Chapter Text
I’ve been developing an ATLA AU in which Aang is not a pacifist. How did this happen, you ask? Whelp, best I can say is that his more formative years were spent with some... interesting folks.
First of all, I consider it completely unbelievable that all air benders are pacifists. Second of all, no. Third of all, you can never have too much world building.
Introducing: the Windwalkers. Sects of air benders that tend to migrate depending on the seasons, political climate, and conditions of the locations.
Characteristics:
- Believe in experiencing the whole range of emotions: anger/rage, grief, happiness, fear, etc
- Attach themselves to the world through experiencing these emotions.
- They share their emotions among the group whether it be pain, grief, or happiness. This can be taken to extremes depending on the group.
- Multiple types of sects within the actual culture. The most brutal/cruel consist of mostly adults with a few teenagers. The kinder (but still cruel in their own ways) consists of half children/teenagers.
- The difference sects have consistent interaction with each other. Have multiple festivals/gatherings throughout a year.
May serve as impartial judge/jury/executioners when called upon (for both the air nomads and other nations)- I rescind this :P Involvement with other nations depended on the group. Some would interfere when necessary (and sometimes unnecessary...) and others wouldn’t bother.
- Air bending with swords/staff swords. Air bending tends to be more lethal vs playful (cutting off air, literal cutting, sound bending).
- Windwalker air bending is more blended with other nations bending styles (primarily water and fire)
- They’re almost the melting pot of the air-bending world
- Pray to harsher spirits (brutal ideals; eye for an eye, vengeful, etc). Festivals/events reflect religious and historical practices along with community revival/re-connection.
- Have a concept of “soulmates” in which all individuals have a partner for life (may it be platonic, romantic, or otherwise). It’s heavily emphasized and idealized.
- This is an actual thing for them spiritually. It’s to the point where parts of their spiritual presence is felt lacking to outsiders.
- Depending on the group, they range from assimilating outsiders (whether willingly or by force) to the air bender leaving the group to be with their soulmate.
- Not all windwalkers are air benders (but most groups tend to have at least an 80% air bender population through various means of population control).
- Common use of psychedelics that have a tendency to produce “air-headed” individuals when given to younger, assimilated individuals (those born into the groups are more resistant to the long term side effects of the psychedelics).
- May include: Persistent Psychosis (paranoia, disorganized thinking, visual disturbances and Hallucinations
- Are sort of considered the “dark” side of the air bending world. To the air nomads, their practices are very taboo
- Closest thing to a boogieman - cautionary tale of air nomads who stray from the path
(There’s more but I haven’t written it yet. But you get the gist of who they are).
I’m splitting this into a part 2 cause it is getting too long.