r/kataangst

The tittle is pretty self explainatory. Lately I've been reading a lot of fan fics about these two, and I have taken a liking to the motive of them revisiting places they had been to on their way to curb stomp Ozai. I've already seen one about them revisiting that Fire Nation school from The Headband episode, but I need more. I am looking mainly for a fic mentioned in the title, but I will gladly accept any other recommendations about Kataang revisiting places from ATLA.

Unfortunately I have become privy to this fan war and I really wanted to ignore it but I have some things I need help with

So one of the criticisms I'm seeing for kataang is that it's a self insert. I don't know who the person they say is self inserting but to me that should not be listed in a criticism for this ship unless you already did not like this ship. Which ties death of the author into this. Unless the authors biases are so egregious like in vampire diaries for example, it should not be a criticism. Apparently one of the authors was using Katara as a self insert for the babysitter he liked. Did it really mess with Kataras characterisation that much?

I've also been seeing a lot about Aang yelling at Katara in the movie and she was OOC by just standing there and taking it. Is that what happened? If he was yelling do you think it's a mark against his character and their relationship.

Also was Katara all over Aang in the movie? That og Katara would not act like that. They said he was uncomfortable and was basically pushing her away and it was yet again another evidence that her character was being butchered just to keep Kataang together.

I've also seen what I feel is frankly a ridiculous criticism that Kataang is suffering from "the hero always gets the girl" trope and that's one of the reasons why Kataang is trash. How does this apply with Kataang. I was very satisfied watching this as a child and don't wanna rewatch just to critique it through a shipping lens. Or maybe what I'm trying to say is that there was nothing wrong with the hero getting the girl in this instance. And is Zuko not a hero as well? At least he became one

Also I just saw one where they were rejecting the criticism of their ship being a self insert by mentioning the aforementioned creators self insert but by also saying that Kataang should not have been a thing because it uses the "attractive girl falls for unconventional looking guy" trope. So it is about looks then and the prefer that ship because of what Zuko looks like? I saw one say that Zuko looks better than Aang and I don't knock people for shipping based on looks but that's not really a negative for Kataang.

Also about the puberty thing. They say aang was prepubescent to Kataras pubescent and I can't help but think that he would have become pubescent by the literal next year but that feels like a cheap defense idk.

This was rambly and I don't know if I'm asking a question or what but I just needed to let it out

Oh and another thing. They say Aang had no character development in comparison to Zuko and something about that rankles. Of course somebody going from villain or antagonist to hero would have a more dramatic visible change. What are they saying Aang should have gone through? Should he have struggled more to learn a bending style or what? It's kind of how people criticize Izuku and the only problem I have with Izuku is that his personal struggles with being quirk less disappear after getting a quirk and that's something that should have been increasingly explored instead. If not at the ending which they didn't do. Does Aang suffer from the same thing. I'm tired of having the heros journey compared to the antagonists journey especially when the antagonist gets on a journey the protagonist is already on.

(This short fanfic of mine takes place at the same time as the boiling rock episode where Sokka and Zuko go break suki and sokkas dad out of prison. NOTE: AM I COMPLETE AMATEUR)

Chapter: The Field of Blue Flowers

The war never stopped taking.

The eclipse had failed. The invasion had collapsed. Friends had been captured, and hope had once again slipped through their fingers.

Tomorrow, they would return to the fight.

But today...

Today belonged to Kya.

---

The Fire Nation war balloon rested quietly against the morning breeze, its thick ropes tethered firmly to the ground. Zuko inspected the burner while Sokka tightened the straps of his armor one final time.

Katara stood nearby, watching her brother in silence.

"You don't have to leave today," she said at last.

Sokka looked at her, a tired smile crossing his face.

"I know."

He reached into his satchel and produced a small cloth bundle.

"I almost forgot."

He placed it gently into Katara's hands.

She unfolded the fabric.

Inside sat a neat stack of ginger cookies.

A laugh escaped her before she could stop it.

"Mom's favorite."

Sokka nodded.

"When you and Zuko searched those Fire Nation records... you found the exact day."

Katara lowered her eyes.

For years they had never known when Kya died.

The Southern Water Tribe rarely marked the passing of days with calendars. Life followed the tides, the seasons, the changing ice.

Dates disappeared.

Memories didn't.

Now, for the first time, she knew exactly when her mother had been taken from them.

She had made herself a promise.

This day would never become a day of mourning.

It would become a day of remembrance.

A day to celebrate Kya's kindness.

Her laughter.

Her courage.

Sokka rested a hand on her shoulder.

"I kept thinking I should stay."

Katara looked up.

"But then I realized..." he continued, "...Mom gave her life protecting the people she loved."

His thoughts drifted somewhere far away.

"Today, I'm going to honor her by saving someone else I love."

"Suki."

He smiled.

"Suki."

Katara wrapped her arms around him.

"I know you'll bring her home."

"I'll do my best."

They held each other for another moment before Sokka climbed into the balloon beside Zuko.

The ropes were released.

Slowly, the balloon rose into the pale morning sky.

