#kataang meta

[rain-the-ramblr]

A take I keep seeing in this fandom by a certain part of the community is that Kataang was forced by the creators, and I'm just always like ???

I'm a writer, so this thing is particularly hilarious to me.

If I create the characters and their story and their arcs, I will be the one deciding who they end up with lol. Not the animators, not the voice actors, no one but the person writing the damn script because I created the characters and I decide what happens to them.

This is like saying the MCs of a book ending up together was forced by the author. Like dude, it doesn't make any sense at all.

Also the claims of Aang being a self-insert of the creators. Like, dude, they created him. Obviously there will be some elements of them in him, that's how writing works. I bet you there's elements of the creators in other characters as well.

You people have no idea how writing works and it's honestly hilarious. Like, yes they'd end up together like the creators wanted, you big doofus, they CREATED the story where they end up together.

Just like I get to decide what goes on in my books and fanfics, they get to decide what goes on in the show they wrote.

[dukeofdelirium]

I saw someone say it's important for Aang to choose his responsibilities and is more important to save the world than be attached to a little crush (its much more than that but sure). So why is it important for Aangs character to choose Katara over cosmic energy in that moment? Has it to do with Aang grief with his people and is tied back to the 4 part episodes in the end?

Firstly, I’ve written numerous metas on this which I’ll link because I don’t have the time rn to lay out all of these thoughts once again.

Reblog by @dukeofdelirium · 10 images

💬 10  🔁 233  ❤️ 569 · thank you SOOOOO much for your aang meta because the way this fandom doesn’t understand its own main character is insa

Reblog by @dukeofdelirium · 3 images

💬 1  🔁 429  ❤️ 769 · Thinking about how Aang is punished for choosing power over love and his own happiness, punished for sacrificing anothe

Katara is inherently tied to the love Aang has for his people and nation. Yes, this whole moment is just as much about Kataang as it is about Aang’s grief over the air nomad genocide.

Aang does give her up to save her life, and he is narratively punished for it. The whole narrative tells us that Aang should NOT give up his attachments, because this is the entire reason he exists as the avatar, and more importantly, the expectation of him to give up his attachments and love for others is the very thing that CAUSED the imbalance to begin with. The council members at his temple were plotting to separate him permanently from Gyatso’s care, and ship him off to be rigorously trained as a weapon of war that THEY could use as protection. They didn’t see Aang’s humanity and didn’t care to at that moment. They were willing to strip him bare of anything until he was deity only. That was why he ran away, and that is why the entire story exists.

This expectation goes against everything the story lays out for us, and it’s even explicitly verbalized on screen when Yangchen tells Aang he cannot detach himself from the world the way other airbenders do. Because his purpose is to serve the world, and Katara is his tether. In other words, he narratively serves her character. That’s why she is the narrator at the beginning of each episode. It’s her story just as much as it is Aang’s.

Aang isn’t able to master the avatar state until he confronts his grief over his people. Which he narratively can’t properly do until the 100th anniversary of their deaths during Sozin’s Comet.

Also, Aang didn’t have a crush on Katara. He was in love with her by this point, and she was in love with him throughout the show too. A crush is shallow, temporary, and typically born from not even knowing the object of interest. Aang knew Katara deeply and had seen good and bad sides of her. She was his best friend and he loved her deeply.

[willofdpeople]

I came across a screenshot of a certian anti kataang post, and even though it's been done before, I wanted to give my two cents.

‼️ DO NOT HARASS OP IF YOU FIND THE POST. DON'T GO AFTER THEM, DON'T INSULT OR BERATE THEM, DON'T ACT CONDESCENDING, NONE OF THAT SHIT.

The fact that Aang didn't call Katara Sifu is a bit concerning on the surface, but it's just subtle realism when put to scrutiny. Aang and Katara met to find Katara a teacher. It was only much, much later when they became teacher and student. Aang and Toph on the other hand, met specifically for her to teach Aang (and free her from her parents, of course). As a result, Aang naturally called Toph Sifu, while the idea of Katara being Sifu was still rather new. It's a matter of a habit—which he immediately moved past when requested.

To support my interpretation, I cite his line from The Chase:

If he'd hurt Katara's feelings, I believe he'd never refer to her as "his waterbending teacher". It is very impprtant that she teaches him waterbending, but he's not used to it from the get-go like he is with Toph. It's a mere triviality to add realism, like the way Miyazaki characters put on shoes.

In the screenshot of the original post, this is the only direct evidence presented to support op's idea. However, there's another flaw in their argument despite the lack of examples I have access to. I urge you to read one sentence again:

Meanwhile, in canon, the focus of Aang's crush is how pretty Katara is and how she takes care of him.

The only times Aang and Katara's connection is framed in a romantic light are mostly when he thinks she's pretty or when the feeling appears to be mutual (The Headbend & The Cave of Two Lovers). We can safely assume that how Katara looks out for him is a factor, but it's never directly shown romantically.

They're friends first and foremost, so most of their interactions are presented that way. Yes, one can easily infer that Aang loves Katara because of how she cares for him as well. However, if you do take those interactions into account, then you mustn't ignore the many other qualities he is shown to appreciate.

He doesn't appreciate her fierceness,

or even how good at waterbending she is.

So there you have it. Aang loves Katara for who she is inside. While he does appreciate her appearance, he also appreciates her skills and her strong sense of justice.

[kideaternomnom]

I’m sorry but can we just talk about this scene from ATLA???

It’s just…so beautiful to me. And absolutely breathtaking. I know it sounds super corny but the music, atmosphere, Gaang laughing in the backround, etc is just so great.

