#taang wedding

[lphoenixspiritl]

At Toph and Aang's wedding, Zuko filled in as father of the groom and Iroh had the honor of being the father of the bride. Meanwhile Katara took on both roles as mother of the bride and mother of the groom.

[dragonbonez]

And what’s the first thing I do after finishing finals? Indulge in a little meme redraw of my favorites. 💚💛

Honestly Aang is going to be right there with Toph for these mugshots. The guy went to prison and made friends with all the other prisoners like it was nothing! That and I’m sure whatever they did was probably Toph’s idea and worth it.

[zukkaart]

A brief summary of the most popular A:tLA ships

Kataang: the definition of a power couple

Sokkla: The mental image alone is lethal, unironically the sexiest ship

Zukka: grumpy x sunshine trope at its finest

Mailee: black cat x golden retriever (yes there’s a difference)

Azulaang: pure unfiltered comedic potential

Sukka: walk him like a dog sis walk him like a dog

Jetko: which one will end up dead? Tune in next week to find out

Zutara: enemies to lovers with so much angst you need to just have your emotional support snack in hand

Tyzula: me and the bad bitch I pulled by being mentally ill

Taang: one is a pacifist and the other is entirely unhinged- the world would burn

Maiko: that relationship you have in middle school with your “best friend” before you realize you’re both gay

Yukka: the single most heartbreaking ship in existence

Azutara: two chronically jealous and lethal women? no one would leave that wedding alive

Yueki: they never met but this is somehow entirely plausible

Yuetara: princess x savior trope but in the cute way not the toxic way

[tthethruthuntold]

Heya what’s your favorite Taang fanfic/s?

Hello! Sorry for the late response. Wow, another hard question 🤣. I haven't read every taang fic out there yet, but these sure are some of my favorites from what I have read.

1. The Princess & the Badger-Cat by panaili [COMPLETED]

(AU) In a land never torn apart by the Hundred Year War, the sixteen-year-old Avatar Aang is trying his best to keep the balance between the four nations, including the increasingly antagonistic Fire Nation, which, despite his friendship with the Crown Prince Zuko, refuses to acknowledge him. Elsewhere, Sokka and Katara have been separated on their quest to find their missing father, and Sokka, pursued by the same bandits who kidnapped his sister, finds himself on the balcony of some rich girl's house in Gaoling. Oh, and a sorcerer has turned him into a badger-cat. It's just one of those days.

This one is probably my favorite of everything on this list 🤣. Even though it's not taang-centered, the potential in their connection and relationship here is just SO GOOD. I love how much more can be explored of their story here (I really wish the author had continued the story 😭).

2. The Darkest Nights by lingerinthesadows [ON GOING]

In which the world wept and suffered at the failure of one man. The five-year aftermath of the “Hope of the World” losing and running away for the second time and him returning just as much.

This one's really interesting. Their relationshiop here isn't developed yet because it is very story-focused. But the POTENTIAL is great as well!

3. If I Lose Him Like This by mycomfortblanket [ON GOING]

At Aang's wedding, Toph is drinking the pain away. Rating for language and mention of underage drinking.

ANGST AT THE START. THEN ANGST AGAIN. AND STILL ANGST CURRENTLY.

4. Inevitable by shipsandme24 [ONE SHOT]

For him, loving them both was inevitable. Just two very different types of inevitable, as they made two very different types of sense.

SUCH A GREAT ONE SHOT. I love the different perspective that both Katara and Toph are two amazing women that Aang's going to inevitably love and learn from.

5. A Matter of Honor by Adridere [COMPLETED]

Preface: During the long days of fighting, warriors tend to forget about things. Like being young, carefree, or able to sleep until noon. Warriors are serious minded people. They do not worry about fancy clothes, shoes or jewelry. They do not have time for lazy gossipy afternoons drinking cosmopolitans. They do not confess that besides saving the world all girls, even warrior girls, just want to have fun.

This was such a roller coaster ride!! But a fun ride!

These are some of them for now! Still need to double check the others I've read 😊. Thank you for the question!

[stitch1830]

Chapter 9: One Year

Toph and Aang celebrate their first wedding anniversary together. Naturally, Aang has a special thing or two planned.

Been a hot minute, but I posted a new chapter for one of my Taang fics! Hope you all enjoy :)

[ap-kinda-lit]

Attendant: Are you okay, sir?

Aang: I'm good.

Toph: Actually, it's been a tough weekend for him.

