[ATLA Love Island/Reality TV AU]
(Help, should I write this??? - poll @ the end)
A Summer That Changes Everything.
Summary: An AU where the Gaang never meet, the war is over, but the elemental nations still hate each other, Aang and the White Lotus are trying to stop everyone from killing each other and technology is UP.
The world is on the brink of another war, and it seems no one is capable of stopping it.
A reality dating show with contestants from all nations!!
Hosted by Uncle Iroh on the pleasant Ember Island, you’re in for a treat.
With contestants ranging from the Avatar himself to the future Fire Lord right down to a blind nepo baby from the Earth kingdom determined to piss off her parents. A freedom fighter with a smile that hides secrets, hot and cold princesses, two southern water tribe members and so much more!
With 50,000 gold pieces on the line and the whole world watching, could this finally remind the world that love can exist beyond the boundaries of the elements? Or will it simply stoke the fire and push the world further into chaos?
Good luck, Ember Islanders, the world is watching!
After a long, gruelling stretch of 100 years, filled with the sufferings and losses of war, it was finally over.
The Avatar, found and trained by the members of the White Lotus, defeated the Phoenix King and put an end to his tyrannical reign.
Yet…the world has never been more divided.
The wounds of war have ripped the elemental nations further apart, and attempts at diplomacy have constantly failed, even with the intervention of the Avatar and the White Lotus members.
Despite their efforts, they were barely preventing the emergence of another Great War.
The North Pole had closed its icy gates entirely to outsiders. The scars of war had left them seeking power and looking to their sister tribe to expand their territory and military.
The South was constantly targeted by the North, who wished to take control of their resources and land. But the smaller tribe saw it as an attempt to erase their home and refused to relent. Tensions between the two poles continued to escalate.
The Earth Kingdom, once a haven and place of refuge to people from all over, had become more hostile to foreigners, and rising territorial tensions over ownership of the Colonies threatened sparks of another war between the kingdoms of Earth and Fire.
The Fire Nation had dissolved into political disarray. With their leader bound in chains and benderless, the vacuum left behind a constant power struggle, with hungry eyes fixed on the throne—currently occupied by the reluctant brother of the fallen fire lord, his nephew not yet ready to take on the responsibility.
It was a mess, and even as 8 years passed, it hadn’t gotten much better—no matter how hard the Avatar and the White Lotus tried. It seemed that at any given moment, the scales would tip and another war would ruin the world forever.
But there were some good changes.
Well, "good" is debatable. As the years passed, the wave of technology continued to push relentlessly, exploding all over the world.
In particular, a famed invention changed everything. Birthed from the mind of a crazy yet brilliant Mechanist hailing from the Northern Air Temple, the world was awed at this new invention...
The invention of the television.
Other forms of advanced communication and media soon spread from it. And at first, it had almost seemed that this invention might help the world finally heal. Television became a source of fun, comedy, art and expression that could now be shared across nations.
But—as with all things—it became susceptible to corruption. Media quickly became another tool to be weaponised by political heads to feed propaganda and establish their political agendas.
Then an idea falls from the sky, and right into the lap of a certain wise, and tea-loving uncle.
Take the producer of the Ember Island Players, a man now out of business and looking for any means back into the spotlight.
The industry has changed! No one is watching theatre anymore. Media has moved onto people’s screens leaving the seats in his audience empty. Devastating! But no matter, he has an idea he believes will shake the world!
…If his pockets weren’t as empty as a well in the desert and his influence too small to make it happen.
But add to the equation a certain wise retired ex-general and interim Fire Lord with too much of his brother’s money in his hands.
Both equally in love with tea, romance and their heads a few screws loose.
And what you get is the makings of the greatest use of media since its first invention.
Because what better way to force the world to come together than a Dating Show between contestants across ALL Nations?!
And so, without further ado...
Welcome...to 𝑬𝑴𝑩𝑬𝑹 𝑰𝑺𝑳𝑨𝑵𝑫!
A reality show determined to bring together the youths of the world and spark the flames of romance.
And what better place than a luxurious villa stationed on the aforementioned island?
A place of new beginnings, where the waves of the sea wash away the old, and new things are built on the foundations of the white sandy beaches.
The perfect getaway for people to come together.
In a world hurling towards another war, where uncertainty and fear reign amongst the people, maybe what the world needs is to be reminded of the healing powers of love.
This insane plan has every chance of going wrong and making things much, much worse.
The Ember Islanders just might save the world.
Blue eyes squinted down at the piece of paper currently shoved in his face, before a disbelieving scoff escaped his lips.
“…Seriously, Katara, this again? Isn't this that awful show they advertised on TV?" Disgust coated his words as he eyed the—admittedly nice—flyer.
"I thought we agreed it was the dumbest thing ever.” Sokka ignored the appealing piece of paper and shoved a finger into his ear, wiggling it around unbothered.
A matching set of eyes beamed back up at him. The young waterbender nodded her head rapidly, her signature thin hair loops bobbing with the motion.
