hahah crackship'

[stanlunter]

My favourite paralells between Lunter and Zutara part 2!

1. Both Katara and Luz have lost a parent they loved. The relationship with the second parent went bad after, but in the end, after a long separation, they met them and established their relationship

2. Both Katara and Luz liked the ideal warrior hero, who turned out to be an antagonist.

Both Zuko and Hunter ended up with strong asian girls who they had fewer chemistry with (still love Meiko tho)

3. Used to be enemies and fighted each other

Both scenes with incredibly the same chemistry and dynamic

Betrayel

4. During the forced dialogue they realized that they have a lot in common and that Zuko and Hunter are not as bad; an important dialogue taking place in secret from the rest of the team

PARALLELS WITH PAST LOVERS

5. Both Zuko and Hunter had a supportive uncle who was the only one who cared about them and wanted the best for them

The Colored Lady and Titanic Luz + The Golden Guardian and the Blue Spirit, you can't tell me they aren't similar!

The scene of Zuko and Hunter who supposed to die, but were healed!

6. Cuties with close relationships who love teasing each other ans always support each other, the same dynamic.

The saddest scene when they look at one's family member's worst downfall and feel bad

So yeah, every Zutara shipper who ever watched toh, must chose Lunter as their favourite ship, bc It's litterally them in another univers 😭😭

The paralells are really insane!

#Atla #avatar the last airbender #Zuko #Katara #Zutara #Toh #The owl house #luz noceda #Hunter #Lunter #Paralells

[yourhighness6]

I can't remember where I saw this but there was this post I saw a while ago about how if zutarians "really wanted to engage in media analysis they would ship zvkaang" and I just... Ugh.

For one, the age difference is gross to me, especially considering a lot of anti-kat@ang zutara arguments center around the fact that Aang was not mature enough to be in a relationship based on the way he treated Katara, and pointing out that Katara is considerably more emotionally mature than Aang throughout the series. Shipping Aang and Zuko, who remember are canonically twelve and sixteen throughout the series, may be okay for a lot of chronic anime fans (from my understanding anime has huge age gaps like that all the time) but a large age gap is basically the first thing that puts me off of a ship. It's the same thing with ships like tokk@ and zvtoph and sokk@ang. A two year age difference is fine for high schoolers, but four years is really, really pushing it, especially when you consider that Aang would be fourteen when Zuko is eighteen.

And if that weren't disqualifying enough, whereas zutara has a truly incredible amount of romantic coding from the music used in certain scenes to small gestures such as them reaching for each other in the final agni kai and Katara's thumb on Zuko's lips in the crystal caves scene to the "she's not my girlfriend!", a common romantic trope being used several times between them, zvkaang has no romantic coding. They honestly remind me of that "platonic tension" textpost that was making the rounds a while ago. That being said, I do understand that "chemistry" and "romantic coding" are fairly relative concepts, but it definitely isn't heteronormativity that makes people see zutara instead of zvkaang as romantic (and although I also ship zvkka to a lesser extent the same can kind of be said there).

Anyway, with a weird age difference and zero romantic coding, that, in my opinion, kind of derails the ship, but its also worth mentioning that the original post's only argument seemed to be that just because Zuko and Aang are narrative foils, it makes sense that they should be romantically involved, which frankly, isn't a very good argument, especially when you consider that Zuko and Azula are also narrative foils and siblings. Narrative foils come in many forms, and come to think of it, I don't think I ship narrative foils from any show I've ever watched. The parallels between zutara often specifically highlight how they might suit each other romantically, and fit with the show's themes of balance.

This is just my opinion, and certainly not meant as a callout for any zvkaang shippers, especially those who are zutara and zvkaang shippers, I just felt it necessary to debunk the idea that if zutarians actually cared about literary analysis, they would ship zvkaang. It's just another half-assed, poorly thought out way to delegitimize zutara shippers and pretend that the ship has no canon basis, while in reality, anyone with an objective eye for media analysis can see that zutara is by no means a ship to be ignored.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #zutara #fandom salt #anti zukaang #anti zukka #anti kataang #emmie babbles

[eponastory]

I present to you another shallow argument...

