#they nearly died nearly every episode

[agoldfishcalledem]

[lonelygodscompanion]

i have to say it was a crazy move on russell's part to have ruby go through her own version of turn left/the girl who waited FOUR episodes into knowing the doctor

[theslowestpoke]

Big shout-out to Coach for being the only person to mention Isaac in the entirety of Teen Wolf season 4!

[magnusbae]

yall guys didn't even hear me rant about how fucked it is that Dream was not allowed to mourn his raven and how his feelings been bluntly disregarded because clearly someone else knows best for how he should mourn the loss of his companion

[lab-gr0wn-lambs]

The way she was right though

[heatwa-ves]

that one post that's like if the doctor and x had fucked is very good but they fail to understand that nine and rose fucking would not have fixed them. nine rose and jack fucking would've fixed them all tho.

[hauntingblue]

VIOLA!!!!!! STAB THAT MAN IN THE EYE!!!

[chronic-ghost]

gonna tag this as tlou spoilers because very much spoilers but i could not let these amazing tags be lost

"There was one moment that we had in the game where you can see that Tess is the one that's leading Joel, and Joel is the muscle. [...] She's one of the few that can control him, she's the Joel whisperer. [...] [Anna Torv] nailed exactly what Neil's talking about: the notion of Joel as a little bit of a Frankenstein monster."

HBO's The Last of Us Podcast - Episode 1: "When you're lost in the darkness"

[tprings-hair]

the interesting thing about journey to babel is that I legitimately can't tell who's having the worst day.

spock just had his parents show up to his work and embarrass him, briefly thought his dad was a murder suspect until his dad had a heart attack, and his mom said if he didn't choose his estranged father over his job then she'd never forgive him and slapped him.

kirk is trying to be diplomatic when all he wants is to smack everyone's heads together and yell PLAY NICE, and then he gets straight up stabbed and has to make decisions in a battle situation while he's in so much pain he literally can't sit straight.

mccoy gets a good childhood story about spock, but spock and sarek manage to corner him into agreeing to perform an operation he isn't trained for, and then he has to do it while losing his balance every couple of minutes, knowing that he might kill both his friend and his friend's dad if he messes up. and then his other best friend gets stabbed and he has to manage that crisis too!

sarek just saw his estranged son for the first time in years, got into a fight with another ambassador, got accused of killing said ambassador, was forced into displaying vulnerability and admitting that he lied to his wife, and then nearly died like twice.

amanda showed up wanting everyone to get along and instead her son is upset and hiding it badly, her husband is having a health emergency and hiding it badly, and she stands in the corner watching while mccoy is operating on both of them.

and okay, uhura and chekov aren't winning the "worst day ever" competition, but they're not having the best time either. the atmosphere on the bridge would be weird when your science officer is refusing to go help his sick father and your captain is literally hunched over in pain pretending he's okay to make clear-headed decisions. uhura gets yelled at when she can't find the source of the transmission soon enough for kirk's taste, and chekov -- actually, chekov gets to fire phasers this episode, and he seemed pretty pleased about it. maybe we can remove him from the list.

journey to babel is a spy drama, a medical drama, a family drama, and a murder mystery all wrapped into one. and nobody is having a good time.

edit: vote on who you think had the worst day here!

[spidersmiceandeverythingnice]

Gaara is truly the Character of All Time

-Introduced as main antagonist in a tournament arc, the terrifying bloodthirsty ninja from a strange desert village who kills without remorse and has survived every mission without getting a scratch on him

-He's 12

-Character design 10/10 he has bright fucking brick red hair, literal raccoon eyes, a face tattoo that says "Love" and carries that weird ass gourd; between the fun elements and the interesting tie-ins to Tanuki Lore, I have never seen a more charming design in my life tbqh

-Immediately more emo and chuuni than Noted Emo Heartthrob Sasuke Uchiha by virtue of reciting weird poetry after killing a guy in cold blood

-We get his tragic backstory and by fucking GOD is it sad. I cry just thinking about it. Literally everything about it is just horrible and devastating.

