#Kataang drabble

[arcanarix]

@coconutsaiyan || thanks for the suggestion! {EDITED}

“Alright! Who let katara near the fruity cactus juice?” sokka sighs in frustration. “you KNOW she cannot hold that well.”

“sorry sokka, you can’t stop the girl from drowning her anger in the stuff,” toph remarks. “she calls it her put up with aang lubricant because those two love turtle ducks got into another scuffle today.”

sokka perks an eyebrow as he observes aang’s and katara’s body language which definitely doesn’t read petty argument because they’re snuggling up to each other like they can’t bear to be away.

“a scuffle? I don’t know toph, looks like they’re getting too friendly there.” sokka does feel that protective brother polar dog coming out of him! Even if they are married!

“wow katara, i forgot how beautiful your eyes are up this close,” aang giggles like he’s that youthful kid he once was, with a smoldering expression reserved only for his lawfully wedded wife. “just kiddin’, i can never forget a beauty like my wife of course.”

katara whacks him playfully on the chest. “sheesh aang, if i hadn’t know much better i’d think this is your way of wooing me into bed.”

both sokka and toph are straight up gagging.

aang’s had a bit of that fruity cactus drink too, after all it is a sokka special. nobody can resist that stuff—but maybe aang or katara should back off from it because this is typically the end result. all handsy and disgusting, laying it on real thick and somehow aang becomes the suaviest of the sauve after a few.

and sokka KNOWS he’s had way more than a few.

“Well did it—hic—work! because there’s nothing i won’t do for you—or—hic—with you! My beautiful lady.”

“eugh,” zuko grimaces from afar. His expression matches that disgust. Aang and katara are in their own world at that moment though.

“should we leave?” toph asks sokka.

“Uh, absolutely,” sokka replies.

aang nearly trips over his feet but catches himself mid air getting close to his wife.

“So—what say you and i find a private room and—hic—get it going on as they say?”

“Oh my god.” Sokka gasps theatrically, with even more heart than those ember island actors. “yeah let’s give them some privacy. Let’s go far far FAR away.”

[tickly-trashcan]

Magic {Aang x Katara}

“Hey, Katara, check out this new move!!” Aang wiggled his arms like a wave and made the water he was bending swirl around. He laughed and Katara rolled her eyes playfully.

“You know, you should be studying proper water bending form, Aang. You can’t just keep making up new moves!”

“Sure I can! Watch this!”

Aang moved his hands, bending the water to pull Katara a bit closer, making her giggle as she ended up right in front of him. “Okay, Mister Avatar, that’s enough showing off. Can you show me one of the moves from the scroll?”

Aang shrugged his shoulders with a sheepish grin. “I’m too creative for scrolls. Gotta let my Avatar brain come up with some new stuff, y’know?”

Katara sighed, poking at Aang’s tummy. “At this rate, you won’t master water bending before facing the Fire Lord!”

Aang laughed, squirming from Katara’s poking. She used both hands now, poking at his tummy as he stepped away from her. “What’s so funny?”

“Y-you’re tickling mehehe!!”

Katara chuckled. “Oh, am I?”

She kept up her pokes, then escalated to full on scribbles as Aang shrieked. He fell back into the shallow water and giggled, pushing Katara away. She followed him, laughing along as he tried to push her away.

“Katarahahaha!! Stop, thahahat tickles!”

“That’s kind of the point!”

“Nohoho! That’s not fahahair!!”

Aang tried to push himself up, but as soon as his hands made contact with the water, Katara froze it with her bending, trapping his hands. “Cheheheater!!”

She tickled him a bit more before deciding he had enough, crossing her arms. As soon as his residual giggles were gone he looked up at her with pleading eyes.

“Are you gonna let me go, now?”

Katara shrugged. “Maybe you can invent a new water bending move and bend yourself out!”

“No, that’s not fair! Katara–!”

[tachiha3]

"hey, aang"

"hmm?"

"let's get married"

"yeah?"

"yeah"

"okay"

"okay"

@kataang-week

[flameohotwife]

potential prompt idea: kataang star-gazing in the South Pole 😌

A short drabble for you, my friend! Also on ao3:

Peace in the Starlight

“It’s so quiet out here tonight,” Katara whispered, leaning against Aang for warmth. The absence of the wind was almost unnerving, especially with her husband around. She snuggled in closer and Aang rubbed his hands up and down her arms as they leaned back against the snow of their hut in the Southern Water Tribe.

Aang hummed in agreement. “It is quiet, but maybe it feels extra quiet to us because it’s been such a loud day and this is the first bit of peace we’ve felt in hours.”

Katara chuckled. Loud was an understatement. They’d spent much of the day flying on Appa, and had made the terrible discovery that Kya was getting her two-year molars and that she experienced motion-sickness on long flights. Kya had flown on Appa many times before in her young life without issue, but only for an hour or two at once. Unfortunately, this trip from Air Temple Island to the South Pole was much, much longer than that. 

Kya wailed the entire day. Not quite two yet, it was all just too much for her little body to process. Katara could tell Aang felt terrible, but there wasn’t much they could do. They needed to get South for her father’s retirement celebration, and both of them had been caught up in Republic City for too long to take a ship. Not that a ship would have necessarily been better, Katara thought.

Poor Bumi had tried to cheer her up to no avail, before deciding to spend his time reading or hanging over the edge of the saddle to talk with Aang on Appa’s head. But even he got sick of the noise after a while and, like most nine-year-olds, began to complain himself.

“How much longer?” he’d whined, pressing his hands against his ears in attempt to block out the auditory assault. 

“Still a couple more hours, Boom. I’m sorry,” Aang said. 

“UGH!” Bumi yelled at the sky. Those last couple hours had been filled with Kya’s screams, sickness, and Bumi’s near-constant grumbling, while Momo chittered nervously about their shoulders. 

Now, though, it was quiet. So quiet that their ears were almost ringing with it. They’d arrived in time for dinner, which Kya obviously refused to eat. Aang took her and gave her a soothing bath and put her down for bed while Katara and Bumi caught up with Hakoda, Sokka, Gran Gran and Pakku. Much later, once everyone was finally in bed, Aang and Katara escaped to recuperate and decompress. Together. 

They sat in that silence for a while, relishing it.

“The stars are beautiful, though,” Katara said eventually. They always seemed brighter in the South Pole than in Republic City, but they were particularly spectacular tonight. The universe seemed to twinkle in chorus above them, soothing her frazzled nerves. 

