Sozin’s Comet - False Hope

As many of you have already seen, I put up an essay yesterday describing my angered feelings towards the Sozin’s Comet book. I have received many comments and many notes regarding this essay, and from the view count, I can see that this is becoming quite popular. This is a good thing and a bad thing.

I have received many comments saying things like, “thanks for writing this, you gave me hope for Zutara once again,” and other such praises and victory shouts. There has also been more discussion on this book and more reasons were posted as to why it can’t be trusted, all which are excellent points that gave me even more hope.

But then there were those comments that said we are in denial, that this essay is creating false hope. Some of them have been quite insulting while others have been eye-openers and made valid, respectful points that I greatly appreciated. To those people, I thank you.

At the time when this book came out, three of our strongest Zutarian leaders had crumbled under the pressure, refusing to speak and only saying depressing words. I’m sorry, but as much as I love those gals, it was rather hurtful. I was about to put my own rant and depressing words about this book on my own journal, but with the help of friends, this was stopped, and instead encouraging words were posted.

This book had created a frenzy, a wave of sadness and depression for all Zutarians. I felt it myself. But I didn’t want to stand by and just watch it happen. Someone had to speak out, someone had to give them some hope, any kind of hope to cling to before they went stomping off into a corner to cry their eyes out. And so I decided to do that!

Yes, this essay came off rather harshly, rather profoundly, rather concrete and immovable, but a day later, I am here to tell you my true feelings.

First of all, let me clear something up. I am not saying that this book is fake in the sense that the scans aren’t real, the spoilers aren’t real, and the interview isn’t real. Everything that has been spoken about this book and its contents, I believe to be in there. The thing that I am weary about is not the contents of the book, for they are real and truly in there, but I am wondering about the circumstances of this book, how it was released, the way it is described, the reasons for it to be published, the interview that sounds very out of character for Mike and Bryan. That is what I am calling fake, not the book itself, but the circumstances revolving around it.

But is this book truly fake?

It seems like many people, not just Zutarians, are on different sides about this book. On the one hand, people are saying that it is true fact, that it will happen exactly as it does in the book. On the flipside, there are those who are blatantly denying it, saying that it is 100% fake. Am I one of those?

On the contrary, I am at the present time 50-50 about the whole situation. I have never been 100% sure that this book is fake. The essay I wrote was to give hope at a time when Zutarians were hopeless, were believing that our ship was over, and were giving up on everything. That essay was to help pull them out of it, it was to help pull myself out of it.

So this is essentially a reply to my own essay, a chance for me to calmly state what I truly believe about this book and what others should truly believe and come to grips with.

Some of the Zutarian leaders are already saying that this book is it, the end, it’s over. I’m not about to say that. There is still a large part of me (50% at least) that believes this book is fishy, that there is something not right with it. My gut is still telling me not to trust it. The other side of my gut is telling me to be PREPARED.

Could this series end in Kataang?

YES, IT CAN!!!

Could this series end in Zutara?

YES, IT CAN!!!

Right now, I still see the split as 50-50 even with this book out. I will not believe a thing until the episodes air and until I see it with my own eyes. So, fellow Zutarians, do not give up hope! Can we still prevail? Yes! Could Zutara still happen? Yes! Could Kataang? Yes!

And that is what I need to talk to you all about. Kataang.

When the news of this book finally surfaced, the real news, the interview, the scans, everything, it suddenly hit me, this feeling of doubt that we had been wrong all along. I couldn’t believe it. My mind was going over every possible way that this could happen, and it still didn’t make sense to me. But as I read the spoilers and looked at the scans, my heart stopped and I started to question everything that I believed in about this show.

More than that, I began to wonder about my YouTube channel. What was I to do with it? Tear it down? Throw away everything I had worked on? Get rid of it all? I can tell you one thing, my first thought was that this had been the biggest waste of time ever, I came to grips with it fast, and I wanted to end it all and move on like none of this had ever happened.

You can say that I have invested a lot in this ship. You can mock me. Whatever. But at that time, I was more depressed than I think I ever had been before. I’m not gonna lie. It cut deep. It cut deep enough to bring me to tears as I’m sure it did for several others. Many have given a lot to this fandom, this ship, yearning for it to be canon, yearning for that one moment when we could finally hold our heads high and say that we were right all along.

