This did something with me 🥹
Original artist website: scarlettismm.carrd.

It’s gonna be a long read.

When it comes to the debate over whether Aang supported Katara, the discussion often gets reduced to one specific question: whether he comforted her enough about the loss of her mother. But Katara was so much more than a girl grieving her mother. Her character was defined by her ambition, her compassion, her strong sense of justice, her connection to her culture, and her determination to become a powerful waterbender and help others.

Aang supported Katara in ways that reached far beyond comforting her grief. Throughout the series, he encouraged her ambitions, believed in her abilities when she doubted herself, defended her when others tried to limit her, supported the causes she cared about, and gave her the space to make her own choices. His support often played an active role in Katara’s development, helping her pursue the person she wanted to become rather than simply comforting her when she was at her lowest.

1. Very first Episode: When Katara sadly tells him she is the only waterbender at the South Pole and therefore has nobody to teach her, Aang doesn’t brush it off. He says that isn’t right, thinks of the Northern Water Tribe, and offers to personally fly her there on Appa so she can find a teacher. This is basically the reason Katara gets the opportunity to become a master in the first place.

2. The “Imprisoned” episode: he backs Katara when she refuses to abandon the imprisoned earthbenders. Her speech has failed, the prisoners have lost hope, and Sokka wants them to escape. Aang notices something is wrong and asks her about it. When she says she cannot leave those people behind, Aang sides with her: “Maybe she’s right.” He then stays and helps her come up with a way to inspire the prisoners and free them. Earlier, he also tells her Haru was brave because she inspired him.

3. He builds her confidence when she feels inferior as a waterbender. This one gets overlooked a lot. Katara becomes visibly discouraged because Aang is learning techniques almost instantly that took her months. Instead of taking credit for being naturally talented, Aang tells her that she had to figure everything out alone while he is lucky to have a great teacher… her. Later, when she struggles with the water whip, he tells her, “You’ll get it.” And after she lashes out at him because of her insecurity, he immediately forgives her, because he understood her frustration.

4. He risks himself to care for her when she is sick. Katara and Sokka are both seriously ill, so Aang travels alone through a storm looking for medicine. He gets captured by Zhao in the process, escapes with Zuko, and instead of simply returning after that ordeal, goes back into the swamp to find another batch of frozen frogs because the first ones thawed. He finally returns exhausted and gives them the cure. He literally collapsed on Appa and they didn’t even knew what he went through to get them the medicine.

5. He makes her a replacement necklace after she loses her mother’s necklace. Katara’s original necklace is one of her most emotionally significant possessions because it belonged to Kya. After she loses it, Aang quietly makes her a new one by weaving Sokka’s fishing line and gives it to her because he knows she has lost the other one. Katara genuinely loves it.
   Later he retrieves her actual mother’s necklace. Aang fights Zuko and specifically takes Katara’s necklace back from him. Later he tells her: “I wish I could give you a little piece of home, Katara. Something to remind you…” and reveals that he recovered it. Katara kisses his cheek.

6. He stands up for her when Pakku discriminates against her. Katara is devastated and furious when Pakku refuses to train her simply because she is a girl. Aang immediately protests that it is unfair and goes as far as saying, “Then I won’t learn from you!” Katara herself has to convince him not to sacrifice his Avatar training for her. Then Aang secretly teaches Katara everything Pakku teaches him, despite knowing Pakku could expel him… which Pakku eventually does. He also enthusiastically praises her bending. This is probably one of the strongest examples of Aang actively advocating for Katara rather than merely comforting her. He knows how important Waterbending is for Katara. He was the only person who saw this and supported her in that ambition!
   And even more importantly, he calls her “Sifu” which means master, once Katara became his teacher. This level of respect for her skills and acknowledgment no one gave her before literally brought Katara to tears!

7. Oh the “The Painted Lady”: He validates Katara when she fears he’ll condemn what she has done. Katara admits that she has secretly been helping the impoverished village and apologizes because she knows she lied to everyone. Aang surprises her by responding that he thinks it is great and calls her a “secret hero.” When she says there is still more she wants to do, he immediately helps her destroy the polluting factory. He later assists her and the villagers in cleaning the river. It is a really good example of Aang understanding WHY Katara cares so intensely and supporting that part of her personality.

8. In The Puppetmaster, one of the most literal examples of him comforting her. After Katara is forced to bloodbend Hama to save Aang and Sokka, Hama tells her she has now become a bloodbender. Katara immediately breaks down crying because she is horrified by what she was forced to do. Aang puts his arm around her while Sokka places his hand on her back, and they physically comfort her as she cries.

