#kataralove

Let’s talk about Katara, who had been born to a culture already decimated by the war and bloodshed and violence, who had been born the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe because the Fire Nation took them all.

Let’s talk about Katara, who had to watch her mother die to protect her, who had to watch her father leave with every man left in the tribe - and with him, many of those who were keeping the Southern Water Tribe’s cultures and traditions alive.

Let’s talk about Katara, who had to watch her own brother become obsessed with surviving and fighting, who pushed again and again and again to teach the younger children how to fight, until all that the tribe’s culture became is fighting and surviving.

Let’s talk about Katara, who had forgotten (and how everyone had forgotten) what it means to have fun until Aang arrives (“Don't you see? Aang's brought us something we haven't had in a long time: fun.”) because the war took that from her and her tribe and all they remember is how to fight and survive.

Let’s talk about Katara, who is the only one alive who could possibly understand what Aang has gone through, and how Aang is the only one who could understand what Katara has gone through. How they are both the last benders of their respective cultures, and how those cultures were destroyed by the imperialist Fire Nation. How they are holding on to every shred of their cultures in a world that continually rips that away from them.

Let’s talk about Katara, who lashed out in anger at Aang because he picked up waterbending so quickly (and it’s not fair, it’s not, it’s not, because she should’ve learned it growing up in the first place, but it was taken from her with every waterbender taken from the Southern Water Tribe) and she was the waterbender, what does it mean when she can’t even learn her own bending?

Let’s talk about Katara, who finally found a shred of her culture that wasn’t lost to the war, who sat in Bato’s tent that was built to resemble their home and joined in the ceremonial ice dodging as a rite of passage for Sokka - and how even then, it was tainted by the war (because Hakoda left when Sokka was supposed to do it and they didn’t dodge ice like they’re supposed to).

Let’s talk about Katara, who had traveled from the bottom of the world to the top in the hopes of learning waterbending - only to be told that no, you can’t learn because you’re a girl, who had to literally fight for her right to learning waterbending - her right to learning about her own culture.

Let’s talk about Katara, who learned that the necklace she and her mother and her grandmother wore was a betrothal necklace from the Northern Water Tribe - just another piece of her culture that didn’t truly belong to the Southern Water Tribe.

Let’s talk about Katara, who fought, and won, and could now learn waterbending alongside Aang, but all she is taught is the Northern style of waterbending. She will never learn the Southern style - the style native to her tribe, the style she should’ve learned (and yes, maybe it should be enough that she was even being taught, but war takes and takes and takes and you can’t help but grieve what was taken).

Let’s talk about Katara, who had been so eager to learn from Hama because she was the only other Southern waterbender, who had begged Hama to teach her their tribe’s culture, and all she was taught was use every resource at hand to survive and bloodbending - not even a shard of the Southern Water Tribe’s culture can survive without being tainted by war and bloodshed and violence.

Let’s talk about Katara, who looked Yon Rha in the eye - the man who killed her mother, the man who led the Southern Raiders in destroying every last piece of the Southern waterbenders’ culture - and chose to walk away instead (and maybe it’s because she’s strong enough to do it, maybe it’s because she’s too weak not to do it, but it’s more than he deserves).

Let’s talk about Katara, who looked Zuko in the eye and forgave him - Zuko, who had been part of the nation that instigated the destruction of her culture, who had been part of the royal family that commanded that destruction (and maybe she understands that it wasn’t his fault, not entirely, but maybe it’s also hard to see his face without remembering the ash and smoke and fire that consumed the Southern Water Tribe) - and that takes strength.

Because listen, listen. Katara is a character shaped by cultural genocide and loss and colonialism and assimilation. Her title as “The Last Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe” defines her as much as how Aang's title as “The Last Airbender” defines him. Every choice she makes, every action she takes, has always been built upon loss - of her mother, of her culture, of her people.

We talk a lot about trauma in this fandom- whether that be Aang's trauma or Zuko's trauma or even Azula's trauma. Now, this isn't to say those characters don't experience great trauma, as they certainly do, but I want to talk about someone whose trauma commonly gets ignored or written off; Katara.

Some people seem to think Katara's trauma is just that of her mother's death, but I think something we forget about is how much she goes through in the series as well. Namely, this:

We forget that Katara watched Aang die. No matter whether you view their relationship as platonic or romantic, whether you ship it or not, it is undeniable that Katara cared a lot about Aang, as best friends or more. So to watch him die, and to then hold his dead body would be horribly traumatic. However, I hardly ever see it recognized in this fandom.