“Yes, it is! And sure, I was...a little sceptical at first," She cleared her throat at Sokka's disbelieving huff, "But I looked into it, and this is perfect! Just think of the possibilities!"
She brought the flyer back to her chest like something precious to be coveted. She scanned the words again with thinly veiled awe shining in her eyes. "People from all over will be there, and we could finally get to see more than just the same old ice and snow-"
Sokka made an indignant noise. "Hey, what's wrong with ice and snow-?!"
Katara ignored him steadily.
"And it says here if we pass the auditions, we'd get to stay in a gorgeous villa on a beachy island! It's fully secured and equipped. And there'll be guys there who aren't too old or way too young. Oh, oh, I'll finally get to meet other benders! Wow, it keeps getting better and better, not to mention the prize—Hey!!"
Without a word, Sokka snatched the paper from her hands, ignoring her furious protests and reaching hands with a casual familiarity.
He buried his nose in it, eyes scanning the printed hanji, reading its contents with annoyed grumbles.
Katara crossed her arms over her chest as her brother began to ramble as he read, her own eye twitching at his dramatics.
“Urgh, this is so stupid. A dating show hosted in the Fire Nation of all places?! Who do they think we are?!” Sokka glared at the ink, hoping to set it on fire with his mind. “And why would anyone want to be filmed all day?! They probably just want to lure us in to a trap! Ha! Do they really think we’ll want to buy into any of this oogie boogie crap—DOES THAT SAY A PRIZE OF 50,000 GOLD PIECES?!?” Sokka screeched, suddenly looking faint.
Katara snatched the flyer back with a huff, shaking her head with a ferocious scowl.
"I was getting to that! Urgh, you're such a brute. If you had just let me finish." She shot him an icy glare, smoothing out the crinkles in the paper.
Sokka closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he opened them again, his expression unreadable.
"That's...that's a lot of money, Katara." He said plainly.
Katara straightened, her eyes squinting back.
"A really big amount of money." She confirmed calmly.
"Really, really big." He responded intelligently.
Katara grinned. "Really, really, really big."
Sokka nodded his head sagely. "A really big, super, massive, enormous, gigantic, tall, huge, escalated--"
"We get it, Sokka! Jeez!" Katara rolled her eyes with an exasperated groan. "And 'escalated' doesn't even fit!"
Sokka sniffed, placing his hands firmly on his hips.
Katara's irritation slowly melted away, and her eyes softened before trailing back down to the thin piece of paper in her hand, her fingers tracing its length.
It was amazing quality—smooth yet solid—nothing like what they have in their village.
"This...this could finally change things, Sokka. We could actually make a difference. I know there's a risk, and I wouldn't want to leave Gran Gran or Dad or our village. And we might not even get in at all. But..." She glanced up at her brother, a vulnerability in her gaze.
"With this, we could finally start to truly rebuild from the war. This could be everything, Sokka."
Sokka stared down at his little sister and saw that growing spark in her eyes, the same light that had carried their family through the toughest times, when it all had seemed so pointless.
It had felt like too long since he had last seen Katara look so...hopeful.
He let out a long, suffering sigh.
"Well..I guess I have no choice."
Katara blinked in confusion. "Huh? What are you..."
Pressing his foot into the snowy ground, Sokka elegantly spun in a circular motion.
As he twirled, the tie on his ponytail fell away, flying into the wind as his loose brown hair fluttered in an invisible breeze. His blue eyes shimmered with impossible intensity. His heavy blue parka vanished into thin air, revealing his sleeveless warrior shirt, bronzed muscles now exposed.
And somehow, a bright red rose appeared in his mouth, clenched between his teeth. He puffed out his chest and spread his arms, his trusted boomerang clutched in his right hand as the sun cast a brilliant spotlight over him.
"I, Sokka, the most accomplished warrior of our tribe, will gladly sacrifice myself and head into the evil Fire Nation and take on the treacherous task of wooing all the ladies. For the sake of our village."
Tears beaded in the corner of his eyes before he closed them and placed a curled fist against his chest.
"It's truly a heavy burden, but i'm the best man for the job! I'm practically irresistible. Don't worry, Katara, I've got it all under control."
He opened his eyes only to gape at his sister's retreating back.
"Hey! Hey, wait up! Where are you going-oof!"
He sprinted after her, only to yelp and land face-first in the snow, tripping over a conveniently placed block of ice.
Katara smirked and placed her hand back down to her side, humming a merry tune as she headed back to her tent to start on her application.
Notes: This idea lived in my head rent-free, so I finally wrote it down. Lmk what y'all think! This is the result of a reignited love of ATLA and Love Island withdrawals.
It's very much a work in progress, and I have so many ideas for this reality tv, political romantic mess of an AU.
But I'm also down to hear any ideas anyone might have :)
[P.S: none of the artwork is mine; it belongs to the fabulous artists. I only wish I were half as talented!]
Would you read this?!
Voting ended onAug 1