I don't have a problem with Zukka... but if you're going to make an argument on why Zutara doesn't work, please give better examples other than parallels.

Because in that sense, Zukka wouldn't work either.

Let me explain here.

Parallels do not mean a relationship is going to work. It's literally things you have in common with each other, and that's part of a healthy relationship, but it's not the defining factor. You can totally have a lot in common, but balance means having things to learn about each other as well. The things you don't have in common means you get to learn about them together.

That is a balanced relationship that includes good communication skills and a level of intimacy that both partners like.

There is more to it than you think. And saying one ship won't work because of parallels is a very shallow argument to start off with.

#grasshopper doesnt know relationships #zutara #pro zutara #pro healthy relationships

[rifari2037]

Is Zutara other version of Dramione?

I used to be huge Harry Potter fan, I watched all the movies and read all the novels. I shipped Romione at that time, in fact Romione/Grintson was the reason I love Harry Potter series.

But, I don't mind with the idea of Dramione. I found it interesting, though. Once, I made a love triangle fanfic between Hermione, Ron, and Draco. I mean, who can blame the fans if Tom Felton played Draco Malfoy in that series?

The question here is, is Zutara another version of Dramione?

For the enemies to lovers trope, yes. But, that's it! Because there is huge differences between these pairs.

I'm pretty sure, people ship Dramione because of the actors. It doesn't make sense if the ship come from the characters or arcs. Because, Draco has no redemption arc. Also, Draco and Hermione never shows relationship development. They're enemies 'till the end of the series, or maybe not enemies in the very end of the movie, but not friends too.

In the original series, Draco isn't a complex character. He is a villain, raised to be a bully, racist, and coward. Compare with Saverus Snape, who has good and bad side, I don't remember Draco has good side in him. He might hesitate to kill Dumbledore, but that's because he's afraid and there's nothing to do with morality. Until final battle, he and his family run away from the battle like a cowards.

I never read Dramione fanfic, but I think the redemption arc and Draco's good side only happened in fanfic, which is fine, that's what fanfic for.

Now, let's talk about Zutara.

Zuko has the best redemption arc and it's canon. Even when he still villain, he has good side and morality. Zuko is a complex character, in fact he banished because he has good in him. He lost his way and find his destiny by himself.

This redemption arc makes the 'enemies to lovers' trope between Zuko and Katara make sense to be canon. People not only love this ship because they look good together, but also because of their storyline and relationship development. They build connection, saved each other lives, and complement each other in the battle. All of those are canon.

And I haven't even talked about their symbols (yin yang, fire water, sun moon), their parallels (blue spirit and painted lady, their childhood trauma, their closure), Omashu reincarnation, etc.

This is a big difference between Dramione and Zutara. In the show, Zutara has a lot of materials to be canon while Dramione has none at all.

#pro zutara #zutara #anti anti zutara #zuko x katara #zuko and katara #dramione

[theotterpenguin]

what’s your take on zutara being “you’re the wind, i’m in the water”. i’ve heard k@t@@ngs saying it’s clearly about their ship bc their elements are air and water but isn’t that a very surface level of understanding of the lyrics?

anon, i adore you for this ask because i love chemtrails over the country club (and lana's music in general).

i'm not surprised that people would try to apply this song to katara and aang because yes, at a surface level it's relevant to them for obvious reasons (water vs. wind), but i agree that the lyrics have far more depth than this.

first, we have to look at the context of the lyrics within the song. "you're in the wind, i'm in the water" presents a romanticized view of the separation of two lovers, just as the two elements brush past each other but never become one. this theme of separation is seen throughout the rest of the song as lana contrasts the privileged bubble of suburbia with the harsh reality of society, the darkness lurking behind a beautiful front.

