Author has written 6 stories for Avatar: Last Airbender.

Hello everyone. Just a few quick notes. First and foremost, I am rather canon oriented. That is not to say that I don't enjoy a well written Taang, Zutara, etc. However, it has to be well written and believable. Unfortunately, most of the Taang and Zutara stories out there are anything but well written, being based on what can only be termed sophomoric ideas of "He's too young for her" and "Zuko's way cooler than baldy" and such stuff. I can tell y'all that I have been around far longer than probably any of y'all have and those are some of the worst reasons to choose someone for your life partner. You will find more of my logic on this in my comments below.

Anyway, I am one of the older avatards out here (as you will note on my personal avatar, I am retired Navy). I was first caught up with Avatar when several children in the family, including my niece and nephew, and my brother in law (Yeah, us guys are all kids at heart), first got me hooked on it (actually, they watched Sponge Bob, and I watched it, and saw some commercials for Avatar). I loved the series and am looking forward to the movies almost as much as I was to the Lord of the Rings.

Having said that, below are my reasons why I "ship" Kataang and NOT Zutara...

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Why Kataang and not Zutara:

1>There was a connection between Katara and Aang from day one. This is something that Bryke stated in their commentary on the finale. As they pointed out, there never was a romantic Zutara. Just a friendship Zutara. Zuko and Mai had a relationship that grew as they grew and matured. Just as Katara and Aang's relationship grew and matured as they grew and matured.

2> Aang is willing to give up his happiness to protect Katara. Sorry, but Zuko isn't willing to do this. He is, like most royalty, even "redeemed" royalty, fixated on what works in the court, not about what makes someone else happy.

3> Aang loves Katara so much that he is afraid that telling her of his love will ruin their friendship. Friendship is the basis of love. Without it, love is NOT truly love.

4> Katara has her own feelings for Aang, but subjugates them to the need for Aang to save the world. Aang reaches this point, too, I believe, when he finally fights Ozai. There is something most of y'all don't understand because y'all are too young and too well protected by people such as myself (remember, I am retired military). You have to reach a point where duty comes before personal thoughts. That is why those of us who have been/are in the military are willing to risk everything for people we have never met. Why we go into harms way in spite of our own families back home.

5> Aang's inspiration to save the world is Katara. He is willing to save it for her, even if it means his life. That is true love. You might say "Well, Zuko took the lightning Azula intended for Katara". Yes, he did. However, he did it for a friend (Katara) and on a friend's behalf (Aang). Aang, meanwhile is willing to move heaven and earth for Katara.

6> Katara was so jealous about Aang dancing with On Ji. Someone who only looks at a guy in a motherly way is NOT jealous. She never evinced ANY jealousy of Zuko and anyone else.

7> Aang doesn't have just a crush on Katara. He truly loves her. He is always looking for ways to make her feel better, to let her know that she is loved, even though he is tongue tied about it. There are those who believe that this proves he is too young. Ladies (most Zutarians are young ladies), I am old enough to be most of y'all's grandpa, and I get tongue tied around my girlfriend. So, what do you think a teen-aged boy is going to do?

8> Katara has been swept off her feet by Jet and nearly so by Zuko, because of:

--Jet's exotic and brash and reckless ways. Katara wanted someone to sweep her off her feet. Jet is rather worldly, and took advantage of the idea of another "conquest". Once again, ladies, I am a guy. Though I never had Jet's point of view, I do, personally, know guys who DID have that point of view.

--Zuko is the one who aroused Katara's motherly side, far more than Aang. She saw a young man who was hurt and needed someone to care. So, she allowed her motherly side to take over.

Katara learned from her experiences with Jet and with Zuko. She found out that slow, sure, sweet, and kind beats exotic, brash, reckless, and in need of mothering any day of the week.

9> Katara wasn't rejecting Aang following the kiss during EIP. Instead, she was trying to protect her heart. She didn't want to lose Aang again. So, she protected herself by distancing herself from him. Again, ladies, I am retired military. In the Navy we had a situation called "WestPac syndrome". It was when, just before a sailor was to ship out for 8 months or more, he and his family began getting into fights (the Army, USMC, and USAF have similar situations). The psychology behind it was that, subconsciously, he and his family were preparing themselves for separation, and the heartaches it caused. By making everyone mad at him and happy to see him gone, it made the leave taking easier. Katara was doing somewhat the same thing. She had lost Aang once already when Azula shot him. She was afraid of losing him again. Her heart couldn't take it.

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Falacies about Zutara:

1> One of the foremost reasons that most Zutarians seem to ship Zutara is that "they look so cute together". I'm sorry, but that is NOT a reason to "pair" someone up with someone else. Bonnie and Clyde looked "cute" together, yet they were not exactly good quality folks. Having said that, two people who love each other have a glow about themselves which makes them look cute together.

2> Aang is too young for Katara. This is a reason given by those who are usually rather young themselves, because their peer pressure is against dating someone younger than themselves. Yet, there are more than a few marriages out there with December/May romances which are beautiful.

3> Aang is too much of a nerd. Well, this one is similar to #4. Just because someone doesn't fit your personal view of what is "right" for them doesn't mean that they aren't right for each other. As to someone being a "nerd", beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Don't dash someone else's hopes because you perceive them to be a nerd.

4> Zuko is such an excitingly bad guy. Well, as I said, this is similar to #3. However, I can also tell you that, having been a cop and a firefighter/EMT, I have entered the fray too many times where the girl who was intrigued by the excitingly bad guy learned the hard way (sometimes she didn't learn because she was no longer alive) just what happens when an excitingly bad guy gets mad.

