I feel like we talk a lot in anti-kataang circles how Aang puts Katara on a pedestal, but we don't talk enough about how Katara does the same thing to Aang, although it leads to an entirely different type of imbalance in their relationship.
She talks about how growing up, she always had hope that the avatar would return and end the war. For her, he was a symbol before he was a person. She believes he is the only way to end the war, not because of any traits he possesses, but because he is the avatar. And therefore, protecting him is her life's mission. And even though that develops into a relatively healthy friendship, it creates imbalance in the romantic sides of their relationship, which we see in canon.
She feels she has to take care of him, talking him down from his rages when he enters the avatar state and constantly standing by his side and giving him advice and providing a safe place for him, no matter what she is feeling. And to some degree, Aang takes advantage of that, as seen in the Ember Island Players when he kisses her without her consent. And while Aang feels comfortable talking to Katara about his feelings, she rarely reciprocates by confiding in him, and rarely reciprocates his romantic interest in general. She constantly supports him, but is ambiguous in her exact feelings towards him. Does she see him as a boyfriend, little brother, or simply as the savior of the world who she has a close friendship with?
Anyway, while Aang sometimes thinks of Katara as a perfect girl who can do no wrong or the beautiful object of his affections, she also sometimes thinks of him as not just a person, but a vessel for something greater. He is her last hope, and because of that, she can't upset him or risk the fate of the world by saying no to him, even if she doesn't feel the same way about him that he does about her.
origamiaround
tangentwithtanner
2087
jacobvanloon
snowghoul
vaporwave
blakekathryn
romaincrisis
titsay