likewise, zuko and katara have similar character arcs that revolve around an awakening to the harsh truths of society. zuko learns that the beauty and the power of the fire nation is just a facade, hiding the extreme cruelty of its colonialism and imperalism that has hurt all people (which goes hand-in-hand with zuko unlearning the abuse from his father, the personification of the fire nation itself). katara's arc involves a similar type of awakening, as she unlearns some of the dichotomous thinking she's held around the fire nation. her experiences with jet, hama, the sexism of the northern water tribe, the fire nation village in the painted lady, and even zuko show her the complexities of the war and teach her that people aren't always as simple as "good" or "evil." essentially, both zuko and katara undergo parallel character arcs that fundamentally change their worldview, reflective of the theme of chemtrails over the country club.

additionally, the "wind" and "water" that symbolize the separation of the two lovers in the song is also reminiscent of zuko and katara's journey - the two characters that have been pitted against each other from the beginning of the show, their opposing goals of protecting the avatar vs. capturing the avatar, daughter of the chieftain of the southern water tribe vs. prince of the fire nation, and the two characters that end every season finale in an climactic fight scene (first on opposing sides, then on the same side). and if you want an even more bittersweet perspective, there's also the fact that they are doomed by the narrative, two lovers who never end up together in this lifetime, fated to be separated.

if we want to look further into the song, i've also seen the lyric "nobody's son, nobody's daughter" being superficially applied to aang and katara as they have both experienced loss, but again, in the context of the actual show, it's katara and zuko who are repeatedly paralleled with this connection of losing their mothers and being separated from their fathers. katara discusses her grief over losing kya with haru, jet, and aang, but it's only her and zuko's connection over this that carries actual narrative weight in the story. and katara is the only person that zuko discusses the loss of his mother with. so it only makes sense that all of these narrative parallels culminate in the southern raiders, an episode vital to katara's character arc in which zuko is a crucial supporting character. you could also argue this ties in with the overall theme of separation in the song - being separated from your parentage and having to forge your own path.

finally, as a fun little addition, one of the other lyrics in the song is "my moon's in leo, my cancer is sun." and hmm, who are the two characters we typically associate with the moon and sun? (hint: "you rise with the moon, i rise with the sun"). but wait - it goes even deeper than that. i am most definitely not an expert on zodiac signs, but according to some basic googling, leo (a fire element) is typically ruled by the sun, while cancer (a water element) is typically ruled by the moon. by switching up what elements we typically associate with the signs, lana is reflecting on the duality and the unpredictability of herself like how she reflects on the duality of society earlier in the song. and similarly, zuko and katara undergo dual character arcs bound by elemental symbolism. despite being a waterbender, katara also personifies the element of fire - the element of passion, power, and will - as she stands up against injustice and refuses to back down from a fight. and despite being a firebender, zuko's arc also personifies the element of water - the element of change and adaptability - as zuko's perception of himself, his father, and the fire nation changes over time. they are both water and fire, both moon and sun, both yin and yang.

#zutara #zuko x katara #zutara analysis #atla #my post #my meta #anti kataang #kataang critical #my asks #i'm sorry this took so long to answer anon! #writing this post almost convinced me lana wrote this song for zutara #i think it just goes to show how well written zuko and katara's parallel character arcs were #i've seen many a tiktok bashing zutara shippers for posting zuko and katara to these lyrics and arguing that k//ataang fits better #and ugh... it's just such a superficial analysis to compare just based on the elements of wind and water

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

I've seen ZK fans complain about how the show "gave Zuko and Katara parallel arcs only to never have them end up together" but honestly? No duo has more parallels than Zuko and Aang and it's not even close. I'm 100% certain that if Aang was 14 instead of 12 when he cane out of the iceberg then Zutara wouldn't even be in the race for most popular ship and the ship wars would be between Kataang and Zukaang. The amount of parallels Zuko and Aang have and the way their stories frequently mirror each other is insane.

And let's pretend Zuko and Katara WERE the characters with the most parallels to each other. Parallels are not necessarely the same as being romantically compatible, or having feelings for each other, or the writers setting up a romance - again, look at Zukaang. THE most parallels, yet romance was never a possibility the writers even considered.

That claim really is a classic case of Zutarians pretending ordinary story stuff, that isn't even exclusive to Zuko and Katara, is secretly foreshadowing, set up and development.

