I don’t think aang is her romantic soulmate. I think aang is her slightly endearing but mostly frustratingly stubborn platonic friend who whether you like it or not, largely benefits off of her emotional labor and attachment without compensating her for her hard work and input to help him fulfill his avatar duties. of aang’s many flaws — a lot of it consists of him rejecting katara’s wisdom and natural abilities. without aang, she’s fully capable of standing on her own two feet, discerning friends to foes and being the heartbeat itself of team avatar. yet we’ve seen her time and time again, shunned out of most decision-making only for him to nod at the last minute, telling her she was right all along AFTER all havoc has been wreaked. ship wars aside, what this really is, is a discussion on the kind of relationship dynamic katara deserves as a healer; someone who can protect her outright, support her unconditionally and listen to her while making sure she has everything she needs to be her own person — certainly not what aang shows canonically to be incapable of giving her.
you know who I think would’ve made the perfect person to put aang in his place without becoming his mother figure or inducing a well-deserved paris paloma rage anthem of labor? the one & only, the greatest earthbender in the world. yeah. toph. but that’s a story for another time.