She felt Aang’s head tilt down towards her, and she angled her neck to peer back up at him. She grinned, already knowing what he was going to say. 

“Not as beautiful as you,” he said, leaning down even more to press a soft, sweet kiss to her lips. She sighed through her nose, losing herself in the comfort of him.

“You’re so cheesy,” she teased when he eventually pulled back, but her wide smile gave her away.

“Yeah, but you love me,” Aang said, cocking his head and donning a smirk of his own.

“Mmmmmm, that I do,” Katara breathed, lips so close to his she could feel the warm clouds of breath that escaped. “I love you, too, Sweetie,” Aang replied. Then he closed the miniscule distance between them to capture her in another kiss, erasing the hardships and exhaustion of the day. Maybe the stars weren’t brighter here. Maybe it was just the love she felt in this moment that made everything around her sparkle just a bit more. Whatever it was, she wanted to hold on tight and never let go.

[cooking-with-hailstones]

Statistical analysis of the most popular A:TLA fics on AO3

(All of this is accurate as of May 27 2024)

I like numbers and statistical analysis and for some unfathomable reason I find it calming. So last night I made this spreadsheet!

DISCLAIMER: This is not a judgement of the quality, value, or merits of any of the fics on this list. It's just me being curious about what's popular with the A:TLA fandom on AO3. I was genuinely surprised at some of the results!

Observations and analysis under the cut:

TL:DR, the fandom fucking loves putting Zuko into Situations.

Methodology: I'm including all fics from the first page of results from the most kudos'd, commented, hits, and bookmarks tagged under the Avatar: The Last Airbender (cartoon, 2005) tag on ao3. I am deliberately not including any larger multifandom flash fiction or drabble collections because I don't think they're super relevant. This ended up including 38 fics in total.

I put all the fics into one single spreadsheet in order to compare the differences between fics that are really high on the kudos count but not the hit count, or what has a lot of comments but fewer hits. Basically, I'm throwing a lot of things together to observe what gets engagement and looking at patterns that emerge!

Top 5 most popular fics by hit count:

Salvage - MuffinLance

Fractures - EvieNyx

Embers- Vathara

Towards the Sun - MuffinLance

The Art Of Burning - hella1975

Max: 1,407,170 (Salvage -MuffinLance)

Min: 78,168 (Risking it all - Sreeder)

Average: 349,442

Top 5 most popular fics by kudos count:

Salvage - MuffinLance

The Family You Choose - TunaFishChris

where the stars do not take sides - WitchofEndor

Fractures - EvieNyx

The beginning of a new and brighter birth - aloneintherain

Max: 59,947 (Salvage - MuffinLance)

Min: 3293 (Risking it all - Sreeder)

Average: 19,868

Top 5 most popular fics by number of comments:

The Art Of Burning - hella1975

Salvage - MuffinLance

Fractures - EvieNyx

Towards the Sun - MuffinLance

War Games - Lovely_Elbow_Leech

Max: 13,469 (The Art Of Burning - hella1975)

Min: 358 (Hallowed - Haircrescendo)

Average: 3634

Top 5 most popular fics by number of bookmarks:

absence of heat, excess of destiny - theycallmesuperboy

Salvage - MuffinLance

where the stars do not take sides - WitchofEndor

The Family You Choose - TunaFishChris

The beginning of a new and brighter birth - aloneintherain

Max: 150,317 (absence of heat - theycallmesuperboy)

Min: 430 (Risking it all - Sreeder)

Average: 9297

Highest kudos/hit ratio: Safety First - Haircrescendo (20.36%)

Lowest kudos/hit ratio: My Heart Burns For You - alwaysZutarian (0.89%)

Average kudos/hit ratio: 8.25%

Fic Ratings:

G: 9

T: 18

M: 6

E: 2

Unrated: 3

Popular authors (people who showed up more than once):

Aloneintherain (3)

Haircrescendo (5)

MuffinLance (4)

WitchofEndor (2)

Characters:

Literally all of these fics are Zuko-centric. Not all of them are Zuko-pov but every. single. one. focuses on Zuko as a main character. At least one of the following tags is on every single fic in this list: "The Gaang & Zuko", "Zuko & Zuko's Crew", "Zuko & Iroh" "Zuko & Azula" and "Zuko & [insert gaang member here]"

Relationships:

Ok this is what actually shocked me the most. I fully expected to see more Kataang, Zutara, etc in the top rated fics, but NO! Only 21 out of the 38 fics had any relationship slash tag, and of those, 20/21 were Sokka/Zuko (shoutout to My Heart Burns For You as the token Zutara fic to make it into this list). I did NOT realize Zukka was so popular! Now I'm super curious about what it would be like to run these numbers on FF.net because I know so much A:tla fanfic was written before ao3 existed and most hasn't been cross-posted, and Zukka wasn't a popular ship until more recently.

Other random observations:

There seems to be a pretty even split between post-canon firelord Zuko fics and canon-divergent "Zuko joins the Gaang early" fics.

Only one modern au as far as I could tell! (shoutout to "The Good Vanilla")

We all seem to love a Dadkoda fic

There is a very strong correlation between one-shots and a high kudos/hit ratio.

Seemingly no correlation between word count and number of kudos. The top kudos'd stories were mostly under 10k words, while all the other catergories were dominated by fics in the 100k+ word count.

I didn't really see much correlation between hits, kudos, and comments overall.

There were LOTS of fics that only showed up in one category, which was really interesting! I figured each list would look pretty much the same, and there were several fics that did show up on the front page of every category (Salvage definitely sweeps the board for overall most popular fic), but there was a lot of variation between each list! Some fics had TONS of hits but very few comments, some had truly wild kudos/hit ratios, some were just massively bookmarked.

Thank you for indulging in my nerdiness, and feel free to tell me what I missed or anything you're curious about!

