Thank you so much to everyone who voted in our prompt poll!! The winning prompts are below. There are two prompts per day, you can choose between them and post the work on that day (or combine them if you are feeling particularly adventurous!).
DAY ONE, MARCH 14th
Swords /// Fake Dating
DAY TWO, MARCH 15th
Tattoos /// Soulmates
DAY THREE, MARCH 16th
Tea or Coffee Shop /// Friends to Lovers
DAY FOUR, MARCH 17th
Southern Water Tribe /// Secretly Dating
DAY FIVE, MARCH 18th
College AU /// 5+1
DAY SIX, MARCH 19th
Disability or Chronic Pain- Centric /// Hurt/Comfort
DAY SEVEN, MARCH 20th
Free Space /// The Prince and the Fool
Once again, all forms of fan content - fanfic, fanart, drabbles, edits, etc - are encouraged for this event! We can’t wait to see what you create!!
I’ve been meaning for some time to put together a list of fics focused on under-appreciated characters, relationships, and pairings, and here it finally is! Split into gen and sapphic pairs, including some rarepairs, rangshi, mailee, yueki. I’ve mentioned just one story from each author for brevity’s sake, but plenty of these writers have many awesome atla fics to check out
MY FAVORITE SUKI FIC. You want in-depth, culturally appropriate worldbuilding of Kyoshi Island? Suki’s fleshed out backstory? Maybe a look into her relationship with her mother and how she became the leader of the Kyoshi warriors at such a young age? This is it. This is IT.
Exploration of Sokka and Kya’s relationship and Sokka’s grief. This fic makes me want to punch a wall. I love it. I hate it. It’s incredible and you should read it.
“tiny vignettes about aang’s tattoos, his culture, and those who love him”. This story is beautiful, and heartbreaking, and so loving. My favorite Aang fic.
Sorry for the lack of updates, gang. Having a difficult time at home at the moment, but I’m gonna try and get on top of updates and fic requests! I hope everyone, my mutuals and followers, are having a good time <3
aAaaaah I’m so humbled; thanks for the tag @foyal!!
Answer 30 questions and tag 20 ppl!!
1. name/nickname: Katie
2. gender: Female
3. star sign: Sagittarius
4. height: 5′8″
5. time: 3pm
6. birthday: December 17th
7. favorite bands/groups: Three Days Grace, The Academy Is…, Hall & Oates
8. favorite solo artists: Billy Joel, Phil Collins
9. song stuck in my head: “Kryptonite” by 3 Doors Down
10. last movie: “Plus One” on Hulu (sooooo good!)
11. last show: Great British Baking Show and Shark Tank
12. when did i create this blog: February 2011 haaaaaa
13. what do i post: I reblog Zukka, other atla, sometimes Merthur, and occasionally some Robins / batfam
14. last thing i googled: “dream of coughing up rice”
15. other blogs: uhhhh some dead RP blogs such as my Slade and Bumblebee from Teen Titans I also co-run this underused narubob page where I occasionally post things I make but usually just reblog nonsense that is both Naruto & Spongebob
16. do i get asks: not really… usually just in the form of replies to asks I send to other people
17. why did i choose this url: gosh I thought I saw sofunny when I picked it. I was obsessed with Batfam and DC when I chose it, and knew I would be reblogging a lot of Batman content. So I wanted to preemptively answer the question “why is she reblogging so much DC shit?” with my URL: “Because I’m Batman” and it’s v dumb but I refuse to change because it’s been 9 years at this point.
18. following: 246
19. followers: wow almost 400! moving up in the world
20. average hours of sleep: on weeknights, like 6, on weekends, like 13 ♀️
21. lucky number: 17 (see– birthday, cuz basic)
22. instruments: clarinet, but I’m about as good as an HS freshman
23. what am i wearing: sports bra, jeans, mismatched socks
24. dream job: Voice Actress
25. dream trip: Ireland
26. favorite food: Chinese food
27. nationality: American
28. favorite song: “Sweet Dreams” by The Eurythmics (karaoke night go-to)
29. last book read: “One Day in December” by Josie Silver
30. 3 fictional universes you’d like to live in: any Hallmark Christmas town, Fairly Odd Parents, Atlantis
Currently trooping through requests, and I’m happy to do more, but please be patient with me; just gone through a break up so my motivation is coming and going, to say the least. Thanks, lovelies <3
Seeing him in that ballroom was exhilarating, terrifying, and one of the best moments of her life.
Y/N had no idea where she was.
Well, of course she knew Ba Sing Se; she had grown up here with her mother in the palace. The more accurate statement would be she had no idea how she had gotten there. Casting her mind back, she scrambled for glimpses of her past, sorting them into order in a frantic fervour.
Suki – Appa – Suki again – a man – who was he?
And then she hit a figurative wall.
Something was blocking her memories of entering the Kingdom, and she was less than pleased. In fact, sneaking past the Dai Li and out of the upper ring was far easier than she could have ever hoped for. It seemed the Avatar and friends had caused quite the stir by barging their way into a prestigious social event, and they were likely playing a glorified clean-up crew. A bitter scoff escaped her lips as Y/N sprinted in the shadows cast along the street until she was at the first ring.
Panting, she braced herself for a moment. Things had really changed. Yes, the upper ring was always the nicest, richest part of the city, but the military trims of the hedges and the shine of the metal fencing reeked of facade. Even with most occupied with Bosco’s party, hardly a lantern was lit beyond those necessary.
