#atla oc

**An important part of this au (headcannon?) is that I decided to go with the idea that the Fire Lord HAS to be a firebender, I thought that was an interesting conflict for these characters**

Sitka, he/him (born 11 years post-war)

Waterbender (thought to be a non-bender until late teens)

Sitka is born without bending. For a while, everyone thinks he is a late bloomer, but it becomes clear that he is not a bender

Zuko and Katara theoretically knew this was a possibility, but that doesn't mean they aren't mad about the law when faced with pushback from Fire Nation nobility, the Fire Sages, and even Aang, who agrees that it's important for the elemental balance of the world for the Fire Lord to be a firebender.

Despite all this, Sitka is a super chill and sweet kid, soft spoken and wise. He's very aware of all of the Drama TM but wants what is best for the nation.

At 12, instead of accepting the title of Crown Prince, he formally (and very maturely) requests that Izumi (a firebender) be made the heir

Now that he doesn't have to deal with All That Shit anymore, Sitka is free to explore the things he is actually passionate about, specifically, how bending actually works.

He trains in chi-blocking and with the healers in the North and travels around, becoming a bending enthusiast.

He trains in martial arts with Piandao, Sokka, Suki, Mai, Ty Lee, and others for self-defence, but doesn't really have a warrior's spirit. His only interest in the martial arts came from a desire to understand the functions and limits of the spirit and body.

Along this journey, he realizes that he has a stronger connection to the moon and ocean spirits, and his own chi than other non-benders, and learns that he is, in fact, a waterbender. His connection to his element was blocked at birth (difficult pregnancy for Katara, a couple of assassination attempts, ya know) and with help undoes the blockages and learns how to bend.

Becomes a world-renowned healer.

Izumi, she/her (born 13 YPW)

Firebender

She takes after Azula in temperament: cool, shrewd, and intelligent (enough to scare Zuko quite a bit), but she is also merciful and honorable. She is a skilled communicator and is famous for her rousing speeches and conflict resolution skills, though she's an introvert and scholar at heart.

A voracious, though patient and calculating firebender. Incredibly skilled, but not a natural prodigy. She works incredibly hard to master her art and insists on studying and training in all of the elemental bending styles and in as many non-bending forms as she possibly can (she even became an honorary Kyoshi warrior!)

Izumi is a staunch perfectionist and holds herself and all those she surrounds herself with to a high standard of integrity and industriousness.

Sokka and Toph, however, make sure that she is equally proficient in bad jokes, ingenious pranks, and the sacred art of swindling stuck-up blowhards. However, she only finds joy in it if, instead of pulling the rug out from under opponents, she leads them to walk right into their own graves (which they conveniently dug) using her superior intellect. She's a fantastic Pai Sho player and makes a wonderful Fire Lady.

Kya, she/her ( Lu Tien's twin, born 17 YPW)

Firebender

A proud, natural-born warrior and powerful bender, Kya is headstrong and ambitious. She has very little patience for anything except her bending training and, surprisingly, tactics and puzzles (queen of Hyperactive ADHD). Unlike Izumi, Kya is a prodigy like her mother and aunt.

She has a passion for adventure and learning new things, and has an unscratchable itch to go and see the world and all it has to offer. Like all of her siblings, she has a strong sense of justice and a desire to protect her people and her nations (both Fire Nation and Water Tribe).

She desires, above all else, to do something big and grand with her life, to be a hero like her parents, but she lives in a time of peace, and peace tends to be a bit boring.

She spends her late teens and twenties a bit wayward. She has a brief stint in the military that goes incredibly poorly (as she is not one for monotony and discipline). And afterwards, she wanders the world, often getting into a fair bit of trouble (always charging headfirst into things, black and white thinking).

In the end, it is Toph (who sees herself in Kya) who takes her in for a few years to "help with things in Republic City" and teaches her the importance of patience and "waiting and listening." Toph knows that without direction, Kya will eventually burn herself out, or, more likely, blow herself up.

As a wiser adult, she never loses her lust for life and adventure but leans on her strong sense of morality and mercy. She moves back to the Fire Nation and travels around helping people and becoming a renowned firebending teacher and member of the White Lotus (and when problems arise, she is always first to answer the call)

She also becomes Korra's firebending teacher!

Lu Tien "Lu", she/her (Kya's twin, 13 minutes younger, fraternal)

Waterbender

Generally, the quietest of the siblings (though that isn't saying much), Lu is an old soul and prefers the company of close friends, family, or herself. She is often complicit in Izumi's schemes and is even more often the person sneaking Kya out of trouble.

She is sarcastic and funny, and very good at reading people. She knows exactly where to push and pull at people's nerves and heartstrings to get what she wants. Luckily, for the world at large, her ambitions tend to end with "peace and quiet".

Lu is a talented waterbender and diligent student, though not as tirelessly dedicated as Izumi nor as brashly spectacular as Kya. She views her bending as an extension of herself, emphasizing the art in martial arts.

She loves reading, writing, music, poetry, dance, and theater, and though she has a chilly exterior, she is a romantic at heart.

Lu pioneers a new age of ornamental bending, dedicating most of her teen and adult years to the art, traveling with a performance troupe of benders before settling down in the Southern Water Tribe to rebuild and foster the new generation of Southern Waterbenders.

However, when Zuko abdicates the throne, she moves back to the Fire Nation for a while to support Izumi and spend time with her family.

After Izumi settles in, Lu and Katara spend more time in the South and eventually become Korra's waterbending masters.

~~~

I have just an obscene amount of lore about these kids, so if anyone is curious, feel free to ask. I do, in fact, info-dump upon request.

Also!! I drew the girls with tunniit (traditional Inuit facial tattoos), and since Inuit Kakiniit have specific meanings, that is also true for them. So, the three stripes on the chin represent that they have three siblings, and the two cheek triangles are what I decided were the specific symbols that Southern tribeswomen have. Each of them has a unique forehead design that is personally meaningful to them and reflects the marks they would have received from ice dodging! So, Izumi has the mark of the wise; Kya, the mark of the brave; and Lu, the mark of the trusted. (In my head, Sitka also received the mark of the wise, but men don't usually have tunniit)