beccastareyes (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
beccastareyes) wrote2010-10-15 06:37 pm
beccastareyes) wrote2010-10-15 06:37 pm
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30DoS.27: A pairing that you loved and ended up hating? Zuko/Katara
Day 27 - A pairing that you loved and ended up hating? Zuko/Katara
Well, actually I went from 'it could be interesting' to 'lordie, what now'?
A:tLA was pretty short on female characters in the first season. We got Katara, Yue, and a couple of one-episode badasses who later came back (Jun, Suki, Smellerbee...)*, while there were three major young men (Aang, Sokka, Zuko) and two older ones (Iroh and Zhao), plus the requisite arc characters and one-episode characters who later return. So, it's probably not surprising that Zuko/Katara became a ship, even if Zuko's only real scene with her was when he found her necklace and used it to track Aang. Most of Zuko's scenes were with Aang, Iroh and Zhao -- he barely seemed to notice Katara and Sokka besides 'the Avatar's friends'.
Then second season came around. Zuko didn't do much with the hero characters for most of it, we met Zuko's childhood friend Mai (who had a crush on him pre-exile), and it was hinted that Aang and Katara kissed, showing that Aang's crush might be reciprocated. And the crazy shippers got mean towards Aang and Mai. And Becky don't tolerate that kind of shit from other shippers.
No, seriously. When bashing and canon-denial get high, it can start to make me hate the ship because every time I interact with the fandom, I always have the voice in the back of my head asking 'are they gonna turn on everyone else'? It's the same reaction that Harry/Hermione got, though my low interest in the HP fandom meant it didn't come across as strong.
Then during the second-season finale, Zuko both looked like he was about to join the heroes, but chose the Fire Nation. Furthermore, the Z/K shippers believed that the episode was a swat at their ship:
(The Abridged Version of Zuko and Katara in the Season 2 Finale)
Katara: After working, I think I'll get a nice cuppa tea.
Zuko: Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon, home of the Jasmine Dragon, can I take your order?
Katara: Ah! Crazy guy who was obsessed with Aang! (flees)
(To the palace!)
Katara: We've been infiltrated! Prince Zuko is in the city! And he's serving tea! Suki, you got to help me stop him!
Azula (wearing Suki's clothing): Zuko, you say?
Katara: Shit, more of them!
(She puts up a valiant fight, but is Captured and thrown into a Pretty Crystal Cave beneath the city. Some time later, Zuko is also captured.)
Katara: How dare you try to hurt Aang. Good thing he's not here and... wait, why are you down here?
Zuko: I'm a traitor, so my sister locked me up. Thanks a lot, by the way. What is with you?
Katara: You Fire Nation people killed my mom.
Zuko: I'm sorry. I also have issues relating to the sudden loss of my mother. But hey, at least your dad didn't set you on fire and exile you. And your sibling is just weird, not crazy.
Katara: You know, I have magic healing water that I had completely forgotten about when my friend the resistance fighter was seriously injured a couple of episodes ago. I could treat your scar, which might symbolically act to get rid of your daddy issues.
Zuko: ...
(Aang and Iroh appear)
Aang: Katara! My Avatar sense was tingling, so I had to come see you.
Iroh: That wasn't your... my, what did the Air Nomads teach their children back then? Anyway, nephew, the Avatar has helped me rescue you.
(Azula and Dai Li Goons appear.)
Azula: Zuko, help me capture Uncle and kill the Avatar and I'll tell Daddy you helped. Then maybe he'll love you again.
Zuko: Okay.
(They fight, and Aang is nearly killed, but everyone escapes on Appa after Toph, Sokka and the Earth King show up.)
Katara: Good thing I had this magic healing water in reserve.
Then the fandom explodes.
That being said, I loved Zuko and Katara's interaction in the last half of Season 3, going from Katara's 'I will kill you if you breathe on Aang funny' to becoming friends, and maybe even confidants. I like to think that the two work well in temperament to one another and would be good friends post-series as well. Plus... well, I think both of them learned how to step back from the darkness. Zuko's lesson was in learning to be who he wanted to be, not who his father thought he should be. Katara's was learning to separate her mother's death from her feelings about the Fire Nation, and that while confronting her mother's murderer helped, killing him using bloodbending would just sicken her for using something she swore never to do, and his life wasn't worth her loss.