Update: I did it again, this time with Legend of Zelda

[northerngoshawk]

2023 Year-End Fic Round Up

many thanks to @itsmoonpeaches and @chocomd for the tags

oh boi i have not written a lick of a word since starting college again but here goes nothing

Words written (published or not, WIPs totally count too!): 149,165. probably have more due to wips that i started (but didn't finish) last year but for now i'll go with this number

Smut scenes written (if applicable): 0

New things I tried:

dabbled a lil in the Spiderverse fandom with my drabble a thin thread of trust, broken

tried my hand at a more romantically inclined fic premise with a love worth fighting for, my kataang forbidden lovers au

tried my hand at integrating Chinese culture a lot more into the ATLA world with Pangu, my kataang week fic written for the Injured prompt

other than that, there wasn't that much i experimented with. it felt a bit like the same old, same old

Fic I spent the most time on: definitely a love worth fighting for. twas a multi-chap with 6 chapters, with the word count ranging anywhere from 2k to 6k words? maybe even more. but not only did i want to portray the romance, i also wanted to flesh out the worldbuilding, develop other relationships b/w characters in this au, and so on. thus, this fic was warranted to be the one i spent the most time on

Fic I spent the least time on: a thin thread of trust, broken. it was really just a drabble from Thoughts i was having about Across the Spiderverse, specifically about Gwen and her relationship with her friends and Miles and also as a response to the unwarranted Gwen hate that she got post-movie something something misogyny something something redemption not being necessary for her because she was just a teen caught in a horrible situation but i digress

Favourite thing I wrote: oof idk. i think i really love how Pangu turned out, mostly because that was my first really deep dive into trying to integrate Chinese culture into the ATLA world. i know the premise of the fic was for kataang week, but my intention here was to delve deeper into the loneliness and burden Aang would inevitably feel in being the Avatar, and how it's always Katara (and his other friends) who help carry that burden with him. i think the story of Pangu really helps act as that parallel to Aang, but where the giant in the story was alone and eventually perished under the weight of his burden, Aang's friends help shoulder that weight with him and help him live.

Favourite thing I read: i'll be honest, i haven't really read a lot of fics recently, but one that does stand out for me is @chocomd's Enough, a kataang hanahaki fic, and its sequel The Deal. the writing between these two fics is incredibly gorgeous and haunting, managing to capture a kind of horrific beauty in both the hanahaki that afflicted Katara and the hope-turned-horror of Aang's eventual deal with... well, you'd have to read these fics to find out.

Writing goals for next year:

i'll probably take a sharp right turn from ATLA for now and head off towards writing fic for Genshin. i don't really have any good ideas for ATLA for now, which probably means i need a change of pace and to discover new material to work with. i'll probably come back to ATLA someday, but right now, between school and impending work and my hyperfixation on Genshin, i just can't find anything to work with.

in a similar vein above, i'm probably gonna take a break from romance and introspection and try my hand at action and adventure. unlike most of the Genshin fandom, i don't really ship anyone with anyone, and i also don't care about what the fandom thinks - i'm happy in my own little corner. i also recently read Six of Crows and i think it's high-time i try and conduct my own kind of plot. maybe through a mafia au? dungeon au? apocalypse? spy? who knows

even though i'm looking to eventually turn to Genshin, i do wanna finish up my pending Demon Slayer AU fic The Last Wind-Breather. i kinda want it to be a series of fics in the world, but for now i think i'll finish up the 2nd chapter and then come back to this au from time to time, write whatever comes to mind.

aaaand with that being said, i should probably at least get a chapter or two out for see the sky and sea (and remember me). started this fic in 2022, but even then i want to tie up my loose ends, give these fics the endings they deserve

Tagging (no pressure): @flameohotwife @benwvatt @shameaboutthedilettantism @coyotelemon and anyone else who wants to join in, feel free to!

[awanderingmuse-fandom]

FIRST KISS: 100 Drabble Challenge

Summary: First kisses mean different things for different people. Here’s a look at some of our favorite Bender’s (and Non-Benders) first kisses with each other.

Each chapter will be a single drabble for a single  ship. I am not including canon ships in this because we saw those happen in the show. (Ex. Sukka, Kataang, etc.)  

Chapter 88

Rating: Mature

Chapter Characters: Zuko, Sokka

Chapter Pairing: Zuko/Sokka

Tags: Fluff

[therossgarden]

Hi, I’m Ross! <3

(I will link my Ao3 account here when I’ll start posting there.)

A little more about me

I’m 19

I’m Italian

I’m a straight demisexual

I dream of being a published fantasy author

My tags

Ross rants — my tag for rants of all sorts

Ross writes — my little drabbles of writing

Ross writing — all the author memes/considerations I’ve ever reposted and commented on

Asks — asks of all sorts

Ross reading — book recs or reviews, fic recs or “advertisement” (I don’t like to call that, but I don’t know how else to say it😭)

Ross’ personal life ig — the tag where things end up in when I’m over sharing about my life

​tgfgwtw4palestine — stands for TheGirlFromGoneWithTheWind4Palestine. Every request for aid by Palestinian families in need of money and all fundraisers are there, if you wish to donate or spread the posts and boost them. I try to always verify if the accounts are shams or not, but if you want to be sure before donating or sharing, it’s at your own discretion. If you find out any of the accounts I’ve shared is a fake, contact me immediately and I will remove it.

Some fandoms I’m part of (I mostly post about IWTV and Marvel tho)

Interview with the vampire

Marvel

ATLA

Bridgerton

Percy Jackson

Disney classics

Brooklyn 99

Jane Austen verse (mostly Pride and Prejudice)

Mamma Mia, Hamilton, Heathers (yes I’m a theatre kid)

Taylor Swift

Barbie

And more!

My fav characters

Lestat de Lioncourt (IWTV)

Louis de pointe du lac (IWTV)

Steve Rogers (MCU)

Bucky Barnes (MCU)

Mai (ATLA)

Zuko (ATLA)

Azula (ATLA)

Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice)

Raymond Holt (B99)

Kate Sharma (Bridgerton)

My OTPs/ships I like

Loustat (IWTV) {number one OTP of all time, OTP of IWTV}

Stucky (MCU) {number two OTP of all time, OTP of MCU}

Maiko (ATLA) {number three OTP of all time, OTP of ATLA}

Kataang (ATLA)

Kanthony (Bridgerton) {OTP of Bridgerton}

Rapunzel x Flynn Rider (Disney)

Mulan x Li Shang (Disney)

Percabeth (PJO)

Sokkla (ATLA) {yes it is a crackship. I am a Sukka fan but Sokkla has completely taken over my brain so there it is}

Bonus: Tayvis {I like the couple itself, but I’m not actively shipping them because I do not feel comfortable with shipping real people farther than commenting on how cute they look}

Characters/ships I don’t like

Tony Stark (MCU)

Peggy Carter (MCU)

Kei lo (ATLA)

Steggy (MCU, Steve x Peggy)

Stony (MCU, Steve x Tony)

Zutara (ATLA, Zuko x Katara)

Jinko (ATLA, Jin x Zuko)

Mai Lo (ATLA, Mai x Kei lo)

Incest ships from any fandom that isn’t GoT or HoTD

Please DNI if

You are racist, homophobic, xenophobic, transphobic, a Zionist, promote animal cruelty and genocide, a pedophile, a rapist, a TERF, an Andrew Tate/Elon Musk/Donald Trump fan or a bully

You are under 18. While I do not post overly sexual stuff, I occasionally use colorful language, and advise you to not interact with me if you can’t handle it. If you still choose to visit my profile, it might be at your own risk.

