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gradualjinx · 2 months

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I have never liked Mai's character and I think the reason I find her so unlikable is her complacency.

I have no problem with her boredom and teenage angst, it's the fact that she seems so disinterested in working with Azula/the Fire Nation but does any way that annoys me. In fact, she surrenders or gives up pretty quickly several times throughout the show. For example, she refuses to help Ty Lee chase after Katara and Sokka in the drill, and gives up immediately when Sokka and Toph confront her to get the Earth King's bear back. So why does she continuously align herself so closely with Azula?

Mai is never seen being threatened or intimidated like Ty Lee was to join Azula. In fact, she seems pretty enthusiastic about leaving Omashu. But I get that even if there wasn't a directly stated threat, it's clear that denying Azula is not an option for Fire Nation citizens. However, even if she was forced to fight in a war she clearly was not interested in, it doesn't make her a particularly sympathetic character because she offers no resistance. Ty Lee, at least, seems to be genuinely in awe of Azula until the moment when she sees Azula's willingness to attack (and probably kill) Mai for her betrayal. At least Ty Lee stands for something and her actions align with her beliefs throughout the show! Mai stands for nothing and fights in a war she doesn't care about, which in my mind, makes her a very morally weak character.

When she eventually betrays Azula and saves Zuko, I guess I'm supposed to start liking her, but it just doesn't hit right for me. I think that if it weren't for Zuko, she never would have rebelled against the Fire Nation at all-- It's not like she ever indicated any dislike for their methods or the war in general until then. This is especially why I dislike the pairing of Zuko and Mai. Zuko rebelled against the Fire Nation because of his morals and the realization that what they were doing was wrong. Mai rebels because her boyfriend is in trouble. Not the same thing!

Plus, after the war, Ty Lee joins the Kyoshi Warriors, who in addition to protecting their village and fighting the Fire Nation, are just general do-gooders (they spent a great deal of season 2 helping refugees in any way they could). This is Ty Lee's real redemption arc after her one act of rebellion; she has given everything up to serve the community as part of a dedicated group. But Mai just...continues being a Fire Nation aristocrat?? Except she's supposedly a good person now? And I'm supposed to think this makes up for all her pro-Fire Nation war efforts?

If I'm being fair, her attack on Boiling Rock was a very brave and selfless move. And she does mention her controlling and overbearing parents; it's possible there was some emotional neglect in her childhood. Maybe it's too much to expect every 16-year-old in the avatar world to have the courage to rebel against an entire nation. But in the end, none of this is enough for me to like her character.

#avatar the last airbender #atla #atla mai #anti mai x zuko

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forevermore05 · 1 month

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Zuko and his protectiveness over Katara backfired on the show

I think we're all quite aware of the fact that Zuko is canonically very protective over Katara

Exhibit A

When he saves Katara from falling rubble in the Western air temple.

Exhibit B

When he protects Katara from flames in that same episode when she is about to blood bend that fire nation soldier.

Exhibit C

The famous Agni Kai where he take lightning for Katara

Now why are these so significant? I think these are big gestures are to show Zuko's efforts to make amends after what he did to Katara. It could be argued these are very extreme ways of making it up to her because these came at the cost of his life. But this also goes to show his character development, as he is willing to protect Katara from danger. For me, one of the reasons why I ship them is because of his protectiveness. It's refreshing to see a character that has always been there to help and to be a support system to others be protected by someone else. I think it can be very fulfilling as a viewer. This effort that was made to write their relationship was so genuine, and it felt so heartfelt as the viewer, that it just made their dynamic one of the strongest in the show. Whether that be romantically or just platonically, their dynamic is probably one of the best in my opinion.

Now, with all that his protectiveness towards Katara immediately evaporate after the last Agni Kai which was pretty shocking, as they didn't get time to be able to talk about what happened. I feel like it removes a piece of genuineness from the show that the characters care for each other. And of course I know a reason why this could have happened is because, well, Kataang and Maiko exist. I think what made their dynamics so strong is because of their protectiveness for one another. Especially, Zuko's protectiveness over Katara. When it was removed in the comics, it felt like a bond had been destroyed because a big part of their dynamic was protecting each other and being there for each other, and having that level of communication. They were protecting each other through their communication and through their support for one another.

How I feel like it backfired on the show is that it created a bit of an emptiness in both of the characters. Especially when they interacted, it felt more distant in the comics, and it felt as if they were strangers. Zuko's writing, which leads to him being protective over her, is so poignant in their relationship that once it is removed it creates a hole in a way it makes his character feel more hollow in his relationship with Katara. It feels like an effort to create a divide and an erasure of their past and how significant his taking lightning for her was. A show that is built of meaningful character relationships took a piece of its own heart out and of its own show and stabbed it in front of all of us when it came to the erasure of Zutara. So they could push the canon ships. They were willing to remove that important element of character relationships for 2 poorly written couples.