5> I don't like Aang because he's too much of a pansy. Oh well, some of the quietest guys are the most "dangerous" to those who endanger those the quiet "pansy" type of guy loves. So, just because he seems to be weak, I would suggest that it takes greater courage to stand for your beliefs than it is to just go with the flow, such as Zuko did for so long. Granted, he finally saw the light, partly because of how Aang treated him during the times they came into contact, partly because of Iroh, and partly because of his mother's training. Finally, I have seen much more of life than most of y'all have, and I can tell you that, unlike the movies, the Navy SEAL or the Army Green Beret or the Marine Force Recon is very often the quiet, unassuming guy.

6> Zuko and Katara deserve each other because they are opposites and opposites attract. Again, sorry, but the facts don't bear this out. Those who are opposites may excite the feeling of exhilaration in each other, but life is NOT lived in a feeling of exhilaration. It is lived in the moment by moment living of life, some of which is pure drudgery, some of which is exhilaration, and some of which is just plain fun. That is life, learn to live with it. It is when you give up your own desires for the best of someone else that you truly learn what love is. In addition, the both have fiery tempers. Those of y'all who haven't lived as long as I have don't understand that the true opposites aren't the Southerner and the Northerner. Rather, it is the individual with the fiery temper and the one who willingly forgives and has a soft answer which turneth away wrath.

7> Aang is the avatar, or Aang is young. He'll get over it. Sorry, but this is a pretty lame excuse for shipping something. Ladies, and most Zutarians are young ladies, men are hurt just as deeply when a girl dumps them as a girl is. We just don't show it. We just learn to suck it up and try to get on with life. Just the way we are.

8> Zuko is much more mature than Aang is. Sorry about this one, too. Zuko is a 16 year old boy. Aang has all his past lives making him much more mature in his actions and judgements than Zuko in most cases. Plus, 16 year old boys are still boys, after all. I should know. I was 16 once.

9> Katara just has "Motherly" feelings toward Aang. Ladies, I may be a guy, but almost all women, and girls, I have known have motherly feelings for the guys in their lives. It is just the way y'all are created. The same for most of us guys. We have the need to be the white knight, even though that means we go to work in a job that we may not like, to provide for food, shelter, etc, etc, etc. for our loved ones. That is just the way we are created.

10> Zuko earned a relationship with Katara because he finally changed for the better. Sorry, again. You don't destroy someone else's life because another guy finally decided to do the right thing. That is making Katara a piece of chattel to be traded to whomever is the winner of the "do the right thing" contest.

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I won't add any of the various questions and such. Just wanted to let y'all know who I am and let y'all know that, though I am without any talent when it comes to writing, I truly enjoy all the great talent out there. I am, though I shouldn't be, amazed at just how talented some of y'all are. Keep up the good, nay, GREAT work!

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Ok. Here's an update. I just posted my first story (maybe my last...I'm nowhere near as good a writer as some here. And, when it comes to being an author, well, it will take a LOOOOOONG time before, if ever, I reach that peak of achievement), Zuko Cried. Please read it and review. I would appreciate all reviews. It will only help me get better over time. -arizony-

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11/08/08 Onward and upward. I've just posted my second story, "Through His Eyes". It is an alternate universe view of Sokka and Toph. It is based on a story (author unknown) which has been circulating out there for a while. For y'all, I have posted this story here, so y'all can see some of why I thought Sokka and Toph when I read it... Hope y'all enjoy it. -arizony-

Love is Blind

A blind girl hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, "If I could only see the world, I will marry you.

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.

He asked her, "Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?"

The girl looked at her boyfriend, and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She had not expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

Her boyfriend left in tears, and days later wrote her a note, saying: "Take good care of your eyes, my dear; for, before they were yours, they were mine."

Y'all can watch the video (just remove the spaces...) based on this story at:

youtube . com / watch?v=1tSkE-1Xmfk

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12/04/08 My third story, "The Kiss". This one is dedicated to some of the great authors on this site who have inspired and encouraged me. AnimeFanGirlWrites4Ever, Amirah Elizabeth, DJNS, HeyItsMJ, Invaderk, Liooness, Liselle129, RikaToruh, VerelLupin, and Dizzy-in-the-Izzy. It is because of each of y'all that I gathered up the courage to try my hand at writing. I would especially like to add my Beta, Shinobi Bender/Dragon Firebender84, to this list, as without her, my work would only be fit for less than stellar uses. I render honors to all of y'all.

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12/24/08 I'm sorry I am a bit slow on the update to my latest story, "The Kiss". My long suffering Beta, Shinobi Bender, was almost finished with the next chapter, and I dumped some changes on her. Please, be kind to the animals and and nature. Use rotten tomatoes to plant new tomato plants. Don't throw them at the writer. ;o) Chapter 3 should be up before the end of the month. Again, I'm sorry. It's my fault, not my Beta's.

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01/18/09 Well, chapter III is up, and chapter IV of "The Kiss" is in my Beta's hands as of yesterday. I hope that it meets everyone's expectations. I think there are only two or three more chapters left after chapter IV. Then... We shall have to wait and see.

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03/24/09 Well, it's done. My story, "The Kiss" is all done, though I might write an epilogue. Still, a work of love that took a while from start to finish, and, even through the writer's block and everything, I LOVED every minute and every word. I have a new project I'll be starting soon. I have permission from Quiet Wyatt to adopt his orphan story, "How Could You?". I hope I can make you proud, Wyatt.

08/03/09 Well, as y'all can see, I haven't started on Wyatt's story "How Could You". Unfortunately I can't seem to get anywhere with any of the ideas I had when I talked with Wyatt about it. I HAVE, however, written a poetry Fic, "Flying High", based on the poem "High Flight" by WW-II Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, Jr (RAF).

I am also presently working on my first Song-Fic. My Beta, Liselle129 has it now, and as soon as she gets through with working her wonders on it, I will post it.