To this day I’ll ALWAYSSS love this ending. As we see this, we didn’t need any dialogue to know they love each other. Nothing too cheesy, just pure love if im being honest. The way they look at each other, the way the laughter fades as it’s just Katara and Aang…After everything they went through it’s an amazing thing to see. Throughout the show we see them grow, change, go through war, hardships, all leading to this single moment. It’s something we don’t need dialogue for because WE SEE IT. We see how much they love each other. As it then leads to their kiss. It’s nothing too cheesy or corny, but just pure love.

Sorry, just needed to yap about Kataang cause of how much I love it lmao

[rosa-100]

KATARA AND HOPE

One of the things I like about the Kataang ship is how Katara had full faith in Aang, long before she knew him. You remember in every episode in the intro where Katara said that Aang would save the world.

We see her say this without her knowing him, where the world had lost hope. Katara is the one who believes in him, who will save the world from war, and I think part of that gave her hope. I can see a part where Katara's grandmother tells her granddaughter that the avatar will come back and all the fascinating stories of the avatars.

She lost her mother very early to fire because of the fire nation and her father who left them at a young age. This harmonious future where the avatar would return allowed him to stay at the beginning and believe in a better future beyond war, genocide, crises, death and to share it with other nations, to inspire others.

I know that many people do not like this aspect of kataang where there is this life of brothers and sisters. But I think we can look at it differently. Katara, at the beginning, sees Aang as a wacky child, but she always has confidence in him and only sees potential in him if a person tries to put Aang down or despise him, she defends him! What I want to say before saying anything is that the kaaang shows us support and belief in the potential of others. Katara, at the end, looks at Aang with so much admiration and pride because she has always known.

Likewise, Aang did it, even if it is a little subtle. Katara feels heard and supported by Aang, especially by the positive affirmations that Aang gives Katara throughout the series. Aang pushes her to reaffirm how strong, courageous, compassionate she is in her quests. Even Aang's words make Katara cry.

I need someone who believes in me before I become someone, like Katara did with Aang. I need an Aang who will remind me of my abilities, my gifts and who will support me. These children have changed the world man.

[akiizayoi4869]

The DOBS Kataang Kiss

Alright, so I know that Aang (unfortunately) gets a lot of hate for this. Which I really don't understand why? Well, actually I do, but anyway. This was a battle that none of them were sure that they were going to come back alive from, especially Aang, since he was going to fight Ozai. So him kissing Katara was pretty much his way of saying "idk if we're going to make it out of this alive, so let me do this right now to tell you how I feel about you". And look!

She reciprocates the kiss. Even blushes afterwards. That doesn't look like someone who was "forced" to kiss someone or who didn't want to kiss that person. The Ember Island Players kiss is a different story (and even then I still think he gets way too much hate for that) but this kiss right here, Aang should be given a pass for that, considering the circumstances.

[zukoshotleafjuice]

thinking about how the ember island players could’ve been one of the most interesting and effective episodes of the writers hadn’t been so insecure about the romance that they had to shoehorn in the ooc and forced katara/aang scenes

[thebakingqueen5]

on kataang and hope

its time for another ATLAnalysis woo

so I've watched ATLA maybe 4 or 5 times now? all at various points from when I was 6 to the present, and every time I pick up on more and more stuff, which leads to this little rant on Katara, Aang, and hope.

We all love to make fun of EIP, but this rewatch, something kinda stuck out to me.

EIP Katara loves talking about hope, but hope really is such a central theme to Katara's character, just not exactly how they put it.

Throughout the series, Katara consistently gives EVERYONE hope, so so so much hope. The most obvious example of this is, of course, when she meets Haru and helps the earthbenders on the metal rig in season 1.

"Thank you for helping me find my courage, Katara of the Water Tribe. My family and everyone here owes you much."

She does this again reassuring Aang when the Gaang finds the forest burned down in Winter Solstice Part 1 (the episode where they meet Hei Bai).

"These acorns are everywhere, Aang. That means the forest will grow back! Every one of these will be a tall oak tree someday, and all the birds and animals that lived here will come back."

And again when they're in the desert after losing Appa and it looks like all is lost.

"Ugh ... We're getting out of this desert, and we're going to do it together! Aang, get up. Everybody, hold hands. We can do this. We have to."

And again as the Painted Lady for that fishing village.

"I shouldn't have acted like someone I wasn't, and I shouldn't have tricked you. But I felt like I had to do something. It doesn't matter if the Painted Lady is real or not. Because your problems are real, and this river is real. You can't wait around for someone to help you. You have to help yourself."

And again.

And again.

It's such a consistent and powerful theme with her and you can't help but admire the sheer determination and drive she has to spread the hope that she somehow retains in such a war-torn world, and this is what gets me!

Who gives her that hope?

Aang.

Even when he was still in that iceberg, Aang gave Katara hope.

Aang gives her the hope that yeah, the world can be saved and the war will be over.

Aang gives her the hope that she won't always have to be the responsible person, that she'll be able to let loose and have fun when this is all over.

Aang gives her the hope that as a survivor of genocide, she isn't alone, that she has people who love her and will help her rebuild.

Katara gives everyone else their hope, but Aang is the one to give Katara her own hope.

It's so powerful that these two genocide survivors (who, for all intents and purposes, are the only two in the world who understand their shared struggle) are able to help each other like this, to make the other believe in HOPE and GOOD THINGS after all their hardships.

It's such a core of their characterizations and relationship and just aaaaa how can anyone not love them for that?