I know it’s completely not canon and most of you people will hate that but I refuse to acknowledge that Katara and Aang didn’t reunite in the afterlife for eternity. You could make Bryke try to convince me that they reincarnated and I wouldn’t care. You could all try to convince me and I wouldn’t care.
Why? Because Katara and Aang give me hope. They are the definition of soulmates, who lived together for nearly all of their lives and loved each other beyond comprehension. How depressing would it be if they reincarnated, forgot about each other and would never meet again, and even if they did they would be completely different people? No. Just no. I despise all fan fics making them into doomed lovers („the promise” included) and I despise every theory that they didn’t get their rest after their respective deaths.
My explanation for the avatar cycle is that Raava jumps from person to person with specific traits that will ensure they will try to help the world, no matter what.
Katara and Aang suffered so much in life. I’m not letting their story end in a tragic way. They deserve their happiness in the afterlife and by god I will push that headcanon even if I have to do this alone.
I prefer to think of it as there's an afterlife, that's where souls reside. Avatars are special since they can be summoned by the current living one but for the most part they're in the afterlife with the other souls.