You can’t ignore the difference in taste regarding characters or ships. If you like Tony or Zutara, that I do not like, or any other thing I listed above you are still welcome here, just know that I am not responsible of your contempt if you choose to stick around and end up stumbling upon a negative rant about your favs. If you are conscious to lack the needed restraint, please feel free to block me. I’d rather not have hostility under my posts.

You support genocide. I already said this, but I feel like repeating it is important.

You don’t like Multi fandom blogs

You are a troll of any kind

You don’t like rants/long posts, I tend to write a lot of those

A little warning about my boundaries

Although I try to be polite with everyone I interact with, I do not take any form of disrespect towards my posts, my time or my analysis lightly.

I will not be nice in any way if you are hostile or rude towards me unprovoked, If I don’t like your attitude, I will block you.

I am very open in regards of my takes. Im not afraid of sharing them or discuss them when it’s appropriate. But if you are arrogant in your analysis or rant, I will block you. Your argument isn’t with me just because I posted someone else’s take. It’s not that deep either.

I will NOT be kind or polite when the precise general public I am addressing is fundamentally an asshole with no morals, and the reason to address them is to criticize them. If you are a group of ignorant fat shamers (example), I will treat you with the same courtesy you gave to those you fiercely insult, because you do not deserve my respect. I AM petty and I believe in treating people how they deserve to be treated. If you don’t like my take on this, I kindly ask you to get out of my blog and block me.

If you don’t like what I say or how I say it, feel free to block me. If whatever bothers you is not directed to you, then feel free to ignore or block me. I am not willing to put up with your agendas and tantrums because you don’t like a choice of words I’ve used.

If these terms aren’t ok with you then I’m sorry to see you go, if not, stick around on this blog of crazy girlies <3

[updated: 9/11/2024]

[sparkles-and-trash]

For the prompt thing, can you do a kataang drunken confessions from scenario/list b?

yeees, finally a Kataang request!!

-------

"Aang."

"Yeah?"

"Hey, hey Aang!"

"Yes, Katara?"

"Aaaang!"

The last call of his name was punctuated by a poke to his cheek, and Aang couldn't hold back a smile.

"What, Katara?" he asked, with laughter in his voice.

The clearly inebriated girl sat up straight next to him on the couch, and smiled at him, a slightly dopey look on her face.

"I might be just a little bit drunk at the moment," she started, and Aang nodded.

She sure was.

"-and I know you're sober, because you don't drink because you don't like to drink, and I know that because you are my best friend, I think," she kept on rambling.

Aang nodded again, not knowing where she was going with this.

"But Aang, Aang, you know, you're not just my best friend, right?"

Her head tilted to the side, her hair swooshing beautifully over her shoulder.

"No?" Aang asked, raising both eyebrows in anticipation.

"Nope," she said, and sighed a little.

"You're actually my favorite. Overall. Aang, my favorite human."

Aang cleared his throat, trying to think of something to say, blushing furiously.

"Aang. Great name. Great human. Funny and kind, and smart and so cute. Nobody's cuter than Aang. Aang is made of boyfriend material."

Katara had started talking like he wasn't even there, and Aang was too afraid to stop her rambles to do much more than breathe and stare at her, but then she whipped her head up and grin dat him.

"And Aang is..." she leaned in closer, slowly, and Aang's heart almost jumped out of his chest.

Was she gonna kiss him?!

He's wanted that for years, of course, but... not like this.

Not with her drunk and him sober.

Not when-

His train of thoughts was put to a halt as a slender finger made contact with the tip of his nose.

"...you!" she finished, poking his nose, giggling to herself, before yawning loudly.

"And... and tired... that is I," she mumbled, and before Aang had the chance to process any of this, she had laid down on her side, her head in his lap, snoring softly.

put a request in the inspiration jar ✨

[a-d-curtis]

Secret

...............

“Don’t tell him,” Sokka warns.

“What?!” Aang scoffs.

“I’m not kidding. You tell Aang and it’ll be common knowledge before you know it.”

“Not true! I’m very trustworthy!” 

“You are. Generally speaking. But not with secrets.”

“Yes I am! I’m the Avatar! Zuko, you can trust me.”

“Fine. I’ll tell you both. Mai’s pregnant. I’m going to be a father.”

Katara walks in the room.

“Katara! Mai’s pregnant!” Aang announces happily.

“Aang!!?” Zuko growls.

“What? Katara doesn’t count! I don’t keep any secrets from Katara."

Sokka smirks, his self-satisfied silence screaming. 

Zuko sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

................

For the @kataang-100 challenge

Words: 100

[112aang]

Kataang 100- week 15: remember

My addition to this week’s @kataang-100 prompt. I made a post about this idea a few months back, so I wanted to try it out for size. 

-----------------------------------------------------------

“We looked into each other’s eyes, and I knew.”

He smiled and his wrinkles showed.

She nodded softly, confusion still displayed across her face, and he grasped her hand. Katara’s eyes still held their bright blue color, even in her aged years, just as his were still as grey as a storm cloud.

“After that kiss, I knew I was blushing like crazy, but I didn’t care one bit.” He looked at her, and in his mind, her wrinkles faded away; he drifted back to that day and smiled once more.

Katara blinked and smiled at him, “Aang, I remember.”

----------------------------------------------------------

I’ll let your imagination run with how this conversation ends.. Anyway, here ya go. Sorry I tend to write depressing things 

[vanillabutspicy]

Comfortable Silence

Prompt: Words  Created for @kataang-100 Word count: 100 Read on ao3

After so many years of practice, so many nights trying not to wake children, they had no need for words anymore.