#anti zutara

[burst-of-iridescent]

people who say zutara can't be canon because "they only became friends in the last five episodes!" irritate me so much like my dude are we watching the same show? zuko and katara’s arcs mirror each other from book 1, they share parallel after parallel and have layers upon layers of symbolism, their backgrounds and personalities and morals are so similar that we the audience can see how compatible they are and how well they would understand each other even without explicit interaction between them, so that by the time the southern raiders rolls around, it simply serves as proof of what we already know about zutara.

tsr, eip and sozin's comet are, narratively speaking, the culmination of zuko and katara’s arc together, not the beginning! they're the fruit that’s borne from the seeds that were sowed since the very first season, and naturally viewers would pick up on that! of course people who love these two characters would see the connection between them and the similarities they share and the thematic significance of their relationship, and then the show itself validates this audience interpretation in the catacombs, in tsr, in the finale! that’s what zk shippers mean when we say that zuko and katara were meant to be together, because their relationship is threaded so deeply into their own personal narratives and that of the show overall that they don’t even need a lot of screentime together for the audience to know that a) they would be a good couple and b) the direction of the story was naturally leading to a romance between them.

zuko and katara’s relationship extends above and beyond their moments of direct interaction, so that their scenes together after they become friends are really just the payoff for the buildup of the past three seasons - because the narrative foundation for zutara was laid all the way back in book 1, not in the southern raiders or any of the episodes that followed.

#zutara #zutara meta #like why do you think so much fanfiction about characters who sometimes never meet exists? #because you don't NEED canon interaction sometimes to know that two characters can and would work well together! #if you do your job as a writer properly in foreshadowing a romance your audience should be able to see for themselves #why these two characters would like and understand each other #and zutara does that beautifully #so that by the time they do begin a friendship it goes pretty much exactly how you think it would #meanwhile these same people will turn around and ship kataang as if aang didn't literally insta-fall in love with katara #like sorry if i don't trust YOUR takes on what would be a believable romance

[the-badger-mole]

You know, I often lament the fact that Katara lost out on a supportive partner who respected and trusted her when Zutara didn't happen, but Zuko lost out, too. He lost out on marrying into a family that would have given him the love, encouragement and support that they gave each other. Hakoda, Sokka and Bato would have taken such joy in introducing Zuko to the SWT customs that were handed down from father to son for generations. Hakoda would have absolutely given him as much advice as he could as a leader in his own right balancing the duties of chiefdom and family. Kanna would have grown to love this uncertain boy king who didn't think it was a humiliation to help her around the home. He missed out on having a wife who would back him up and advise him as he figured out how to be the leader his country needed. No matter how bad things got in the Fire Nation, he would have had a tight-knit family support group to make sure he got through it.

When you take a step back and look at all the ways Katara and Zuko would have filled in for what the other was missing, I get annoyed all over again that all that parallel and convergent development was set aside for pairings that were somehow the blandest and most toxic that anyone on that writing team could have come up with. It is so clear that Zutara was supposed to be endgame and they got robbed for Bryke's pet ship.

#atla #zutara #zuko would have gotten a whole family #katara would have gotten someone who valued her brain and skills #they would have been so happy together 😭 #anti maiko #anti kataang #brkye salt

[sokkastyles]

how is oma and shu a parallel to kataang?

the war doesn’t keep them separated. the war isn’t the thing that’s preventing them from having a relationship.

i have the barest of memory of oma and shu’s story, but i do remember never relating it to kataang despite the episode being kataang-centric.

I had to look up what the KA theme even was. I guess it's that piece with the kalimba, and it's honestly a forgettable track among an otherwise phenomenal soundtrack. And it ain't what plays over the Oma and Shu story.

And yeah, the main difference between KA and the Omashu story is also what makes zutara a healthier relationship, and it's ironically something that is highlighted in this episode.

The Oma and Shu story parallels zutara because it's a relationship where the characters are kept apart by outside forces. Once they are on the same side, Zuko and Katara are as thick as thieves. I've also said this about what makes Sokka and Suki a healthy and compelling relationship. What's keeping them apart is primarily distance, and once they are together they actually just like each other, like real people in a real relationship.