And then it almost happens again.

Once again, someone she cares about (whether you ship it or not), gets struck by lightning right in front of her. Once again, she has to watch this happen. That would be horribly traumatic for anyone, much less a fourteen-year old.

One of the things about Katara's trauma is that she seems to get retraumatized multiple times in different ways.

Remember, she and her father were the ones to find Kya's body. That means as a little girl, she had to see her mother's dead body burned by the Fire Nation.

When she is fourteen, her best friend is killed with lightning in front of her.

A few months later, her new friend takes half a lightning bolt to the chest for her.

Obviously there were more things that likely would be hard through their journey, since they are facing a war of course, but Katara doesn't get enough credit.

Aang-centric Fics

all i know is gone (but i am not alone) by @thinkingisadangerouspastime

14.7k words, oneshot, rated T

“I want you to make me a promise, Avatar Aang,” Katara whispered. This time, when she placed her hand on top of his, he didn’t pull away. “When this is all over, when the war is won… Promise me that you’ll grieve.” (alternatively: grieving is hard. aang’s friends work harder. a series of missing/expanded scenes from a:tla exploring aang’s grief through his friends’ eyes.)

the avatar's fear by @northerngoshawk

13.8k words, oneshot, rated G

"If you're not scared, you're not human." That, more than anything, should prove that the Avatar is human. After all, not even the Avatar is exempt from fear. Or: five fears that Aang has. Canon-compliant. Aang-centric.

i see them by @northerngoshawk

1.2k words, oneshot, rated G

I see them in everything. I see them in nothing. I see them in myself and everyone around me. I see them in the air I breathe, the water around me, the earth beneath me, the fire within me. And I won't let them go. Or: Aang's grief for the Air Nomads. Oneshot.

tell me (every moment was worth it to be alive) by @northerngoshawk

1.6k words, oneshot, rated G

When you have so many words to say, but no one to say them to, what do you do? You write a letter. - Aang writes a letter to Gyatso.

life is a burden (and the choice to bear it) by @northerngoshawk

1.3k words, oneshot, rated G

Life is broken. Life is beautiful. Life is cruel and unfair and takes and takes and takes, but it is also wondrous and joyful and gives and gives and gives, and it is a choice, a choice, a choice. Or: A hundred years of war has ended. Aang has time to think.

everything by @northerngoshawk

641 words, drabble, rated G

These broken pieces, to scatter alone, Those days we spent were not my own, And so we take our final breath, And look both ways to part in death. - Aang meditates on his people.

going back, moving forward by @northerngoshawk

2k words, oneshot, rated G

He smiles from across the table as he moves another piece on the board. Aang sits and looks down at the table, thinking over his piece placements, analyzing his strategies. And yet, at the same time, he can’t shake this nagging feeling in the back of his mind. This feels right… and so very, very wrong. - In which Aang has a near-death experience and finds himself speaking to Gyatso one more time.

dreamless dreams by @northerngoshawk

2k words, oneshot, rated G

Additional Note: also Zuko-centric

Every night, he dreams of death. Sometimes, he dreams of flames that tower high above him, like mountains made of fire, steadily closing in on him. He dreams of an angry demon with two embers for eyes, a large, heavy hand reaching out towards his face. He dreams of lightning that slithers around a silhouette staggering erratically towards him, two hands—no, claws—lifted up as her mouth twists in a sneer. Other times, he dreams of tornadoes of fire that turn the sky the color of blood, of fireballs raining down upon decrepit temples. He dreams of screaming children running away from soldiers with skulls for faces and elderly monks rushing towards them. He dreams of splattered red and dying whispers as the flames consume even the tiniest breezes. And then he wakes up. He always wakes up. - Zuko is plagued with nightmares about the war and the Air Nomad genocide. Aang helps him out.

these sleepless nights we spend (waiting to come home) by @northerngoshawk

3.2k words, oneshot, rated G

“If you don't mind me asking”—Aang’s voice shakes Hakoda from his reverie, and he turns to see Aang looking curiously at him—“why are you still awake?” (fire burning, burning, burning) (smoke wafting from a still body) (waking up to roaring silence) “Couldn’t sleep,” is all Hakoda can bring himself to say. He clears his throat and looks over at Aang. “And you?” Something flickers in Aang’s expression then, a flash of emotion that Hakoda notices only just in time. It disappears as quickly as it has come, but in that split second, Hakoda has seen it. Grief… and sorrow. - Hakoda and Aang have both lost too much in the war. Together, they learn what it means to live.

rain dance by MashpotatoeQueen5

6.8k words, oneshot, rated G

Five times Aang took a friend dancing in the rain. One time where they all took him.

for the living and alive by MashpotatoeQueen5

5k words, oneshot, rated G

Additional Note: also Suki-centric.