I think it creates a level of ingenuity in this show. That is not shocking as many of Katara's other love interests met the same fate of ingenuity, whether that be Jet or Haru. Where she's never able to show her feelings about these people. Which I find quite strange seeing how the show aims to create depth and talk about feelings that actually provoke feelings in you. They don't actually go in-depth with what the leading lady's thoughts are about other people. For all the sake of keeping the focus on Kataang it costs the good writing for Katara to be able to feel complex emotions about the other male interests in her life. And it leads to a rough ending for a strong dynamic like Zuko and Katara that shows their desperation for Kataang at the cost of good writing especially for Katara.

#avatar the last airbender #zutara #zuko x katara #katara #zuko #zuko deserved better #katara defense squad #anti kataang #anti aang #anti maiko #anti mai #anti bryke #bryke critical

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kideaternomnom · 1 month

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I don't ship Zutara that much but M*!k0 shippers who call it "colonizer x colonized" actually annoy me so badly 💀they literally undermine Zuko's whole ass arc and growth just bc they dislike Zutara then reduce him to some idiot colonizer as if he never had literally the best growth in the series. His whole arc is about NOT BECOMING a colonizer. How tf are you going to say that just bc you dislike Zutara when his whole arc is about becoming the opposite of a colonizer and even getting full on episodes of him getting Katara's forgiveness. You're literally taking away all of Zuko's growth, suffering, and development. 💀M*!k0 shippers are actually so dumb like why are you even defending that badly written ship lmao

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azulas-daddy-kink · 7 months

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In light of all of the anti-Maiko posts I've been seeing...

I'm sorry but I cannot take ANY criticism of Maiko (or Mai as a person) seriously when it comes from Zutara shippers. Your arguments are invalid because you're incapable of being objective, we all know you're just trying to twist anything and everything in support of your ship.

Ship what you want, please just be normal about it. Read your fics and draw your art in peace, stop creating shipping discourse for a show that ended literally 15 years ago. It's pathetic.

Maiko is canon. Kataang is canon. Zutara isn't canon and never will be. Get over it.

#atla #shipping #maiko #zuko x mai #pro maiko #pro mai #pro kataang #anti zutara

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vlackevil · 4 months

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Michael Dante Dimartino and Bryan Konietzko confirms their favorite relationship on season 3:

Janet: What is your favorite dynamics or relationship to see develop in season 3

Mike: It will controversy, but it’s Aang and Katara relationship, you know, go to blossom to its full potential.

Janet: Great answer, but guess what: Canon controversy

(EVEN DANTE BASCO ADMITTED LOVES MAIKO)

Dante: Everyone likes zutara but i means watching Zuko and Mai I’m vibing.

(HELL YEAH FOR MAIKO)

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enchantedreader · 1 year

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I’ve come to realize that a hard truth I need to accept is that, if I had watched Avatar The Last Airbender 5 years before I did, I would have likely been a Kataang shipper.

Because I was in relationships where I gave 110% of myself to people and never expected anything close back. They wanted to go clubbing and drinking and I would go because I knew that part of that is trying to enjoy the things they would do, but then I would never ask them to do a board game night. I had been told it was boring and never expected them to do the same for me.

I had no concept of boundaries and it created an unequal dynamic in my relationships. I was so lucky that one of my friends ended our friendship because of that dynamic and told me that the unbalance was the reason why

Then I spent years learning to understand how to have boundaries with people and save some energy for myself and grew from it. So, when I watched Atla, I saw the healthier dynamic of Zutara and grabbed onto that. But I know, I would have shipped Kataang at one point because of my twisted perception of how much a woman has to sacrifice in her relationships and how she doesn’t expect the same back.

I’m so glad I went through that self improvement before I watched Avatar, because, if I was already invested in Kataang, I would have felt pain over realizing that one of my favourite ships reflects everything I hate and worked so hard to fix.

I’m so glad I found Zutara and the wonderful community of fans. I know my younger self needs this.