Whereas with KA, there's no reason why they can't be together except that the show wants it to be ambiguous to keep up the will-they-or-won't-they. So the relationship itself becomes the conflict keeping them apart.

Why can't Aang and Katara be together despite kissing in the cave? Well, because Aang puts his foot in his mouth and is too scared of rejection to actually let Katara know how he feels, even when she shows willingness in this episode, and ends up hurting her feelings.

It's actually quite an insult to the memory of Oma and Shu, who were brave enough to follow their hearts and overcome social prejudice to be together, to compare them to the way Aang flounces around with Katara the entire series and then gets mad at her for not automatically becoming his girlfriend, without ever once telling her how he feels.

#oma and shu #zutara #antikataang

[liliesforeveryfandom]

hiya i really like your blog!! im not sure if youve answered this before but when did you get into zutara as a ship and if you could write them organically into the show...how would you go about it?

It's only been a year since this ask ;D...

But to be honest, I got into Zutara before I even watched the show thanks to the gorgeous fan art. Their impact cannot be understated. I guess I'm one those Zutarians that find them "aesthetically pleasing" and visually attractive. But what really made me stay ofc was their on-screen relationship. What draw me in was how Zuko and Katara were rarely motivations for each other and how independent their arcs were from each other while still having parallels, foils, symbolism, foreshadowing, etc. Compared to the canon ships, Zutara didn't feel forced but natural. I'm also a sucker for star-crossed lovers and foridbbden romances so yeah.

#zutara #asks

[woodlaflababab]

Zukaang Moments in Episode 2: The Southern Air Temple

(There's only four, but that's a lot for an episode where they don't interact)

To Start: So, I feel like a significant handful of the things I have pointed out and will point out aren't necessarily Zukaang because Zuko's actions are based on the Avatar, not Aang, but if the zutarians get to claim Zuko's sacrifice as a zutara scene even tho Zuko would've done it for any of his friends, I get to claim these as Zukaang scenes even if Zuko would've done the same for any avatar. I am fully admitting to shipping goggles here and I have no remorse or regret.

Okay? Okay.

-<>-

"Don't mention his name on these docks... and I don't want anyone getting in the way." Zuko wanting to keep Aang to himself.

“He's mine now.” Zhao says and Zuko lurches at him. I'm just saying, the writers put in a weird amount of Zuko fighting for the right to call Aang his. The other occurrence that comes to mind is “Back off Azula, he's mine.”

So, we're all aware of the whole 'Zuko getting burned in an Agni Kai with his father’ thing. He's even reminded of it when he challenges Zhao.

I just think it's interesting how it is finding Aang that gives Zuko the drive and passion to challenge Zhao to another one, because there's no way Zhao hasn't taunted him before. They're familiar with each other, Zhao immediately seeks him out apon landing, Zhao is a bully.

So what's different about this time that makes Zuko want to fight?

The risk of losing Aang to someone else. 

I just think it's interesting.

Aang's journey in this episode parallels and kinda foreshadows Zuko's journey when you consider they're pretty much always going through the same thing. Aang has an idealized idea of home and is excited when he gets the chance to go even if he's been presented with plenty of reasons why going home is not actually going to be great. (Which Zuko also does)

He gets there, spends some time revisiting his memories of childhood and the longer he's there, the more it's obvious he's misplaced and this is no longer the place for him. (Which Zuko also does)

Then they both have to confront their father figures and come to terms with the trauma connected to them. Aang with the fact that Gyasto is dead and Zuko with the fact that his father is an abusive shit that will never love him. 

They both show a power and strength in this confrontation, but Aang's is from a place of pain and shows a lack of control and Zuko's is from a place of freedom and shows immense control. They traded.

-<>-

There were other things the episode made me think about, like Aang and Zuko's collective anger issues here, or the paradoxical parallel/yin yang of them and their father figures, but those don't really have to do with this episode and I figured I'd have more fun writing those subjects in their own posts where I can delve as deep as I want and maybe mention them in episodes where it's more evident.

