#the closest anyone came to being like hakoda was jet and well. yknow

[comradekatara]

looking at haru with a mustache again - i know this is just a headcanon, and meant to be taken with a grain of salt, but... he definitely does look like how i imagined hakoda would have looked at that age! if this headcanon has any basis at all in the text (given how much katara loves & respects her dad) - then it would add another layer to the harutara agenda.

i mean..... kinda??? not rly tho.... hakoda's chin is wider and he's stockier, so even if they have similar hair and skin tone, i don't think there's an obvious resemblance tbh.

but also, katara's relationship with her dad is pretty complicated. she does obviously love him, but there's a lot of anger and resentment and grief there too. i don't think she would (consciously or subconsciously) go looking for someone who reminds her of him. i mean, aang is nothing like hakoda for one thing. and in terms of personality, neither is haru. hakoda is a charismatic leader who's great at connecting with people, whereas haru is a lot more introverted and withdrawn, and likes katara specifically for her leadership and ability to inspire others (including him).

if anything, i think katara is a lot like hakoda in many ways, and haru resembles kya more, both physically and psychologically. from the little we know of kya, she cares deeply about the people she loves and is willing to make sacrifices to help them and preserve her culture, which are core tenets of haru's character as established in "imprisoned" (e.g. when he exposes himself as an earthbender to save that old man's life) and again when he joins the invasion.

katara definitely wants and idealizes her mother more than her father anyway, so i think reading haru as reminding her of kya makes more sense for this agenda lol. katara can embody hakoda well enough herself, as an inspiring and compassionate leader and warrior, whereas haru's support when he listens to and empathizes with her talking about the loss of her mother can help her fill a hole that she's desperately missing.