I am the man from the asbestos town

I’m not reading the books or the comics. I’m not watching anything new. Even Korra was on thin ice for me when I was in college (a long time ago okay?) and while I enjoyed parts of it, I also don’t think we needed it. Sometimes people will be like, “oh well actually Kyoshi isn’t like that because in the books, she —“ no. No, I don’t care. I didn’t read them and I’m not going to. She’s like that in the show and that’s fine actually. I don’t need the backstory.

I don’t care about the avatar cycle.

I don’t want to see the gaang fight for the world’s survival again.

The story was told. The lessons were learned. The amazing characters in this amazing show were created. Now, I just want to see them happy. I am entertained by the idea of the gaang living long, peaceful lives. I want to see more of just that. I want to see them living their happy lives they deserve.

And I also think it would go along with ATLA’s teachings about hope - that a better future is possible and that these characters have managed to achieve a better world with their work.

You don’t need to let the story end.

I think the reason Kataang fan art hits differently is actually pretty simple: it has reality behind it.

When I see art of Aang and Katara older, traveling together, cuddling, kissing, raising their family, or just existing as a couple, my brain doesn't have to invent an entirely different version of Avatar to understand what I'm looking at.

They’re canon.

We watched the relationship develop. We watched Katara become one of the most important people in Aang’s life and Aang become one of the most important people in hers. We saw the little kisses, the hugs, the jealousy, the emotional dependence, the tenderness, the finale kiss—and yes, we eventually know they built an entire life and family together.

And then there’s that dance in “The Headband.”

Come on. 😭

Aang pulls Katara into that dance and suddenly the animators apparently decided they were directing a romance movie. The staring, the movement, the way Katara gets completely swept up in it, the faces inches apart, everybody around them basically disappearing from the scene…

That chemistry was so eye-popping you could've turned the sound off and still understood exactly what was happening.

So when somebody draws adult Aang dipping Katara during a dance, I can look at it and think, yeah, I could absolutely see them doing that.

Then I scroll down and see Zutara fan art and it's like entering the Avatar Witness Protection Program.

Zuko and Katara are married now. Aang has vanished. Mai has been erased from existence. Katara apparently woke up one morning and decided the Fire Nation palace was where she always belonged. Zuko is staring romantically at her across a candlelit bedroom.

Like okay. 😂

Beautiful artwork.

Absolutely gorgeous.

What timeline am I looking at?

That's the thing Zutara fan art can never recreate for me. There's no memory attached to it. There's no moment from the show where I can go, “Ohhh, this feels like the natural continuation of that.”

Kataang artists are basically expanding the photo album.

Zutara artists are writing alternate history.

And I think that's why some Zutara shippers get so unbelievably irritated when canon gets mentioned. Because you can draw the most breathtaking Zutara wedding imaginable, spend 40 hours rendering every strand of Zuko's hair, put Katara in the most gorgeous Fire Nation gown ever conceived, paint the sunset like Michelangelo himself came back specifically to ship them…

…and somebody can still walk underneath it and type

"Nice AU"

Entire comment section ruined or maybe not ruined, just brought back to reality.

Meanwhile somebody draws Aang and Katara sitting on a couch together eating breakfast and Kataang fans can basically go:

“Yeah, probably happened.”

For Kataang week 2026 hosted by @kataang-week, written for the free day

The fan fic

This piece is my first attempt ever at writing fan fiction, written for my first Kataang week as I’ve been a fanatic of ATLA for just a short 3 months (even though it feels like a decade). The title is pretty self explanatory, it’s just Kataang’s reconciliation after the play. I am actually pretty happy with how it turned out.

Sneak peek

„Oh K-Katara! Hi!” he blurted with too much enthusiasm, as if she caught him doing something he wasn’t supposed to.

„Hi Aang!” she answered way too quickly which resulted in her face reddening even more.

„Ummm w-where are you going? I just needed a breath of fresh air!” his fake, over the top enthusiasm trying to cover his embarrassment.

„Oh me? I just couldn’t sleep! So I went for a walk!” she responded with the same fake enthusiasm.

Another long, excruciating pause followed. Both of them stood there with their eyes locked stubbornly on the floor, neither of them wanting the silence to continue but also way too embarrassed to say anything.

Finally, Aang spoke, his eyes still locked on the floor „I’m so, so sorry Katara. For everything.”.

The silence continued for a few seconds.

He raised his head slightly, expecting her to shoot him an angry stare or walk away. To his surprise, however, Katara gave him a small, shy smile and a kind look.

„Want to talk?” she asked finally, her voice a mixture of nervousness and that familiar warmth.

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.

I elect to ignore that Aang died quite young. That was bs to begin with, and Bryke's excuses were stupid.

Maybe he did pass on first, but I like to think he came to Katara's spirit when it was her time and asked her to go penguin sledding with him.

At the end of the day, too, this is a fantasy world loosely based on Asian-esque cultures and aesthetics. It doesn’t copy any in its entirety, nor does it claim to.

