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once again missing yue 😔

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thinking about yue ):

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jet said: i can see where this story's going, and it doesn't look good. ― ( ACCEPTING! ) / ↬ @hookedswords

❛      you need to try and rest . . . your body and your head.      ❜        yue's voice is firm. what he's said barely registers, the available space in her head too occupied with the mosaic of injuries laid across his skin. she'd seen them earlier when katara attempted yet another healing session. the princess isn't well-versed enough in the process to know whether or not that session actually did anything. all she can do for him now is wet a cloth with cool water, kneel beside him, and gently press it to his forehead.         ❛ if your head's running wild, you won't sleep. and if you don't sleep, you won't heal. ❜

she hasn't been able to stop thinking about the battle of lake laogai. even now, away from immediate danger, she can still smell the musty air of the dai li's secret chambers. jet's less than ideal state is a constant reminder of what happened . . . of what they could have lost.

once his words do register, though, yue heeds them. they worry her. she tries not to let it show. the princess wants to blame them on his state, on what may or may not be a fever creeping through his system, but she can't do so in good conscience. so, she sends a quick prayer tui's way . . . a wish of everything working out.

❛      now that we've gained audience with the earth king's generals, we're in better shape than ever.      ❜        a soft smile graces her features, one she hopes will soothe him somewhat.         ❛ i'm not trying to be dismissive of you, jet. i'm just trying to make sure that our best freedom fighter is back in action when it counts most. ❜

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👊 PUNCH - are they quick to violence?

EMOJI HEADCANON MEME. ― ( NO LONGER ACCEPTING! )

yue is not quick to violence by any means. since she's a princess in a very traditional society, it would be considered extremely improper if she were to ever be aggressive in any way. yue is also very conscious of those social norms/rules and keeps herself in line with what is expected of her. she has never been trained in any kind of physical combat, and though she doesn't personally possess waterbending abilities, if she did, she wouldn't even be allowed to use them for the healing measures allotted to women because of her status as tribal princess. her demeanor is overwhelmingly one of grace, poise, and gentleness.

the question of violence, self defense, and combat emerges as a main arc in my au where yue joins the gaang. in the beginning, she refrains from any kind of physical confrontation and doesn't begin learning self defense measures from sokka until she absolutely has to. this eventually develops into her discovering archery and becoming extremely skilled in that form of combat. archery pulls on yue's personal tenets of patience, preciseness, and pacifism . . . as the weapon is long range and can be used non - fatally. even then, though, yue will not resort to using her weapons unless she has to. and when she does, it is usually to disarm or render someone immobile / weakened.

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hades atla bisexual simulator

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aang said: i really wanted to be this person that you thought i was. i really did, but i'm just not that person. ― ( ACCEPTING! ) ↬ @bndair

the easiest route to take in the time following the siege would be dwelling on what's been lost. countless walls of ice, the very barriers that kept the north so safe for so long, have been torn asunder by fireballs. there are footprints in the snow made by warriors who will never walk again, whether it be because of injury or because of death. the reality of the war is impossible to put off as a future grievance now. it has come and blown over their doorstep, a harsh hand dealt to those who have remained impenetrable and isolated for so long.

the people of the northern water tribe look to yue now more than ever. this is precisely why, though it's harder to do, she focuses on their triumphs. their victory, no matter how pyrrhic some may perceive it, is owed largely to the avatar. to aang. when he speaks, he looks to her specifically.

❛      you are that person, aang. i believe that now more than i did before getting to know you.      ❜        he's exhausted, the poor thing. still, he stands before the royal council, speaking soundly. yue makes it a priority to remove herself from her seat beside her father and step over the threshold that separates them.         ❛ you've saved us. you've saved waterbending as we know it. ❜

all her life, she's been fed a perception of the avatar. of his strength, prowess, determination, and undoubted heroism. this perception was thrust upon aang . . . and then gently handed back to her.

yue offers him a bow before straightening up. then, she extends a hand to his shoulder, hoping it'll encourage him to look in her eyes and find the apology there.

❛      i see now that this is just the beginning of your journey. it's my hope that wherever you go next, you look back on what happened here and feel pride. because of you, we have a much needed chance to rebuild and change.      ❜

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happy pride month lovelies (: yue definitely doesn't feel the need to label her sexuality but don't think for a second that she isn't queer! baby that's literally the moon!