He saw her invitations at dinner in the way she tied up her hair and leaned in toward him. She could read his answer in his sideways glances, the breeze on the back of her neck.

Alone, they knew where to start by habit. They sensed where to go by labored breath and scraping nails. A well-worn path or a new exploration were all met with the same silent yes. All capped with the same nameless feeling of home.

[tachiha3]

Spirits! She was amazing. From her cute laugh to her pretty eyes to the way her nose scrunches up. She's breathtaking!

"Nga rang la ga khi"

She looks at him curiously. "What does that mean?"

He smiles. "Nalligivagit."

----------------------------

I'm very sorry if the terms aren't accurate. I looked through various sources and they said the same thing. Please correct me if I'm wrong. (♡˙︶˙♡)

@kataang-week

[flameohotwife]

Hey there, could you do some domestic kataang (maybe with a hint of cloudbabies)? I would really appreciate it.

I love your works, thank you for them and thank you in advance :)

Hi! This one got to be much longer than a drabble, with way more than a hint of cloudbabies. You can also find it on ao3 for ease of reading :) Thank you so so much for the ask--I hope you enjoy!

In Sickness and In Health (rated G)

Katara awoke with a start to the sound of Kya snoring loudly on the floor next to their bed. That’s right, she remembered, rubbing her face, she came in here because she couldn’t sleep. No wonder with that stuffy nose… She rolled over and found Tenzin curled up in Aang’s spot on the bed, snuggled into a blue blanket woven from Appa’s fur. His mouth was lolling open and there was a trail of drool hanging out. Scanning the dark room for Aang, Katara’s heartrate quickened when couldn’t see him anywhere.

Since having kids, Aang had sworn off leaving in the middle of the night for Avatar emergencies. He always waited until his family was awake and he could give them notice first. He said it was because they didn’t deserve to have their young lives interrupted like that, but Katara knew better. She knew that it was to say goodbye, just in case the mission went badly wrong, as emergency missions are wont to do. To make sure he gave each of his children a hug and told them how much he loved them one last time. 

Pulling on her robe, Katara slowly snuck out of the bed. She bent some water from a nearby pot and with a splay of her hands it vaporized, immediately humidifying the room. Kya snuffled in her sleep and rolled over. Katara padded down the hall to the kitchen with a smile, where she found Aang examining Bumi as they stood next to the table.

“I don’t think you’ll be going to school today either, Boom,” Aang was saying. Katara’s smile evaporated.

“But Dad!” Bumi protested. “I can’t miss today! I have my final presentation in World History and Uncle Sokka was gonna come talk to the class with me!” 

“I’m sorry, son,” Aang shook his head, putting a hand on Bumi’s shoulder. “You couldn’t even keep your breakfast down this morning and you’re burning up. If your mother was awake she’d tell you the same thing.”

Katara chose that moment to fully enter the room, placing the back of her hand gently against her oldest son’s head. She had to reach up to do so, now—he’d gotten so tall in the last few years. Her heart squeezed at the thought. He was in his final year of schooling, and then she was sure he would be off on new adventures without them. This little boy had been her entire world since the day she found out she was pregnant, and now he was almost a man. 

“Spirits, Bumi,” she exclaimed under her breath. “Your dad’s right. You definitely have a fever. I’ll make you some jook and then it’s back to bed with you—healer’s orders.”

Aang shot her a worried look as she started the rice on the stove and Bumi sat down, laying his head down on the table, defeated. He always hated when any of their babies were sick, and right now all three of them were being slammed with something. She looked out at the snow falling around Air Temple Island and sighed, weariness already seeping into her bones. She just hoped she and Aang could stay healthy.

This winter had been particularly hard on all of Republic City in terms of illness. The hospital she worked at had been overrun and she knew there had been many illnesses spreading through the school their older two children attended. It seemed like since the weather turned, every other week one of their children had been down with something, and now it was all three at once. 

Aang brewed them all some tea on the other stove burner. He pulled out some of Iroh’s special blend to help with Bumi’s stomach. Katara smiled sadly. They’d been through enough stomach bugs at this point that they had the response down to a science, though it never took the edge off of their parental worry. Aang had clearly woken up early to help Bumi this morning and already cleaned up whatever mess there was. 

The two of them worked together in silence, conveying their concerns in glances and pressed lips, gentle touches as they moved around each other in the small—but homey—kitchen. Soon the tea was ready and Aang passed Katara a cup before carrying two over to where Bumi sat. Aang passed his son his own cup and gently encouraged him to drink.

Now that Bumi was almost 16, there weren’t as many opportunities to still care for him the way they had when he was younger. He didn’t come to them for comfort as often. When Tenzin was upset, he would come toddling up to his parents for a hug or for them to “kiss it better.” Kya was six now and when she was sad, she waffled between wanting cuddles from her parents and wanting to prove her fierce independence. 

But right now, Bumi took a sip of his tea, winced, and buried his face in his father’s shoulder. Aang wrapped his arms around his son as best he could and stroked lovingly at his back. 

Katara stirred some miso and ginger into the boiled down rice, remembering the first time Bumi had been sick and how terrified Aang had been. They’d been so young when he was born, and Aang was still figuring out the many ways in which his trauma presented and affected him. The first time Bumi had caught a cold and his little body struggled to breathe, Aang had been positive that their child was about to die. While Katara had cleared the infant’s nose out as best she could (while Bumi screamed and coughed even more and tired himself out), Aang pleaded with Katara to save him. 

“Please,” he had begged, tears in his eyes and pain etched into every surface of his face. “I can’t lose him, too.”

Katara had known Bumi would be fine with continued treatment; she was a healer after all, and this was a typical childhood cold. But Aang had flown into a worry spiral unlike anything she’d ever seen from him. She knew how important their children were—to each of them individually and to the world—but to see how the unlikely loss affected her young, strong husband was jarring.

She had placed baby Bumi in his arms, then, under his sash so that they were skin-to-skin, chest-to-chest. Immediately, both of them relaxed into each other. Tears still streamed down Aang’s face as he hummed an old Air Nomad lullaby but Katara watched the tension drain out of his muscles now that he could physically feel their child breathing. Alive. Okay.

Katara watched as that same tension evaporated from Aang now. Cupping Bumi’s head against him and stroking his back. She scooped up a bowl of jook and brought it to the table, pressing a kiss into Bumi’s wild head of hair. 

“Thanks, Mom,” he mumbled weakly.