It also explains why Katara hated Zuko more than Azula, who was the one who actually nearly killed Aang. She knew he was capable of being a decent person, and had caused her to see him as something other than an enemy. Then he goes and helps his sister take over the city and kill Aang, and turned against his non-crazy family. Azula never invoked betrayal, because you always knew where you stood with Azula.
* And Gran-Gran Kanna, but old folks don't get shipping love. Except for the Pakku/Kanna shippers -- you guys are awesome.
Previous Days
Day 01 - What is your current favorite ship? Anthy/Utena
Day 02 - What was your very first ship? Jadzia/Worf
Day 03 - A pairing that needs to happen now? Snow/Talia
Day 04 - The pairing with the most chemistry? Lina/Gourry
Day 05 - The pairing with the least chemistry? Anakin/Padmé
Day 06 - The best kiss? Eleanor/Gerard
Day 07 - The most heartbreaking scene? Harry/Susan
Day 08 - The pairing with the most baggage? Sarasa/Shuri
Day 09 - The most believable relationship? Kaylee/Simon
Day 10 - Why aren't these two married in real life? N/a
Day 11 - What is your dream pairing? Dhulyn/Parno
Day 12 - Who had the best wedding? Magrat/Verence
Day 13 - What is your favorite television pairing? Amelia/Zelgadis
Day 14 - What is your favorite book pairing? Dag/Fawn
Day 15 - What is your favorite game pairing? Link/Zelda
Day 16 - What is the pairing that is annoying me right now? Ed/Roy
Day 17 - A pairing you thought would never work out, but did? Mai/Zuko
Day 18 - What is the cutest pairing? Sheska/Winry
Day 19 - A pairing you've rooted for since the beginning? Sokka/Suki
Day 20 - The "can't stand the sexual tension anymore" pairing? Jinto/Lafiel
Day 21 - A pairing you like and no one else understands why? Sylphiel/Zelgadis
Day 22 - A pairing you hate and no one else understands why? Filia/Xellos
Day 23 - A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out great? Van/Hitomi/Allen/Millerna/Dryden
Day 24 - A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out badly? Cecil/Rosa/Kain
Day 25 - A pairing that was/would-be adorable, but could never work out? Midna/Zelda
Day 26 - A pairing that you hated and ended up loving? Ginny/Harry
Well, actually I went from 'it could be interesting' to 'lordie, what now'?
A:tLA was pretty short on female characters in the first season. We got Katara, Yue, and a couple of one-episode badasses who later came back (Jun, Suki, Smellerbee...)*, while there were three major young men (Aang, Sokka, Zuko) and two older ones (Iroh and Zhao), plus the requisite arc characters and one-episode characters who later return. So, it's probably not surprising that Zuko/Katara became a ship, even if Zuko's only real scene with her was when he found her necklace and used it to track Aang. Most of Zuko's scenes were with Aang, Iroh and Zhao -- he barely seemed to notice Katara and Sokka besides 'the Avatar's friends'.
Then second season came around. Zuko didn't do much with the hero characters for most of it, we met Zuko's childhood friend Mai (who had a crush on him pre-exile), and it was hinted that Aang and Katara kissed, showing that Aang's crush might be reciprocated. And the crazy shippers got mean towards Aang and Mai. And Becky don't tolerate that kind of shit from other shippers.
No, seriously. When bashing and canon-denial get high, it can start to make me hate the ship because every time I interact with the fandom, I always have the voice in the back of my head asking 'are they gonna turn on everyone else'? It's the same reaction that Harry/Hermione got, though my low interest in the HP fandom meant it didn't come across as strong.
Then during the second-season finale, Zuko both looked like he was about to join the heroes, but chose the Fire Nation. Furthermore, the Z/K shippers believed that the episode was a swat at their ship:
(The Abridged Version of Zuko and Katara in the Season 2 Finale)
Katara: After working, I think I'll get a nice cuppa tea.
Zuko: Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon, home of the Jasmine Dragon, can I take your order?
Katara: Ah! Crazy guy who was obsessed with Aang! (flees)
(To the palace!)
Katara: We've been infiltrated! Prince Zuko is in the city! And he's serving tea! Suki, you got to help me stop him!
Azula (wearing Suki's clothing): Zuko, you say?
Katara: Shit, more of them!