#zutara #avatar the last airbender #atla #zuko x katara #atla ships #anti kataang #avatar #this is also why I feel kind of bad #Kataang shippers may not know better #or not want to acknowledge that their ship is unhealthy #but I still won’t listen when they bash it #I’m such a proud Zutara shipper #and I love my community of other Zutara shippers #you guys are the best

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dattuff · 1 year

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Getting outvoted by Jin is crazy 💀

#kataang #aang x katara #anti zutara #zuko #katara #atla #mai x zuko #zuko x jin

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starlight-bread-blog · 3 months

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As a Zutarian I actually don't ship Zutara in the live action. I don't ship anything. They're not Zuko and Katara. No one is who they're supposed to be. The only thing I'm rooting for is this atrocity getting cancelled and buried in the hall of nothing called Netflix.

So when I see this:

I'm just confused as to why is this here. They're not gonna be endgame, obviously. So why does Zuko just casually gently trace his hand on Katara's scarf? It doesn't serve any purpose and it's weird.

#also i may may may change my mind on Zutara #maybe #zutara #viv's atla critisism #anti natla #natla critical #zuko x katara #zukoxkatara #prince zuko #katara x zuko #atla #avatar the last airbender #anti netflix

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allthebestnamesweretaken · 16 days

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There are a lot of things I’m grateful for, one of them being that Dante Basco ships Zutara bc without that this voiceover wouldn’t exist and that’d be a terrible place to be

#zutara #atla #avatar the last airbender #zuko x katara #anti anti zutara #this might be my favorite zutara edit #i think about this all the time #I may or may not know this by heart #enemies to lovers #zutara month 2024 #zutara fandom

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darklinaforever · 11 months

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I'm rewatching Avatar the last airbender, and it's crazy how maternal Katara is with Aang. He actually called her "Mom" at one point?! OK, that's comedic for the show and supporting Katara acting like a mother when she's too young, but getting Aang to say "mom" specifically? Help... Also, Katara is way more mature than Aang overall. I had forgotten how offbeat they were... And then Mai who doesn't really understand Zuko... Yes, sorry but for me Kataang and Maiko are not relationships that should have ended together. I'm at the episode where Zuko and Sokka broke Suki out of prison. Do I really find it impressive that Mai said to Azula, "I love Zuko more than I'm afraid of you." Uh... I'm sorry, but when was Mai ever afraid of Azula? Whenever she disagreed with Azula, Mai would not obey her. What happened with Zuko is nothing out of the ordinary. I still remember that unlike the other, Azula didn't need to scare Mai so that she agreed to join her group to hunt down Aang. Afraid of Azula? Let me laugh. It's so forced as a statement to make us swallow Maiko down our throats.

#avatar the last airbender #avatar : the last airbender #zuko #anti kataang #anti maiko #katara x zuko #zuko x katara #katara and zuko #zuko and katara #zutara #atla #mai #aang #azula #katara #sokka #suki

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wisebeth · 1 year

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Zuko : Hey Katara, according to these reasons, we're apparently supposed to be together?

Katara : Huh? What can they be?

Zuko : According to our shippers, you're the first person who saw good in me–

Katara : Sure, I was the first person who trusted you but Aang saw goodness in you, before anyone else did, including me so where does that leave us?

Zuko : Not to mention, I betrayed you a minute later and never thought about it again. But Aang's words haunted me multiple times afterwards, so does that mean I like him too?

Katara : Also, apparently because you let me touch your scar so uhh we like each other??

Zuko : Makes no sense. I was literally flinching and I let Mai cuddle into my scar all the time and feel a lot more relaxed with her? Or are we ignoring everything else and only focusing on what you and I did for each other?

Katara : It's also because we were once teased to be a couple and denied it? So we secretly like each other and in denial?

Zuko : Bullshit! I had the exact reaction of annoyance when that Jin girl was called ‘my girlfriend’ and I was more than happy to confirm Mai was my girlfriend. Maybe...maybe it's not denial and I only like it when my actual girlfriend is called my girlfriend?

Katara : Besides, if we're shipping based on who shipped us then doesn't mean I and Aang were foreshadowed since the beginning since Sokka called him my boyfriend in the earliest episodes?

Zuko : Well we're also compatible because uhh I was ready to help you in finding your mother's killer so I understand you better than Aang?

Katara : I'm pretty sure you helped me because you had compassion for my situation and wanted to gain my trust. But Aang, out of all the people, knew that it's not in my nature to kill anyone, and he was right because I didn't bring myself to kill him. And he knew if I did kill him I'd regret it, he was there comforting me when I blood bended for the first time even if it was to help my friends.

Katara : And he doesn't “understand” me??? Do they realise Aang is a genocide survivor, who lost EVERYONE he loved to the fire nation? Of course he understands!

Zuko : Yeah! Not to mention, I also went on a life changing journey with Sokka and Aang as well, it was supposed to be a part of my redemption arc. There were no romantic undertones?

Katara : Okay so we're also popular because you took a lightening for me and they see it like a big romantic moment where you sacrificed yourself for me.

