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Language:
English
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Published:
2026-10-21
Updated:
2026-10-21
Words:
491
Chapters:
1/4
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5
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63
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Runaway AU (RunawAU?) Character Design(s)

Summary:

What if, instead of confronting and then trusting Karthik after finding Nisha's bracelet, the twins instead told Jae the White Lotus was lying to them and ran away from Ellora together?

Notes:

Chapter 1: Jae

Chapter Text

I'm not sure if it's rude to redesign a canon character to fit someone else's fic without asking for input but I also didn't want to sound like one of those scam comments asking the author to reach out over discord, so, uh, surprise, Donut123! You do NOT have to use my designs if you continue If Not Us, Then Who? if you don't want to, please don't feel pressured to do so. (This also isn't quite what I imagine Jae looking like in If Not Us, Then Who? , he wouldn't have his arrows or flask and carabiner-lighter yet, hence why it's titled Runaway AU rather than If Not Us, Then Who? )

Jae's Runaway AU Character Design. His hair is scruffier and has two hair ties like Pavi's, one is Datu's hair tie and one is half of his show hair tie. There are bags undr his eyes and he has an airbender arrow tattoo in the shape of Pavi's charm. He's wearing a long sleeved red undershirt with a yellow overpiece similar to his uniform, cinched with the utility belt he wears in the show and an extra belt holding a journal. (Datu's from the show, but empty.) Also hanging from his belt is a lighter on a carabiner, and he is holding a hip flask of propane. The arrows on his hands are in the shape of Nisha's charm. One pant leg has come loose from his boot, and he has fabrc strips wrapped around his boots to hide the Bending Brigade color blocks.

Okay, so I LOVED If Not Us, Then Who? and couldn't stop thinking of how Jae and Nisha would adapt to living on the run. I liked the idea of Jae eventually earning arrow tattoos and choosing to use the shape of Nisha and Pavi's charms.

 

I'm assuming that the boyfriends mentioned in If Not Us, Then Who? are Datu and Daemin, and Jae didn't invite Datu because of his distaste for the Avatar and Daemin because his loyalty to Karthik and the White Lotus made him untrustworthy at the moment, so his earrings are taken from the both of them, the fabric on his left boot (our right) and his lighter-carabiner combo matches Daemin's headband, and his hair tie and book satchel are Datu's. His boots, undershirt, and utility belt were taken from his uniform, with the brigade boot color blocks hidden by fabric. (Left leg taken from his own wardrobe, and right leg a strip of Pavi's ruana(?) over shoulder wrap. 

 

His hair is a bit scruffier from travel, and the new hairstyle is meant to match Pavi's, based on her exchange with Nisha where she offered to show her how to do her hair to match their mom. In my heart she showed both Jae and Nisha and now they all have two hair tie hairstyles. 

 

The propane and lighter idea happened because K/DA's new song is stuck in my head on loop. In my mind Pavi got frustrated with him encouraging her to practice firebending when he couldn't understand the stress of it, so he learning to air bend propane and then light in on fire (he can't bend it after it's lit or while in liquid form). With the girls being proficient earthbenders, and Jae then covering air and fire, I've got an original nonbender character with a hydraulic arm that I'm rotating in my mind right now to round out their team. (Her name is Maude, she picked it herself because she's into body modding. She's the one who does Jae's tattoos for him, and would make Pavi a better prosthetic.) 

 

So yeah, uh, I'll probably drawing RunawAU Nisha next. (Donut 123, if you'd like me to disconnect this from your work for any reason just let me know and I will.)