Maor fanfic ideas that will never come into fruition! I think that's the only way we can keep the thread going if we're not gonna do the fanfic reads. I'd rather not have this thread just turn into one long thirst session.
Mako:
I think the best way to handle his character isn't necessarily to change stuff around too much, but add to whats there, which will change his character as an indirect effect.
So we can keep his crush on Korra from the first season, which was honestly his only defining trait besides his also crush on Asami, which I think we'll also keep, but won't have Asami recuperate.
Before the probending stuff, he was basically a freelance gangster growing up. He did jobs for the triad, but kept clear of their hardcore violence. The triads saw this as a something of a useful liability. Mako was a good utility to them, but his reluctance to join in on the hardcore stuff made them nervous about his loyalties. So they kept him in the dark of a lot of what his jobs were for, which was useful in other ways in any case. Plausible deniability and such and besides, he was a kid, so they expected him to come along with them eventuall. But it was only a matter of time before he either has to join up with them for good or they cut off contacts with him. At the time the story starts, they are very near that point.
Bolin isn't a mental challenged idiot in this version, but he is very trusting, because he chooses to be, not out of ignorance. So he highly disapproves of the Triad, knowing what they are, but trusts Mako when he says he's not part of it anymore. He'd rather be put into poverty than associate with thugs that hurt and extort people. It's less stupidity and more of a ethics thing on his part. Similar to how he has suspicions that Mako lies to him, but he considers trusting his brother until he sees direct evidence of his lies to be more important than getting at the truth itself.
Mako takes the jobs because he took on the larger share of the responsibility of raising Bolin. Kind of like Katara did with Sokka, he became a surrogate parent figure, so he had been the one who decided how they were raised. As a result, he considered himself the more realistic and pragmatic of the pair, which is why he got involved in the gang activities in the first place. While he does have a sense of morality, he considers the reality of survival to usurp any notions of right or wrong. Even without his brothers disapproval, he feels guilt in partaking in the gang's activities, but feels that without it, they don't have a leg to stand on, not just for their present situation, but for their careers as probenders. They are out of poverty, but only just barely, and to be a real probender, that takes a lot of time training, and they need finance to be good. If they're good, they'll get a sponsor, which will eliminate the need for the gang activities.
Note: They do not participate in the 'official' Republic City Probending League as they do in the show. In my version, that's only for people with actual sponsors. However, sponsors are on the lookout for new talent that occasionally appears on the streets, so there is a minor Amatuer Probending Organization that is basically specifically set up to be a cheap and easy entry point to spot new talent. However, because it's accessible to anyone who wants to try with minimal fees and qualifications, the APO is oversaturated with thousands of amateurs trying to get noticed, and very few of them are. Hence then need Mako sees to finance their training. Playing in the APO can't sustain them indefinitely, if he's not a superstar, he'll be forgotten in the shuffle. The APO is a temporary solution that will eventually run it's course. He'll need to get sponsored soon, or never at all.
So where the episode opens, he's working a job for the triad, feeling guilty about doing so while reminding himself of it's necessity. He was acting as muscle that was meant mostly for intimidation. The actual gangster he was aiding today was performing the "Nice shop you got here' routine.
Enter Korra.
She trashes the other guys, but Mako is a fighter she can't quite put down. Not because he's got cheat codes on like in the show, but because his life philosophy of prioritizing survival over ethics is reflected in his fighting style. He fights dirty, in other words, whereas Korra is used to fighting if not by certain rules, then by normal combative bending. She can beat almost anyone in bending. Mako uses bending, throws dirty in eyes, uses kicks and punches, throws anything within arms reach at her, and is definitely not averse to hitting girls, especially if they have twice the musculature size on him.
He eventually tries to run, (using lightning to cover his escape (Still a rare skill in the modern age)) but Korra to catches him. She's about to just turn him in when the police arrive, but Mako knows he will be in deep shit if that happens. So he sells out his boss, which appeals to Korra's sense of justice of getting the bigger fish. Still, she has a personal dislike for Mako's cowardness, so she's distainful toward him. Meanwhile, he's amazed because not only did Korra wrek his crew, but she's the goddamn avatar. He talks to her, while she basically tells him to fuck off, but eventually they get a dialogue going. Korra never really trusts him, but he talks to her about his situation. Korra listens, but feels he's probably trying to lure her into a false sense of security, as he's very clearly the 'bad guy' here. Mako himself doesn't really know why he's saying it. Maybe he is trying to get an appeal on some level, but he doesn't think that's going to work. Maybe he just doesn't like how she's judging him (correctly) as being a weasel and feels the need to defend himself. Maybe it's just an avatar thing that makes people want to open up to her. I'd leave that bit ambiguous.