First Episode

#everything is zukaang #zukaang #atla #zukaang talks #woodlaflababab #talks

[kataraslove]

Do you think Kataang will ever get retconned for Zutara? I can see Bryke/Avatar Studios/Paramount/whoever tf is in charge now for the upcoming movie being like, “To drive up sales we should reintroduce Kataang vs Zutara discourse. Let’s make it so that Katara never actually loved Aang and only settled for him because she couldn’t have Zuko.”

short answer: highly doubt it

long answer: bryke had the chance to give in to fanon and make zutara canon at the end of atla; they didn’t. bryke again had the chance to make zutara canon in the legend of korra; they instead gave confirmation that katara and aang got married and had three children. bryke could have made zuko and katara end up together in old age; we have not seen one instance in which they even interact. bryke could have had them date in the comics, especially now that zuko is currently single. instead, katara spends her time helping rebuild the world with aang. any supplementary material from avatar studios could have indicated that they were spending time together - but the only thing i’ve really seen is stuff like legacy of the fire nation reiterating their friendship during the series. so if bryke never made it canon all these times, they’re probably not going to reverse their decision now. especially not when it’s been 15 years and the canon ships have a lot more support now.

in fact, one of the writers who had wanted zutara even said, “they’re definitely together in an another universe.” and offered no follow up as to whether they canonically had feelings for each other in the current atla one.

i mean, mike dimartino doubled down on braving the elements by stating that the moment in which katara offered to heal his scar wasn’t intended to be romantic. for context, when zach tyler eisen stated that the scene of katara bringing aang back to life was more romantic than the zutara moment, mike offered no denial. mike even confirmed one of my fave kataang parallels in that episode. so, the chances of kataang being retconned for zutara happening with avatar studios content are very slim. and isn’t that the whole point of avatar studios; so that bryke could tell their stories in the ways that they want to?

while kataang is probably going to be retconned for zutara in the live action adaptation, I highly doubt it will in any animated content (not going to say no because if the past lives can be completely removed in avatar lore, anything is possible. but it just wouldn’t be consistent with the canon that they’ve spent establishing over the last 15 years).

finally, the whole “katara secretly wants zuko while being married to aang and maybe could cheat with zuko behind aang’s back” is an insult to katara’s character in general, but it is especially insulting for the version of her character that’s a married adult women with a political career and a baby. even if for some reason she hated being married to aang and/or secretly wanted zuko, I’m pretty sure the version of adult katara that we’re going to see will be way too busy with her own affairs to even contemplate cheating. quite frankly, i should hope that there’s a ton of plot lines that bryke plans on doing with adult katara that isn’t “having a secret affair with her husband’s best friend.”

now here’s what i think will happen (and you can revisit this in two years time if i’m right): i think the marketing of the movie might have zuko and katara stand beside each other. y’know, hype it up for the loudest portion of the fandom who is relying on content from 2008. emphasize on the Fire and Water and red and blue and whatever.

the actual movie content will consist of aang and katara - as lead characters - being politically involved while navigating early parenthood. i think zuko will get a little bit of screen time, enough to build-up events for the rumoured zuko movie (which will likely be a sequel to the adult gaang movie). i think the adult gaang movie will confirm zuko’s relationship with mai. zuko and katara might talk with each other, could even share a nice platonic moment - but that’s about it (and that would be enough to stir up zutara shippers).

meanwhile, for kataang, I think the movie’s plan is to break popular misconceptions that:

aang is a horrible father and husband

katara is a SAHM (not that there’s anything wrong with that)

and i’m not saying that as, like, things that i want to desperately see. i’m saying that based on all the comics that have come out in recent years and all the content from avatar legends. of the two, the second misconception is the one that i’m most confident about that. we will definitely, no doubt in mind, get to see katara’s career and legacy (which I’m super fucking excited about!!!). and the movie will 100% contain a plot surrounding katara. this i can guarantee you, based on everything that I’ve read behind the scenes. remind me to one day finish writing out all the evidence i have surrounding this.

but anyway, anon, I hope this helps give you hope and anticipation? long story short, you’ve got nothing to worry about. look at how beautiful the happy couple looks.

#kataang