if we’re doing kataang fanart requests (don’t ask me who said we’re doing this) I NEED a kataang-zanessa piece NOW!!! any of these will do 😌

please and thank you :)

What Already Is

*Deep breath* ok...so I read this article quite a while ago and wanted to discuss my take on it but never found the time to (and mostly bc I’ve been afraid to do so) but I feel like now is the time, especially as zutara month nears its end

As everyone who follows me knows, this is a blog for zutara positivity and I try to spread this and search for it often. While there are some things I agree with in this article, I thought it was simply...too depressing for the most part and wanted to write a new take on it for anyone who’s willing to listen.

Keep in mind, this is my opinion, and you’re free to disagree and simply ignore this post if you do. But like pretty much all my posts, if this can spread even a little positivity and help even one person, that would make me extremely happy. So...here goes:

Firstly, I’d like to address that it’s ok to be disappointed at the ending. I myself cried. But then I stopped and thought: can’t we just ignore Kataang? Why should bryke have free reign in our minds? Is it so wrong so create our own canon in which zutara is happy together? Because being “gutted” after so many years is...very saddening to me. It’s just allowing bryke to win in my eyes. As if the original ending was the ONLY possible way Zuko and Katara can be happy together, when this simply isn’t true. And the “painters” who DO in fact finish the “second eye” are the fan artists, fanfic writers, and fans you go on to praise in the next few sentences

THEY are the artists who make zutara canon. Not bryke. So I ask: how can they have “squandered” potential when they’ve got so many amazing artists complete their story? Why do bryke need to apparently be the only ones to complete their story?

With all this content that you admit we have over the course of so many years...it just seems wrong that you still believe zutara was squandered.

As much as I love Dante and as amazing of a person he is...I really wish he’d said “canon is what we make of it” or something along those lines instead of the quote he says here, because i honestly think this fandom as a whole would be MUCH more positive if he said so, including this article writer.

I’m sorry...we’re NOT bound by a shared ache of zutara’s “squandered” potential. We’re bound by their beauty, their parallels, their perfection as a couple. We’re not aching. We simply want to spread love for this beautiful ship. And like I said before...is their potential really squandered if we’ve got COUNTLESS fan artists creating content for them in countless different ways?

Sure as hell doesn’t sound squandered to me.

“Rather than bemoan what could have been” therein lies the issue, you ARE bemoaning them rather than stating the fact that canon is what me make of it. You continue to be upset but...there’s really no reason to be. Just because one interpretation aired on Nickelodeon with a large budget doesn’t make it ANY less valid than fan works. Zutara is VALID. and canon. And we certainly weren’t robbed. Not “could have been”. Rather, “what already is”

These last few lines are SO INCREDIBLY CLOSE to understanding the point I’m trying to make. Fan artists and fans are the ones who complete the portrait. WE are the ones who breathe life into this ship.

But again...this is NOT an issue of “what could have been”. It’s “what already is”. Why should our fan works be considered nothing more than fantasies? Isn’t the original show a fantasy as well? Aren’t these characters all just pixels in the end? They’re fictional. And as such, we have the power to decide the outcome for them. Fan works are EQUALLY as valid as the source material and shouldn’t be considered as a simple “what if”. If you want them to be canon, they are! Ik this is a nuclear take but canon really is what we make of it, and the sooner every fandom realizes that you don’t have to be bound by one specific interpretation, the healthier our experiences will be.

We create art year after year not bc we’re depressed over zutara, but because we love them so much and want to create countless stories for them that the original show never could. Doesn’t mean we were robbed. Doesn’t mean zutara is doomed. It just means we’re an extremely talented, dedicated fan base with a hell of a lot to offer

Also...idk if this writer is aware of the live action but they seem to value on screen confirmation (who doesn’t?) so if they somehow end up seeing this post and weren’t convinced by the first half, bryke left the atla live action. We’re most definitely going to get zutara. They will have a happy ending (especially since the show runner has a good enemies to lovers track record... 👀)

And one last thing...some of you may think I’m overreacting and maybe I am, but zutara is a HUGE hyperfixation and has been for almost a year. I’ve never gotten this attached to a fictional ship. So pls refrain from any “it’s not that deep” comments. This is my opinion, and you’re free to ignore. But for anyone who reads this and agrees, I hope this helps and I hope I’ve offered a more positive perspective to this otherwise well-written article. This is NOT by any means an attack on the writer, just a rambling opinion of mine :)

It’s like I’ve said countless times before: canon is transformative 💜

ZFAW Content Creator Interviews: @PokiDokies

Hey everyone! We hope you’re all excited for ZFAW, and to honor (ha!) ZFAW’s commitment to supporting and celebrating fan content creators in the Zutara fandom, we’re going to be rolling out a series of interviews with well-known and widely-beloved content creators over the next few weeks. We’ve got artists and fanfiction authors, some names you recognize as well as a few phenomenal up-and-coming talents, and we can’t wait for you to meet them all!