She centred herself. Inhaling a deep breath, Y/N moved her energy into a flow of power. There was only one way for a firebender to get through that wall unseen, and it would be risky. With a final look on the bourgeoisie, Y/N pushed. Flames flickering a hot yellow at her hands and feet propelled her straight up like a firework ready to explode. The wind was merciless as it bit at her face in her haste, the cold nipping at her. Stumbling out of her flying, she toppled onto the walls top and took another quick moment.
The distance to the lower rings was far.
It had hit her whilst fleeing the palace that she had not seen a glimpse of her mother. There was no evidence of her existence, and piecing together the clues of a too-quaint suburb, secret police, and missing royal, Y/N figured she was only following in her mother’s footsteps.
Thousands of displaced refugees were living rough in the slums of the lower rings, and it was the perfect place to disappear. As the moon peeked through the thick smog of clouds choking the night sky, she felt some solace under its glow. It was no sun, the source of her power, but it reflected the same energy. It was not power, but comfort. That comfort brought calm, and the calm brought careful planning.
To propel herself all the way over the middle ring would be exhausting. Yes, she had the cover of night and the menacing clouds brewing a storm above, but could she make it all the way? She weighed her other options; going on foot was risky since she would be isolated and thus exposed. The rail line was constantly manned, not by the Dai Li, but someone who wouldn’t take too kindly to a teenage girl running along them like a race track. Giving the moon one final look as it slipped behind the darkness, Y/N made her decision.
She jumped.
Her fire carried her into the clouds and forwards. Agni, it was cold up there. Fighting through it, knowing a single shiver, a disruption to her chi, could send her hurtling down to the ground. What could she do but concentrate on what awaited her?
Mother would be so proud of her, how far she had come alone. If she could only find her in the ocean of people below, it would be a miracle. Freedom from Long Feng would be a reward in itself if finding her family wasn’t in the cards for her. How long had she played the puppet to his mind tricks? It left her stomach churning as she pushed that thought away. And Sokka.
Oh, Sokka.
Her fire faltered for a second, Y/N’s face falling into a panicked grimace as she forced for energy into her flight.
Somehow that boy had rescued her from the palace. It was strange to be true, but Y/N had felt almost submerged in the darkness of her own mind when he pulled her out. Seeing him in that ballroom was exhilarating, terrifying, and one of the best moments of her life. Spirits, she had missed him. Suki’s words swam through her head as she thought of him - go get our idiot; he’ll need you – and somehow, she had been right and wrong at the same time.
There was no doubt that Sokka would need her. Heck, the entire group probably suffered a little without her presence. However, thinking of his stubbornness and ability to walk head first into danger when sparse of a gentle guiding voice made her laugh. Moreover, there was something entirely else that Suki hadn’t gone over.
Y/N needed Sokka too.
Who would have known what would have become of her if it wasn’t for Sokka’s stubbornness saving her from Long Feng?
It seemed as though he’d rescued her again as Y/N saw the dividing wall between citizens and refugees coming up. Her body screamed, aching and grinding against her will, but they were so close now. Just thinking of him, anchoring her thoughts onto him, had pushed her through the pain of flight.
Lowering into the slums, her fire dwindling by the second, she fell into an empty street. The first thing she noticed was the smell. Now Y/N wasn’t one to judge, especially considering her privilege, but it was pungent in the cramped streets of the lower ring. Seeing how people lived here compared to what she had just witnessed was a startling and upsetting reality. It was made even more apparent by the silks she was still wearing melting into the environment with mud seeping into the hems.
“Your Highness?”
Y/N tensed. Following the voice, she saw a door open only slightly, a girl about her age peering through the crack.
“Please,” She whispered, beckoning her inside. “Come inside before you catch your death.”
Seeing no other option, mostly because she hadn’t thought that far ahead, Y/N bundled up her decadent robes and darted through the door. She embraced the warmth immediately, falling to the ground as her legs finally gave way.
“Princess!”
Y/N looked at the girl once more, smiling at the concern behind her hazel eyes. “Please, call me Y/N.”
“I am Yin,” She said graciously, bowing low and making her flush. “My family is upstairs in the sleeping room, but I thought I heard something outside, and it was our own princess! The Kingdom has been nought without you, despite how popular our King, your cousin, is.”
“You’re too kind, Yin,” Y/N said, a weak grin playing at her lips.
“Anything for one of our monarchs!” Yin exclaimed, albeit quietly.
“I owe you a debt of gratitude for this,” She said, moving to stand. “For your help tonight, I am in your debt, but may I ask one more favour?”
Yin nodded. “Anything.”
“Could I use some clothes? You may keep the silks, sell them if you want, but I cannot be spotted whilst I’m here.”
As if becoming some force of nature, the girl whirled upstairs in a matter of moments, flurrying downstairs once more with an abundance of blankets as well as a change of clothes. Setting up her bed in the dining space by the kitchen – the house seemingly was made of only three rooms, the entire downstairs being open – Y/N did not recall ever falling to sleep, nor changing into her disguise.
Waking up in the morning to a freshly slice moon peach and the attention of an entire family was overwhelming to say the least. They seemed to dote on her despite her insistence that they owed her nothing. Jin was especially enjoying her presence, not only because she was royalty but because of the praise her family was pushing onto her for rescuing the poor princess from the streets of the slums. How did she ever end up there?
Further insistence was taken in the form of sending Yin and Y/N to the finest tea shop in the lower ring. In her new clothes, a pair of green cotton pants and a tunic, she felt comfortable in the fact that it would be incredibly difficult to differentiate her from anyone else in a crowd.
