I know a lot of AUs of AftG/TFC have been done in the Avatar universe, but has anyone done an Avatar: the Last Airbender AU?
Kevin, the Avatar has been missing for 100 years, before he is unwittingly discovered inside an iceberg by estranged waterbender twins Aaron and Andrew and their nonbending cousin Nicky who live in the Southern Water Tribe. (Aaron and Andrew do not give me waterbender vibes, but changing the nations didn't work that well, since either their trips would end up way shorter or the Air Nomads would be the world invaders. Which, no. Oh well, Aaron wants to heal people.) They find out he is the Avatar and reluctantly agree to accompany him to the Northern Water Tribe to learn waterbending. Along the way, they find out the exiled fire nation Prince Nathaniel is hunting the Avatar, in order to regain his honor. He is traveling alongside former General David Wymack, a taciturn man who nonetheless tries to guide and help his ward.
Along the way, they meet some interesting people and new friends including Roland, the leader of the Freedom Fighters, Dan, a young earthbender who Kevin helped break out of prison, and Erik, who leads the Kyoshi Warriors, and also encounter new enemies, including Commander Tetsuji of the Fire Nation. Once they get to the Northern Water Tribe, they meet the waterbending master Chuck. Initially, he wants to make Aaron go into warrior training instead of healing, as he wishes, due to the fact that male waterbenders are drafted to fight. But after a beatdown from Aaron, the Healing master Abby, and the fighting master Betsy (women fight here, they have an option but men have to) he agrees to let Aaron train as a healer. Andrew learns how to fight alongside Avatar Kevin. The Fire Nation invades, Kevin is briefly captured by Prince Nathaniel who Andrew defeats in a few seconds flat, and Commander Tetsuji tries to kill the Moon and is dragged into the Spirit World. Goodbye and good riddance to him.
So, next stop is the Earth Kingdom, where they look for an earthbending master. Eventually they find Katelyn, a young earthbending prodigy who was blinded in an accident as a child, and is therefore overly sheltered by her parents and sneaks out to fight in the Earth Rumbles. She travels with them to teach Kevin earthbending, and despite her disagreements with Kevin and Andrew (Aaron is immediately rather taken with her), she becomes a part of their group. They find out they have a new pursuer, the Crown Prince Riko of the Fire Nation and his two close nonbending friends, Jeremy, a cheerful chi blocker, and Jean, an apathetic swordsman (Knives will be Neil's thing). Meanwhile, Nathaniel and Wymack end up pursued by Riko as traitors, and are forced to go incognito in the Earth Kingdom, taking on the names Kyle (idk, in honor of Kayleigh, okay?) and Neil Josten.
Their paths cross in Ba Sing Se when they meet the conniving leader of the Dai Li, Proust. They tangle with the Dai Li and the incognito Prince Riko who is disguised as Erik, who recently rekindled a romance with Nicky on their way across the Serpent's Pass and was captured shortly after. After Nathaniel and Andrew are captured and thrown into the catacombs together, they talk, during which time Nathaniel expresses remorse for the suffering and personal trauma the Fire Nation inflicted on Andrew. He in turn, reveals that he is only after Kevin due to fear of what his father, Firelord Nathan, would inflict upon both him and Kevin's group if he doesn't obey, saying that while he is attemoting to capture Kevin to prove himself worth keeping alive, he is also trying to keep Kevin and the team out of his father's hands. Andrew tells him to "stop being a martyr". However, after they are freed and encounter Riko and Wymack in the catacombs, Nathaniel appears to change his mind and joins Riko in fighting Andrew, Kevin, and Aaron. Wymack surrenders himself in order to let the others escape. Riko mangles Kevin's left hand and almost kills him but Aaron manages to heal him and Andrew promises to protect him.
The Monsters regroup incognito in the Fire Nation to wait for the Day of Black Sun invasion. The invasion day arrives and everything seems to be going as planned until Kevin, Aaron, Nicky, and Katelyn encounter Riko in the throne room instead of Nathan. Nathaniel confronts his father and escapes to join the Monsters and most of their allies end up captured, though their old Freedom Fighting friends Matt and Allison and the earthbender Dan escape with them. They arrive at the Western Air Temple to recuperate and attempt to think of a new Firebending teacher for Kevin. Nathaniel, who now goes full time as Neil Josten, arrives and offers to help. He is immediately scorned by Kevin and mocked by Aaron and Andrew. However, when the assassin Gorilla (sent by Riko) arrives to kill the Monsters, Neil saves them and they reluctantly accept him. He warms up to the group members one by one, helping Nicky break Erik out of the Boiling Rock and helping Aaron hunt down and kill his brother's former tormentor Drake. While at the Boiling Rock, Jean makes a split second decision to save Neil, who he used to be close friends with, and Jeremy jumps in to help, resulting in their capture. After their "field trips", Neil tentatively earns Andrew's intrigue and Aaron's reluctant acceptance.