For the fourth interview in this cycle, we have up-and-coming artist Lev, aka @pokidokieships - she can also be found at @pokidokies on Instagram and @zk_dokies on twitter!

1. Tell us about how you came to ship Zutara. What does this ship mean to you?

Zutara has been a ship that I have loved for a long time, but it wasn’t always that way haha.  When I first watched the show, I was really young and I just went with kataang because it was  canon in the end. When I got a bit older and rewatched the show, I was instantly drawn to  zutara and the incredible wasted potential it held. I discovered tumblr and read tons of well  written meta (because I am a nerd) that explained why their relationship worked so well. I also  noticed what had become of Katara, a character I admired very much growing up, and wasn’t  too happy about that. Zutara portrays such a balanced and dynamic relationship, with mutual  growth on both ends. It is a relationship built on redemption, understanding and sacrifice and I  just think that’s beautiful. It also involves a strong brown female character, and I would have loved to see her in a relationship with someone who treated her as an equal. Someone who was  willing to help her get closure regarding something so traumatic in her life and even risking his  life for her. I’m a Katara stan first and I feel like zutara is a healthy relationship that does not  take away her agency as a character. She is allowed to be angry and hurt, and I liked that we got  to see that side of her and see that Zuko did not judge her in that state, and be there by her  side. We have also seen how Katara is emotionally supportive when Zuko is in doubt. I believe Zuko and Katara deserve the best and that is each other.

2. What inspires you to create zutara fanworks?

The revival of the ATLA fandom made me fall back really deep into this ship. Unfortunately, I  noticed that it was getting a lot of hate and there wasn’t much new content being generated for  this ship. I also noticed a lot of people misunderstanding why people like this ship, stating very  shallow reasons and using it as an excuse to bash people who like it. So, I decided to create the  zutara content that I wanted to see. I like to Katara and Zuko in a really cute and healthy  relationship in my art, because these kids have been through so much. I never expected so  many people to like it though! That was such a pleasant surprise and I could not be more  thankful! I got really involved with the zutara fandom and made so many friends through my art  and mutual love for the ship. This support, along with my love for this ship, inspires me  everyday to make content for the pairing. Happy to announce that there will be a lot more  zutara art to come!

3. Be selfish - if you could request one fanwork based on your own art/fanfic, what would it be? What would you absolutely love to see someone create?

To be honest, if anyone wrote fanfiction based on one of my drawings I would be over the moon! Most of my drawings of the pair are scenes that I make up myself or are based on popular zutara headcanons. I would love to see someone write a fic that incorporates those scenes/headcanons and expand on them a little more. If anyone ever decide to do that, let me know

4. Any words for people who are new to the fandom and/or nervous about sharing their work for the first time?

My advice would be, no matter how nervous you are, just post it. Just put it out there! I  guarantee that your work would make, at the very least, one person super happy. If you love a fandom/ship/character and create something out of that love, it will show in your work. People  will appreciate that. Another important thing is to make content that YOU want to see! Sometimes, you gotta feed yourself because nobody else caters to your niche interests. Trust  me, it makes everything more fun when you look at it that way.  

5. What is your favorite Zutara-related thing you’ve made and why is it special to you?

My favourite Zutara art that I’ve made is one that I drew for day one of Zutara Week 2020. The  prompt was “Reunion”. I had made a few zutara drawings before this one, but I especially loved  this because I was able to create an expression of utter love on Zuko’s face as he held his arms

out to embrace Katara. I also loved how Katara looks so excited to see him haha. For some  context, Katara and Zuko barely interacted in the comics that came after the show ended (and  we all know why). So, I decided to draw these two in the outfits they wore in the comics! This  was also the first prompt of Zutara Week 2020, so I wanted to make it really special. Realistically, these two would be so busy after the war. They probably write letters to each  other and when they finally reunite, they would be ecstatic. I drew a second picture of them  already embracing as a little treat hehe. The soft colours and the fondness between the two  makes it the favourite drawing I’ve ever done!