“I love you, Boom,” she cooed. Tears pricked at her eyes and she quickly blinked them away before pressing a kiss to the top of Aang’s head too, and going back to the kitchen.

Kya and Tenzin had been down with colds for the last two days, and the kitchen was a bit of a disaster as a result. Katara took a deep breath, willing herself the energy to get the dishes washed and the counters wiped down.

“I can get it in a minute,” Aang reassured her, but she shook her head. He was right where he needed to be in this moment; she could handle the dishes. Just then, Tenzin toddled in, coughing.

“Mama! Water, pease?” 

She smiled as he raised his arms up to her. This was the precise reason the dishes hadn’t been done the day before—she’d had two sick and clingy children who needed their mama. Aang had tried to stay home and help, but a messenger hawk called him away by lunch and then he’d been kept at the council late into the evening. Bumi came home after school, took one look at the pile of sick children resting on his mother on the couch and said he was going to Uncle Sokka’s to work on his report, not returning until bedtime.

Katara scooped up her toddler and poured him a glass of water which he guzzled down. Hopefully Kya would sleep late and feel better when she awoke. She was already a creature of the night—often feeling the call of the moon and asking to practice her bending after the boys were in bed. It wasn’t unusual for her to sleep until midday on the weekends even when she was healthy. She took after her mother so much already.

Katara ladled another few bowls of jook, then took Tenzin’s now-empty glass and set it down on the counter to refill later. Tenzin played with her hair as she bustled around, tidying the kitchen, allowing their meal a moment to cool. She saw Bumi take a small bite out of the corner of her eye and watched him anxiously. He swallowed, then returned his head to Aang’s shoulder. Aang returned her look, but gave a subtle nod. I’ve got this, he said, wordlessly. He’ll be alright. 

Breathing a sigh of relief, she brought Aang his own bowl, which she knew he wouldn’t eat until after Bumi was safely in bed and he’d reheated it with firebending. Then, grabbing the bowls for Tenzin and herself while balancing the wiggly toddler on her hip, she took them into the larger, more formal dining room that was really only used when they had guests. It had plush orange pillows on the ground and a low table. She didn’t normally allow her children to eat in there, but since Bumi was ill, she didn’t want to risk a very messy Tenzin slurping or spilling his food and turning his brother’s stomach even more. Eating with small children definitely wasn’t for the faint of heart… 

Tenzin absolutely lived up to her predictions, too. By the end of their meal, she even had jook in her hair. She reminded herself that Tenzin was the least rambunctious of her and Aang’s children at this age as she wiped food out of his pajamas and summoned water to clean up the cushions they were sitting on before the rice mixture hardened. It seemed as though he had hardly gotten any of the food in his mouth, finding more enjoyment in flinging his spoon or painting with it. Not that she was surprised—he was so congested.

Eventually, she heard hushed voices and the scraping of a chair. Aang must be helping Bumi back to bed, she thought. Or he’s been sick again… She knew Aang could handle whatever the situation was, though.

Once the mess was cleaned up, she set Tenzin in the living room with his toys and tried again to start the dishes. She could feel a headache coming on but tried to will it away—she could not be sick, too. She didn’t have the time.

Already it felt like she’d taken more time off work in the last month than she’d spent at the hospital. And the Republic City council was beginning to get frustrated with Aang as well for his frequent absences. Being a working parent had always been difficult, but it was another level of anxiety when the kids were sick.

Tenzin came in and tried to cling to his mother’s legs as she worked, scrubbing dish after dish and setting them to dry. As she went to set another plate down on the counter, she found it landed in Aang’s hand instead and she grinned up at him.

“Thank you,” she said quietly as he began to dry each dish and put them away.

“Of course,” he said. “Bumi’s resting, now. He’s got a bucket in there just in case, but I think he should be okay now. I sent a hawk to Sokka to let him know, too.”

“Oh Spirits, thank you,” she sighed. She truly was grateful for a husband who took on so much of the work when kids were sick and didn’t need to be told what to do. Suddenly, she sneezed, and Aang looked at her with concern.

“I’m fine,” she tried to insist, but Aang already had his hand up against her forehead.

“No, you’re not,” he said, taking the same tone he had with Bumi not an hour before. “You need to go lay down, too. I’ll finish the dishes and send hawks to the hospital and the council that neither of us will be in, today.” He bent and lifted Tenzin off the ground, freeing Katara’s legs.

Katara set the bowl she had just picked up back in the sink and leaned heavily over the counter. She knew Aang was right. Aang wrapped an arm around her and she rested her head on his chest, allowing him to walk them all back towards their bedroom. 

The sound of Kya’s snoring greeted them, though it wasn’t as loud as it had been earlier. Katara hugged Aang, then squeezed Tenzin’s hand before collapsing back into her bed. 

“I’ll bring you a glass of water and some tea,” Aang whispered. “Call me if you need anything.”

“I love you,” she murmured.

Aang lovingly brushed her hair away from her face. “I love you too, Sweetie. Get some rest.”

When Katara woke up again, her throat was throbbing, and she felt achy all over. She rolled over and saw that Kya had left the room at some point. Her tea was still there. She took a sip to soothe her throat, but it was cold. Outside their room, Kya and Tenzin were bickering about some sort of toy configuration. 

Aang either sensed her movement or had perfect timing, because at that moment he opened the door and brought her a steaming bowl of soup. 

“How are you feeling?” he asked hesitantly.

“Worse,” Katara croaked. “This should help, though. Thank you. How’s Boom?”

“He’s still sleeping!” Aang chuckled after he shook his head and the concern over Katara’s state faded from his face. “He hasn’t been sick again since this morning. Kya coughed so hard a few times I thought she was going to be sick, but we’ve been safe so far. Tenzin seems to be doing much better.”

“That makes sense, since he was the first one to get it. Hopefully that means Kya isn’t too far behind.” 

Aang nodded then, noticing that Katara hadn’t had any of her soup yet, bent a mouthful up to her. She smiled when she noticed, rolling her eyes at his playfulness that she loved so much. She finally opened her mouth and allowed him to bend it in. It immediately warmed and soothed her and she sighed happily once she swallowed. 

“Now you have to stay healthy,” she said sternly. “We can’t afford to have everyone down but the toddler!”

Aang full-out laughed at that. “No,” he said. “That certainly wouldn’t do. Can you imagine all the furniture he would paint?”

“Or the ‘soups’ he would make in the sink?”