Tea was a luxury too few and far between for the princess. On her travels, they had never really stopped to get the necessary ingredients, nor would it be practical to carry the kind of teapot that Y/N really enjoyed making tea with. If Momo ever got his paws on fine china, Y/N was sure every antique enthusiast in a mile radius would weep. She still infused herbs into the cooking she had done on their travels, well aware of their medicinal properties – though not the cactus kind.
The tea shop was quaint enough, as small as the house shared by Yin and her many family members. Steam tendrils tinted with jasmine, lavender, and vanilla filled the air, drowning all senses on first entrance inside. It was pleasant, though. Somehow, Y/N felt enlightened, calmed and joyous all in one breath.
Taking a seat by the window, she pondered her plans in detail. Firstly, she had to reunite with her friends, but she couldn’t give herself over to the Dai Li. For now, she would lay low, perhaps relying on Yin’s kindness until she could move on. If she couldn’t be with her friends, her mother was the next name on her list. She had to be in the city somewhere, but she was definitely not in the upper ring otherwise Long Feng would have advertised them as a matching domestic pair. If all those plans went wrong, perhaps Y/N should invest in a Pai Sho board.
“Hello, welcome to our little shop. What tea are you interested in today?”
Opening her mouth to speak, Y/N looked up. Her jaw slackened, and the waiter shifted under her gaze. If it weren’t the deadpan tone and the slight lisp that gave it away, it would be shaggy black hair that gave him away.
Zuko was here. Zuko was stood in front of her.
A little gasp escaped her as his scar finally registered in her mind. “Zuko, what did they do to you?”
He flinched, fingers ghosting over his face. “Do I know you?”
“Duckie,” She whispered, his childhood nickname flowing easily from her mouth. “Don’t you recognise your dearest cousin?”
“Agni, I have to get Uncle.”
In a flurry of movement, he was gone. Yin stared between her and the empty space he was occupied with morbid curiosity. “Princess, who was that?”
“That was my cousin, Yin,” She gasped, tears welling in her eyes, “And he just said my father is here. He’s here and alive. Oh, Yin, I didn’t know they would be here and- “
“Is that truly you?”
Her rambling was cut off by a soft, unmistakable voice. The entire shop had fallen into a quiet hush as her father stood, not in a general’s uniform but a tea maker’s, a wide smile across his warm face. It had been so many years since his last letter. She had fought against the logical thought that he had perished in battle, and she had been right. Y/N had prayed to the moon every night for his safe return to her, and he had.
Stifling a sob, she launched herself into her father’s arms, embracing him with a hug strong enough to make up for years without them. He was laughing, she realised, and crying too as his body rumbled with the force of his emotions. The clothes he wore didn’t smell of ash and soot, but jasmine tea and freshly lit incense.
“Father,” Y/N said, tears streaming down her face. “You’ve come home to me.”
He gripped her shoulders, looking over her once and counting the years he had been away. “Nothing could ever stop me, my little lotus.”
The tea shop watched on in shock and the purest joy as they reunited, tears brimming in some eyes across the room. Even Zuko, stood at the counter looking sheepish, seemed happier than he had when he hadn’t been recognised.
“Friends!” Iroh exclaimed, grinning with an expression so similar to hers. “Today family has been reunited! My daughter, Jia, has been returned to us! This is a time to celebrate, so, please, your tea is on the house.”
A fake name, of course, but nevertheless she was ecstatic. Even Yin was crying at the sight, dabbing her eyes with her cotton sleeves. All analyses and plans fell empty from her head as all Y/N could do was weep.
To anyone who has sent requests in, I am definitely working on all of them, but they will be released slower than I would usually. My pharmacy has screwed me over and I don’t have my meds, so concentration is at an all time low.
Thanks for understanding; I am so lucky so many people are enjoying my work :))
“The thing he had realised soon after sending Y/N away was that he fell hard and fast.”
Spirits, she looked beautiful.
Across the room, Sokka spotted her gliding through the crowd of socialites. With a wide, pretty smile, she brushed off the subtle, vicious approaches of numerous people until she swept to the end of the dinner table. Y/N did always have a knack with animals Sokka remembered as she approached the King’s bear – not platypus bear – and was brought into a hug. It seemed that risking her elegant silks, weaved emerald and gold with a train, wasn’t in the cards as she sat next to the bear, feeding it honeycombs.
It took a moment for the gang to catch his line of sight and realise their friend was only a few metres away. Before they could run to her, before Sokka could even think of what he was going to say, Joo Dee was stood in front of them. Her toothy smile seemed strained.
“What are you doing here?” She asked, and yet it sounded more like a plea.
“You have to leave immediately, or we will be in terrible trouble!”
Making a futile attempt to manoeuvre them to the exit, Sokka pushed against her, his expression twisted with something fierce. “I am not leaving now.”
“You don’t understand!” She hissed, grabbing Sokka’s forearm. “You must go.”
“No!” Sokka yanked his arm back, eyes flickering madly from Joo Dee to the girl across the room he was desperate to see.
In a moment, their scuffle caused a bigger scene; as Sokka reached for Y/N, he was sent flying back into Aang. The pitcher of water he was holding went flying over the head of an unpleasant looking socialite. Somehow Aang’s natural disposition for helping only got them into more trouble as he revealed his identity to the thralls of people. Exasperation rushed over him as easily as a tidal surge swallowed a shoreline whole.
“Aang!” Sokka whisper-shouted, the crowds too awe-struck to listen to the words of a busboy. “You keep their attention. I know how we’re getting to the king.”