Katara watched until it became only a tiny silhouette against the clouds.

---

"I know a place."

She turned.

Aang stood a few paces behind her.

His staff rested against one shoulder.

"What kind of place?"

He smiled.

"A beautiful one."

---

Katara stopped walking.

Before her stretched an endless sea of blue flowers, swaying gently beneath the afternoon wind like waves upon an ocean.

She let out a quiet breath.

"They're beautiful."

"I found this place while flying."

Aang looked across the field.

"They reminded me of the ocean."

Katara knelt among the blossoms.

She brushed one delicate petal between her fingers.

"Flowers almost never grew at the South Pole."

A warm smile appeared.

"My mother loved them."

Together they gathered smooth stones and built a simple altar in the center of the field.

Nothing grand.

Nothing elaborate.

Just a small place where memory could rest.

Katara carefully placed Kya's necklace upon the stone.

Beside it she laid the ginger cookies.

The wind stirred softly around them.

For a long while, neither of them spoke.

---

Aang lowered himself onto the grass beside her.

Not too close.

Just close enough.

After several quiet minutes he asked,

"Tell me about your mom."

Katara looked at him, surprised.

"What?"

"I want to know about her."

She tilted her head.

"Why?"

Aang looked toward the altar.

"Because your mother raised one of the people I've come to love and care for most in this world."

Katara's expression softened.

"She must have been an amazing person."

He smiled.

"Help me know her."

His voice was almost playful.

"Tell me what made her smile."

Katara stared at the necklace resting atop the stones.

Then...

She smiled.

"You really want to hear stories?"

"I really do."

She folded her hands in her lap.

"She sang."

Aang's eyes lit up.

"Whenever she cooked?"

Katara laughed.

"When she cooked... when she cleaned... when she thought nobody was listening."

"What did she sing?"

"I honestly don't remember."

She smiled to herself.

"I was too little to pay attention."

A brief silence passed.

"I wish I had."

Story after story followed.

She told him about evenings gathered around the fire while snow battered the walls outside.

She spoke about her mother's terrible jokes that somehow always made Sokka laugh.

About the way Kya would secretly slip Sokka an extra serving whenever Hakoda wasn't looking.

About the careful way she braided Katara's hair before celebrations.

About the afternoon she slipped on the ice while carrying fish, laughed so hard she couldn't stand up, and somehow convinced everyone else to laugh with her.

Aang laughed until tears nearly came to his eyes.

He asked questions.

Little ones.

What was her favorite meal?

Did she have a favorite song?

Could she waterbend?

Mostly...

He listened.

Hours slipped away unnoticed.

For the first time since losing her...

Katara wasn't remembering how her mother died.

She was remembering how she lived.

---

Far away...

Steel rang against steel.

Sokka and Zuko fought through the Boiling Rock, refusing to leave without Suki and the others.

---

Back in the field, the sun had begun to sink below the horizon.

Golden light washed over the blue flowers.

Katara's smile slowly faded.

She looked at the altar.

The silence settled around her once more.

She blinked several times, swallowing hard.

"I'm okay," she whispered before anyone had asked.

Aang looked at her.

She offered him a reassuring smile.

The same smile she always wore whenever someone else needed her.

"I'm fine."

He didn't answer.

Instead he quietly said,

"Katara."

She looked away.

"No..."

Her voice remained steady.

"I'm alright."

Another pause.

Then Aang slowly opened his arms.

Not asking.

Not insisting.

Simply making the offer.

"Do you want a hug?"

Katara stared at him.

Every instinct told her to shake her head.

To smile.

To be strong.

Like always.

Instead...

She stepped into his embrace.

She rested her forehead against his shoulder and closed her eyes.

For several moments, there was only silence.

No tears came.

She held them back.

She always had.

Aang gently rested one hand against the back of her head.

"Katara..."

She breathed slowly.

"You're one of the strongest people I've ever known."

Her fingers tightened around the fabric of his robe.

"But strength doesn't mean carrying everything alone."

His voice softened.

"You don't have to fight your feelings."

"They're part of you."

"Let them flow through you."

He paused.

Then whispered,

"Just for tonight..."

"You don't have to be strong."

Something inside her finally gave way.

The breath she had been holding for years escaped in a trembling sob.

Then another.

Her hands clutched the back of Aang's robes as tears streamed freely down her face.

She had held everyone together for so long.

Now...

Someone was holding her.

Aang said nothing.

He simply stayed.

He let her cry until there was nothing left to hide.

Only then did he whisper,

"It's okay."

His arms tightened around her.

"I'm here for you."

A gentle breeze carried blue petals into the air.

"Always."

The flowers swayed beneath the evening sky.

The altar stood quietly among them.

A daughter's love.

A mother's memory.

And, in the stillness between them, the beginning of a love built not on grand gestures...

...but on the simple promise that neither of them would ever have to face the world's burdens alone.

(I always believed that aangs awaken in book 3 could've been better so he is my attempt at writing a small short fanfic,note:I am an absolute amateur)

Aang slowly opened his eyes.

Everything was blurry at first.