“Or how many cushions would be used for forts? Do you think we would even be able to walk through the house when he was done?”

“Ha! Probably not.” 

“Speaking of which, I should get back out there before they find a way to overturn hot soup all over themselves. Will you be okay?”

“I’m good. Thank you again for the soup. And for everything. I love you so much.”

“Love you too, Sweetie,” he said as he closed the door to their room once more.

Katara grinned. She felt terrible, but she was so glad that if she and the kids had to be sick, Aang was the one they had by their side through it all. She couldn’t imagine a better partner in these moments. He had his flaws—it was not easy to be married to the Avatar—but he also knew exactly how to cheer her up when she needed it.

[aeromuses]

Second Chances (An Avatar One-Shot)

   Description: An Avatar fic in which the ending is altered to get out more of my Aang and Katara feels. Just didn’t feel right to leave all of my unanswered questions between these two with nothing but a kiss, no matter how sweet it might have been. Hope this may satisfy some other Kataang shippers out there as well, and I may even write more if people enjoy it enough. Here we go! 

   Separating himself from the rest of the group, young Aang stands outside of Iroh’s tea shop, the battle finally over, and the once blazing sky opening up for him in a variety of leftover hues, gifting him the beautiful sunset that laid before him, a sight he would never take for granted again.

   Behind him, he felt a presence, his head turning to reveal his already smile, the side of his face shadowed within the natural lighting of the burning orange sun, as it lowered before them, the young water bender walking toward him with a weak, yet proud, always warm smile.

   “Aang, I-”

   “Katara.”

   “You did it.”

   “...I did.” 

   There was a short silence, as the acknowledgement settled in. It was overwhelming to say the least, to try to begin to even describe in words what Aang wanted to say to Katara, the way his mind had gone from winding in circles, to the newfound peace he felt, knowing everyone was safe and that Ozai would serve his punishment without him having had to take his life away. 

   “Well, i’m proud of you, Aang.”

   “You are?”

   “Of course.” 

   And then she begins, starting with her rosy blush, as it colors her light cocoa cheeks. Aang wasn’t sure why Katara would be blushing, after all their last moment alone together wasn’t exactly his best of moments, though it was one of the little things about her that tugged at his heart strings, and to see it after all his hard work and sweat, he savored it like it were going to be a cherished memory of his from now on, taking it as a sign that Katara was safe and well.

   As he looks back at her, he notices her hands are behind her back, Aang never having realized the way Katara presents herself so modestly whenever she’s red-faced, usually too red-faced himself to ever notice. Though the water bender typically will glance down, she’s managing to peek at the young Avatar through her blush, as if hoping for him to reply. 

   “What is it?” 

   Aang isn’t sure why, but it’s the first thing that comes to his mind. He has questions for Katara. A lot of questions, even if he doesn’t deserve to pry, or even if he can’t handle the truth of those questions. There are still questions that wrack his brain, especially when he watches her behaving this way, coming undone just a little bit in front of him, showing that soft side to her he thought had gone missing since...

   Zuko. 

   There’s a tightness in Aang’s chest, when he acknowledges this thought. His thought pattern right now is all muddled and confused. Both Zuko and Katara bring him happiness, but also pain. He looks down sadly, Katara noticing right away, as he was always seeming to wear his heart upon his sleeve, ever since the very day she had laid eyes on him. It was something that she was thankful for when it came to Aang, so she could always make sure that he was tended to. 

   “You ask, yet you seem to already fill the silence before I can even answer. Aang, is something bothering you?” She’s lifting her hand now, completely oblivious to Aang having pointed out the little display of emotions that were on her face, instead placing her hand comfortingly down onto his shoulder the way she always does, Aang however typically too distracted in most instances to even notice, but Katara knew his body language well. 

   If he were truly upset, he would refuse her touch, though he seems to instead gently lower the stance of his shoulders, allowing Katara to be near him. After all, she was here with him, and that was all that mattered. That was more than he could have ever asked for yesterday.

   “It’s understandable, with everything you just went through.” She adds, in hopes to sound sympathetic. “Which reminds me...what exactly did you go through, Aang?” There’s a worried look on Katara’s face, her speaking tone having melted down to an almost whisper. 

   “Nothing I ever want you to see, or hear about Katara.” 

   There’s a solemn tone to the air bender, his mind perhaps still on that thing that separated them. 

   It was Zuko. 

   “Can we just talk about that part later?”

   “What else is there to talk about? Oh...” Katara looked down, self conscious. She was rubbing her arm uncomfortably. Could he really read her that well?

   “Aang, I was...”

   “Scared, I know. You didn’t think I would make it.” His voice sounded like stone, like a straight-forward earth bender’s. He couldn’t help but be upset over the fact that Katara had also doubted him. Katara, his never-ending source of support, aside from Momo, Appa and his Avatar incarnations. 

   “You liked him, didn’t you Katara? Just give me the truth. You liked Zuko. You were scared to lose me, and he was there.” 

   “Aang, I-I don’t know! Look, it’s not so easy, liking you first of all!” Her hand snaps away from his shoulder, taken off guard by his sudden interrogations. “You’re the Avatar, and i’m just...”

   “Just what?”

   “Just Katara.”

   “Not just. You are Katara, and you’re amazing.”

   “I wanted to be more helpful. Do something more. Help save lives the way you’re destined to. I didn’t feel like I was a good enough match for you. I needed to match up to you. Zuko has been through pain like mine, Aang. We have that in common. But I never loved anyone before, no one but you...” And then her eyes, gleaming vulnerably up at him, that beautiful shade of blue, are suddenly watering right before him, Aang immediately feeling guilty for what he had said earlier. This was Katara, one of the most compassionate people he knew, and here he had taken advantage of that. It wasn’t long before she had broken into a full blown cry, Aang’s face distorting in pain and concern just by seeing her this way. He does what he knows he has to and wraps his arms around her shoulders, as Katara sniffles and wails, something even the Avatar himself was foreign to.

   “Katara, i’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I-”

   “Do you know how many times I had to bite my tongue, while I watched all of those girls swarm around you? Every one of them, just swooning over the oh-so-great Avatar, when I was the one who knew you best, who took care of you in every single way that I could? I already knew that we were going to be together, Aang, but I thought it was too good to be true. It was ever since that fortune teller told me I was going to marry a great bender. That great bender was you.”