Before he could be stopped by stupid questions – his sister loved questioning the idea man – Sokka was heading through that room faster than he thought possible. Pushing past different rich people he didn’t care to ever meet again, he only realised that he had no idea what he wanted to say once he was in front of Y/N and the honoured bear.
“Y/N!” He blurted out, putting his busboy tray on the table in front of a perturbed young man.
From beneath a pair of great, fuzzy arms a familiar face popped up. “Hello?” Yes, Yue was stunning, but she was ethereal even before she became an omniscient moon spirit. Suki in all of her brute force and earthly beauty, she was intimidating in a different sort of way. The thing he had realised soon after sending Y/N away was that he fell hard and fast. Seeing Y/N, neatly styled hair dishevelled by her sweet need to befriend every animal she comes across, eyes shining with kindness, a smile so wide on her face, made Sokka’s heart ache.
He was speechless as she wriggled out of the bear’s hold, still leaving a single hand on his massive paw – an odd sort of compromise. Spirits, she had a lovely smile. However, there was something wrong.
There was no gleam in her smile; it was empty.
“Are you enjoying the festivities?” She said, scratching the bear’s muzzle as if it were a dog.
“Yeah, but Y/N,” Sokka frowned, desperate, “Don’t you recognise me?”
Her smile faltered for a flicker of a moment. “Should I?”
What was happening here?
Sokka thought fast. “I’m, erm, travelling with the Avatar.”
“Oh, of course!” Y/N exclaimed, parting with the large animal at her side to step closer to him, hand outstretched. “I’m surprised you’ve heard of me, really. I’m hardly a princess here.”
“But how long have you been here?” He asked, the beginnings of an interrogation.
“Well, my mother sent me out travelling for a few years, so I could understand the people of the kingdom better,” She grinned, obviously remembering something fondly – what, he didn’t know. “I came home only a few days ago, actually!”
“We must have met when you were travelling then,” Sokka said, his voice calm and amicable, but his mind reeling with questions, possibilities, and heartache.
“Remember? We met in Gaoling. Your mother sent you to live with the Beifongs.”
And then something passed behind her eyes that gave him hope.
“I don’t think I recall- “
“Yeah, and you were going to go home, but we kidnapped you! Well, not kidnapped you kidnapped you. It was a mutual kidnapping! And you saved me from a massive saber-tooth lion-moose!”
“I’m sorry, but I really- “
“And you saved me in the desert. I’d be dead if it weren’t for you. I seem to remember calling you princess before I knew you were a princess? Sorry about that, by the way. Or maybe I’m not? You didn’t react negatively.”
“Sokka- “
“I felt horrible after you left, and I knew it was all my fault, and I’m so sorry and- “
“Sokka.”
He looked at her for the first time since he started talking. Y/N looked terrified. Watching her eyes dart around the room frenzied like a cornered mink snake, ready to bite, Sokka reached for her. She accepted him readily. Wrapping her hand around his wrist, she shrank, her eyes no longer empty but instead full of fear.
“Sokka, where are we?” Y/N hissed, tugging him away from the table and bear, which seemed much sadder without her.
“You really don’t know?” He whispered, bringing a hand to her cheek. “Y/N, what happened? Where’s Suki and the others?”
Before she could say anything else, something yanked him away from her, and he watched her slip from his vision once more. Fighting against whatever had him by the scruff – it wasn’t a person, not exactly – was futile, but he fought nevertheless. As he tried to cry out to her, a hand wrapped around his mouth, muffling any speech. This went beyond weird; this place was dangerous.
Sokka had left the room of bright revelry to a more ominously lit one. Inside were all of his friends and a shady looking official, Long Feng. Stood in front of a hearth, the harsh planes of the man’s face were illuminated by green flame. He was tall, though seemingly non-threatening on first glance. However, as Sokka studied the man further, looked at the sneering curl to his smiles, the empty sentiments to his polite words. This man was a snake in the tall grass that was the socialites just outside the door.
“Why can’t we see the king?” Katara demanded, staring the man down. “We have information about the war.”
Long Feng smiled, the thin, neutral expression of a politician. “The Earth King has no time to get involved with political squabbles and the day-to-day minutia of military activities.”
“You don’t understand,” Aang said, more boyish than Sokka has seen him in the longest time. “This could be the most important thing he’s ever heard!”
“What’s most important to his royal majesty is maintaining the cultural heritage of Ba Sing Se,” He said, that irritatingly subtle smile still plastered across his face. “All his duties relate to issuing decrees on such matters. It’s my job to oversee the rest of the city’s resources, including the military.”
Toph scowled. “He’s your puppet!”
“Wait,” Sokka said, voice low, furious. “Are you the reason Y/N couldn’t remember me?”
The mask cracked. It was the slightest twitch in his emotionless façade, but through that shone through something far more sinister. He turned to stare at Sokka, silent and domineering.
“His Majesty is a god to his people, as is the princess,” He responded easily, his eyes hardened. “Perhaps Y/N wanted to forget you. I have no power over her mind.”
That, Sokka decided, was a fight he wouldn’t win today. “We’ve found out about a solar eclipse that will leave the Fire Nation defenseless. If Ba Sing Se could lead an invasion- “
Before he could continue, a Dai Li agent burst in the room. Without batting an eye, he walked past the group, ignoring their very presence as he went to Long Feng’s side. Low, conspiratorial whispering occurred between the pair before the agent swept away. Drama, apparently, was important in being a member of the secret fascist police in Ba Sing Se. The cracks in their masks, however, were growing still.