The gentle rocking of the ship.

The sound of waves outside.

Then his vision focused.

Katara was asleep beside his bed, her head resting against his thigh, one of her hands still lightly holding his. It was obvious she had been there for a long time.

Aang smiled.

As he shifted slightly, Katara stirred. Her eyes fluttered open, and for a brief second she simply stared at him, unable to believe what she was seeing.

"A... Aang..."

Her voice caught in her throat.

"You're awake..."

Aang's tired smile grew a little wider.

"I never get tired of this."

Katara blinked, confused.

"Never get tired of what?"

Aang slowly lifted his hand and gently rested it against her cheek.

"Seeing your face first when I wake up."

Katara let out a shaky laugh as tears filled her eyes. She placed both of her hands over his, holding it against her cheek.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Aang chuckled softly.

"Hey, Katara."

She smiled through her tears.

"Hey, Aang."

For just a moment, it felt like they were back at the South Pole, meeting each other for the very first time.

The silence lingered until Aang's smile slowly faded.

"I'm sorry."

Katara looked at him.

"I'm sorry I failed you."

She shook her head immediately.

"No."

"I did. Azula..." He swallowed hard. "I dropped my guard. I didn't see what she was doing. I..."

His voice trembled.

"I almost died."

Katara's expression broke.

"No one saw what she was doing," she whispered. "Aang... none of this was your fault."

Aang stared at the ceiling.

"When she hit me... I could feel everything slipping away."

He closed his eyes.

"My body felt lighter... colder... emptier."

"I thought... that was it."

Katara felt tears running down her face.

"I thought I'd never see you again."

Aang turned toward her.

"I'm sorry."

Before he could say another word, Katara gently wrapped her arms around him, careful not to hurt him.

She buried her face against his shoulder.

"Please..."

Her voice cracked.

"Please be careful."

"I can't lose you."

"I can't."

Aang slowly wrapped his arms around her.

He held her quietly as she cried.

After a long moment, he rested his chin lightly against her head.

"I'm here."

Katara let out a trembling breath.

"You are."

"And I'm not going anywhere."

Outside, the waves continued to roll against the ship, while inside, for the first time since Ba Sing Se, neither of them felt alone.

So I was on the Reddit page for "the other" ship because I had to admit even though I'm team Kataang Netflix did a better job with showcasing the other ship than the original show ever did. You could even see the chemistry work well off of both actors that play Katara and Zuko especially in the final episode.

What I didn't expect to run into was a fandom so hell-bent on getting those characters together that they're thinking Netflix is going to actually change the Canon ending and even justifying them doing it by using something as silly as the age of the actors being 4 years apart saying it's grooming.

I really liked it for the first three episodes because it felt like they were finally about to catch up to the pacing of the original show.

I really think they should have hugged more, and Katara should have shown her affectionate side by calming Aang down when he entered the Avatar State. They had two opportunities to do that, but for some reason, they decided not to include it.

In the second half of the season, they kind of stopped progressing with their feelings. I don't see any improvement compared to the original show in that regard.

In OG S2E19, Aang admitted that he loved her, and my understanding of Katara is that she loved him too, at the latest by the beginning of Season 3. (She definitely had a crush on him since late Season 1 or early Season 2-that's up for debate, but I'm talking about love here) The main reason they weren't together earlier in Season 3 was that Katara was afraid of losing him. That's why she waited until after the war ended before starting a relationship.

In NATLA Season 3, they're almost certainly going with a different approach. Here, I'm not even sure Aang loves Katara. I think they're both still in the crush phase, and their relationship hasn't had enough time to develop.

I feel like the main reason for that is this:

THEY DIDN'T BUILD A STRONG FRIENDSHIP IN NATLA SEASON 1

The OG trio were done really dirty. Once they arrived in Ba Sing Se, they kept secrets from each other. Everything culminated in S2E6 when they failed to convince the Earth King to listen to them. I wish Aang hadn't pushed Katara away the way he did with Sokka and Toph, but it is what it is.

It's really unfair that the main relationship ended up being so underdeveloped. We actually see Sokka and Suki get more attention than they did in the original show, and even some friendships like Mai and Ty Lee, Katara and Zuko (before the betrayal, of course), Sokka and the Mechanist...

Important: This is not me saying you shouldn't watch this season. Watch it and give it a chance!

I still think Season 2 was much better than Season 1, even though our Aang and Katara are not the same characters as they were in the animated series—especially Aang.

Hey r/kataangst! Hope you’ve been enjoying the community, it’s so great to see so many Kataang fans coming together!

Just a reminder about the goal of this subreddit, which is to serve as a positive space for fans to celebrate Kataang. Light discussion about ships is okay, but please avoid “shipping war” content, including significantly negative discussion surrounding pairings or anything that may incite this. It’s been wonderful that most members have followed this so far, and hopefully this continues as we grow!

If you’d like to read our subreddit manifesto for more information about this, please see our wiki. There’s also a lot of cool Kataang content to browse there. Don’t forget to submit any content that you’d like to see included!

Stay flamin’