(She puts up a valiant fight, but is Captured and thrown into a Pretty Crystal Cave beneath the city. Some time later, Zuko is also captured.)
Katara: How dare you try to hurt Aang. Good thing he's not here and... wait, why are you down here?
Zuko: I'm a traitor, so my sister locked me up. Thanks a lot, by the way. What is with you?
Katara: You Fire Nation people killed my mom.
Zuko: I'm sorry. I also have issues relating to the sudden loss of my mother. But hey, at least your dad didn't set you on fire and exile you. And your sibling is just weird, not crazy.
Katara: You know, I have magic healing water that I had completely forgotten about when my friend the resistance fighter was seriously injured a couple of episodes ago. I could treat your scar, which might symbolically act to get rid of your daddy issues.
Zuko: ...
(Aang and Iroh appear)
Aang: Katara! My Avatar sense was tingling, so I had to come see you.
Iroh: That wasn't your... my, what did the Air Nomads teach their children back then? Anyway, nephew, the Avatar has helped me rescue you.
(Azula and Dai Li Goons appear.)
Azula: Zuko, help me capture Uncle and kill the Avatar and I'll tell Daddy you helped. Then maybe he'll love you again.
Zuko: Okay.
(They fight, and Aang is nearly killed, but everyone escapes on Appa after Toph, Sokka and the Earth King show up.)
Katara: Good thing I had this magic healing water in reserve.
Then the fandom explodes.
That being said, I loved Zuko and Katara's interaction in the last half of Season 3, going from Katara's 'I will kill you if you breathe on Aang funny' to becoming friends, and maybe even confidants. I like to think that the two work well in temperament to one another and would be good friends post-series as well. Plus... well, I think both of them learned how to step back from the darkness. Zuko's lesson was in learning to be who he wanted to be, not who his father thought he should be. Katara's was learning to separate her mother's death from her feelings about the Fire Nation, and that while confronting her mother's murderer helped, killing him using bloodbending would just sicken her for using something she swore never to do, and his life wasn't worth her loss.
It also explains why Katara hated Zuko more than Azula, who was the one who actually nearly killed Aang. She knew he was capable of being a decent person, and had caused her to see him as something other than an enemy. Then he goes and helps his sister take over the city and kill Aang, and turned against his non-crazy family. Azula never invoked betrayal, because you always knew where you stood with Azula.
* And Gran-Gran Kanna, but old folks don't get shipping love. Except for the Pakku/Kanna shippers -- you guys are awesome.
Previous Days
Day 01 - What is your current favorite ship? Anthy/Utena
Day 02 - What was your very first ship? Jadzia/Worf
Day 03 - A pairing that needs to happen now? Snow/Talia
Day 04 - The pairing with the most chemistry? Lina/Gourry
Day 05 - The pairing with the least chemistry? Anakin/Padmé
Day 06 - The best kiss? Eleanor/Gerard
Day 07 - The most heartbreaking scene? Harry/Susan
Day 08 - The pairing with the most baggage? Sarasa/Shuri
Day 09 - The most believable relationship? Kaylee/Simon
Day 10 - Why aren't these two married in real life? N/a
Day 11 - What is your dream pairing? Dhulyn/Parno
Day 12 - Who had the best wedding? Magrat/Verence
Day 13 - What is your favorite television pairing? Amelia/Zelgadis
Day 14 - What is your favorite book pairing? Dag/Fawn
Day 15 - What is your favorite game pairing? Link/Zelda
Day 16 - What is the pairing that is annoying me right now? Ed/Roy
Day 17 - A pairing you thought would never work out, but did? Mai/Zuko
Day 18 - What is the cutest pairing? Sheska/Winry
Day 19 - A pairing you've rooted for since the beginning? Sokka/Suki
Day 20 - The "can't stand the sexual tension anymore" pairing? Jinto/Lafiel
Day 21 - A pairing you like and no one else understands why? Sylphiel/Zelgadis
Day 22 - A pairing you hate and no one else understands why? Filia/Xellos
Day 23 - A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out great? Van/Hitomi/Allen/Millerna/Dryden
Day 24 - A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out badly? Cecil/Rosa/Kain
Day 25 - A pairing that was/would-be adorable, but could never work out? Midna/Zelda
Day 26 - A pairing that you hated and ended up loving? Ginny/Harry