Something had happened.
“Until now, you’ve been treated as our honored guests,” Long Feng smiled, though the way his lip curled made it more of a snarl. “From now on, however, you will be watched every moment by Dai Li agents. It would be a shame if you weren’t able to complete your quest, or find your bison.”
Threat. That was what was lined behind every smile – every look. Even Joo Dee – or the multiple Joo Dees, considering they had just been given an obvious replacement – seemed threatening with her too wide smile and eyes. Toph was right about them coming to hate the city, but somehow this was even worse than her predictions.
Escorted out of the room, back through the great room, Sokka searched desperately for her. It was to no avail, however. The room was empty of Y/N. Whilst Aang focused on searching for Appa, Sokka knew who he was looking out for.
At the verge of a great wood, the Kyoshi Warriors woke with the dawn. It had been a few days now that Y/N had travelled with them. Still, she could not summon a steady hand to paint the precise lines on her face. It was because of this that Yu was straddling Y/N’s waist, gently and meticulously. She felt powerful with this mask on; she was anonymous and free of her firebending roots when they coloured her skin with tinctures and makeup.
“Stop it.”
Y/N looked up slightly, trying her best not to move and ruin all of Yu’s work. She stared up vaguely in question.
“You’re thinking too loudly!” She heard Li call from across their small camp, the smile audible in her voice. “Yu needs complete silence to complete her work.”
Fighting off a quirking grin, Y/N attempted to quash her thoughts in favour of studying Yu’s face. Beyond the white of the Kyoshi makeup, she had a soft, round face. Brown eyes, deeper than the pine that faced them had a determined glint in them. Black hair was twisted into two buns on the top of her head, no wisps to be seen beyond her Warrior headband. Every part of her uniform was pristine.
Climbing off of her with surprising agility – Y/N knew that her legs would be near dead after being sat that still for that long – Yu stood up, ready to leave for their journey. With far less grace, Y/N clambered up from the dirt, nearly falling back into it face first. If it weren’t for the swift save of Suki’s arms, perhaps she would have ruined Yu’s handiwork.
“Watch yourself,” Suki grinned, pushing her up back onto her feet. “We wouldn’t want Yu to have a breakdown now, would we?”
A breathy laugh escaped her rouged lips. Steady on the earth beneath her feet, Y/N joined her friends in collecting up their supplies. The plan was simple; they would traverse through the wooded land and beyond deep into the Earth Kingdoms, finding and crushing Fire Nation efforts on the smaller scale. If they could cut off supply lines, perhaps they could cause enough disruption to stunt the schemes of Ozai.
There was an air of comradery that seemed suited to the day. Sunlight filtered through the trees, spotting the mossy undergrowth with sunbeams tinted with chlorophyll. It seemed to seek her skin, reaching for the firebender’s fingertips like primal flame. She woke with the sun, and it tracked her throughout her day.
The heat became more intense, however, and the Warriors became more and more grateful for the shade that the forest blessed them with. It was Suki’s decision to stop and rest, to recuperate as the sunshine became unbearable for those unsuited to heat. With a soft smile Y/N watched as Yu foraged a nearby berry bush, her little finger wrapped around Li’s. There was something about hand-holding that she found especially tender. They were so openly affectionate that it made her heart hurt.
“Huh, must have been some fight.” Li chuckled with some derision, holding something in her other hand with care.
Y/N didn’t think much of it until Suki stepped forward. “Wait, let me see that.”
And in Li’s hand was the key to Y/N’s new journey: bison fur.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips as she stumbled to her feet, snatching some more fur from below the brush. The coarse texture made her fingers itch, summoning a twitch in her nose. Forcing down what would only be a very violent sneeze, Y/N called out Appa’s name into the empty depths of the forest, following the trail of cream fur deeper into the flora. Suki, too, shouted after the bison, hot on her trail. The ground steepened. Y/N’s calf muscles burned with the effort it took to scale the out of the compact woods and into an open area.
A large stone structure stood, lonely as it basked in the sun.
Tentative, Y/N took a step forward and peered into the structure. Spirits, she cried. Slapping her hands over her mouth, she took in the sight of Appa in manacles, looking hungry and scared. Quills from some kind of attacking creature were still embedded in her skin, slight welts rising from where they had struck.
In abject horror, she turned away. “Suki…”
“Y/N, it’s okay,” The Warrior said, voice soft, arms snaking over her shoulders, her embrace warm. “We’ve found him, so now we can help him.”
“Okay,” Y/N sniffled, dabbing tears off of her face. “Could you fetch Yu, see if she has any fruit spare?”
Suki nodded, eyes fixed on Y/N. Gentler than the breeze from her golden fan, she brought her thumb up to her face, wiping away a run-away tear. The air was knocked swiftly from Y/N’s lungs. Before she could process that moment, the Warrior was already sprinting back down through the woods.
Taking a calming breath, she stepped back towards Appa. Igniting a finger, she held it in front of her, wanting to see the face of an old friend. He roared and she cried some more, hushing him like a mother would sooth an infant. She smiled as the flame shifted from a harsh red to a more subtle yellow, the same golden hue of nomad robes. Though he was skittish, it seemed to be enough to quash Appa’s anxiety.
When Y/N found out who hurt him, she wouldn’t even offer them the dignity of an Agni Kai.