-Talk No Jutsu at end of the tournament arc, Gaara realizes that he should, in fact, go to therapy and immediately decides to turn his life around

-The first thing he decides to do is apologize to his siblings <3

-Shows up a handful of arcs later with a cool new outfit and becomes friends with the kid he literally tried to murder and nearly permanently crippled in one of the best fights of the entire series

-Liam O Brian's English dub of Gaara is Stellar ya know what. The raspiness of the original appearance morphing into the Deepest Voice That Any Kid Has Ever Had Ever was a genuinely hilarious choice

-Has the only good filler arcs in the old show; he's such a good character that the entire show molds itself and rises to meet him

-Post timeskip he is Desert Ninja President at the ripe old age of 15 and is extremely good at it because he's the weirdest little nerd with no social skills (on account of his tragic backstory) and diligently applies himself to doing paperwork and going to meetings

-Has a fanclub in the village mostly of girls his own age that he never seems to talk to?? Or realize have crushes on him?? Oblivious king we love him.

-Dies in one of the most genuinely moving scenes. Comes back like 20 episodes of fighting later because where would we be without him honestly?

-Becomes Super General Ninja President of the Grand Army of whatever where he accomplishes such feats as forgiving his asshole father and emotionally healing from his childhood trauma, stopping a meteor, and nearly dying a second time.

-Collects cacti as a hobby

-Has the only good sequel series arc where it's revealed that in addition to continuing to serve as Desert Ninja President, he's decided to adopt a couple of orphan ninja kids so that he can break the cycle of parental neglect and stupidity that created his tragic backstory in the first place.

[physical-manifestation-of-spite]

We all love Arthur playing the piano. But I think a lot of people forget why Arthur stopped playing in the first place and why it's so important that he won't easily return to it with the same fondness.

Music was Arthur's passion. It was what he invested in to get past his parents' death, and it was a healthy coping mechanism that blossomed into a well-earned career. He loved it. And his daughter died because of it. He was so absorbed in his passion (and himself) that he forgot about his own daughter and she drowned to death. It's a horrifying, distressing way for a toddler to go. And it was absolutely Arthur's fault.

So his love of music and piano specifically has been tainted by the grief and guilt of his daughter's death. When John asks if Arthur misses playing the piano, he says, "No," without hesitation.

How odd that something you've divulged your career into is not something you miss. But then when you learn how Faroe died and how Arthur ignored her--or "dismissed" her, according to him--it all makes sense. So when I read these snippets/fanfic stories where Arthur plays the piano eagerly, it gives me pause because I know something is missing.

The piano is tied to his daughter's death. That will never go away. In the same way that the music he has written will never leave him, even when he loses all memory, including his own name. The piano is tied to his grief of Faroe. It is tied to his grief of his parents. And his grief is so interwoven with Arthur that he can never escape it. He can only continue on with it as a constant tune in the back of his head, something we hear nearly every episode of Malevolent. Arthur isn't fond of the piano anymore. But the tune he wrote for his daughter, who died because of it, plays in his head every day.

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

man. i love how the first episode Eddie is in has Buck being a peacocking asshole the entire time bc he feels threatened / intimidated by the hot new competent coworker. and the next episode they are literally Glued Together and Buck is Driving Him Places and-

im rewatching my favorite firefighter show in preparation for the new season and ngl i spent the entirety of season one going "where's Eddie. where is he. why isn't he here what happened to him where is Edmundo Diaz and why isn't he in the 118 already-"

[odo-apologist]

