I keep telling myself that I'll just finish the last 3 chapters of season one, then I'll drop the remaining summary.

A recent review indirectly pointed out that I have been telling myself this for over ten years. So... it's time to face facts. As such, this chapter is to post the summary of the planned story and give my blessing to anyone who wants to do... anything with it. Try and write your own continuation. Write a better version of the story.

So without further ado, the planned summary.

Chapter 18: The Waterbending master

It's no coincidence that the waterbending master was where the fic started to hiccup. As it was initially delayed by a basic problem of needing to rewrite from my original planned summary. Originally, Azula Alone was supposed to be a single episode, with the group rejoining at the end. However, upon writing it, I realized something. I'd been committed to making sure Azula acted like herself, which meant she'd been entirely too much of an asshole, having her rejoin the others with no problems wasn't viable. Hence keeping the group divided for the next two chapters.

As such the original plot of TWM, which called for a reunited group, didn't work. And having Katara just be like "yeah okay Azula you lied but we cool now" felt hollow. So a new plot had to be developed. Sokka and Sukka meet up with Katara, who has been waiting for him at a northern port city posing as a healer from the NWT. She then argues that they should go north, as the port cities down here are small, but the NWT could get the transport all the way south in one shot, which Sokka reluctantly agrees. Azula, meanwhile, makes her own way north, having to threaten to burn the boat she's on when they try to betray her for the bounty.

Upon arriving up north, Katara and Sokka are found by guards who recognize them from posters and have a considerable worry about it. They are taken to prison, though assured repeatedly they are guests, and the guards look really awkward about the whole thing. Eventually, Azula arrives, and, after some anger on the siblings' part and smugness on hers, we get the situation.

The NWT has maintained careful neutrality. But with the FN out of the way, they are reconsidering that, including handing them all over. Zhao and Jamyang have parked the fleet nearby, but are keeping a respectful distance from NWT territorial waters, relying on the Northern Temple's ambassador, who is swaying the chiefs council. At the same time, it isn't all bad, Azula still has allies, and the Air Nomads demand that the siblings be handed over as well is generating a lot of controversy. Luckily for them, Azula has an offer. One of the merchant houses has offered to shelter them, she just needs one favor.

One of the speakers for breaking neutrality is Pakku, a waterbending master of the NWT. He's powerful but traditional and controversial for his absolute insistence on the male/female divide. Azula wants him humiliated, and Katara can help with that. Her allies have secured waterbending scrolls, Azula wants Katara to learn as much as she can, and then start provoking his students. Beating them would humiliate him as a teacher, doubly so as a female. Though if she agrees, she must follow Azula's coaching. She needs to look like the students provoked any fights. If they go with her, the authorities have agreed to release them to the custody of one of her allies' houses. So they can either get the training she was promised, or they can both sulk here and wait to be handed over.

An agreement is made, but unlike before, there is no trust or friendship. At one of the dinners Azula drags the siblings to ("make them uncomfortable about sending fellow water tribes out as prisoners") they meet Yue, who is friends with Azula despite their differing personalities. Hahn is nowhere in sight, instead, she is joined by Yangtso, who Azula is not happy to see. Yangtso is the son of the Air-Nomad ambassador, and his NWT wife, He's an easygoing talkative individual who warns them to look out for the ambassador's son, because he is reported to not be able to shut up and is dangerously handsome.

Yue and Sokka don't bond as much, but he doesn't end up doing more stuff with Yangtso, as he needs at least one guy to do proper guy things with. We find out something of Yangtso's own struggles and the way he feels torn between being NWT and Northern Temple. Plus the way that Azula and Sokka seem to be so hostile and can they just... not? Where Sokka gets the chance to point out that it's easy for Yangtso to be chill. His life isn't hanging in the balance if this goes either way.

Stuff happens, Katara challenges Pakku when he manages to piss her off, que necklace and realizes she's Kanna's daughter and withdraws his objections.

Chapter 19: Siege of the North (Pt 1)

Yangtso and his father fly to Admiral Zhao's ships. Yangtso with considerably more apathy, but wanting to see the other side. There, his father tells Jamyang that the NWT has refused to hand them over. To which Jamyang sighs, and notes then they will have to take her by force. The ambassador is horrified by this, and, after a brief fight, manages to escape with Yangtso, who confronts his father one why someone is even considering that.

After a scene cut to something else, we return where Yangtso is absolutely furious with his father, about how they could keep this a secret. His father noting that it wasn't his decision, which Yangtso is not happy about and vows he's going to tell her as soon as this is over. They arrive at the NWT, and warn them before the ambassador flies to the Northern Temple for reinforcements to stop Jamyang, who has gone rogue.

With the NWT having a proper navy, the battle is naval, not a siege, and Jamyang takes a less aggressive approach, using the Hammer of Agni's long-range to force the defenders to sail out (the Fire Nation's desperation means they have helped upgrade the NWT navy in exchange for resources so it's not entirely wooden). As they come closer he retreats, drawing them away, which lets his real assault, a group of fliers (human and bison) bypass everything, the defenders only realizing it too late as they try to turn back.

Ending blurb for the next chapter notes that, even if the Jamyang can be stopped, there is a far greater threat. For the Avatar's Wrath will descend upon the frozen north.

Chapter 20: Siege of the North (Pt 2

At the oasis, the attackers are confronted with Katara, (stayed behind to try to unbury people trapped by the hammer collapsing part of the city) and Yangtso, whose flight let him catch up. There, Jamyang reveals that the fish are Tui and La, and while not his first plan, he intends to bind them. When asked if he intends to make the NWT surrender, he explains no, he wants to help them, show them the benefits of his vision.