The dank structure illuminated by a single flame, Y/N worked swiftly to remove the quills. Though he fussed and whined – only encouraging more ‘tear bending’ from her – she was quick in making sure his welts would go down and his skin was clear. The manacles were another issue; yes, she could easily melt the metal, or with enough force kick through smaller parts of the chains, but it would likely spook Appa. Her best bet was her fellow Kyoshi Warriors.
“Y/N!” Suki called, creeping towards them slow and calm. “Yu found some apples.”
Resting her forehead briefly on Appa’s, Y/N stepped out of the shadows to approach her human friends. Feeling brave, the bison reared his head out too, following the scent of fresh fruit. The humans were careful around him, staying low and quiet. Only Y/N and Suki could approach him fully, Appa only allowing Yu close because of the food in her arms.
Soon all of them could approach him as he began to gain their trust. Y/N muttered kind, soothing words to him, hand brushing over his nose, scratching below his ear. Calmer, he licked all of Yu’s hard work off her face – not at all angering Yu, leaving Li to give her a warm, preventative cuddle.
The giggling and cuddling soon halted though as thunderous thudding closed up behind them. Pulling a frown onto her face, Y/N heard the tell-tale calls of the mongoose lizards; the people who had found them were Fire Nation. Side-stepping in front of Appa, she shielded him from the three girls in front of them. She recognised the two from their last encounter – Mai and Ty Lee – but the third sent a chill down her spine.
“My, my, you’re easy to find.” The grin on Azula’s face was sharp, her teeth lined like pearly knives. “It’s really astounding my brother hasn’t captured you yet.”
In a defence position, the Kyoshi Warriors had their fans out, ready to strike. Suki stepped forward, face carved with the righteous fury of an ancient spirit.
“What do you want with us?”
Azula let out a cruel laugh. “Who are you? The Avatar’s fan girls?”
As Ty Lee clicked onto her joke with jovial praise, Y/N scoffed. “Good one, Princess! I’m glad to know someone who needs the affirmation of others to function has so much power in her nation!”
“And you are?” The princess scoffed, her golden eyes narrowing into deadly slits like those of a serpent. “You do look familiar though, I do admit. Have I come through your back-water village at some point and steamrolled your home?”
“If you’re looking for the Avatar,” Suki stepped forward again, anxious as she cut Y/N off, “You’re out of luck.”
A moment of opportunity. Y/N saw the ravenous glint in Azula’s eyes as she leapt off her steed, a fury of flames aimed directly at Appa. Taking a protective stance, she was welcoming of the great shield of fans blocking the attack. Her lackeys followed suit as Ty Lee and Mai, too, jumped into action. The ensuing battle happened so quickly.
Fury bubbled in Y/N’s stomach as she watched Yu be pinned to a tree by her sleeves, held there by a pair of Mai’s blades. A distressed yell escaped her as she narrowly avoided a third, piercing the tree right in front of her throat.
Growling, Li went full throttle as she swung at Mai, fans forgotten, fists ready to cause indescribable pain. However, as Li and Yu come as a pair, Mai had her back up. Their fight was forgotten, however, as a surge of blue fire pushed against Y/N, the heat like nothing she had experienced.
Before she could bend the flames away, Suki jumped in front of them, deflecting the blast with her fans. Y/N screamed at her to move, but she was rooted to the ground, a force of nature. Spirits, she was so stupid and beautiful.
“Go, the both of you!” Suki yelled, swinging her sword at Azula.
“No!” Y/N cried, moving to her side. “I won’t leave you here!”
Face scrunching up in frustration, Suki shouted, furious. With a flurry of attacks, she had Azula on the back foot, and as Yu joins in, free from Mai’s knives, the princess is forced into a retreat. As the Warriors and nobles fought all around them, Suki took a moment in the midst of the chaos – a quiet moment.
Grabbing the back of her neck, Suki pulled Y/N’s lips to hers. A quick, desperate kiss with those soft lips had her unravelling. As she moved her face back to look at her, the Kyoshi Warrior nodded, gaze suddenly sad.
“Go get our idiot,” She laughed breathlessly. “He’ll need you.”
A watery laugh left Y/N’s mouth as Suki pushed her towards Appa. Spirits, she was confused – and happy. How she could be happy leaving her dear friend behind was beyond her in that moment, but she was somehow. As she scaled the bison’s back, Y/N called out the famous yip yip and away they went.
Looking over the battlefield, Suki had returned to duelling Azula. She was regal, a tempest in her attacks. Yu and Li were pinning down Mai and Ty Lee with a flurry of attacks, supported by the other Kyoshi Warriors. Despite her retreat, Y/N was optimistic. The tides soon changed. For the briefest of moments, Azula caught Y/N’s eye, a malevolent smile stretching across her face. In quick succession, she blinded Suki and the Warriors with a great wall of pure icy fire, then pulling all her energy into her hands. A great bolt of lightning struck one of the trees, bringing it down with a massive crack. As Appa brought her further away from the ground, she heard screams.
“Suki!”
They were over water now. Y/N hadn’t stopped crying since Azula brought the tree down. Head hanging over Appa’s back, she watched her tears fall into the ocean, mingle with the salt water below until it became invisible to her eye. A small group of ships sailed below, and for a moment Y/N thought she saw Sokka on them. A trick of the light, she convinced herself afterwards, or the trick of a malicious spirit.
She let Appa continue on their path without question, unbothered by their nearing to what looked like an Air Temple. Was her idiot here? Maybe Appa knew something Y/N didn’t.
Knocked off his back, Y/N was ready to scold the bison, only to see the glee in his dark eyes. He was playing, just like a baby would play. As he jumped around the ruins of the Temple, she watched with a small smile. The man watching them, though, wiped it off her face quickly enough.