Aang: Toph!

Toph: We're here for a wedding.

Attendant: Ah.

Toph: He was in love with the bride.

Attendant: Ouch.

Toph: She's marrying the Fire Lord, who is also one of his best friends.

Attendant: Oh mama.

Toph: And he's the one officiating it.

Attendant: Devastating.

Aang, looking at Toph: You're a terrible friend, Toph.

Toph: That's not what you said after I spent the weekend keeping you from going overboard on cactus juice and running away to, quote, "live among the lemurs".

[starry-nights12]

As teens,Toph always teasing Katara about how her heart always beat really fast around Zuko.

But t h e n

When they're older;

Katara noticed how Toph smiles around Aang more,laughing with him,hitting his arm more than anyone else in the gaang,and even b l u s h i n g around him a few times.

Katara crossed her arms with a smirk.

"I can feel you staring at me,Sugar Queen. What do you want?"

Katara:

Edit: Added more here

[chipsahoecookies27]

Aang officiated the Zutara wedding

Zuko officiated the Mailee wedding

Sukka were the wedding planners for both weddings

Toph was bachelor/bachelorette party planner (for all weddings)

Taang went from announcing their relationship to a baby shower

(No wedding!!! I got the headcanon from this post go check it out)

[stars-and-darkness]

I like to think Toph & Aang never officialy got married because:

A) the Air Nomads didn't marry at all,

B) to stick it up to Lao and Poppy.

[mycomfortblanket]

The Wedding

Toph is standing in front of a three-way mirror on top of a pedestal while her mother and seamstress circle her making minor adjustments. Her face looks puffy from the crying she had done earlier in the day and suffocated from the make up that's plastered to her face. Her mom had sprayed some kind of chemical onto her face afterwards to keep the makeup in place.

She keeps her face pointed downwards so that her mother doesn’t see the tears that are threatening to spill over any second. The bangs that were normally hanging in her face had been pinned back so every emotion could be seen.

Standing in the doorway with his hands in his pocket, Aang watches as Toph manages to keep such a neutral expression that would have impressed Koh. He sees her hands balled up in fists at her sides and the glistening in her eyes, he wonders why her mother won’t say something.

Poppy looks up and sees Aang watching them and her eyes flood with relief, “Oh, Aang, honey. I didn’t think you were going to be able to make it today.” She must be thinking that Aang could calm Toph down and help her get through the day.

“Hey Mrs. Beifong, it’s good to see you again,” he says, accepting her outstretched hand. Poppy pulls him into a hug and kisses him on the cheek.

“I’ll leave you two alone for a bit. I’ll come back before it’s time for the ceremony,” she says, pulling the door closed behind her and the seamstress.

Aang looks back over to Toph and sees her still standing on the pedestal with her face casted downwards. Her tears are openly flowing now and her shoulders shaking just slightly.

Quietly, he walks over to her and stands behind her, looking at her reflection in the mirror. Spirits, she is gorgeous. Beautiful, actually, but her tears and clenched fists ruin the image.

Her wedding day shouldn’t be like this. She should be happy and laughing, throwing around sarcastic insults and punches, not looking like her life is ending. She should be marrying someone she loves, not the highest bidder with the most family connections. She should be marrying him.

Aang reaches up and lightly takes her hand and turns her towards him, “Come sit down with me,” his voice soft as if talking to a wounded animal. He gently leads her over to one of the couches, and sits beside her, careful not to sit on her dress. Spirits know that if he messed it up, Poppy would have his head.

Holding her hand in his, he rubs his thumb over the back of hers in a soothing motion as the tears continue to leak out of her eyes.

“I can’t do this,Twinkles,” Toph whispers.

The use of his nickname makes him smile sadly. He rests his forehead against her shoulder, trying to give her some kind of courage to get through this day. He doesn't think he himself can get through the day, but he knows he needs to be strong for her.

“You know I have to have sex with him tonight,” Aang snaps his head up to look at her. “I have to consummate the marriage, my mother said. My blood has to stain the sheets and the servants that come to change the bedding have to check,” her voice watery, but still she keeps her unseeing eyes facing straight ahead, as if she has already accepted her fate.

“They can’t actually make you do that, can they?” Aang asks in horror but Toph just nods her head before he even finishes his sentence.

“They’re going to know that I’m not a virgin. They’re going to know what we did and then the marriage will be a disgrace and my family's name will be tainted and… and…” Aang wraps Toph in a hug, his heart breaking for her.

“And if I do manage to get through the night and somehow I do bleed. Then what? I'll be stuck in a marriage with a man I don't know and eventually bear his children. I just can't do it, Twinkletoes.”

The thought of her having anyone's children but his makes him physically sick. He swallows hard around the lump in his throat. This was about her, not him. He could deal with his own problems later, right now, she needed him.

There's a knock at the door and they hear her mom call out to them, “30 minutes guys!”

Toph stands up and smooths her hands down the front of her dress and walks over to the water basin on the other side of the room. Dipping her hand inside the bowl, she feels the flower petals that are floating around. Slowly she drags her hand around creating a whirlpool and the petals get sucked under.

“Do you remember the first time we were together?” She says, her voice just loud enough to carry across the room to him. She lets out a small laugh that actually makes him smile happily for the first time that day.

Standing up, he goes over to her and wraps his arms around her waist from behind. He buries his face in her neck and inhales her scent.

“I got you drunk on that Fire Nation whiskey from Zuko’s palace and it seemed to put enough hair on your chest to get you to make a move,” She leans her head back against his shoulder. She lets out a long sigh and closes her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his arms around her. “I've missed you so much, Aang.”

The use of his actual name makes him wrap his arms around her tighter and a single tear escapes. Feeling the wetness on her neck, she turns in his arms and places a hand on his cheek and the other over his heart.

He covers her hands with his and stares into her pale green eyes, trying to find some hope in this situation. Not finding any, he leans forward and rests his forehead against hers, closing his eyes.

“I love you so much, Toph. I can't watch you do this. Please, let me take you away from here,” he whispers.

He feels her shake her head slightly, “I can't,” her voice barely a whisper. “I'm a Beifong. Even if I can't do this, I have to.” She removes her other hand from his chest and brings it up to his face as well.

Tears are flowing freely down Aang’s face now, skating around Toph's fingers as she holds them to his face. She pulls him to her and brushes her lips against his. Squeezing his eyes closed, Aang pulls her closer and with his lips, tries to convey all of his thoughts and feelings to her.

A knock at the door is what makes them separate. Poppy opens the door gently and finds them embracing each other in what she thinks is a happy and encouraging hug.

“Awe, aren't you two sweet. It’s time for the ceremony. Come on Tophie, we have to get you to your spot,” Poppy holds out a hand for her daughter.

Letting go of Aang, Toph moves towards her mother and she feels Aang clutching her hand, unwilling to let her go, until finally, she slips from his grasp.

He stands near the back of the garden, behind all the seated guests. His hands are still in his pocket, clenching and unclenching his fists.

Standing at the altar, her face is casted down towards the floor. He hears the officiant declare them husband and wife and as her newly appointed husband leans in to kiss her, Toph jerks her head to the side so his lips land on her cheek.

Her husband seems to take it as a win and turns towards the audience, Toph's hand clasped tightly in his. He raises them in the air as everyone claps and cheers, his smile bright and cheerful. Toph lifts her face to the audience, her chin held high while tears continue to streak down her cheeks.

She turns slightly, facing his direction and across the audience, they make eye contact. The breath is stolen from Aang as a sob escapes his lips.

[shokuto]

Aang Beifong has a nice ring to it won't lie

[jasmine-tea-latte]

Steambaby Week Fanfics

So I've been swamped with work and writing my Zutara / Bridgerton / Pride and Prejudice fic, so I haven't had time to create any new content for @steambabyweek.

But I have rounded up all my existing steambaby stories for your reading enjoyment! FYI, mild spoilers will be referenced, so I'm placing them below the cut both for that and because this post got very, very long...

Technically, I've written about the steambabies in 3 different universes. So I've split them up for clarity's sake, with the most expansive AU at the end.

Color Code: Firebender, Waterbender, Nonbender

SOUVENIRS UNIVERSE

Souvenirs We Brought Back From Ember Island – Zuko and Katara share an intimate evening together the last night at the Ember Island beach house before heading out to confront Ozai and their destinies the next morning, only to discover several weeks later that they brought back a surprise souvenir from that encounter…

Rated M for suggestive content and referenced adult situations, though Chapters 10 and 11 where the steambbs make an appearance are SFW.

Steambabies in this series:

Crown Princess Izumi

Prince Tulok

Princess Kya (not born yet when the story ends, though will end up being a nonbender)

ZK BIG BANG 2021

A Present Fit For A Fire Lady – Fire Lord Zuko struggles to come up with the perfect present for his wife to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. Unbeknownst to him, he’s already given them both the best present of all.

As this fic ends with Katara revealing to Zuko that they’re expecting their first child, there aren’t any details about the actual steambaby. However, as this was part of the Big Bang event last year, there are lovely artwork pieces included, not to mention two incredible original songs written just for this story!

THE PHOENIX AND THE DRAGON SERIES

Phoenix and Dragon – Set during the series that I wrote for Zutara Week 2020, back when the pandemic first started and forced us all indoors and I had waaaay too much time to kill. This chapter introduces the first four steambabies and features the announcement that they’re expecting triplets as well.

(Yes, I went overboard when I gave them seven babies in this series – I blame being a new fanfic writer at the time and getting carried away – but like the Bridgerton family, they had a ton of babies because they wanted to, though after #7 they decided they were DONE.)

little rays of starlight– The Fire Lord and his wife take their infant daughter out on a trip to see the Southern Lights during the crown princess' first visit to the Southern Water Tribe. Features protective Dadko fussing over keeping little Izumi warm against the South Pole winter and just overall tooth-rotting fluffiness. Guest appearances by Sukka, who are expecting their first baby in this fic, and Taang, who aren’t engaged yet but will be soon.

The Fire Lord and the Sunstone – takes place when Crown Princess Izumi is just shy of 2 years old. The royal family inherits Druk after the Fire Lord and the Avatar are summoned back to visit Ran and Shaw. A cute fluffy oneshot that has baby Druk becoming fast friends with the eldest steambaby.

A Fire Burning in Her Bones (WIP)– Crown Princess Izumi has always dreamed of someday bending fire or water like her parents, following in their footsteps and making them proud. But when Izumi discovers that she’s a nonbender, she must learn to carve her own path, while learning more about her parents’ history and her nation’s role in the Hundred Year War in the process. I've gotten sidetracked by other fics since the last update, but I will finish this story one day. Hopefully.

Fun Fact: There's a 13.5 year age difference between the eldest and youngest of their kids.

Steambabies from this series, plus some fun facts / trivia about them if / when I ever get around to writing more fics in this AU:

Crown Princess Izumi

Twins - Prince Hanzo and Princess Kya

Prince Shunsui

Triplets - Prince Lu Ten, Princess Ayuko, and Prince Mihiro

Izumi – eldest child and daughter, born 3 years after Sozin’s Comet

Gold eyes, black hair

Name Meaning: fountain, water

Skilled with broadswords, learns from her father and later Master Piandao

Crown princess; introvert; birthday falls in the same week as the anniversary of the War's End, which coincides with her parents’ wedding anniversary as well

Most like Zuko in terms of dry sarcasm; constantly feels need to prove herself especially compared to her prodigious younger sibling Hanzo (essentially a gender-flipped Zuko and Azula sibling rivalry but on much, much friendlier terms)

Favorite subject is history; favorite treat is SWT seaweed cookies

Hanzo – eldest son and the elder twin, born approximately 5 ½ years after Sozin’s Comet

Gold eyes, black hair

Name Meaning: to hide, half

Named as a shout-out to the real-life legendary Japanese samurai Hattori Hanzo/Demon Hanzo. The "Demon Hanzo" nickname also gave me Blue Spirit vibes as well, ngl

Occasionally uses blades with a focus on broadswords

Ambivert; Is the spitting image of his father in his pre-banishment days. Later in the story (not written yet), his older sister Izumi will see a portrait of young Zuko pre-scarring and mistake them for each other at first

Has his mother’s personality - kind and nurturing but will cut you if you mistreat someone

Kya – younger twin

Blue eyes, brown hair

Named for Katara and Sokka’s mother

Outgoing; enjoys fashion and finding bargains during shopping trips with Great-Uncle Iroh

Inherits Uncle Sokka’s (terrible) sense of humor

Enjoys studying art from all over the world

Decent at healing but prefers sparring

Eventually settles down in SWT with her wife and their pet polar bear dog

In later years helps teach waterbending to Avatar Korra

Shunsui – born 11 years after Sozin’s Comet

Gold eyes, brown hair

Name Meaning: spring, water

Becomes a respected healer and opens up several healing clinics

Enjoys the simpler things in life like his Great-Uncle Iroh and develops an affinity for botany as a hobby

Laidback personality; enjoys traveling especially in the Earth Kingdom

Is the only steambaby besides Izumi not to be either a twin or triplet

Like his older sister Kya, helps teach waterbending to Avatar Korra

Lu Ten – eldest triplet, born approximately 16 ½ years after Sozin’s Comet

Blue eyes, black hair

Named for Iroh’s son, Zuko and Azula’s late cousin

Extrovert who takes up pro-bending when he's older

Bi pretty boy who naturally charms the ladies and the men, but has a hidden sweet, shy side

Loves traveling the world along with honorary Uncle Aang, Aunt Toph, and all their brood

Secretly gifted at the tsungi horn but will never admit it

Ayuko – middle triplet and youngest daughter

Blue eyes, black hair

Name Meaning: love, affection, rainbow

I came up with her name because of the rainbow sunshower scene in the story right before ZK announce that they're expecting her and her brothers

Is a naturally gifted bender like her Aunt Azula and the only firebender of her siblings capable of creating blue flames

Introvert who enjoys writing and reading; often seen curled up with a book in the library

A theatre nerd just like her father; is also a talented dancer but too shy to show off her skills most of the time

Mihiro – youngest triplet and youngest son

Gold eyes, black hair

Name Meaning: crown, benevolence, sea

Skilled with broadswords

Trained in swordfighting by his eldest sister Izumi and looks up to her; also learns from Zuko, Sokka, and Master Piandao

Inspired to learn broadswords after watching his eldest sister Izumi fighting with them one day when he’s 3-4

Finds out about Blue Spirit myths during a visit to the Earth Kingdom when he's a child and not-so-secretly admires all the legends and tall tales of the infamous vigilante, much to his parents’ amusement

Enjoys cooking

And there you have it! What can I say, I have a soft spot for Zutara and all their bbs 💜

[rllymilerlly]

Taang wedding for the doodle ask?

Normally I don’t think they’d be the kind of couple to get traditionally married but this was so fun to doodle that I 100% got carried away with. So please enjoy

(Request 6/10)

[breeeliss]

i heard some people don’t know about the Taang/Kummi theory

So this was originally supposed to be a response to an ask I had gotten about this ATLA theory, but because Read More links on Tumblr asks seem to break once you edit them, I’m reposting so that people can actually see the post lol 

For anyone who wasn’t a part of the Toph x Aang LiveJournal fandom in the early 2000s, buckle up, because this bugged me out as a 13 year old. 

Remember the end of “The Swamp” (Book 2, Episode 4)? We find out the swamp isn’t haunted, Huu was just protecting it the whole time, and then he explains to Katara, Sokka, and Aang why the swamp is so mystical and sacred.

The swamp is just one big banyan grove tree that’s grown out over miles and miles. All the branches and trees they see are connected because they’re one big breathing organism. And that extends to life as well. We’re all living beings. We all share the same roots. We all are from the same tree, even if we don’t act like it. Everything is connected! Cool stuff.

But when Katara asks what her seeing her mother and what Sokka seeing Yue meant, Huu explains that “in the swamp, we see visions of people we lost, people we’ve loved, folks we think are gone, but the swamp tells us they’re not. We’re still connected to them. Time is an illusion, and so is death.” So Katara never really lost her mother and Sokka never really lost Yue because the connections we make in life transcend death and time. They’re not gone. They’re still a part of us. The swamp reminds us of this.

Now, to keep in theme with this, we probably would’ve expected Aang to also see visions of people he’s lost and loved before (Gyatso, the other Airbenders, his culture, etc.)

But for some reason, Aang sees...Toph. Someone he doesn’t know.

Huu doesn’t really give Aang an explanation for this, he sort of just lets Aang figure it out for himself. And what we’re left is “okay well if time is an illusion and this isn’t someone I’ve made a connection with yet, it’s someone I will make a connection with.” We’re made to accept that as viewers, but why was Aang’s vision so different? Was it really just to lead him in the direction of his Earthbending Master so that he can continue on with his destiny?

Or was it because, unbeknownst to Aang, Toph actually was someone that he had loved and lost before? Just not in this life. In another life. A past life. When he wasn’t Aang, but rather Avatar Kuruk, the Southern Water Tribe Avatar that came before Avatar Kyoshi.

✨Basically the theory is that Toph is one of the reincarnations of Ummi, the southern water tribe woman that fell in love with Avatar Kuruk and had her face tragically stolen by Koh, the Face Stealer.✨

Stay with me, because it gets way deeper.

Who are Kuruk and Ummi you ask?

We formally meet Kuruk during “Sozin’s Comet Part 2: The Old Masters” (Book 3, Episode 19) when Aang is appealing to his past lives for wisdom with regard to what to do with Ozai. Kuruk was a “go with the flow” (lmao) Avatar and sort of just let things play out and it seemed to work for him. He met a girl named Ummi, they fell in love, they were gonna get married, cool.  

According to the comic books, Koh I guess was kinda off-put by Kuruk’s arrogance? So as punishment this spirit straight up abducts Ummi on their wedding night and steals her face (ultimately killing her). He blames himself, saying if he’d been more attentive and active he could’ve saved her. He tried to kill Koh out of revenge over it, but could never do so. Koh alludes to this when Aang visits him in “The Siege of the North Part 2″ (Book 1, Episode 20) and shows Aang Ummi’s face. All in all, super tragic.

The Avatar never really “dies.” He’s constantly being reborn. The reason Aang is able to consult his past lives for wisdom is because all of his past lives are him. If the point of the swamp is to get you to understand that death is an illusion, then the swamp understands that the separation between Aang and Kuruk is also an illusion. They’re different people but also the same person all at once. They’re still connected.

So, assuming that Aang was no different from Katara and Sokka and was also seeing people that he’s loved and lost in the past while in the swamp, maybe Toph really is someone he’s met and known before. He just lost and loved her in a past life that neither of them remembers back when they were both completely different people.

But wait, what’s the proof that Ummi is one of Toph’s past lives?

This theory hinges on the assumption that the Avatar isn’t the only one who is capable of being reincarnated. So if you keep with that assumption, there are a few moments highlighted by the theory that connect Toph and Ummi.

The most obvious of which is that Toph is blind. Seeing as how Ummi lost her face when she was a human (and Koh still has it), it would make sense that her future reincarnations would potentially have some kind of loss of their senses attributed to, you know, getting your face ripped off. BUT, another detail that is, in my opinion, a little more interesting is one of Aang’s anxiety nightmares from “Nightmares and Daydreams” (Book 3, Episode 9). Specifically the part of the nightmare where Toph is featured looking like this:

(so creepy ;A;) But why does Toph manifest in Aang’s dream this way, devoid of life and devoid of a face of all things?

This dream that Aang is having is over his anxieties/fears over losing his friends. Sokka, Toph, and Katara all succumb to some sort of horrific end in this dream and Aang is unable to save them. It seems like his anxieties over losing Toph manifested through showing us Toph as a lifeless husk with...no face. Maybe when Aang was having this nightmare, some of the fears and anxieties felt by his previous lives were bleeding in. It would make sense that Kuruk’s greatest anxiety/fear would be losing his loved ones as well, after he failed to protect Ummi from having her face stolen.

And if we assume that Toph actually is Ummi (i.e. a reincarnation that Aang subconsciously remembers), it would make sense that Aang would see Toph standing there in the darkness. Her face stolen. Helpless to save her.

And then in “The Avatar and the Firelord” (Book 3, Episode 6), after learning about Zuko’s lineage and Avatar Roku’s relationship with Sozin, it’s Toph who remarks, “do you really think friendships can last more than one lifetime?”

It’s interesting that Toph would be the one to ask this. And it’s interesting that Aang is the one that reaches out to hold her hand first and tell him that he doesn’t see why that can’t be possible. Because these connections that transcend lifetimes aren’t limited to just the Avatar. They’re apparent in everyone’s lives, no matter who you are. And the fact that Toph and Aang were able to share that brief moment and give each other that reassurance makes sense if you consider that, several lifetimes ago for them both, they were a lot closer than just mere friends.

And are there other connections between Taang and Kummi?

The theory supports some interesting parallels between Kuruk and Ummi’s relationship and Toph and Aang’s relationship. Kuruk and Aang are very similar in that they both avoided their Avatar duties. Kuruk because of his lackadaisical nature and Aang because he was afraid.

Ummi ultimately ended up being Kuruk’s punishment for not being able break from this passivity and actively pursue his responsibilities as the Avatar. But, by contrast, Toph ended up being Aang’s greatest asset with regard to helping him break from his passivity and learn to face things head on no matter how impossible they may seem.

The Earthbending portion of “Bitter Work” (Book 2, Episode 9) is exclusively about this. Aang is passive by nature, hence why Earthbending is such a hard element for him to master. As Toph so eloquently put: “You had a perform stance, and a perfect form, but when it came right down to it you didn’t have the guts.” The whole episode she’s goading him into being strong and firm. She mercilessly lays into him for not being direct. For being a pushover. For not facing his problems. For not standing up for himself. For being passive. The very thing that was Kuruk’s downfall.

But the pushing works because Toph unlocks something very powerful in him. Toph taught him how to be active. To face his struggles head on. To not flinch before responsibility or danger. That moment where Aang stands up to the moose lion and promises Sokka that he won’t leave him alone (that he will be there to protect him, and he’ll stand staunch in the face of danger) is a really important emotional milestone. It’s a role that’s very different from the one that Katara plays in Aang’s life, but it’s no less important.

Katara has always been someone who cared deeply for Aang’s emotional needs, who understood the reasons why he was afraid, why he wanted to run away, why he wanted to avoid responsibility. But Toph was very much someone who took a much rougher approach to Aang. Because Aang needed it. Because Aang’s inactivity also threatened to be his downfall in this life because it got in the way of him mastering the Earth element. Toph and Aang became a victory instead of a tragedy. Toph wasn’t used as a way to hurt Aang, like Ummi was used to hurt Kuruk. Toph was one of Aang’s greatest sources of strength.

And it was their connection to each other -- their connection that transcended lifetimes -- that brought them back together as friends.

And maybe more if you feel like adding a ship to your repertoire.

[zutarawedding-zine]

In the second preview for the Zutara Wedding Zine, @divathesocialite has Sokka take Katara wedding dress shopping for her big day in this modern au! 

Want to know who else is helping Katara pick out a dress? Follow us and turn on the notification bell so you can order a copy of our zine when our shop goes live!

In the meantime...  who do you think joined Sokka and Katara’s shopping trip? 

A) Suki (Or, Suki!!! as Sokka calls her) 

B) Aang and Toph (Team Taang) 

C) Azula, Mai and Ty Lee (Or “The Dangerous Ladies” as Sokka dubbed them) 

D) Iroh (Someone has to bring the tea!) 

Comment or reblog to let us know your headcanons! 

[stitch1830]

I came for Taang, but stayed for Kantoph. Don't get me wrong, I love Taang, it's my OTP, but with Kanto, and also with Lin and Jian, you created very lovely OC's. Just an adorable little family. Do you have a few more wholesome and cozy family HC's, please? ♡

Hi Anon, thank you for the ask! And YAY :D I'm very happy you like both Taang and Kantoph, I'm happy to talk about either ship any day of the week! :) But since you've stayed for Kantoph and enjoy that AU at the moment, I'm happy to provide some headcanons! Also, your ask inspired me to do a quick scribble of the Kantoph family, so I hope you enjoy that haha!

Anyway, headcanons!

Toph and Kanto decided "why not? Let's get married" so they did, and just about 9 months after their wedding night, Jian was born LOL. Jian is about 3 years younger than Lin (and we should be coming out with a character sheet for him soon!)

Jian is a very chill baby, so he'll sit in Mama's lap and watch his sister and dad play together and laughing, and often he just sits there and giggles at them. Toph just chuckles at it all.

Lin is Kanto's su chef almost all the time, and when they can have lazy mornings, usually weekends, they eat breakfast in bed as a family (it started as a tradition when Toph had pregnancy cravings with Jian and it stuck haha).

Both kiddos preferred being carried by Toph or Kanto, Lin loves going on Kanto's shoulders so she can play with his hair and see the world from high up!

If they have time to go on vacation, they usually go to Ember Island! They like making sandcastles and Lin's a fish out of water.

Lin adores Jian, so she helps him with a ton of stuff growing up. They read together, she helps calm him down when he has nightmares, and if anyone tries to bullies Jian, they bully faces the wrath of Lin Beifong and her parents.

They're a super close-knit family, but if the kids need to go to someone quickly for something, Lin typically goes to Kanto, and Jian goes to Toph.

When Toph is pregnant with Jian, Lin gets protective like Kanto does. She likes holding Toph's hand when they walk around town and stuff.

Jian's first steps were to Lin, and Toph and Kanto nearly cried they thought it was the cutest thing ever.

Okay! That's all I have for now, but if you need more Kantoph fluff, let me know and I am HAPPY to provide haha! Thank you again for the ask, Anon, and I hope you have a great day!

......

Send me asks about ATLA, or anything, really! :D