Basically, it hurt. And it hurt bad.

But that feeling of depression, that moment of pain, that sudden realization of doubt opened my eyes to what I had been denying all along. The possibility of Kataang.

I had always said that Kataang had a possibility, but did I ever really believe it? No. Not really. And the reason is because I had done so much research into the show, looked at it from so many angles, seen all the ways Zutara worked and how Kataang didn’t, that I had set myself up for a huge fall. And I fell.

But this fall was the best thing that could have ever happened to me!

This fall made me realize the possibilities, made me come to grips with what could happen if it didn’t end as I predicted. And though it hurt, it was a great thing. I started to ask myself questions that I had never really contemplated before.

What would I do if Kataang happened?
Would I leave the fandom?
Would I stop shipping it?
Would I absolutely despise Mike & Bryan?
Would I tear down my YouTube channel, go into hiding, and never return?
WHAT WOULD I DO?

All of these questions ran through my head, and for the first time, I was able to answer them. I came to the conclusion that I was shipping this ship for all the wrong reasons. I was essentially shipping it to prove a point, so show that we were right, to even pummel the Kataangers to the ground with the fact that Zutara would be canon. And that was wrong. Very wrong.

Yes, there were other reasons. But as time went on and I got deeper into the ZEFID series, my reasons became harsher and misconstrued until the original plan for those videos was lost.

But thanks to this realization, I have looked deeper at myself and this fandom and the reason why I started that series of videos. The reason wasn’t to pummel Kataangers but to give Zutarians hope no matter what came against us. Those videos are for Zutarians, first and foremost, for them and them alone. And the reason why they will continue isn’t because I want to prove that Zutara will happen in the end, but that I want to prove how Zuko and Katara really are more compatible than Aang and Katara and how they compliment each other, how they understand and listen to one another, how deeply their relationship could grow and blossom into a great and epic romance. That is the reason for those vids, and it has been great to come back to that.

So what am I really trying to say about all of this?

The truth. I want everyone to know the truth that this book could be fake but it could be real. And that is a truth we must all face. We could be getting the exact same ending that is in this book, or we could be getting something entirely different. The truth is that we don’t know.

Another truth is that we must all, as Zutarians, come to grips with the fact that Kataang could be the ending. And this event that has occurred is the perfect opportune time for us to realize this. We all experienced that heart stopping moment that had us wondering what we should believe in anymore, and I ask that you think back on that. For one minute, just ask yourself what you would do if Kataang were the end?

Here is what I would do.

#1 – I would finish this video series. Whether it be a Victory video or a Defeat video, it shall be finished. I started it, and I will finish it. And that is a truth I keep telling myself.

#2 – I would continue to watch Avatar. No matter the outcome, I originally started watching this show because of the intriguing, inspiring story, and I am excited to see how it ends. I will buy the third season, watch the movies, and whatever else because of the story.

#3 – I would continue to ship Zutara. I will never abandon this ship or hope in it because not only do I still believe it has a chance to happen in the show, but I also believe that it has created one of the greatest fandoms, has introduced me to some fantastic people, and has given me the ride of a lifetime!

#4 – I would move on. This show is just that. A show. Nothing more. Nothing less. There is no long-term value to this series. It can’t do a thing for you. It will never amount to anything. There are more important things for us to believe in, and it is time that we all realize this. This show is great, fantastic, but that is all it is. And when it ends, it ends. What then? What happens next? Where will you go from here? What will you do? Will you turn to the next thing, trying to find fulfillment? A show will never do that for you, and that is something we must all come to grips with.

So fellow Zutarians, Kataangers, and other Avatards, this is not the end of the series. We still have six brand spanking new episodes to look forward to. But let’s all watch them with our eyes open to every possibility. Let us not cling 100% to false hope, but let us all still hope. Don’t give up, but don’t cover up either.

For the true heart of an Avatard isn’t in what you ship, but how you ship it.
And that my friends is where our true victory lies.

Respectfully,

Katie Jo