   Aang’s eyes nearly widened out of their sockets, unable to hide his surprise as Katara revealed herself. His face burned painfully in embarrassment, as she continued to speak, for himself or Katara, he wasn’t sure, though he was fortunate to preserve that same soft sympathetic look he had been wearing, attempting to smooth her over by rubbing her back gently, trying not to push it with his gestures, no matter how good-natured they may have been, while she was breaking down in front of him.

   “Yeah, maybe i’m just a water bender, and I can’t master the four elements, but I care about you, Aang! I care about you more than i’ve ever cared about anything else. Sometimes even more than I care about myself! It took everything in me not to lose it back when we visited the Eastern Fire Nation, where you went to that private school and met that cute girl, but then of course you just had to dance with me and make me forget everything! How could you be so smooth and get away with it!?” 

   The air bender had sworn she had given him a little bit of a shove, and couldn’t believe what he was hearing leave her mouth. He was astonished by her range of emotions, and how she could go from being upset to becoming so frustrated by him so fast. All he knew was that Katara was a very passionate girl, and he didn’t want that part of her to ever change, so he would tread very carefully before speaking at all, the water bender not leaving him much of a choice regardless, continuing to spill her heart out to him. 

   “I know that I had my moments too, and I may have looked the other way, but it was because I was sick of wanting you, Aang! You’re a boy, and you’re younger than I am, and you won’t understand how I feel. Some part of me just couldn’t see it working. But none of those other guys mattered! Not like that. Especially not Zuko. If anything, he’s more like a brother to me. I can’t believe you kissed me! Actually kissed me! Mmmph-” Katara was simply recollecting that very moment in her head, the day where Aang had kissed her just before they had to part and go separate ways before the war, when Aang had finally found the perfect way to silence her, wanting to take away all of her insecurities suddenly in this moment, knowing fully the way they could consume you. 

   For they had consumed him, in the same exact way. 

   “And i’ll do it again.”

   The words left his mouth. The only ones he knew how to say, after seeing Katara this way. A sigh that had dare escape, and her eyes were soon closed, finally able to rest after so long, a stream of tears falling down both cheeks, showcasing her deepest feelings for the one person she loved as much as family, the way she loved Sokka, her father and her mother who she knew was there with her now right in this very moment. Aang’s hands came to clasp around her cheeks, pulling her warmth closer to him, comforting and protecting her in any way he could, so happy that Katara was finally tangible, right here in his very arms. 

   “You may not be my brother Aang, but you are like family. You know I’ve even gotten jealous of Toph at one point, right?” He realizes just then that Katara is mumbling throughout the little private cavern they’ve created together, just by the closeness of the two of them, still shocked yet delighted that she still has so much to say. 

   “I haven’t been fair either, Katara. So many times I tried to gather the courage to tell you. The way I really felt about you, truly and honestly. But each time, I failed. I picked the wrong moment. I’ve always loved you, Katara. During your fortune telling, I kind of um...may have listened in a little.”

   “No time is the wrong moment, Aang. Wait, you what?” 

   “Nevermind...you know, i’m 112 years old, right? I’m not just some kid who’s younger than you.” 

   Katara however giggled at this, her hand brushing up from it’s place on Aang’s neck, not even having realized she had rest it there, smoothing out to touch the mark of the arrow against his bald head, looking up at him experimentally, as if to ask for permission. ‘Can I do this now? Touch you, whenever I want?’ 

   She had to admit, she missed his dark hair that had been present months before, but this was the Aang that she liked best, the familiar Aang, who she would be able to grow with, grow and learn with, forever. “You are some kid Aang, and you’re perfect just the way you are.” Her eyes smile at him, matching the warmth of her actual smile, even becoming a little deepened, as a look of admiration appears, the gentle stroking of her fingers causing Aang to shiver. “I love this Aang, and I love you. I don’t care how many lives you’ve lived. I want to live this one with you.”

   “Really?” Aang was at loss of what to say, still concentrated on this new side of Katara, a side he had never quite seen before. “That’s actually...really beautiful Katara.” 

   “I know.” She said back simply, still smiling. “But I will admit, I do miss your hair a little bit...and you did look pretty nice in that fire nation outfit.” 

   Smirking a cheeky smirk, Aang feels his confidence come back, Katara having been slowly nurturing it back to health throughout their little moment together. “Yeah well, I could say the very same for you. The way you danced back at-”

   “Shh.” Katara places a finger up to Aang’s mouth, not wanting to hear the rest of what he has to say. God was he so good at embarrassing her sometimes. 

   “Let’s just be thankful to have each other again Aang.” Suddenly separating their bodies, she’s taken his hand softly to look up at the sunset that’s still in the sky, watching it’s last glow before it turns into the dusk. “And thankful that this war is all over, and I don’t have to worry about losing you anymore. We can talk about all of the rest of our confessions later...” Her eyes deepen once more, relaxing, and she smiles nostalgically at the sunset, so lost within it’s sheer beauty, that she’s surprised when she feels Aang pull her to his chest, able to hear his heartbeat, butterflies blooming inside of her.

   “Yeah...yeah, I could get used to this. Thanks Katara.” 

[lbibliophile-atla]

Who is Scarier?

“Appa”

“Momo”

“Appa”

“Momo”

“Nuh-uh, Appa. Tell me those teeth aren’t terrifying.”

“He’s a herbivore.”

“Well, most people don’t know that anymore! And he can still squash people. Can’t you, buddy? What’s Momo going to do? He’s tiny.”

“Well, most people haven’t seen a lemur either. Just imagine: a chittering white shape flying out of the darkness, too-small fingers touching your skin, bright green eyes looking up at you, looking into you…”

“So? Momo’s cute, not scary.”

“Look. Aang. Katara. You both make some very good points, but have you considered… Toph.”

“Ok.” “Yeah.” “I can see it.”

“Ha, I win!”

---

Also on AO3

For: @kataang-100 drabble challenge - week 7: compromise @atlagenweek2021 - day 6: siblings (yes, I am claiming this as both a romantic and familial relationship. The way I write them, the close teasing friendship is integral to both)

This is inspired by the crack #fear the lemurs discourse from about a year ago (summary), arguing whether Appa or Momo is scarier. I started spectating about half way through, and have no idea why that's what the prompts made me think of, but it turned into a fun drabble so thanks! @nothing-more-than-hot-leaf-juice @aboutiroh @your-royal-momoness (I think you were the main ones involved?)