He greatly respects Katara, but the spirits are, largely, not human friendly. The NWT has the expression "New Moon wound" for bad injuries because the weakening of waterbending during the New Moon makes treatment harder, and that's a beneficial spirit who still freely withdraws its blessings. Others prey upon humanity or enact disproportionate revenge. They are needed, but there is no reason to let them lord over us. He is going to bind the spirit to keep the Full Moon up forever, showing the NWT the benefits of his vision, the one that even the other monks don't understand.

At some point during the speech, Katara brings up Hei-Bai, which is one of the only times Jamyang becomes visibly angry. His apprentice was a monster for using spirits to hurt humanity. Those binders were met to keep spirits from preying upon others, not make yourself a petty tyrant.

Katara and Yangtso reject this, que fight. During the fight, Yangtso ends up being accidentally killed. This horrifies Katara, Jamyang immediately stops, trying to tell her to remain calm before- Before she starts truly bending, wrecking everything around her.

Switch point of view to Azula. The ships have just gotten close enough she can rocket-propel herself to the shore, using her firebending to rapidly ascend the city, towards the spiritual oasis. As she arrives at the crest she sees the fight.

Katara is glowing, practically devastating the upper city as she moves waves of ice and snow to bury the attackers.

Suddenly she realizes why Bumi hasn't seen Aang.

Why Katara was able to summon the massive wave to get them to shore when her life was in danger.

Why the ambassador was so insistent on getting the siblings as well.

Katara is the avatar. Aang died in his confrontation with Iroh.

Katara falls unconscious just as the others arrive, but before they can realize what happened.

Epilogue: Azula angrily demands to know why the NWT is still acting neutral, after being attacked. The chief replies that the attackers were rogues, not representative of the Northern Temple. Unless Azula would like all firebender attackers to be considered acting on behalf of the Fire Nation? To add to that, they were only warned because of Air Nomads, and the ambassador lost his son.

Still, they are willing to lend her a ship. And will remain neutral. The Northern temple has promised to get answers from the Southern about their support of Jamyang.

Already angry, Azula goes to confront a recovering Katara, which results in a lot of yelling, little progress and makes it clear Katara doesn't really remember what she did. After leaving, Azula broods as Yue comes to her, rather colder from the loss of Yangtso. The avatar, and here Yue notes her own connections with the spirits made her realize that, had literally joined Azula. The single best chance to legitimize the Air Nomads entirely. But Azula had alienated her through her lies and unwillingness to apologize. Yue notes that she always admired Azula, for being so strong, so bold, but... she's kinda a horrible person.

Book 2: Earth

Book two was far less developed. And the last summary I had was based on a draft where the group had, at least, partially made up. The first major plot being the civil war down in Gaoling where pro and anti Air factions are in constant warfare. Toph acting as a mercenary for fun and profit, while her father smuggles for the rebels for slightly less fun, but a lot more profit. He gets taken out, either through a direct kill or a capture went wrong, and a bitter, angry Toph joins the group, stretching it's already razor-thin dynamics.

At some point, Azula reveals to Katara she's the avatar, likely angst. Then Aangst as she enters the spirit world, and the blue spirit reveals himself to be Aang. Whose duel ended in a mutual kill when he just couldn't find it in him to defend himself facing Iroh.

Ba Sing Se's arc would have been Azula looking for an alliance with one of the major powers to have rejected AN influence. But soon finds herself in a deadly struggle with the Dai Li. Things go from bad to worse when she assaults Lake Laogai and the assault is stopped by a highly-skilled knife-throwing Jo-Dee. Que Azula's near break down at fighting Mai, and a disastrous ending as Katara is forced to collapse much of the caverns, leaving the group separated, and whatever member the most fun captured to be brainwashed.

Que low point, as Azula realizes that this means the Dai Li have Air Nomad contacts. Angst, darkness, overcoming darkness through applications of fire and vengeance. Not sure if Mai rescued during this arc or later, but likely ends with them fleeing Ba Sing Se. Once rescued Mai reveals that Ty Lee was taken somewhere else.

This is one of the points that reflects the problems that really killed the fic, as the long term plot outline I had created felt at odds with the world I had built, and I never figured out a better plot. The revelation was very dramatic and offered lots of character angst but... the world I had been building up was one of ambiguity. The war a tragedy from misunderstanding and an unwillingness to talk, where the Fire Nation is far from right. Yet this entire season was nothing but fighting Air Nomads, and revealing they were secretly working with probably the evilest faction available. I threw around options like it was only a small faction of Nomads but... it just didn't really click.

Book 3: Fire

The two major revelations here were first revealing the Brainwashed Ty lee (or perhaps in book 2) was an Air Bender. Because it was a popular fan speculation when this was originally developed, I needed an air-bender teacher, and I have a chronic fear of OC's and try to use them to the minimum I can.

The rest of the season would have been rounding up rebel forces and arranging them for a season-ending assault on the palace to coincide with the Comet. There, it would have been revealed that the current puppet ruler was Ozai, content to rule with the Air Nomads so long as he could rule. Which... great drama, but why was he hiding this? Best I could come up with was that the coronation was scheduled for the Comet date because he's a drama lord.

Had not remotely decided what happened to Zuko.

Book 4: Ai

Last book, very underdeveloped. Katara goes back home to deal with civil war? Had vague Air Nomads get desperate, start using Jamyang's spirit research to give themselves an edge (and have something that can punch back against a fully realized avatar)? Azula takes down Ozai? Stuff, no real certainty here.