Bumi is one hundred and twelve years old and still around and kicking. Kyoshi grew up to be two hundred and thirty. It's perfectly reasonable to assume long life is a trait exhibited by more than just those who are good. Or: Aang meets one of the firebenders who took part in the original Air Nomad genocide, and Suki deals with the aftermath.

The Sound of Tears by MashpotatoeQueen5

2.1k words, oneshot, rated G

You don't get over the genocide of your entire people and culture in a day. You just don't. OR: Aang is grieving, Sokka is a good big brother, and he's not sure what he thinks of this crazy kid who's suddenly turned his life upside down, but he's gonna try and take care of him anyways.

Always by @adariasakura

13.2k words, oneshot, rated G

“You always do this,” Katara whispered. She hoped he could hear the hurt there, riding the waves of her voice. “I don’t have a choice.” Aang’s voice sounded bitter, a caustic edge she’d rarely heard from him surprising her as it cut into her heart. - Aang doesn’t come out of his fight with Ozai unscathed. He should’ve known he wouldn’t be able to hide it from Katara.

With You by @flameohotwife

2.5k words, oneshot, rated T

Aang is plagued by nightmares, and they get worse after Katara tells him she's pregnant. Then, meditation brings a shocking surprise.

Leaves in the Wind by @itsmoonpeaches

​4.1k words, oneshot, rated G

“Fire is life,” said Zuko. Aang blinked away Roku’s memory, eyes clear. “Fire leads the spirits home." - Or, after the war the Fire Nation offers reparations to the three nations. Aang remembers that there used to be a fourth one.

Mark of the Living by @itsmoonpeaches

5.7k words, oneshot, rated G

“Have you ever experienced something so horrible that you can never forget it?” Aang asked, glancing somewhere else other than him. It was said as if with trepidation, a whisper that Hakoda only caught because he was listening. Hakoda smiled ruefully at him. “I’ve lived my whole life in a war, Avatar. I know exactly what that’s like.” - Or, Hakoda and Aang form a bond through the years, and rites of passage are only a part of it.

Time Capsule by @itsmoonpeaches

3.7k words, oneshot, rated G

Once, Aang was a tall, rather broad-shouldered man hailing from the Northern Air Temple. He had a tangly beard that reached his midriff, billowing robes that he insisted he wore even though they were out of fashion, calloused hands that were skilled in woodworking, and an unrivaled passion for hot tea on a cool autumn day. The monks had called him Dorjee, a scepter, a representation of spiritual strength. He first wailed out his presence in the Eastern Air Temple, a newborn with a need to tell the world that he existed. He was told the midwives held him high above his birth mother so that he would touch the rays of sun that streaked through the open window, and that his eyes glowed for just a second into a brilliant blue. - Or, Aang remembers his people through the lives he's lived as other Air Nomads. He is the story of a lost culture.

Safe Return by @itsmoonpeaches

3.9k words, oneshot, rated G

“What are you doing here, Stinky?” Aang lifted his head, blinking at a rather tall aye-aye that stood on its hind legs, upright and bipedal. Like a human. Its gigantic yellow eyes were boring into him, observing him with outright judgement. It tapped one of its long, spindly fingers on its pointed chin. “These humans are making you work for it. You should be outside! Enjoying nature! You look like you need a bath too! Did you forget to wash again?” - Or, the winter solstice causes Aang to be all of his past lives. All at once.