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❛ nothing is ever gone forever. no thing or person that once lived. connections are harder to sever than human belief makes it seem.       ❜ this is a lesson she learned the hard way, looking down upon sokka for years and years as he traveled the word. with spiritual ascendance came great enlightenment. ❛  — you're correct, korra. your past lives will always be with you in some capacity if you know where to look for them. this realm is a great place to begin. ❜

a fond smile overtakes her as she recalls her brief mortal time with aang, specifically. she'd guided him far beyond that, but it truly is mesmerizing . . . how he and korra share the same crooked smile. ❛      i will never pass up the opportunity to spend more time with you. just as i cherished every moment i spent with avatar aang. ❜

Not even the mention of that calamitous loss is enough to wipe affection from her eyes. True, she's no replacement for thousands of lives of wisdom, but the moon spirit was never just a stand-in. Yue is kin and connection in her own right, elder, legend, and friend.

She sits, fingers absently running through the grass at their feet. Grounding herself in the current landscape.

❝I've been thinking about something Iroh said,❞ years ago now. ❝I can't speak to Aang anymore, but you and Iroh both knew him.❞

❝And- it got me thinking that maybe there are other spirits in here who have known my past lives. ...I might never get them back, but maybe... maybe they're not gone forever.❞

Her tentative hope gives way to brightness

❝Plus, that means I get to spend more time in the Spirit World— with you.❞

but it's only a temporary cover for her apprehension.

❝...what do you think?❞

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☀️

☀️ SUN - are they a morning person? what is the first thing they do in the morning? ― ( NO LONGER ACCEPTING! )

yue is not a morning person by any definition of the word. because of her troubles sleeping that i explained in this post, she often suffers from a sleep deficit. her feeling invigorated by the moon means that the sun has the opposite effect on her, leaving her fatigued, almost as if she's bordering on being nocturnal. after noticing this pattern in her when she was a child, arnook made sure to adjust her schedule so that she would be able to start her days later and end them later as well. eventually, yue added her own request to the mix, asking that she be alone for the first half hour or so of her day ( uninterrupted by chambermaids, etc. ) so she has a chance to actually wake up and spare them from grumpiness.

the first thing she does in the morning is an ice facial! not only is this good for her skin, but it helps wake her up so she's able to go about the rest of her routine. the palace waterbenders, when they knock on their door to wake her, will leave a basket of ice cubes outside for her to grab and use. aside from this, she'll get dressed with an outfit she chose the night before, spend a long time on her hair, etc.

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[pacing back and forth in my room at midnight] no one understands yue and hahn like i do. no one understands yue and hahn like i do. no one understands y

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yue!

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coming up with an au were a dead character lives but shaking my head while i do it so everyone watching knows i support the role their death played in the narrative and consider it a legitimate writing choice

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at any given moment i Am thinking about archer yue thank you

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can u elaborate more abt the yue lives au??

yes i would absolutely LOVE TO! essentially, i have two main verses revolving around aus where yue survives the siege of the north. the main difference between the two is that, in one of them, yue remains in the north pole following the siege and in the other, she takes up with the gaang and joins them throughout their journeys in books 2 and 3.

before diving into either of them too deeply, i'll say that when speaking generally about both of them, i do so under the guise that yue and sokka remain romantically involved. this will only vary depending on which sokkas i write with or if i'm writing with another character yue is being shipped with, as this blog is multi-ship with each ship taking place in a different timeline. but for general notes, i write under the guise of them being a couple.

more detailed info under the cut . . .

my fourth verse follows yue remaining in the north pole following the siege. in this verse, zhao strikes and kills tui, calling yue to restore partial life to the spirit. she is aided by katara, who uses the blessed water from the oasis to complete the healing process. this restores the moon, but leaves yue in a severely weakened state, as she only now has half of tui's life force. she spends the next few days in bed with frequent visits from healers, her family, and team avatar. going with them isn't even a thought in this verse, so she soaks up the time she has with them before they leave, promising to write.

as yue attempts to heal, she learns that hahn lost his life in the battle against the fire nation, calling an end to her betrothal with him. she mourns him, but stands up to the council / arnook, starving off the possibility of another betrothal through citing her sickness and general unwillingness to do so. they back off, and she begins to adjust to her life in a perpetually weakened state. she faces a lot of conflict within her own council regarding what she believes she is capable of governing - wise vs. what they believe she's capable of. her uncle tulimaq once again attempts to pressure arnook into handing the line of succession to his son, kanguk.

still, yue does what she can to aid the gaang's effort from the north pole, using her vast political influence where it is needed. this includes beginning and overseeing the southern reconstruction plan to further aid the entire water tribe in their efforts against the fire nation and beyond, including after the war. throughout this, the nwt continues to put resources into finding a cure for / ways to support the princess' condition.