Anyway, Korra arrives at the headquarters. Korra thinks she can storm the whole place herself, while Mako thinks she's crazy. He knows she's the avatar, but there are dozens of guys in there (figurative guys. The triad and most society institutes are equal opportunity in terms of gender). Besides, he needs to GTFO. If he's spotted leading Korra to their base, there is no way he won't be blacklisted by the Triad. He asks Korra to wait until the metal bending police arrive if she's going to go in, but she's all "I'm the goddamn avatar". He's kind of stuck on what he is supposed to do. He can leave, but he thinks that if he does, Korra will get killed, avatar or not. Korra is asks him what he's gonna do. She expects him to run, as she has categorized him as 'bad guy dirty coward'. He says he has to go. Korra goes to clean house. Mako comes back. He doesn't save her, as she clearly could have handled everything herself, but he helps. Before he re-enters the facility, he puts on a mask so as to be unrecognized before coming back. He's amazed at Korra's seemingly superhuman fighting abilities and in awe of the power of the avatar.
The police show up and Mako can't escape. Mako takes off his mask, which surprises Korra and leaves her uncertain. Her catergorizations of Mako's character had not allowed him to come back to help her. She doesn't really know what to make of Mako. Frankly, neither had he. Even with the mask, he still probably got blacklisted by any gang member still concious, though none of them seemed to be. Unlike the show where she only snagged two bit thugs, here she captured an entire gang cell and a triad lieutenant. Lin is still her salty self, but she's not going to bust Korra's balls too hard over it, given her catch. She is going to arrest mako, Mako can only hope they'll buy that he was as much a victim of Korra as any other member, as that's the easiest they'll go on him. But Korra decides that she will vouch for him, which convinces Lin to let Mako go. They leave the building amicably, Korra finally thanking him for the assist with the lightning. "Lightning?" He says. He hadn't used lightning in that fight. There had been another masked helper in the shadows.
End First episode. They part soon after leaving the police station, thinking they'll never see each other again. Korra doesn't hate him or not, but she's got a problem with 'catergorizing' people as 'bad guys', so if they don't fit in the stereotypes, while still being obvious criminals or otherwise weasely people (like Mako currently is), she's kind of at a loss what to do with them. She doesn't hate or disdain Mako as a rule, but she wants 'good people' as her friends, like Aang had. But she feels good about the day. 30 minutes in Republic City, and she already takes down a major gang cell. Damn she's good, she thinks to herself, and moves to meet up with Tenzin.
For the record, These are only the Mako parts of the pilot. LoK is still Korra's show, but I was just structuring where Mako's place in the story would be. The series would have him basically growing into an honorable person as it goes on, which seem appropriate for how he ends up involved in the police. His relationships with Korra and Bolin will obviously be altered, but can remain conceptually the same as the show. Love interest, brother, teenage problems, etc. Just elaborated upon. Not sure about Asami yet, but he'd be advised by Tenzin too. No reason the old coot should mentor only one of the Krew. Mako would also be the most reluctant hero of the group, even as he gets to be the most honorable. Obviously, Mako's "do what you need to do to survive above all" is developed into something more as he interacts with Korra, Bolin, and Asami (of course, they all have their own perspectives on justice, which will be one of the themes of the show). Mako's a guy who wants to live peacefully, making his salary and hanging out with friends. Unfortunately, he's part of the Krew, so while he becomes willing to engage in heroism, it's more of a "ugh, goddammit, some dude is fucking over my city again and now I have to risk my life to stop him". Probably because Korra and Asami essentially have a stable livelihood provided for them as part of their heritage and Bolin is just the sort that doesn't really pay much attention to his financial state as long as basic needs are met, Mako had to actively seek and develop a stable life, which is a theme that wasn't actually possible in TLA as the entire gang had been traveling around the whole time. So when a villain comes over to knock that over, he's more agitated than most. There will a large 'FML' prevailing theme around his personality, while Korra, Asami, and Bolin are all happy to get into this stuff. Something like Sokka, I suppose, but more based around self preservation than need to snark at the universe regardless of circumstances.
That's the gist of my idea with Mako. I have some specific ideas for his future development, but I've written enough for now.