What Was, What Is by @itsmoonpeaches​

3.8k words, oneshot, rated G

Additional Note: also Sokka-centric

She shook her head. The water splashed back into the bowl. “I’m afraid that everyone will forget about all the selfless things he’s done for us,” she remarked. “He’ll keep doing this for the rest of his life, Sokka. He already ended one-hundred years of war. Don’t you think Aang deserves something in return?” Sokka pulled his sister toward him until he clasped her in his arms. “You’re right,” he agreed. He let her go and gave her a grin. “I might have an idea." - Or, in the days leading up to Zuko's coronation, Sokka hatches a plan to thank Aang for all he had done for the world. It helps that everyone else is in on it too.

let no one mistake us for the fruit of violence by @calllaitas

3.6k words, oneshot, rated G

"We are infinite sources of love and healing, Aang. When you are hurting, when things get hard, you must not give into it, but instead let your energy flow down inside your body, and let yourself feel whole. Let yourself forgive. We know this to be true, the same way we know that the wind cannot be contained. The same way we know we are many currents, but we live in one sky. And it’s important to learn, don’t you think?" One hundred years go by in an iceberg. Aang wonders, sometimes, if Gyatso knows just how right he was.

Whisper to the Wind by @f0xfordcomma

1k words, multi-chapter (complete), rated G

The boy was scared. A month ago, he had been a child playing air ball in the courtyard. Laughing freely with his friends. Being bested at Pai Sho by his cherished mentor. He was a child—in his home, surrounded by his family. He was content, happy, carefree. Now, he was scared. He had his tattoos and he was the Avatar and he was scared… and they were going to send him away. Away from his home. His friends. His mentor. Away from everything he knew and everyone he loved! Away. ⇋ OR an exploration of Aang's thoughts, of Gyatso's reaction, and of how one hungry lemur changed the history of the world.

Drag You Down by @chocomd

133.9k words, multi-chapter (complete), rated T

Additional Note: Kataang, but with a focus on Aang as a character

After breaking up, Aang and Katara go their separate ways. But when unexpected events throw them back together, they have a hard time moving on—even if moving on is what’s best for themselves, and for each other. Kataang break up with eventual make up. No cheating or dating others. Post-ATLA. COMPLETE

Everlasting by @chocomd

4.2k words, oneshot, rated T

The war is over, and the Gaang gathers for one last time before going their separate ways. Aang struggles with the prospect of losing the only family he has left, but with some help from Iroh and accidental cactus juice shenanigans, he learns that friendships don’t have to end after saying goodbye. Rated T for accidental Tipsy!Kataang and Tipsy!Maiko. Written for Kataang Week 2022, Day 4: Drunk Kataang

Katara-centric Fics

broken pieces still belong by @thinkingisadangerouspastime

20.5k words, oneshot, rated T

"What if… What if I can't forgive him?" Forgiveness isn't easy. (And really, who ever said it was?) This fic follows Katara's emotional journey from the events of "The Western Air Temple" to those of "The Southern Raiders," as she experiences firsthand both the challenges and rewards of forgiving others (and perhaps even learns to forgive herself along the way).

children will listen series by @thinkingisadangerouspastime

5.7k words, series, rated T

Sometimes people leave you, halfway through the wood. / Do not let it grieve you. / No one leaves for good. / You are not alone. / No one is alone. / Hold her to the light now, / Let her see the glow. / Things will be alright now. / Tell her what you know. How are we hurt? How do we heal? Kanna-centric and Katara-centric companion pieces, exploring waterbending a language, the damage of war, and the process of healing.

i don't know who i am (but i won't stop trying) series by @northerngoshawk

4.1k words, series, rated G

It's hard when you can't remember who you were supposed to be. It's even harder when the world takes your identity away from you. But maybe those broken pieces can be found again, and even though it will never be what it once was, it's a start. We all have to start somewhere. - Katara, the Southern Water Tribe, colonialism, assimilation, appropriation, and learning how to find her cultural identity once more.

gods don't bleed (except you do) by @northerngoshawk

4k words, oneshot, rated G

If there was anything Katara learned from the legends and myths of her tribe, it was that the Avatar is a god. And gods aren't human. OR: Katara always thought that being the Avatar meant being a god. She learns from Aang that she is wrong. Oneshot.

Cloudberry Tarts by @vanillabutspicy

2.7k words, oneshot, rated G

Scarcity and war can birth traditions of resilience. After the war, Katara struggles to grasp at the deeper meaning of those traditions when she fears they might not have a place anymore.

blood on her hands by @thethiefandtheairbender

2.2k words, oneshot, rated T

Katara kills Yon Rha, and deals with the fallout.