“You,” He said pointing at the pair of them, “Are struggling to find peace.”
Y/N snorted, taking a defensive stance in front of the bison. “What gave you that impression?”
“Come, Princess,” The man said, amicable. “We have much to discuss.”
“We’re both warriors in our own right, and too good to be surrounded by stupid boys all the time.“
Crossing back over the Serpent’s Pass was easy. The heavy weight on her chest that pummelled her out of nowhere was infinitely hard.
Across the deep-water chasm, Y/N carried Suki, ignoring the strain on her calves and arms. Without the serpent or the extra people holding them back, the girls made their way over the Pass before night fell. The biting cold was not a problem either as Y/N kept a flame lit in her hand as the sun began to lower in the grey sky, enveloped by a cluster of clouds.
“I sent a message ahead of us,” Suki told her idly, adjusting her headband as they walked.
“Oh?”
The Warrior nodded. “The other Kyoshi Warriors will meet us back past the docks and into the wooded area westward.”
Nodding, Y/N focused on the ground beneath her feet. It was unchanging, dusty and sharp, as they began to exit the steepest climbs of the Pass, watching it plateau with little interest. If she could analyse the rocky path they were on, it would distract from the rocky terrain she and Sokka had metaphorically stumbled onto.
“Why did you invite me to come along with you, Suki?” Y/N said, her voice too loud in her ears after hours of endless silence.
Suki smiled at her. “Call it a hunch, but I think we’re like-minded people.”
“Because we’ve both had crushes on Sokka?”
“What?” She snorted, a massive grin now on her face. “No! What I had was a fleeting moment of ‘oh he’s cute’ and that was the end of that.”
“Oh,” Y/N said, flushing with embarrassment. “Well now I feel like an idiot.”
With a gentle nudge, Suki shook her head. “Don’t. We’re both warriors in our own right, and too good to be surrounded by stupid boys all the time.”
The joke summoned a low chuckle in Y/N’s throat, suddenly washing away the bashful feeling settling in her gut. Suki was easy to talk to, it seemed, but that ease with soon disappear. At the end of the journey, the she saw the other Kyoshi Warriors. They were in full garb, waiting.
She felt more out of place than ever. Frowning, Y/N smothered the fire with her shame. A furious grey stretched over the atmosphere, the colour of smoke. Inhaling a deep, controlled breath, she tried in desperation to replace the pressure in her chest with warmth, and for a moment she succeeded. The blossoming fire lily of energy spread, easing the tension in her muscles, her intense scowl softening.
“Warriors.” Suki announced their presence with all the nobility of a Fire Nation general. “This is Y/N. She will be travelling with us for a while.”
A murmur rippled through the group as easy and detrimental as an ocean tide. Y/N had no real experience with other girls her age. Sure, when she had been to visit her father in the Fire Nation Palace, Azula had been welcoming, so to speak. By welcoming, she meant more that the princess seemed to want to add her to a collection. She seemed to keep friends like butterflies, pinned to a board by their wings. This would also be ignoring the age gap between them; the same could even be said for Toph and Katara.
This was going to be strange.
“Yes, she is a firebender, but I would trust her if I had to put my life in her hands,” Suki said, voice turning sterner, more sincere, overcoming the collective whisper of doubt. “You didn’t see her risk her life for the sake of others. Y/N is fierce, and she will fit in with us for as long as she needs.”
With that, Suki had finished. Quelling the uncertainty with swift decisiveness, Y/N couldn’t help but admire the leadership she was displaying.
Tents set up and food gathered, all that was left to do was set up a campfire. Rather than letting one of the Warriors ache over sparking flame with rock, the firebender ignited her forefinger, pointing it at the pile of dry wood collected and arranged with the neat discipline of a trained fighter. Y/N ignored the yelps of the girls around her as the fire hit the wood with fierce accuracy. Under the intense heat, the wood began to crack, splintering and cracking as loud as thunder. As it settled, no longer spitting like a vicious pygmy puma, the girls wasted no time lifting a cooking pot over the campfire.
“No meat in the soup tonight.” A gruff voice said, startling Y/N. “Is that okay with you, firebender?”
She looked at the owner of such a low voice; a tall, leggy girl was stirring different nuts into a broth, stoking the flames every now and then to keep it boiling. Other than a single braid that was slung over her shoulder, her head was completely shaved.
“I don’t mind,” Y/N smiled, swallowing her nerves. “When you travel with a monk, you get used to a vegetarian lifestyle.”
The Warrior looked at her with some curiosity as she continued crushing the shells off of the main ingredients for their meal. “Huh. The Avatar, I’m guessing. What’s he like?”
“Sweet,” Was the first word that blurted out of her mouth. “Young. Fiercely devoted.”
“Glad to know our saviour is sweet.”
“Hey, I also said devoted!”
The two girls stared at each other before bursting out with laughter. They sat there for a few silent moments. Y/N tamed the flames down to a simmering heat as her acquaintance stirred in some green herbs. It smelled divine, summoning images of pine, hiking in the rain, and home. Home was the strongest memory dredged up by the broth.
“I heard,” The girl said, a teasing smile playing on her pretty lips, “That you’re really here because you got into an argument with a boy.”
Perhaps if any of the other girls there had teased like that, Y/N would’ve lost her temper, but this one seemed kind. “You could say that we had a conflict of interests.”
“Those interests being fire and water?” She continued to joke, nudging Y/N’s shoulder. “I’m glad to know I’ll never have these problems with boys.”