The comet arrives and Kevin goes missing. The rest of the monsters find their old mentors including Betsy and Abby, and Neil discovers Wymack as well. They reconcile and he advises them about what to do next. As the comet approaches, Aaron, Katelyn, Nicky, and Erik travel to the airship base to hopefully meet up with Kevin as he confronts Firelord Nathan. Neil and Andrew travel to the Fire Nation to confront Riko. After an extended, tough battle, when all hope seems gone, Kevin manages to hit Nathan, momentarily incapacitating him enough to kill him. Riko challenges Neil to an Agni Kai which he accepts. He is winning until Riko aims lightning at Andrew instead and Neil dives in front of him. Andrew fights Riko and manages to chain him and smash his arm. As a result, he has a psychotic break and kills himself. Andrew heals Neil and yells at him for making himself a martyr. Neil says that he wouldn't have done anything that might result in losing Andrew. He so explains that if he had turned on Riko in the catacombs, he would have been exposed, and his father would have stopped at nothing to break him, including torturing the Monsters. Andrew appears to accept the explanation.
And we know the rest: Kevin is crowned Firelord, and he, Jean and Jeremy, figure out where to go from there. Aaron travels home with Katelyn, Andrew stays to protect Kevin, and Neil stays with him, and Nicky and Erik leave to travel the world. Dan and Matt, and Allison and Renee get together and return home as well. And they live, not happily ever after, but something approaching it.
P.S. a few years later, Kevin goes on a search for his mother Kayleigh.
(Moved from comments because this was much more than I thought I'd write.)
(Also there are a lot more changes I'm thinking of because ~potential~)
In this, Tilda is of the southern water tribe but left once she learned that Aaron could bend. (Let's say he could bend at just a few months old, just like droplets or whatever) Aaron was suddenly her ticket out of desolation and starvation--taking him out of a place that was threat to firenation finding him and therfore killing him was all secondary to her. She leaves Andrew behind with her brother(Luther, who has plot purpse but ill get to that in a sec) his wife, and her aging, dying mother b/c after much prompting, he doesn't seem able to bend. Luther, good WT family man ofc takes care of his mother and the village or whatever but doesn't care for his sisters unwanted son after what a disappointment his own was.
(When the WB raids were going on in the southern water tribe, they needed messengers or whatever to contact the other nations for like help and build whatever rapport the could. Ofc Luther would volunteer, so he gets sent to the earth nation where he contacts a prestigious trading family for help for his tribe, meeting their third daughter Maria and falling for her after seeing her selfless generosity (and her meekness, her naivety, similar views and such, even if he doesn't acknowledge it) he stays in the earth kingdom so long until he secures a sizable transport of goods in trade for the SWT's pelts, exotic weapons and dyes. In that time, Luther proposes and desires for her to stay with him forever. Maria accepts and since she is third born, is released with little fanfare. They return, the earth Kingdom supplies in tow, and Maria gets pregnant. The supplies dry up quickly in light of FN raids and such and their young son is caught kissing a boy. (A peck really). Nicky hides it for a few more years until, when foraging, manages to bend earth. This, coupled with his "affliction" prompts him to leave to the earth kingdom, in search of people like him (in more ways than one) also children travelling alone is not uncommon lmao, see: atla)).
Andrew grows up in a loveless environment and finds comfort in one of their tribes pelt maker, Cass. She is kind and everything he could want until her bio son comes back (Also a tribe messenger). :( shit happens and Andrew bears it (as he tells Luther, happy that he doesn't have to care for the little whelp anymore, who does nothing "brotherly love" bullshit) until, sometime when he is very young still, his grandmother is on her deathbed and tells him of his mother and brother.
Dr*ke does his whole creepy shtick and Andrew leaves to find his brother (and mother).
Andrew steals Dr*kes messenger boat and arrives at the north pole and they're like 'Aaron?' And Andrew's like 'surprise'. (The NWT take his boat for their reserves).
There he learns his brother is the best bender of the NWT because Tilda has been demanding it of him ever since she left. She wouldn't stand for anything less than perfection because of her hesitant standing and still being viewed as SWT and not NWT. Abuse was prominent and Andrew makes a deal that Aaron would be free of Tilda and of his standing in the NWT if he would stay with Andrew. Aaron agrees and Andrew kills Tilda by having her drag him onto thin ice and angers her with his refusal to bend (she thinks its Aaron) to the point of breaking the ice with her tantrum and submerging them both. The water is cold and Andrew holds Tilda under, hands against her neck and the frigid waters concealing any possible bruises as she drowns and Andrew is pulled out by the guards on watch duty. Aaron is relieved that at least his brother survived the "accident" and Andrew doesn't contradict because he is just upholding his deal and because Aaron now has less reason to leave him.
They are stuck at the NP however as all the boats are WB powered and his boat that he used was converted for WB use.
Andrew bides his time and learns that Aaron has always wanted to heal with his bending because he was never allowed to and because it's so different from his mother's imposed violence. Water can be beautiful and gentle (as seen by Katelyn, maybe the NP princess? Undecided plot wise) and Aaron wants to try his hand at making it that way.
(Rethought about the twins going back to the SWT, Drew wants to go to earth kingdom now b/c of possibly his cousin giving them a place to stay and b/c it gets Aaron far away from the NWT).