The Waterbender's Heart by @chocomd

45k words, multi-chapter (complete), rated G

Katara is passionate about many things, but when it comes to Aang, even she doesn't know her own heart. Or, the story of how Aang and Katara got together after the DOBS kiss, told through missing scenes. Katara's POV.

Without Water by @chocomd

8.8k words, oneshot, rated T

Katara struggles to heal Aang after he is struck down by lightning. Five times she can never seem to do enough, and one time she discovers she is everything he needs. Or, the story of how the ordeal of healing Aang almost breaks Katara before she learns how to hope again. Written for Kataang Week 2022, Day 6: Quiet Moments/Healing Techniques

Lifeblood by @chocomd

Additional Note: Kataang, but with a focus on Katara

7.6k words, multi-chapter (complete), rated T

When a peaceful mission turns deadly, an injured Aang has to figure out how to reach Katara in order to survive.

The Cost of Winning by @chocomd

2.2k words, oneshot, rated G

Unlike everyone else, Katara isn’t afraid of Aang when he flies into the rage of the Avatar State. But she fears what losing Aang to the Avatar State might cost him.

monsters underneath by MashpotatoeQueen5

5.8k words, oneshot, rated G

“Life isn’t fair, Katara,” Sokka had told her once, eyes hard and knowing and caring and real, and she had tasted a challenge on her tongue and decided you couldn't know unless you tried. Life has never been fair but Katara will never stop trying to make it so. This is not soft or naive or an illusion of bravery, this is a strength, and it is hers, it is hers, it is hers. (Team Avatar gets captured, and they escape, and they live. This is how it happens.)

look into the sun as the new days rise by MashpotatoeQueen5

7.7k words, oneshot, rated T

It's one thing to say you're ready to forgive someone, and quite another to actually do it. Katara and Zuko become friends while dealing with the potential end of world. It involves a lot of hiking, shared trauma, and trying to reclaim their childhoods from the grasps of war. Oh, and the rest of the gaang is there too.

do whatever it takes just to stay alive by MashpotatoeQueen5

3.2k words, oneshot, rated G

They're on Ember Island, Sozin's Comet is coming, and Katara has a lot of thoughts about a lot of things. (Or: three times Katara feels the weight of war in her lungs, and one time she's able to let it go.)

The Soul-Farer by @itsmoonpeaches

11.5k, multichapter (completed), rated T

Hers was a culture of storytelling, of oral tradition that even the children found sacred to their people. It was the waters of their life, the legends and folktales that had to be told because there was no need to write them down when they had their songs and their words. From the great dancing Southern Lights where the spirits played in the festivals each year, to the Mother of the Ocean who complimented the moon. There were the tales of the folk of the highlands, those who had given themselves into nature and lived as shapeshifting beings that could change from animal to animal. Everything had a spirit, a soul. The weather, the mountainside, the iceberg that bobbed erratically upon the rough waters in the edges of a storm. - Or, Katara and Aang meet as children, and together they learn to live.

when can i say your name by @calllaitas

2.3k words, oneshot, rated G

Katara loves her mother with all she has, and that’s why, on the day when the snow falls down dark and ashy from the sky, the first thing she does is run back to the family igloo.

Ties That Bind by @flameohotwife

2.8k words, oneshot, rated G

Rating: G

Word Count: 2.5k

Summary:

Hers was a culture of storytelling and oral tradition. Many nights, when the dark indigo sky glittered with a thousand stars, her mom would sit her and her brother down around the hearth and recount tales of mythical beasts, of deities and men, of the ancient Southern Water Tribe tradition. She remembers finding herself leaning in towards her mother, entranced by the stories she told. They were stories passed down to her, from generation to generation, from the roots of her ancestry. Perhaps it was simply her childishness, but when she closed her eyes, she felt a deeper presence, almost as though all the spirits of her ancestors were in the same room, watching over them. But that all changed the day her world shattered. - Or: Katara's culture is lost during the war, over and over again.

Rating: G

Word Count: 1.6k

Summary:

The ice crunches under her boots as she flees from the festival, ignoring her brother's calls amidst the indignant screeches of the dancers. Dancers. Katara furiously scrubs away at the burning tears that prick in her eyes. That wasn't a dance, what they were doing. Dancing is light, dancing is freedom, dancing is careless and joyous and fun. Dancing isn't mockery. It isn't supposed to be. - Or: Katara, cultural appropriation, and the struggle to remember who she is. Sequel to "teach me how to live my life (because I can't remember how)." Oneshot.