atla au idea: shapeshifter au
The Avatar is, in reality, a shapeshifter, and this fact has been kept secret for millennia, one each and every reincarnation knows from birth (and to tell no one, though of course there are others who do know, Avatars who tell)
like there's this deep-rooted knowledge that you have, that you can change your body, and that this is to be kept secret. You can't explain it, maybe at first didn't even knew you actually could. But for as long as you can remember, this you've known, long before could ever tell you you are the Avatar. You are a shapeshifter, and you can tell no one.
(listening to Bears & Wolves by Lilith Max and thinking about that wolf girl movie, wolf walkers? was it that? haven't actually seen wolfwalkers either lmao)
in my head Aang would, also, know he's a shapeshifter long before he knows he's the Avatar. Gyatso knows too, because he's seen Aang actually shapeshift. But no one else knew, and Aang wouldn't tell anyone either (tho after he manages to contact Roku, that is one of the first things he asks; why can I change shape? why can't I tell anyone? Is this an Avatar thing?)
idk why yet actually I'll figure that out evantually. rn I just want vaguely horror and atla with shapeshifter au (would the body, the shape, Aang is found in still be his? Did he change shape, once he ran away? Would he even be in the iceberg in this au? For a century?).
Maybe the Avatar was hunted down millennium ago and that's where the shapeshifting started? I kinda want it to be already from the very start with Wan tho. Honestly, it could even be irrelevant to the avatar at the start, something that was in Wan's own bloodline, but that transferred into Raava when they merged. So, when the next life started, Raava carried this shapeshifting that originally was maybe never meant to.
I can see how this shapeshifting has also been used as a way to protect and stay safe, especially in times when the Avatar is highly unwanted and hunted down. How will you catch someone who can look exactly like you? Like your neighbour? Someone higher up on the social hiarchy? How do you know? How could you tell? (see this is where the horror element comes in 👀)
I'm also thinking about Koh the Face Stealer for this au. Could Koh have originally meant to get the avatar? Could this ability to change form come from Koh? Could it have been Koh who first blessed/cursed Wan with this?