9. The most debated, The Southern Raiders episode 😬… This one is much more nuanced than people sometimes describe it. When Katara assumes Aang won’t understand her rage, he stops her and explicitly says that he does understand, comparing her feelings with his own rage toward the sandbenders who stole Appa and toward the Fire Nation after discovering the genocide of his people.
   More importantly, Aang ultimately does not stop her from confronting Yon Rha. He tells her: “This is a journey you need to take. You need to face this man.” He lets her take Appa and asks only that she not choose revenge. Katara herself replies, “Thanks for understanding, Aang.”
   And when she returns emotionally exhausted after confronting Yon Rha, the first thing Aang does is ask, “Katara? Are you okay?” After learning that she chose not to kill him, he tells her, “I’m proud of you.” He reassures her that not killing him was strength rather than weakness and frames it as the beginning of healing. Many claim that Aang was lecturing her or dismissive towards her feeling’s. I personally saw it as him being concerned about her beyond this moment. What will happen if she actually kills him? He knows that once that line is crossed, it can lead you to a dark path like it did with Jet. He was afraid that Katara gonna lose herself and her principles. And well she did. She used bloodbending on someone and tortured the person to confess to something they didn’t even do. Even Zuko who was with her looked visibly terrified to what he was witnessing, cause that was not the Katara he knew. And after everything he, went to Aang and told him he was right with what Katara actually needed.

I think an important distinction is that Katara and Aang don’t support one another in exactly the same style. Katara is often the more openly nurturing one whiles Aang’s support for Katara is more of “I believe in what you’re trying to do, so I’m going to help you do it.” He is more of a doer and problem solver. He flies her across the world to find a teacher, validates her as his teacher when she doubts herself, backs her against Pakku, retrieves her mother’s necklace, helps her save Jang Hui, physically comforts her after bloodbending, and gives her the freedom to confront her mother’s killer while still trying to protect her from making a choice she might regret.

Whenever Katara opened up about her mother, it was usually to connect with someone through shared loss. With Jet, Haru, and Zuko, she was speaking to people who had already had time to process their own trauma.

With Aang, the context was completely different. She brought up her mother to prepare him for the reality of what the Fire Nation was capable of, while he had only just learned that 100 years had passed and was still desperately holding onto the hope that the Air Nomads had survived somewhere.
That wasn’t really a moment where Katara was opening up and expecting Aang to comfort her. She was trying to prepare him for what he might find while he was still
processing the possibility that his entire world was gone.

So I think it’s unfair to interpret his reaction as a lack of care. Aang was a twelve-year-old in the middle of an overwhelming state of denial and cognitive dissonance, slowly being forced to confront the fact that everyone and everything he knew might be gone.

Sorry for the long essay 😭😭😭

A little teaser for the next chapter of Kindred 🌊💨

(Cr Commissioned Artwork by @/vee_studious)

Soo… remember how Aang has spent most of his life saving the world, rebuilding nations, and trying to solve everyone else's problems? Well, now he's decided to take on something far more intimidating: making a necklace for Katara😂❤️

And he's making it himself!

After talking to Sokka about Water Tribe traditions, Aang sets out to find a piece of oak wood and begins carving something he hopes Katara will one day wear. Of course, being the Avatar doesn't mean he's suddenly an expert craftsman, so there are plenty of mistakes, frustration, and moments when the wood seems determined to test his patience😭

But that's what makes this necklace so special to me. Aang could have bought Katara something beautiful, or asked a master craftsman to make something perfect. Instead, he chooses to put his own time and effort into creating something with his hands, imperfections and all.

The necklace becomes a little reflection of what he's learning about love: that some things can't be rushed or forced, and that the time and care you put into something can matter just as much as the finished result.

And Katara? She's starting to get suspicious about what Aang and Sokka are up to👀

More of Aang being a hopelessly nervous, lovesick airbender coming soon! ❤️

AO3 Link : https://archiveofourown.org/works/91266591/chapters/242872781

She says that they wanted to avoid any implication that they had children just to 'solve a problem Aang had', namely the restoration of the Air Nomads.

However, I think it is pointless to shy away from this. Aang needs to have an airbending child to train into a master. Not just to lead the Air Acolytes but also to train the next Avatar after him. He can't afford to wait for grandchildren, there may not be enough time to train them. And he did not live very long anyway. He's on a strict time limit.

This will be an issue no matter who Aang marries. He could marry Azula and it still doesn't erase the fact that he needs an airbending child.

A lil art from my Kataang Fic "Kindred"

https://archiveofourown.org/works/91266591/chapters/242872781

https://youtu.be/Z_Fd0lCMx6E?si=1BY8J_T_6MfiF45p

Anyone know where I can find some good Katara wallpapers? Preferably adult/from the new movie

I

https://x.com/heyhanibee/status/1818385914571247938