Zuko : But...you're my friend! I have grown to see you and the rest of the gaang as my friends, if your life is in danger, I'd try to save you obviously. What did they expect me to do? Stand there, doing nothing and let my sister kill you? “uhh sorry Katara since I don't like you romantically I'm gonna let you die”.

Zuko : Besides I also risked my life for Sokka by accompanying him to the Boling Rock and let Appa free before we were even friends. What's next? I'm in love with Appa as well? Wasn't this a big part of my redemption arc that once I was willing to kill and capture you all and now I'm ready to die for you, which shows how much I've changed and matured as the show went.

Katara : Besides if we're talking about big sacrifices with romantic undertones, then Aang was ready to give up the avatar state for me even though the fate of the entire world was dependent on him. He was willing to choose me over the entire world.

Zuko : And Mai betrayed the entire fire nation for me, ready to fight my psychotic sister's wrath despite knowing she could die doing so, and even accepted to get imprisoned. Or are we ignoring what our canon spouses did for us and only focusing on what we did?

Katara : Either way, a lot of it seems far fetched and over analysing to me.

Zuko : Same.

#atla #avatar #avatar the last airbender #zuko #katara #aang #mai #kataang #pro kataang #maiko #pro maiko #anti zutara #zuko x appa new ship since appa truly trusted him before anyone else did and zuko didn't break it

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forevermore05 · 1 month

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I know it is okay to dislike characters. Their not real so it won't hurt them. However in terms of Aang and Mai when people say "I like Mai and Aang but hate their writing" I think what they are trying to say is that they like the on-paper potential of these characters. Heck Im a culprit for saying this common phrase. Because I do like the on-paper potential for these two. Many people like the idea of these characters and what they could be. They could have been good characters if their writing was not terrible. I rewrote Mai's arc to be about her and her growth. Aang can be fixed if we remove Nice Guy TM and a whole lot of other things (won't get into that now). However, this could be just my perspective.

#avatar the last airbender #zutara #katara #zuko x katara #zuko #anti kataang #anti aang #anti mai #anti maiko #but like not really #but just in case

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kideaternomnom · 10 days

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No bc why do Maiko shippers genuinely start tweaking just bc someone prefers Zutara over Maiko based on my experience

#like calm down youre not going to die if someone prefers zutara over that badly written dumpster fire you just so happen to like #zutara>>>maiko [disrespectfully]#im sure there are toxic zutara fans but ngl nowadays the zutara fans i see seem so sweet #way nicer than azula stans at least as much as i love azula #anime #avatar the last airbender #atla #analysis #avatar #zuko #katara #anti maiko #maiko anti #zuko x mai anti #zuko x katara #pro katara #pro zuko

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maikowasalwaysbad · 2 months

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I think what bothered me about Maiko was how half assed it actually was, and how it had wayyy too little scenes to be considered good or well written AT ALL. User @sokkastyles made a lot of good points concerning how badly written Maiko was, and how it did Mai’s character dirty. But what makes it so funny to me is how much lack of scenes there are for it to be good- let me explain:

We never get Mai’s reaction to Zuko’s banishment. None at all. It’s almost like the writers didn’t even plan this and only mashed them together due to them being single. We see her smirk at the thought of seeing him yes, but there’s no concern over Zuko literally being thrown in prison or possibly killed. I’m not saying Mai’s a bad person but…wouldn’t you worry about your partner? Or couldn’t the writers show her reaction to Zuko literally being burned and humiliated?

Where was the build up besides ONE literal flashback that the majority of people I know forgot about??? Literally, that kiss in episode 1 of Book 3 was out of NOWHERE- it felt like the writers needed to give him a love interest so they had Mai kiss him out of desperation. 😭 But even then with that flashback it was nowhere near convincing that Zuko loved her since childhood or something. And even for Mai it was honestly….eh. It’s a cute childhood crush thing where she may find hm attractive, yes. However how is this supposed to convince me it’s long term like they want me to believe? Plus, we literally see Zuko dislike it when Azula and Ty Lee tease them about being together. There’s no implications of him deep down liking Mai or anything in that flashback. Just him getting angry at it in fact.

Where tf were the scenes of Zuko worrying for Mai after the Boiling Rock? This one I can maybe understand due to maybe not enough runtime but…Wouldn’t you worry for someone you love if they’re going to be imprisoned and possibly punished heavily by your crazy sister??? He knows what Azula is capable of along with the Boiling Rock prison in general. So why didn’t we get any scenes of him worrying for her? If the writers wanted to really convince me on their relationship they could’ve at least give me a scene of him either freeing her or worrying for her afterwards LMAO. “Erm maybe offscreen” yeah, keyword: MAYBE.