Anyhoo, when Kevin comes with his boat Andrew takes his chance. Kevin agrees to take them to the Earth Kingdom in trade for Aaron teaching him waterbending and Andrew's protection (for the duration of the trip).
So the atla trip is switched.
Um I might have more thoughts on like the whole moon spirit thing, but I've already gone of course lmao I'mma try and stick to the characters.
The firenation wipes out all but one line of Airbenders (because im filling that particular plot hole).
The wesninskis have long been the FN's dog after their culture was wiped out (allowed to be spared because of the actions of an Wesninski air nomad traitor a few generations ago). They were kept alive because they needed the avatar cycle to continue and be subsequently maintained.
Nathan is a fearsome Airbender and weilds the air in harsh slashes of force, concentrated into knife like edges, capable of butchering even the toughest of men.
Per FN rules theyre only allowed one Airbender alive at a time (so as not to group together and maybe fight back) but the FN will always prefer the younger one so as to keep the line and their control over them alive.
Nathaniel is born to continue the line of Airbender genes or whatever and doesn't present as Airbender until his mother notices. Nathan will kill his son so he won't be killed himself, and even if he doesn't, Nathaniel will be taken from Mary and be abused by his father in the guise of training until he is a master Airbender killer as well.
She takes him and runs, hiding out in the earth kingdom and FN outlier providences. Nathaniels coloring both helps and hurts them (Nathan being Air Nomadic and her fire nation) so they move around a lot. Neil never uses the power of the wind even though it is all around him and his mother would hit him if his footsteps were too quiet.
So that's that.
(I imagine Nicky meets Erik in the EK as well as Matt, an EB and Dan a NB.
Nicky would insist that they help Kevin b/c he believes in the avatar even if he doesn't believe in Kev specifically, but what would persuade Andrew to stay with Kevim would be that Aaron could be killed (or forced to fight against the FN) even in the EK If they found out he was a WB.
I think the group would leave the earth kingdom (with Nicky, Dan and Matt) and head to an airtemple in search of air nomad scrolls. (They'd build an earth elevator since they don't have appa).
They don't find scrolls but they do find a sky bison. Kevin names it Queen because he's the closest Airbender they've got so ig its his?
Theyre all really sad because how is Kevin supposed to learn air without a scroll or a teacher if they've all been destroyed. Kevin hesitantly reveals that the Airbenders are not ALL gone. (Andrew's pissed bc wtf were they doing at an airtemple if he knew of an airbender). They agree that finding Nathaniel is their only chance. And head to the FN since it's one of the best places to hide with Nathaniels coloring. (They're totally grasping at straws but whatever).
In the FN they meet Hama Renee who is SWT and is a nondescript healer. She reveals that to escape, she learned to blood bend and hated the firenation, but being as young as she was when she escaped, she was taken in by a firenation woman that convinced her that not all FN is evil. Being of SWT she knew how to heal beforehand and therefore renounced bloodbending and helped the people in her FN village. They all turned a blind eye to her ways in return for her beyond amazing healing for them and their young sons returning from battle, being unhappy with the way of the FN if only behind closed doors.
Aaron learns how to heal finally and Renee decides to come with them because she knows a gal (Allison) that had the connections to find anyone, anywhere and therfore can probably find their runaway Airbending nomad.
Allison is FN nobility and Kevin is surprised that she is not unequivocally loyal to the FN like most nobles are.
Seth, her fiance, is however and later reveals to Riko that the avatar and Co. Are there. Riko thanks Seth and rewards him by killing him.
A fight breaks out and Andrew and Matt are captured by Riko.
Group is Distraught(tm) and Kevin considers giving in to Riko so his (friends? Comrades? Teachers?) Arent hurt and he might escape further punishment if he pledges himself to the FB wholeheartedly.
Everyone agrees that's a dumb idea and manage to hold him back.
Andrew and Matt do not have fun. Dr*ke makes an appearance and Matt is so doped up he can't even bend.
Allison sets to work looking for Drew and Matt, but she had already had a hit on one Neil Josten and they all agree that while she was looking, they couldn't let Neil slip through their fingers.
Then they're all together once again and it's great.
Riko is definitely chasing them from the beginning btw, like zuko and azula but like, more homicidal. Jean and Jeremy are def his lackeys still.
Wymack is an unassuming retired FN general and unknowing father to bastard Kevin Day.
Kayleigh was married off to Tetsuji because politics. Tetsuji is second prince to Kengo, with Ichiro on the rise to become Firelord. The FN's all about continuing lines yaknow so that's why Riko is technically still a prince even though he is not in the line of succession. When Kayliegh being pregnant (Kevin) is revealed a few months after her marriage, Tetsuji takes another wife in secret and has a legitimate heir and kills Kayleigh after Riko and (sadly) Kevin is born. Because Kevin is a bastard, Riko is ranked higher.
This plot line is a little more complicated than just following atla, but it's incorporating TFC more and I think is still fun to think about.)
:)
yes, yes, this