So yes: Aang and Katara could meet again in the afterlife, in some capacity at least. I like to think they all will. ❤️

I like to think too that even if the Avatar is reincarnated, it’s more from the ability standpoint. The spirit of the Avatar remains connected and reachable, but separate in its form and independence.

As in, when Korra talks to Aang, it’s more like Aang stepping away from his loved ones in the Spirit World for a quick phone call.

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.

I elect to ignore that Aang died quite young. That was bs to begin with, and Bryke's excuses were stupid.

Maybe he did pass on first, but I like to think he came to Katara's spirit when it was her time and asked her to go penguin sledding with him.

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.

I elect to ignore that Aang died quite young. That was bs to begin with, and Bryke's excuses were stupid.

Maybe he did pass on first, but I like to think he came to Katara's spirit when it was her time and asked her to go penguin sledding with him.

So I am finally allowed to talk about it. I’m just going to write down all the things I liked about it and all the things I didn’t. Spoilers ahead btw.

What I liked:

1. the Kataang portrayal. Really, it was perfect. I don’t care about the haters slandering them, I loved every second of them on the screen and it made me wish for a film purely about their domestic life (or more like wish even more because I always wanted to see such a movie)

2. I liked the humor of the movie. It was simply funny. The first Zuko scene was just hilarious and in general the jokes landed very well.

3. The animation. It was beautiful. No other words for it. While I disliked some particular design choices, like Katara’s hair being straight, I enjoyed the animation. It was pretty.

4. The beginning of the movie with the casual Gaang activities. Nearly every scene, from Aang’s letter to Zuko to that intimate balcony scene between Aang and Katara was just… 🥹😭

What I disliked

1. The plot felt rushed. My issue with the movie is that… it was a movie. All the arcs and instruments were in the right place, but due to the film being 85 minutes long they just didn’t click perfectly. I felt it the most during that spirit world scene. They just hopped in, met some weird boar and hopped out. Everything happened so fast!

2. I hated how Aang was prompted to exit this weird spiritual corruption state in the end by a random piece of cloth. There was an entire episode of ATLA that said that the Air Nomad’s love transformed into Katara’s love for him and another that had Katara grab him by his arm and literally pull him out of the avatar state… yet they settled for a piece of cloth? It felt really dumb because we could have gotten a very emotional scene of Aang having to choose between Katara and the Air Nomads and choosing her.

3. I disliked the finale. The ancient temple falling on the republic city while Tagah turned into some beast corrupted by a magic staff… what? It felt like some MCU final fight.

4. I disliked how they handled Sokka. I hoped that Bryke would finally get their shit together and write Sokka as the brave, mature young man he was at the end of the ATLA but I guess that every mystery gang needs it’s Shaggy

The propaganda I’m NOT falling for:

1. That Katara was only reduced to a one dimensional character meant to please Aang. If you hold a belief similar to this, go watch the movie. And then maybe go to therapy. And stop being a zutara shipper as a consequence ig.

2. That the movie was bad. It wasn’t a bad movie. Just no.

3. That Aang „abused Katara” because of what happened on that airship. Bro. This film is essentially Aang’s Southern Raiders. He is blinded by his grief. He is going to make stupid choices, just like Katara in TSR.

By the way, I guarantee that these „Aang abused Katara” claims are coming from zutara shippers, same people who claim Aang was abusive because he didn’t enable Katara in killing Yon Rha. Because when Katara is overcame by her grief and being mean to Aang because of her trauma it’s a „healthy reaction” but when the roles are reversed it’s Aang being abusive.

In conclusion

I think this movie was all about Aang’s specfic grief from losing the air nomads to genocide and being the last airbender. I interpreted the scene as a visit from Gyatso reminding him of who he is and where he came from so that he wasn’t corrupted by Tagah’s (and by extension his own) grief and anger.

Maybe my message wasn't conveyed clearly enough in that point (9 AM, tea was the main thing on my mind 😞), so I'll elaborate more on that.

In that scene, Aang is overcame by his grief and his longing for the people he lost. He wants to restore the airbenders, he is stuck in the past and blinded by his trauma (that's why I called it Aang's TSR). At that moment, he forgets about the safety of the people around him and his own.

I agree that his love for Katara and his friends was the thing grounding him in the reality, so why weren't they the ones to awake him? If I'm being honest with you, a piece of cloth reminding Aang of what he has lost would only encourage him to slip further into despair. At that moment, I'd love to see Aang look at his love and his friends and realize that the air nomads are gone and he can't change that, but the gaang is still here for him.

Him choosing between Katara and the Air Nomads wouldn't be about who he loves more, but about him realizing that he has a choice: live in his painful past or move on.

This corrupted state was nearly the same thing as the avatar state in ATLA - after being reminded of what he lost, Aang entered a state where he couldn't control himself, his grief speaking through him. And in these moments, Katara was the one to remind him that she's there for him.