6. What’s an idea for a fanwork that you have but haven’t gotten around to making?

There’s actually so much that I have planned! One good thing about zutara not being canon is  that the fandom has come up with so many cute headcanons! Zutara is a ship filled with so  much potential so there’s just so much content to make. I haven’t gotten around to designing  their steambabies yet, so I have that planned. Mama Katara and Papa Zuko is a concept that  cann be so personal to me. They would make such good, loving parents. You can definitely look  forward to some cute family drawings in the future. Maybe draw the whole family playing with  some turtle ducks by the pond? Their kids would be so beautiful too I can’t wait to design them!  I have more stuff planned of course, but this is a concept that I have been wanting to do for a  while now hehe.

7. Are you participating in ZFAW? If so, want to give us a hint as to your plans? 👀

I am not sure if I’m going to participate in ZFAW, only because I may be busy with university  projects at the time. However, I may try and do one or two of the prompts if I have the time! I  plan to make everything cute and fluffy as usual, and maybe a little angst too.

ZFAW Content Creators: MarkedMage

Hey everyone! We hope you’re all excited for ZFAW, and to honor (ha!) ZFAW’s commitment to supporting and celebrating fan content creators in the Zutara fandom, we’re going to be rolling out a series of interviews with well-known and widely-beloved content creators over the next few weeks. We’ve got artists and fanfiction authors, some names you recognize as well as a few phenomenal up-and-coming talents, and we can’t wait for you to meet them all!

I know I got super behind with these, but I can’t wait to bring you the next interview with the lovely @markedmage! You can find her fanfiction HERE: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarkedMage/pseuds/MarkedMage 

Tell us about how you came to ship zutara. What does this ship mean to you?

 I first watched Avatar when it first came out and didn't pay too much attention to the ships at first, I remember seeing the final Kataang kiss and not really liking it. A few years later I rewatched the whole series and saw the chemistry and the strength of the bond between Katara and Zuko and it all just kind of went downhill from there. The pirate scene? Iconic. And I think I kinda knew, at the moment of CoD, that I was well and truly doomed. This ship means a lot to me, especially on a personal level, because I had a really tough year and a lot of hardships, and writing for Zutara was one of the things that got me through it.

 What inspires you to create Zutara fanworks? 

 I don't know if there's any particular thing that inspires me to write zutara, I just really love the bond and I love the respect and the love the two of them clearly hold for each other. They're beautiful, well written characters clearly meant for each other, and I just want to do them the justice that the original creators denied them so. I guess, if I had to narrow it down to any singular point of inspiration, it would probably just be the resurgence of ATLA on Netflix as well as reading a bunch of zutara fics that inspired me to write my own.

 Be selfish if you could request one fan work based on your art / fanfic what would it be? 

What would you absolutely love to see someone create? God I don't even know. I mean, my two favorite works of mine are make sense of all my broken parts and A Quiet Collision of Destinies, so if someone did any sort of fan appreciation for those two I would be floored. But honestly anything would be amazing- I know how laborious it can be to make content, so anything zk related (not even my works) is enough for me.

Any words for people who are new to the fandom and / or nervous about sharing their work for the first time?

 I mean if Zutara makes you happy, and writing/drawing them makes you happy, then you should do it. Because at the end of the day, this is the stuff that makes you happy and that matters more than comments and kudos on a page. That's the way I see it, that writing for Zutara makes me happy, and it's a bonus if it makes other people happy, but I'm writing for me first and foremost. I know there has been a lot of negativity towards Zutara supporters as of late, but I hope that doesn't deter any new writers/artists from doing what they love. At the end of the day, it's your content, and it's what makes you happy. And don't compare yourself to others! I know there's a whole mindset of comparing yourself to some of the big monster fics out there, like OATS and such, but in my opinion there is no real definition of what makes content good. Writing is in itself subjective, and people will either like it or they won't. So please don't compare yourself, and if you feel the need to, just remember that writing grows as you grow, so even if you think you're bad (which you're not!), Your writing voice will develop the more you do it. The same goes for drawing too!

What's an idea for a fan work that you have but haven't gotten around to making? 

 I recently read this most amazing fanfic called Purr by sparrowkeet1 and that lowkey inspired me to start writing my own modern zutara fic, although I haven't actually gotten around to planning and/or writing it yet. Other than that, I'm currently working on a soulmate AU, that I haven't quite finagled all the kinks out of it yet so it's an idea that's sort of in the works but not quite fully thought out yet. The first chapter is posted, but I really haven't gotten around to writing/drafting the rest of the plot, so I guess that counts, right? Are you participating in z f a w? If so want to give us a hint as to your plans? I'm going to attempt, emphasis on attempt. My life has gotten pretty hectic right now with grad school, so unfortunately writing for zutara has taken a backseat to academia, but if I do get around to writing for ZFAW, I plan on writing a fic inspired by Haylenfoster's animatics for zutara week!