Every ENT character is the most character ever. Archer is a bitch he plays a fundamental role in the creation of the Federation he brings his dog on away missions which once causes a diplomatic incident he likes water polo he commits war crimes he saw a gazelle giving birth and implements it into his rousing speeches he had a wet dream about his first officer that included his dog's funeral he had to carry the soul of the creator of the main tenets of Vulcan philosophy in his head he gives a lecture on Tycho Brahe while getting his ass beaten during an interrogation scene. T'Pol is strict in her Vulcan beliefs she doesn't believe in time travel even as she's presented with irrefutable evidence and remains somewhat skeptical after experiencing it firsthand she is the funniest person on Enterprise she is more emotional than average Vulcans to the point that she had to have memories erased for causing her too much distress she could canonically pick up any of her crewmates and carry them bridal style she has Vulcan HIV she has it cured by the woman that later watches Spock and Kirk roll around in the sand in Amok Time she is technically canonically trans she is a recovering drug addict. Trip is a perfect gentleman he undergoes incredible emotional losses his favorite movies are Frankenstein Bride of Frankenstein and Son of Frankenstein he gets pregnant five episodes in he dies in the worst episode of the entire series (and the entire franchise) only to have that death retconned in the following tie-in novels he ran around the ship in his underwear he leaves the ship for a couple weeks only to come back after one person had been kidnapped another thrown in jail and the engines are on the verge of destruction and reacts like :/. Malcolm is gay he has 50 ex-girlfriends he has only had one friend in his life his own sister barely knows anything about him he dies alone he likes pineapple even though he's allergic to it he gets spacesick he worked as an agent for a top secret organization he's afraid of drowning he whined about getting a cold he had a spike driven through his leg and didn't complain at all he has a psychosexual obsession with a man he thinks is after his job and grows to respect once they had a homoerotic fight scene before witnessing him die. Hoshi is a linguistic prodigy she's the greatest contributor to the universal translator she has a panic attack on one of her first missions she ran a gambling ring she has a black belt in aikido and broke her superior's arm she has never been to the principal's office in her life she is afraid to use the transporter she became an empress in an alternate universe she is the only one who gets laid on Risa making her the first human to do so she reacted to the threat of getting worms injected into her brain to make her reveal secret information by spitting in her interrogator's face. Travis is the sweetest man ever he loves rock climbing he gets injured whenever he tries to use those skills he's a fan of ghost stories he grew up on a small freighter he gets neglected by the narrative his counterpart helps Hoshi become empress he works out when he's horny he dies in a alternate future where Earth is destroyed he's a movie buff who would probably love the Criterion Collection he likes to chill in a part of the ship with zero gravity which he calls "the sweet spot." Phlox grins like the Cheshire Cat he breaks doctor patient confidentiality to help figure out Malcolm's favorite food he goes crazy when the rest of the crew have to sleep through part of space because of how social his species is he has three wives who in turn have three husbands he responds to the news of one of his wives propositioning a crew member by being like "cool! have fun :]" he once nearly vivisects Travis because he's being affected by radiation and gets obsessed with knowing why the guy has a simple headache he has a menagerie in the middle of his sickbay. And they're all my best friends.

[equalseleventhirds]

"I don't understand how I'm losing," Reigen said, his hands flying over his keyboard. It was so late now—too late, maybe—if only he'd used the same technique as with the Player Killer from the beginning, he might have stood a chance, but he hadn't seriously thought he'd lose—

"Shishou," Mob said, "why is this so important? You already have second place from Twitter."

Reigen laughed, not at all nervously, and splayed a hand across his forehead. "You don't understand, Mob. The publicity from something like this, even a rematch, would do wonders for Spirits and Such. This is about business."

(He would never admit to his pride being on the line.)

"And anyway, who is this guy? A radio host? I've been on TV, you know."

Mob carefully did not bring up what had actually happened when Reigen made his television debut.

Ritsu had no such qualms. "When they exposed you as a fraud? That was publicity too, right?"

"Hey—!"

Serizawa leaned over Reigen's shoulder to see the computer screen, careful not to spill the tea he placed on the desk. "Oh, Cecil from Welcome to Night Vale? It's been a while since I listened to that, maybe I should catch up."

Reigen stared at him. "You? What? Serizawa?"

"Ah... yeah." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Back when I was... well, when I didn't leave my room much, the podcast was popular. I guess it gave a sense of... community? Feeling less alone, even when you are." He shrugged. "Plus, hearing another gay man in a show like that was comforting."

"He's gay? Canonically?" Why can't I be gay canonically?

"Sure, he got married in episode 100. It was very emotional."

