#whenever zuko needs a break he goes to wherever Sokka is in the world

[asjjohnson]

I have an Avatar: The Last Airbender AU fic idea in which Aang isn't the Avatar. He's still the last airbender, just not the Avatar.

The basic idea is that Aang and the others search for the Avatar while Aang acts as a decoy and brings some hope to the world.

The story goes through the series, giving new meaning to some things, slightly changing other things. If I ever write the fic, it's supposed to drift away from canon after the first season/book. But, because it does follow canon kind of close to begin with (just with different nuances), I'd had a lot of trouble figuring out how to write it while also making it interesting enough for readers.

I'd thought of dividing the fic into parts (like the series), with the first part being "Air".

It starts with Katara breaking Aang and Appa out of an iceberg.

A hundred years ago, when the attack on the air nomads happened, the children were told to escape and that's what Aang did. But he ended up stuck underwater, and airbended himself into a ball of ice.

There's no light show when Katara breaks through the iceburg, but Zuko still thinks a nearby explosion could be the Avatar. Zuko also still jumps to the conclusion of 'airbender equals Avatar', and threatens Katara's village, leading Aang to claim to be the Avatar, just to save them. Aang escapes by funneling water onto Zuko's ship using airbending. Katara asks why Aang hadn't told her he was the Avatar, and Aang says, because he isn't.

Aang hopes to find the real Avatar at the southern air temple. Instead, he finds the place abandoned and everyone dead. Katara comforts him, and says they could check the other air temples.

Despite Aang denying being the Avatar whenever possible, word starts spreading of him being the Avatar. The gaang also come across some people who desperately need some hope, which Aang could give if he were to pretend to be the Avatar.

At Omashu, King Bumi (acting like he doesn't believe Aang when Aang denies it) puts Aang through some tests to see if he has what it takes to be the Avatar. Bumi afterward talks to Aang about how things will be tough because Aang will be hunted for being an airbender and people will assume he's the Avatar. He mentions that the gaang might be able to take some of the pressure off the true Avatar, wherever he is, by giving the Fire Nation a red-herring. Like originally, he tells Aang he needs to use his head and be creative (like making it look like he can bend other elements). Bumi also says he knows from a knowledgeable source that the Avatar is out there, and though Bumi doesn't actually know where they are, he knows they're alive.

Iroh does some semi-secretive stuff in the background, no one besides readers knowing he's part of the White Lotus. Although it's hard to tell how much is White Lotus related and how much is just him keeping up with friends. I'd imagined there being a scene at some point in which Iroh is reading a letter he'd gotten, and Zuko snatches it to see what it says. But it's just a letter from a sick friend of his uncle's. "Iroh, I am doing better. I was finally able to go out and get a breath of fresh air. Though, you know there is only so much that can be done in my situation. I've been hoping you have found a new tea recipe on your travels that you could share with me in order to bring me a little happiness."

The gaang might come to the village that the Hei Bai spirit has been attacking. Hei Bai might kidnap Aang instead of Sokka. Or airbenders are just naturally in tune with the spirit world. Whatever the case, Aang somehow ends up speaking with Avatar Roku, who tells him about the comet coming and says that Aang and his friends need to find the Avatar before that point.

With the gaang now fully going along with the masquerade, Katara tries to help Aang look more like a waterbender as he uses airbending to move water. But Aang still moves like an airbender, and Katara can't tell him what he's doing wrong because she's untrained and just goes by instinct herself. She can only say things like him needing to look 'more flowy' or something.

Iroh, while at a port searching for a white lotus tile, looks around at some different objects for sale by some pirates, and notices a pretty-looking scroll. One of the pirates tells him it's a waterbending scroll and already has a buyer unless Iroh is willing to pay more. Iroh passes on it, saying he's just browsing. And then later, Iroh and Zuko run down the street and Zuko asks why the pirates are chasing them, and Iroh innocently replies that he has no idea.