Mai never confronted the Fire Nation was wrong. Literally, when did she confront the Fire Nation was wrong? Y’all expect me to believe she’s right for him when she didn’t even see that the Fire Nation was wrong? That’s like if a feminist were to date a man who didn’t support women’s rights- it’s just….blegh. And you wouldn’t support that relationship. Literally, where did she confront Ozai was wrong? She only saved Zuko because she “loved” him. But how are they supposed to be compatible due to those opposing ideals? Seems boring and really lazy ass writing that doesn’t confront those points lmao. “She probably realized it in the room when Zuko told her” he only said “that’s not how I see it” when she told him he was betraying his country. We don’t see a scene where Mai suddenly realizes the Fire Nation is bad. “Maybe offscreen” yeah, MAYBE. And that sort of proves my point Maiko is badly written and doesn’t have enough scenes to support it or make it good.

I can go more into depth on how multiple parts of the writing were flawed whether it be the characters or just the ship in general. However I won’t make this too long and will stop here. Overall, I feel Maiko could’ve had WAY more scenes to sell it to me or be better written. It’s not just the toxic moments that annoy me, but also the lack of scenes and writing. While I do agree it had potential, elements such as bad writing, too little time, etc made it badly written and half assed to me. And I hope Maiko shippers can respect my opinions and thoughts.

#avatar #avatar the last airbender #avatar the legend of korra #atla #my meta #meta #atla meta #i will die on this fucking hill #i hope they don’t make maiko canon in the live action at least #avatar meta #anti maiko #atla critisism #avatar the last airbender critical #maiko anti #anti zuko x mai

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c-m-li-s-fanfic-corner · 1 year

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WIP Lineup 5/30/2023

Below are my fics that are somewhere between the sandbox and WIP stages. I have these each planned and framed out but they are in various stages of being actually written.

(these are in vague order of when i plan to write them, but there are no timelines, schedules, or promises on the posting bc the quickest way for me to lose motivation is to give me a deadline)

So Uncivilized

Star Wars

Rule 63

Obi-Wan centric

CodyWan endgame

Lots of big big canon divergences

1. Heathen

Melida-Daan

Obi-Wan & Quinlan friendship

Qui-Gon & Yoda bashing

2. Barbarian

Mandalore Arc

(not Obi-Wan/Satine)

3. Savage

Clone Wars era

CodyWan

Order 66 fix-it

Anakin & Anidala bashing

* * *

Mesh’la

Star Wars

CodyWan established

Firefly (Joss Whedon ‘verse) crossover

(not dimension travel, SW:CW characters are a part of the Firefly ‘verse)

Post Order 66 / Rebels era vibes

* * *

History Has It’s Eyes On You

Star Wars

POV Outsider

Post Clone Wars era (way post, almost 1,000 years after)

CodyWan

Melida-Daan

Order 66 fix-it

Slight Anakin bashing

* * *

Her Sweetened Breath & Her Tongue So Mean

Star Wars

Post Clone Wars & Order 66 Fix-it

Leia centric w/ a dash of Luke

CodyWan

Pro Jedi (all of my fics are but this one bears repeating)

Anakin & Padme bashing

* * *

Family is More than Blood

Star Wars

Obi-Wan/Quinlan

Pro Jedi (this bears repeating)

Jedi leave the Republic

Mandalorian Obi-Wan Kenobi

Shadow Obi-Wan Kenobi

1. Old Blood

Mandalorian civil war AU

2. New Blood

This is where Mandalorian Obi-Wan Kenobi becomes especially relevant

3. Shared Blood

Jedi & Clone Troopers

Mandalorians & Clone Troopers

Obi-Wan & Cody (big sibling energy here)

* * *

When the Need is Greatest

Avatar: the Last Airbender

All canon pairings remain canon

Post war dimensional travel

* * *

Destiny’s Due

Avatar: the Last Airbender

All canon pairings remain canon

Alternate Dimension AU in which the 100 Year War never happened

#star wars #star wars clone wars #fanfic #obi-wan kenobi #codywan #anti anakin skywalker #anti anidala #pro jedi #firefly #leia skywalker #mandalorian obi wan kenobi #quinobi #avatar the last airbender #atla #katara x aang #zuko x mai #sokka x suki

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vlackevil · 6 months

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FACTS!!!

#kataang #katara and aang #avatar the last airbender #aang and katara #otp #atla #aang x katara #avatar #pro kataang #maiko #pro maiko #atla maiko #zuko and mai #anti zutara

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