/

my fifth verse follows yue leaving the north pole and taking up with the gaang. in this verse, zhao never gets the chance to strike tui, as iroh intercepts him. still, tui spends a significant amount of time in zhao's clutches, allowing aang time to forge with la and wipe out the fire nation troops. realizing she would have likely died if tui did, yue essentially channels katara's energy to stand up to her council / father and announces that she's joining team avatar on their journey on behalf of the nwt. despite arnook's protests, yue leaves after hahn's funeral, no longer bound by a betrothal.

while journeying with the gaang, yue takes it upon herself to learn self defense following the battle with team azula in omashu (originally boomerang tricks from sokka, later mastering archery as inspired by longshot), utilizes her diplomatic skills and status to help the gaang out of tight spaces, and broadens her worldview so she can take what she learns through her travels back to the nwt so she can be a better ruler. this is a very general description of yue's role in the gaang and the arc she goes through while on the team. i usually describe her as rapunzel leaving her tower for the first time in tangled, as she also grapples with extreme guilt re: leaving her tribe and how that guilt collides with her desire for freedom.

another key point of my gaang verse that also crops up a lot throughout their journey is yue's aversion to sunlight. this isn't an issue in the north pole, as her connection to the spirit oasis is strong, but once she leaves home, her connection with tui makes her prone to dizziness, weakness, etc. when in direct sunlight. i'll be posting a super detailed breakdown of how this and all of the above impacts yue throughout the wider atla story soon, giving an episode - by - episode breakdown of what yue does and how she changes through books 2 and 3, so keep your eyes peeled for that (:

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her world is ever - expanding, the mere color palette of her surroundings just one of many examples of this. the blues and whites of the northern water tribe wash away with distance and are replaced by the greens and browns only ever visible to her before in the spirit oasis. frigid winds are swapped out for warm breezes, meaning that she's had to shed several layers. the purple shade she loves so dearly ( chosen for her by her beloved later mother, ) stays a part of her outfits even as they change. everywhere she goes, yue carries her homeland with her, its weight ebbing and flowing depending on the day's events. the times she cannot help feel guilt are interspersed with times where she can feel nothing but wonder.

jet's words and king bumi's actions pile on to the rumination she's been doing while on the road regarding her father's rule, tribal roles, and more. the princess is hesitant to admit that her personal feelings regarding hahn, regarding team avatar, regarding every whirlwind brought in the weeks leading up to the fire nation's attack, have quietly pushed her into a more negative view of the northern structure. she learned quickly from katara standing up to pakku that this critical lens was a good thing . . . and it was that way of thinking that allowed her to fight for her departure. now, jet poses another idea : that of the power that she, princess yue herself, could continue to bring to the tribe. and how that power could improve and reshape the ideals she finds detrimental.

he's among the more intriguing of the individuals she's met so far. everyone is memorable to yue, bighearted as she is, but her curiosity has a way of coming on stronger than usual as far as certain people are concerned. she doesn't catch his joke at first, but when she does, she giggles sweetly from behind her hand.

the ferocity he speaks with is remnant of the warriors that stand guard at the outermost northern wall. the ones who have seen the most and suffered the greatest. yue's voice is drastically softer in comparison. ❛      many of them simply worry for my safety.      ❜        she begins, always quick to defend those who dissent.         ❛ but . . . i will admit, much of that worry stems from my being the princess. a girl. my tribe, though i love it, is far from perfect. it wasn't until katara stood up to our waterbending master that women could even be taught to defend themselves. i do lack the raw power she possesses, but she inspired me. she inspired many of us. ❜

the conservation is yet another brutal reminder that she'll only get so far on that bravery she was instilled with watching katara hurl ice disks, especially when doing so isn't an option for her. yue wants so desperately, if she really thinks about it, to prove the naysayers of her tribe wrong. though it's impossible, she wants to return home without a single scratch or scar as if to say — look at me ! i did it ! i did what no one ever thought the delicate, ill princess of the north ever could !