"I nearly died in our chapter 100—"

-- -- -- -- --

Well, listeners, there's still a few hours left on the poll, but I'm now leading at 56%! I must say, I did not expect this, especially after Twitter users so clearly forgot—or perhaps never knew—about my Tumblr Sexyman Origins.

But, that's neither here nor there. I certainly am grateful, if a bit bemused, about all of this, but let us not forget that this is all a friendly competition. Unlike the annual War On Christmas—and let us all take a moment to remember our fallen allies against that terrible holiday foe—this is a battle of kindness. Love, even. The love we feel for Tumblr, for our favorite sexy men, for pressing a button on a meaningless internet poll. The love we feel, listeners, for each other.

And in the spirit of that love and friendliness, I figured I'd get to know my opponent a little better! A bit of googling, which of course you know means searching via every search engine but Google, what with the Town Council imposing the Google Search Tax and getting all Night Vale IP addresses shadowbanned, has led me to... oh my, listeners. I do not know who made this, but Reigen Arataka has the single most beautiful professional web page I have ever encountered. It's... words do not do it justice. I am tearing up. This... I could not make anything better myself.

A-hem. Listeners, now that I've wiped away the tears such beauty inspired in me, I can now see that Reigen's website advertises his business, one Spirits and Such Consulting. Well! We may be rivals in this moment, but I am overjoyed to learn that Reigen runs such an innovative and important business! I am nearly ashamed that, while my opponent works to make the world a better place, I, a mere community radio host, am winning the sexyman contest.

Nevertheless, we must respect the polls. Not respecting polls could get us in hot water with the Town Council, or with the demigods of numbers who lurk in the sharp edges of percentages. So since I can't hand my victory over to him, I think I'll do what I can as a community radio host, and promote Reigen Arataka's important business!

So if you're a spirit in need of counseling, a ghost in need of therapy, or an eldritch beast in need of a shoulder to cry on, head on over to Seasoning City and pay our good friend Reigen a visit! I'm sure he'll be pleased as anything to see you.

[honey-crypt]

alright hi hello me again with fanfiction request ??!! im in angst mood so hear me out

Elliott x farmer, where farmer comes back badly injured like,,, bleeding all over arm probably broken and Elliott freaks out he's just like 'you could have died!!!' and when farmer just laughs it off he just,, breaks down yk n cries for them bc he can't stand the thought of his love dying in the mines one day :((

anyway angst to comfort please 🫡

a/n: i'm not responsible for any emotional damage this fic causes :)

word count: 1.3k

warnings: graphic imagery, blood, elliott has a bit of a breakdown, farmer is really injured

summary: it was just another day in the mines, for you at least. not for elliott, though, as he finds you bloody and battered in the foyer of your home.

★ home is where the heart is - elliott x farmer ★

You staggered towards the farmhouse, as the fireflies and lamps lit your way to safety. High-pitched wheezes clawed their way out of your mouth and you struggled to conceal your heaving, labored breathing when entering the house. The door quickly shut behind you and you let out a sigh of relief. I’m home, I’m home.

The light suddenly switched on in the main room, “(Y/N)?” your husband’s voice called out to you. Shit, you thought to yourself, eye to eye with the redhead. Elliott hugged the sheer night robe close to his skin, his feet adorn with the bunny slippers you got him last month. Despite the pain, you managed to smile through it, “Hiya, hon.”

Elliott nearly fell to his knees at the sight of your bloody, damaged appearance. He walked towards you, legs almost jelly-like in their uncoordinated movement, and kneel before you, “(Y/N), oh (Y/N),” his voice was barely above a whisper, “What happened to you?”

You sniffled and promptly winced from the act, blood gushing backwards into your throat and making you stifle back a gagging sound from the sensation. Your nose was at an unnatural angle and your forehead was caked in a mixture of dry and fresh blood, as you bled the cut on your scalp. 

It was just supposed to be a quick expedition.

The sound of metal clashing against armor echoed through your ears. 

In and out, just in and out.

You sustained the first wound. 

I didn’t think there were gonna be so many. 

Then the next wound.

There were too many.

And the next.

Too many monsters.

And so on until you were battered and bruised, a walking corpse. 

“(Y/N),” your husband’s timid voice called out to you, “(Y/N), my love, what happened to you?” his voice wavered in and out. Every part of you hurt, from your head to your toes. You tried to adjust your position against the wall, but hissed lowly when a sickly ‘crunch!’ echoed from your arm. Shit, probably broken.

“I’m calling Dr. Harvey,” your husband leapt up to his feet and approached the telephone. You watched, as Elliott picked up the phone and dialed the doctor’s after hours number, but another episode of ringing in your ears made it impossible to decipher what he was saying. The vibrations and loud ‘boom!’ of explosive ammunition against slimes repeated in your mind. Probably still got some slime guts on me, too.

And you did, slime stained your shirt and pants in a putrid scent. No biggie, clothes are replaceable. Elliott returned to your side at just the right moment when the ringing subsided, “Darling, please,” he croaked, “What happened to you?”

“Just another day in the mines,” you mustered up a laugh, but the motion made your ribs ache. As gently as he could, Elliott scooped you off the ground and carried up the stairs to your shared bedroom. He carefully let you down on the bed, his robe now stained in slime and blood, and took a seat back to you, “Dr- Dr. Harvey will be here shortly,” the writer hiccuped, eyes glossy. 

“Thanks,” you hummed softly, relaxing into the soft mattress. Elliott turned his body towards you and stared, uncomfortably so. No words were exchanged over the next few minutes, the both of you unable to speak. Finally, Elliott took the initiative and whispered, “You could have died, (Y/N).”

You let out a series of wheezing, delirious laughs at his concern. That was all you could do, laugh. Elliott’s face shattered at the sight of you laughing, “I- I-” his bottom lip quivered. You held up your hand, the one attached to your functional arm, and answered, “Just another day in the mines, not my worst.”

Elliott fell silent and you attempted to fluff up the pillow underneath your head, “Don’t worry, hon. I can-” a sharp cry interrupted you, as your husband unleashed his tears. He hopped off the bed and onto his knees, burying his face into the satin sheets. You could only watch him wordlessly, as Elliott sobbed his heart out. 

“You could have died, (Y/N)! What part of that don’t you understand!?” he removed his face from the bed to yell. You winced at his volume, you never had witnessed Elliott in such a distraught state before. Elliott resumed his cries, “I could have lost you! You’re the- You’re the love of my fucking life and tonight, I could have lost you!”

Your eyes widened in surprise at the curse; Elliott rarely swore, he considered swearing to be a sign of ‘low intelligence’ that ‘one must resort to such profanity to convey a point’. Yet, here he was, cursing up a storm, “Do you not get how your actions impact others? Do you not understand how much you FUCKING mean to me, (Y/N)?!”

A knock on the door cut his rant short, most likely Dr. Harvey. Elliott rose from the floor and exited the bedroom, only to return with Dr. Harvey after a couple of minutes passed. The doctor let out a whistle at your injured form, “Oh, dear,” was all he could say, as Harvey initiated the treatment.

Elliott’s hands gripped onto the nearby vanity mirror while Dr. Harvey fixed you up, a few tears slipping out of his eyes and onto the oak wood. It felt like an eternity went by until the doctor finished up the last of your stitches and cleaned up the mess of bloody clothes and disinfectant, “Visit the clinic tomorrow for more pain medicine,” Harvey informed you before setting the blister pack on the nightstand, “And you’re on bed rest for at least a week.”

“Yes, doc,” you grumbled. Dr. Harvey gave Elliott one last nod and left your house, silence overtaking the atmosphere. You swore that the tense silence hurt more than your injuries, as you awaited Elliott to continue his yelling. 

Instead, your husband entered the en suite bathroom and the sound of water rushing filled the room. He then returned to your side with a cup of tap water in hand and grabbed the blister pack of pain medicine. Quietly, Elliott popped out two pills and held them out to you, “Open up.”

You sat up and opened your mouth, Elliott placed the pills on your tongue and held the water to your lips. With Elliott supporting the glass in one hand and your back in the other, you slowly drank the water and let it wash the pills down your throat; it left a bitter taste in your mouth. Elliott placed the unfinished cup of water next to the blister pack and crawled into bed with you.

“I’m sorry,” you managed to apologize to your husband. He sniffled a bit, the whites of his eyes bloodshot, but gave you a smile, “I love you, (Y/N). I- I don’t know what I would do if you died in such a way.”

“I’m sorry,” was all you could reply with. Elliott wiped away his remaining tears, “I love you. I love you with all my heart and soul,” his words shook with incoming sobs, “I love you, I love you, I love you,” he recited the phrase like a prayer. 

“I love you,” you answered, “I will be more careful, hon.”

“Promise?” your husband looked at you with his wet, puppy-like eyes. 

“I promise,” You reached out to Elliott  and touched his hand. He intertwined his hand with yours and the two of you laid on the bed, basking in the peace of the night. Tonight, you were alive. Tonight, Elliott had you next to him. 

Yet, your backpack laid discarded on the floor by the bed, three or so bottles of squid ink nestled inside. Perhaps, you would gift Elliott those bottles another day.

[wilcze-kudly]

Katara and the fear of loss (aka why she waited)

I think one aspect of Katara's storyline I don't see explored nearly enough the fact that she is terrified of losing others, especially those whom she cares for. This makes sense, especially looking to her background, how the death of her mother affected her and the fact that war has been a very large part of her life since she was a small child. Not to mention, she is actively a huge part of said war, along with her brother and friends, at the tender age of 14.

Now, some of you may ask "quill what the hell does Aang have to do with Katara's mother?"

Yes, on the surface, there isn't that much connecting Katara's dead, grown ass mother to Katara's alive 12 year old goofball bf but the parallels between Kya and Aang are planted even at the beginning of the show, in the first few episodes.

When Zuko and the Fire Nation attack the Southern Watertribe, they are looking for Aang, the last airbender, not dissimilar to the Southern Raiders looking for the last Southern waterbender. Furthermore, both Kya and Aang willingly give themselves up to the Fire Nation in order to protect the village, particularly Katara.

Throughout the show, we see Katara's interest and endearment towards Aang grow, and we see them create a genuine friendship. But I'd argue that Aang being the Avatar is, to some degree, a problem to their relationship. Aang's duty as the Avatar, and the risks and decisions he is faced with due to it, often create a rift between him and Katara.

Be it due to Aang's responsibilities leading him to make decisions she doesn't agree with, like in the Avatar State, where Aang feels the pressure to force the Avatar State due to the suffering of the soldiers he feels responsible for.

Or, more poignantly, in the Awakening, where Aang is once again compared to one of the parents Katara lost due to the war, though Hakoda's 'loss' was not due to death, but a need to fight. I think this also shows how much Katara values Aang not just as the Avatar, but as a person.

Katara: Aang. He just took his glider and disappeared. He has this ridiculous notion that he has to save the world alone, that it's all his responsibility. Hakoda : Maybe that's his way of being brave. Katara: It's not brave; it's selfish and stupid! We could be helping him, and I know the world needs him, but doesn't he know how much we need him, too? How can he just leave us behind? Hakoda : You're talking about me too, aren't you?

This is twice Aang has been directly paralleled to one of Katara's parents, whose repsective losses have clearly affected her greatly. This is also extremely poignant, since we've been explicitly told that Aang's love for his own lost family, the Air Nomads, was reborn into Katara. For Aang and Katara, the ways they deal with their losses influences how they pursue each other romantically.

Of course, there's also the ✨️ immediate threat of death and physical injury✨️. Aang and the rest of the Gaang, but particularly Aang is constantly being chased and tracked and endangered by the Fire Nation and he is meant to face the Firelord and defeat him. There are a lot of possibilities for something to go horrifically wrong here.

From Aang being half dead when Katara found him, then almost immediately getting kidnapped by the prince of the goddamn Fire Nation, to almost every villain of the week shenanigan, Katara already has good reason to worry for Aang.

But then the reach Ba Sing Se and things get even worse. Jet, Katara's only other canonically confirmed love interest dies, and Katara is helpless to do anything about it. This is already enough to make someone reconsider future romantic endeavours, but surely it can't get any worse, right?

Oh yeah, Aang FUCKING DIES

He gets blasted in the back with lighting, right as he enters the avatar state, right before Katara's eyes. The saviour of the world, but more importantly, her dear friend, brutally cut down before her very eyes. And Katara, a child, is the only person with even a sliver of hope of bringing him back.

So is it really any surprise that Katara, having experienced loss before multiple times over, and almosf having lost Aang himself, would be hesitant to enter a romantic relationship with someone being actively hunted by the greatest military in the world, someone obligated to take on the leader of said military?

Katara is afraid. She's afraid of opening her heart up to loving Aang and then losing him after that. This is the main reason why she hesitates in initiating her and Aang's relationship. Whenever Aang tries to brooch the subject, she brings up the war and the Firelord, but due to being a child, she struggles in communicating her exact feelings, which leaves Aang confused and of kilter. Katara often gives Aang romantic attention, and clearly feels rather possessive of him, however, she is not ready to enter a romantic relationship due to the threat of the war looming above their heads. But due to being 14, she doesn't know how to explain these feelings, which is what leads to the minor conflict between her and Aang. Because, you know, they're both children in a situation that children aren't built to deal with.

Katara : Aang, I don't know. Aang: Why don't you know? Katara : Because, we're in the middle of a war, and, we have other things to worry about. This isn't the right time.

It's important to note that Aang isn't exactly a bad person for wanting this relationship to be made tangible. He does push boundaries, and kissing Katara without her consent in the Ember Island episode is obviously a horrendous misstep (which he acknowledged), but I think you can at least understand his motives. He may soon die, after all, and he wants to love Katara and wants to express that love before he possibly loses his entire goddamn life. I think this can also be traced back to how Aang deals with the genocide of the Air Nomads and vs how Katara deals with the death of her mother.

Aang certainly blames himself for the death of the Air Nomads, although this guilt is unfounded. Perhaps part of him believes that if he'd just stayed with them, spent a little more time with Gyatso, he could've helped them. It wouldn't be a leap to imagine that Aang wanting to spend more time with those he loves, including Katara is a coping mechanism surrpunding that loss.

Now juxtapose this to Katara, who's entire encounter with Yon Rha is permeated by helplessness and fear, an 8 year old Katara being unable to do anything but run away and try to get help, sadly not in time for Kya to survive. So Katara trying to assert some control over her relationships, maintaining a certain distance to Aang while the war that robbed her of her mother is still in full swing isn't an improbable concept. She's trying to not feel that helplessness again.

(Katara probably blames herself for her mother's death too, but it has less to do with Katara's actions and more to fo with what Katara was; a waterbender, something she hasno bearing on)

This is why she initiates the kiss with Aang at the end of the show. Not because she feels the need to give in to his advances due to him being the hero of the world. Not because she's caving to his insistence or because she's pressured. But because the possibility of Aang getting fucking murked by glorified pyromancers are significantly lower than they were during the war.

This is not a 'taking one for the team bcs I feel like I have to due to Aang saving the world' type of smooch. This is a 'finally I feel safe to express my feelings' type of smooch.

To be completely honest, I don't like how Kataang was handled post day of black sun, I think it was an unnecessary addition of a redundant "will they, won't they?" aspect to the relationship. Teasing Zutara in the last few episodes was also just unnecessary, because it was obviously never a viable endgame relationship and it only served to give kid zutara shippers false hope. This is especially fucked up looking at how the same zutara fans were later mocked by the creators, which, no matter what you think if the ship, is a horrible thing to do to a bunch of teenage girls and I think has contributed to those teenage girls growing into bitter, aggressive adult zutara shippers.

But, as much as I dislike this storyline, it does make sense for Katara's character and is an interesting and touching 'silent arc' for her to have. We often see characters fall in love in the midst of a conflict, but we aren't always shown how that conflict would affect the way they look at their relationship, so I appreciate this storyline for what it was.