Y/N furrowed her brows. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t like boys,” The girl shrugged with an easy grin. “Girls, however…”
“Wait, that’s an option?”
Now looking as confused as each other, they were interrupted by another Kyoshi Warrior. This girl had her face bare of paint, her entire body beaming with pure light. Wrapping her arms around the girl at the pot, she planted a kiss on her cheek before looking up to see Y/N, who sat shocked.
“Li, are you already bullying this poor girl?” The cheery one frowned – as much as she could looking like sunshine personified.
“Of course not, Yu,” Li said, clasping her free hand over Yu’s. “I’m just enlightening her to the many possibilities that being in the Kyoshi Warriors has granted me.”
This was a revelation to Y/N. It was her great grandfather who had spearheaded the criminalisation of ‘abnormal’ relationships, so she had never witnessed such explicit affection between two girls. It made sense though, why she never recognised her admiration of fellow women as anything more than friendship after a certain age. In fact, watching Li and Yu be so tender together reminded Y/N of an array of people she had considered close friends, those she would stare at a few seconds too long.
There had been a guard in Ozai’s palace with whom Y/N often walked the gardens when she would visit many years ago. Yes, she had been very young, but she remembered this woman with such intensity; she had these glittering gold eyes, as if someone had caught the sun in manacles and poured its blessing into her. She remembered, Princess Y/N, besotted with this woman and announcing to her that one day she would marry her. She startled at how panicked she had turned, and became sad when she never saw her again.
Even after her, there had been others she had admired; Jin who lived near her mother, Suki to some extent, and she was now realising how she had completely melted in front of Li.
But then there was Jìngyi and Sokka. Where did they fit?
“Sweetness,” Yu whispered to Li, “I think you broke the poor thing.”
“Hey, firebender,” Li said, brushing her companion off, “First bowl of soup fresh just for you.”
Numb, she took the bowl with a nod. “You can call me Y/N.”
That scent was back again as the pleasant nutty broth exuded heat. Swirling up in tendrils of steam, Y/N caught those glimpses of home again, but they were even stronger now – perhaps more melancholy and informed. But who was it she was seeing? Where was home?
Sipping a spoonful, her entire body warmed up in a way that could only be comforting. It was like the embrace of a fireplace after being caught in the rain. Spirits, it was good. It was definitely better than anything her and Katara had managed to cook up from the wilds. Watching her new acquaintances, Y/N realised their bond was forged in something other than affection; it seemed that Li was the cook and Yu the forager. Love, it seemed, could flourish somewhere that no one would ever expect it.
“This is lovely, thank you,” Y/N said with the utmost sincerity, bowing her head lowly.
Usually, she was all about etiquette, but the flavour and the sad pit in her stomach made her desperate to wolf the meal down. So many words to describe one bowl - splendid, delicious, homely – but Y/N could find none to describe how she was feeling.
“Tomorrow,” Li cut in past Y/N’s thoughts, “Yu and I, that being my Yu, will help you get ready for the journey ahead.”
Y/N allowed a small giggle to pass her lips at Li’s bad joke. “What do you mean?”
“If you’re travelling with the Kyoshi Warriors, you have to look like one!” Yu laughed, tapping her foot against Y/N’s knee as she took a seat opposite her.
“What, with the–” YN gestured to her face, mimicking the swipe of a brush over her eyes and lips.
“Yes!” Yu said, excited, “And with you uniform as well.”
“Is that okay?”
All three of the girls looked up behind Y/N’s shoulder to see a now bare faced Suki. Her red hair was tied back haphazardly in a pony tail, wisps of hair falling either side of her face. Out of any uniform whatsoever and in some comfy looking sleep clothes, she looked more relaxed.
Suki wasn’t looking at the other girls though. Suki was looking at Y/N.
“Oh!” Y/N flushed, sheepish. “Yeah, that would be great! Thank you for allowing me to travel with you.”
“Not at all,” She brushed off, taking a seat next to her on the ground, sandwiching her between her and Li. “Soup is going down a treat, girls. I’m sure we’ll all be sleeping warm in our sleeping bags tonight.”
A sleeping bag.
Oh no.
“Where am I sleeping, Suki?” Y/N asked, placing an empty bowl down on the ground – though it was refilled pretty quickly. “I mean, I don’t have problems with staying warm usually, so it’s fine if I don’t have a sleeping bag, but– “
“Y/N,” Suki interrupted, “You can have my sleeping mat and just lie between two of us just in case the winds pick up.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Crisis averted, Y/N thought as she dug through another bowl of soup. But what kind of crisis, she had to wonder. Crisis or not, she had no trouble getting to sleep under an ocean of stars, laid between Suki and Li. She felt comfortable – content, even – which was new. Perhaps she wouldn’t have too much trouble travelling with the Kyoshi Warriors after all.
Was tagged by @postmortemballet I’ll have to listen to your list! Thanks so much for tagging me I love music related games/tags.
rules: you can usually tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to! put your favorite playlist on shuffle and list the first 10 songs, then tag 10 people. no skipping!
Smokinkush Blunts - スヌープ·ドッグ 420 (Idk what it says about me that this is the first song to come up xD but ya know what, it checks out.)
thank you for the tag! i always miss posts people tag me in lol i’m glad i caught this one i’ll also use my liked songs since my spotify wrapped is all the same shit lmao
thanks for the tag!! i love this sm!! using my playlist that i just dump everything and anything into lmao I’m a chronic song skipper so it’s the only way I can listen to music
