Incidentally, as for mutated character dynamics in fanon Zutara...I'm a Katara/Zuko shipper who developed independently outside the fandom

Thank you. I really love finding control Zutara shippers. I was pimped into this show via that pairing. ("Hey Red, check out this awesome show, it has an enemies!pairing that is the most popular in the fandom! And it's HET!" and I went "Sweet jesus where is this holy land of which you speak?")

I was actually just thinking about if/how my relationship with shipping would be if I wasn't in fandom. Specifically, prior to getting into fandom, I was like 'well, my pairing isn't going to be canon, but I've liked most everything B&M have done so far,' and then with the massive pairing wars, Sozin's Comet, the horrible airing dates, the spoilers I couldn't avoid, I'm like, 'I'm going to hate the ending, aren't I? I'm going to hate it and then have to deal with the Hiroshimi-like fallout and smile for my mother the Maiko shipper, aren't I? Why god? Why have you abandoned meeeeeee???!?!?!!'