Reflection and Analysis

AtLA - Aang/Katara Fans - Not All of Them of Course (8/18/20)

So, I'll start off by saying I know most people who ship Aang and Katara aren't this way. The problem is a lot of them are.

By this I mean the fans of the pairing – well, they're like Bryke, trying to push their idea of what should be. The strength of their argument is based on "it's canon" despite the fact the question of whether it should have been canon given the fact Aang sexually assaulted Katara does in fact come up. They label anyone who ships Zuko and Katara as "delusional", but anyone who doesn't like Aang and Katara as a shipper of Zuko and Katara, neither of which are true.

However, how should I feel about a pairing supported by a fanbase whose constant go to isn't the canon material, but "it's canon" and thus "because it's canon everyone who disagrees is delusional". How should I feel about a pairing supported by fans who brush away the concerns regarding the sexual assault?

Except, that's not what makes me write this.

I'm actually reading some older stories and came across one where there was definite racism. Basically, Aang is the "white man" who explains things to the "barbaric native people" who just can't know things. Like, fuck you, that's not okay. Yes, Aang is supposed to be Asian, but he is the self-insert for two white men and his adult self looks just like one of them. This story is getting praise, but the racism – albeit unintentional on the Avatar's part – is still there, going unnoticed.

I mean, this is the same part of fandom which openly bashed me for suggesting Korra would either end up being a Mary Sue – she did in the end – or the creators were aware of fandom and attempting to turn certain tropes on their head. The latter is far from true in regards from turning tropes on their head, but given Bryke's penchant for trying to pander to fandom I think they were very aware of the stories with a next Avatar just like Korra which were actually quite popular when I first started reading AtLA fanfic, so they went with it.