Sokka gets a job with a fisherman, and the guy recognizes Aang as the Avatar and claims Aang had turned his back on the world. Aang actually does feel guilty for leaving the monks, and tells Katara about it, explaining how the elders had told the kids to escape while they held the soldiers back, but, although the monks had said to flee, Aang still feels guilty about not staying to fight. He could have helped, he was an advanced student who already got his tattoos. Katara comforts him, saying that he did what the monks said, and they had wanted him to live and he did.

Sokka and Katara get sick, and Aang goes to find a cure, but is captured by the Yu Yan archers and Zhao. It's the first time Aang really realizes how dangerous his charade is. Zuko, as the Blue Spirit, saves him. Aang doesn't want to pretend to be someone much more powerful than he really is anymore, and admits to Zuko that he's not the Avatar. However, Zuko says he's not falling for it, sounding frustrated and disbelieving. He doesn't allow himself to think about the possibility at this point. Like originally, Zuko ends up scaring Aang off with a fireball instead of capturing him.

There's a scene where a man goes to a post office and a girl working there tells him he's gotten a package today, saying it looks like some more tea. He thanks her and walks back to his small home, where he opens the package and reads the letter from Iroh that's with it. Iroh says he sent a small sample of his newest blend, and tells the ingredients and brewing and steeping instructions. He also warns about not getting ahead of himself and to follow the directions carefully, or the tea won't turn out properly. The man smiles at this, thinking it's just like the old man. He then carefully pours the loose-leaf tea into something else, and examines the little case, which has some hidden papers. (There might be other scenes showing their correspondence, too, like Iroh at one point mentioning time running out, and this summer, and the man thinking about the world needing the Avatar and Iroh being the only hope for that.)

The gaang may come across Jeong Jeong. If they do, then Aang would ask if Jeong Jeong has any ideas about how he could mimic firebending by using air, but Jeong Jeong is very against it, thinking that what Aang is doing is really dangerous and stupid. Especially with Aang trying to manipulate flames using airbending of all things. It's hard enough trying to control fire while being a firebender, but it would be impossible to control it without being one. But Aang messes around on his own and finds a way to spark a flame using friction. After it goes badly, Jeong Jeong mentions about the breath being where firebending gets its energy, and says that's why the flame got out of control when Aang blew on it.

The gaang finish their search of the air temples and find nothing. There's no sign whatsoever of other air nomads or of the Avatar or what had happened to him. Aang wants to quit.

Katara and Sokka have an opportunity to reunite with their dad, and Aang goes with them to see Hakoda, abandoning the search.

The second part is "Water".

#avatar the last airbender #aang #katara #zuko #sokka #au #au august #asj post #asj writing #my fic ideas #there's some exciting stuff that happens with Zuko at the north pole #but that's a different part of the story

[marriedzukka]

thinking about a post-war Sokka who travels the world just because, sharing his culture and learning everything he possibly can about the others: art, food, music, literature, you name it. He invents cool shit that's mostly just for fun but also have practical uses for people too. He studies chronic pain remedies and shares what he learns to help others who were affected after the war. He practices art and gets really really good at it. He writes poetry. He learns how to exist without the weight of the world and the anxiety about keeping his loved ones safe constantly on his shoulders. He gets to explore and pursue his interests freely and he makes friends wherever he goes

#my mind constantly: have you thought about sokka in the last five minutes? no? tragic lets fix that #some day ill get around to writing that sokka's gap year fic that I think about all the time #i just want him to be happy ya know. he deserves it #meanwhile during all these travels he's sending letters to his friends and family and obvs visiting everyone when he can #Zuko's letters are always the longest #because sokka always has some crazy story to catch him up on and he knows that zuko will want all the details #bec zuko likes listening to him talk #and sometimes reading the letters is all they have so sokka never leaves out details #whenever zuko needs a break he goes to wherever Sokka is in the world #also sokka writes a bunch of poetry for zuko and thats when zukos like. oh fuck im in love with him #anyway #whoops went off in the tags again #mine