❛      i have a lot of work to do . . . if i want to truly fall in line beside you all.      ❜        she admits. yue folds her hands in her lap and nods with resolve, looking toward the fire as it flickers. the same element that scorched the moon spirit that keeps her breathing, now warming her. she must flicker and change like it to grow past just surviving.         ❛ but it's work i'm beyond willing to do. ❜

it must be that same fire turning her cheeks the slightest shade of pink when jet speaks again. the sentiment behind his words is not entirely new to her. she's utterly beloved by her subjects, but they're her subjects. jet isn't, and she's moved him ( who was just jabbing at monarchies minutes ago, ) to the extent that he near wishes he was. thus is her raw power.

❛      that's very kind of you to say, jet.      ❜        with a slight lilt in her voice, the princess bows her head to him. the action allows her to consider his weapons at his sides, which leads her to think of the way he works with them.         ❛ i must say, i admire the way you fight by disarming your opponents. i've never seen that style of sword before. ❜

there is beauty in darkness, they understand that in the moonlight, both a spotlight and audience to their private conversation. he understands that, too, as he watches her intently, feeling the weight of this dark hour that had nothing to do with midnight skies, blue hills, and looming shadows.

there was a terrifying night some weeks and weeks ago, the same day Omashu fell. on that day, the sky bled like an omen while the fire nation closed in: orange fire blasting down below, the moon blood-red, the smoke, the ash, the end of the world. he remembered the way he lost his breath, not knowing where to look but the horrified expression would be justified no mater the direction. the sun and moon wore red masks on the day his village was massacred and the houses and forest were set aflame. that's what happens when the smoke rises high enough and thick enough. but this was something different. and just when he was wrapping his mind around that, the moon took off the mask completely and color was drained from the world. he was lost in the dark that day, navigating the loss of light and hope. it wasn't until he gathered the last child to hide that the moon began to illuminate with life once again. he took it as a sign. they want you to give up, so don't.

darkness doesn't always need a visual, not when its placement is heavy in his heart. it's an anchor, a poison, a pool of tar begging for a self-destructive flame. he can't tell if hope is poison or the lit-match drifting closer and closer to that tar inside him, but he knows it's dangerous. hope is nothing more than a wish, and he's a boy who strays away from anything that doesn't guarantee certainty. ever-moving, ever-changing, ever-vigilant. he can't get caught up in something like hope if he's to survive.

the first thing she says disarms him with it's simple humor, a self-appointed jest. the knots tightening in his expression loosen and the workings of a grin tug at the corner of his mouth. ( so she's got jokes! ) not only that, but a rare smile his way. it's been a while since he's seen one of those, he can't help but drink in the sight. ironically, he thinks it can melt ice.

he picks his words carefully, ❛❛ white hair is quite common in earth kingdom royalty, you'll find. ❜❜ he gives her a pointed look before winking . saying my royals tend to be old as fuck, glorified, over-due gasbags probably be less charming. it's also a stretched truth: he only knows one king. one they've all met now. he turns his gaze back to his hands as he return to the more somber discussion.

he practically holds his breath while she speaks, if not to ensure he's drinking in every word. she's making melodies out of his heartstrings, somehow fitting stainless fingertips through his ribcage to get to them. ( but we need royals who do something, don't we ? ) he doesn't realize his eyes misted over somewhat until he blinks. ❛❛ We sure do. ❜❜

he shakes his head and clenches his jaw in disbelief, trying to wrap his head around her words still. ❛❛ I think those who call you selfish take you for granted. ❜❜ he says, frowning and filled with envy, ❛❛ I'd kill to have a leader brave enough to fall in line with the people who need them. ❜❜ the honesty strikes him like a blow to the face. right. he did try.

looking at his hands, he plays with his fingertips for a moment, letting that spark of fury cool off. to say he's haunted by the what if that day is an understatement. in so many ways. he wonders what would have happened upon success, but he thinks about that sweet kid tao he's gotten to know and it reminds him there was no success story in this cruel, unraveling plot. wrong place, wrong time, wrong people: a whole lot of wrong and nothing right. it wasn't fair. he lost his best bet in a rigged game.

❛❛ You know . . . I would consider myself lucky to call you my princess. ❜❜ it's honest, but he feels warmth spread over his face and around the grin he gives her. as he eyes her poised posture and all the grace accompanying her, assigning it all to being royal seems like an injustice. she's something else, and the answer is staring right at him in a realm of impossibilities.

in the meantime, he breaks off a reed from the ground and starts to fidget with it instead of just his fingers. the motion of rolling it between his thumb and index is relaxing. yet, his heart hammers wildly in his chest.

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hozier tonight (: