As always, prompts are just jumping off points for your own infinite creativity! You can interpret them any way you like!
JULY 21ST - MONDAY: Pirate AU
JULY 22ND - TUESDAY: Drunk Kainora
JULY 23RD - WEDNESDAY: First Kiss
JULY 24TH - THURSDAY: Genderbend
JULY 25TH - FRIDAY: Royal AU
JULY 26TH - SATURDAY: Yearning
JULY 27TH - SUNDAY: Parenthood
JULY 28TH - MONDAY: Free Day!
*For any prompts you wanted but didn't win the vote this year!
Remember to read the rules before submitting your piece and to tag us @kainora-week or to tag your piece #kainoraweek2025 so we can find and reblog everyone’s work! Feel free to send us any questions about the week to our inbox.
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He hasn’t seen her in almost a week, not since they landed at Air Temple Island and he caught a glimpse of her with her family in the distance. He hasn’t seen Master Tenzin around either, or her mother, and he wonders if something is wrong. Maybe she got hurt during the fight with the Red Lotus and he didn’t notice? He’d feel awful if something had happened to her and he could have stopped or prevented it.
That feeling, that protective feeling in him surges so strongly, but he can’t afford to identify it right now. It feels too deep, too overpowering, and he thinks if he does explore it, he’ll lose himself in it. Idly, he wonders if Jinora would know what it is, if she would help him, and his heart does funny flips at those thoughts.
He still sees Ikki and Meelo around the island, but unless they’re helping the new airbenders practice, they seem to be sticking close to their mother. He wants to ask them what’s happening, but he thinks it would be wrong to burst their familial bubble when they seem to be dealing with something.
Instead, he decides to ask Bumi.
He gets the chance to ask during a practice session the next day. Technically, the practices are being taught by a trusted Air Acolyte while Master Tenzin is gone, but they’re really only going over a few katas and practicing it to perfection. Ikki and Meelo are there to show how the kata should look with actual airbending and to offer help if needed, but they mostly just play some game between themselves and sit with Pema and baby Rohan off to the side, in a supervisory capacity. Bumi is the one actually leading the sessions, taking the airbenders through physical conditioning and helping where he can. Today they’re all paired up, practicing the same kata again and providing feedback with their partners until Bumi decides it’s time for something else.
Kai lucked himself into being Bumi’s partner, and as Bumi plops down next to him on the ground for a short break before it’s Kai’s turn to practice, the questions slipping from his lips before he can stop.
“Why isn’t Master Tenzin here, leading the practices? Or Jinora? And what are the acolytes doing going in and out of the temple all the time?”
Okay, maybe the acolytes go in and out of the temple all the time anyway, but he thinks maybe this much traffic isn’t the norm.
Bumi, for his credit, stays quiet for a long moment, blinking, before he leans against his knees, glancing around.
“It’s going to be announced at the evening meal,” Bumi starts, giving Kai a knowing grin, “but I’ve seen how you look at Jinora.” Kai flushes at this, eyes darting down as the older man continues. “It’s been decided to anoint Jinora as an airbending master. As the only Air Master left, Tenzin is with her to guide her on whatever spiritual process masters-to-be have to do and to give her the tattoos. The whole process takes some time; I remember my father and Tenzin staying away from everyone when it was time for Tenzin to get his tattoos,” Bumi says. A wave of sadness crosses his face, and Kai wonders why, but Bumi is talking again before he can think more about it.
“The acolytes are in the temple, preparing it for Jinora’s master ceremony. My father did his best for Tenzin’s, but they were the only airbenders in the world, so it was never the ceremony I could remember my dad describing. The Air Nation, before the genocide, was divided into four temples but were all very communal in their lifestyles and culture. That’s why all of us new airbenders are learning these key katas; master ceremonies weren’t just about the new master, but had involvement from other airbenders.” He paused, squinting his eyes as if he was trying to remember something, before shrugging and leaning back again.
“I think that’s right, anyways. The Air Nation is a part of my culture, but I wasn’t an airbender, so I didn’t always pay attention to what Dad was saying when Tenzin asked about stuff. Wish I had now, but can’t change the past. One hundred and seventy years is a long time to hold on to records of master ceremonies. I hope we’re doing it right, for Jinora.” He fell silent again, eyes watching the other airbenders as they continued practicing. Kai nodded, also turning to watch the others. The two were silent for a moment, before Kai climbed to his feet, feeling determined.
“We should get back to practicing, then. Jinora deserves a perfect ceremony. She…” Kai trailed off, fighting off a blush as Bumi took his hand and stood up. Bumi chuckled, patting Kai’s shoulder.
“She’ll be the youngest Air Master ever. Eleven years old, and she’s got both her father and grandfather beat. No guessing what she’ll do next. Let’s make the experience special for her, yeah? She’s a special girl, after all.” Bumi grinned, not missing the way Kai blushed at the mention of Jinora being special. Kid’s so far gone, and he doesn’t even realize it, Bumi thought with a chuckle.
Kai managed a nod, still fighting the blush. “She sure is special.”
As always, prompts are just jumping off points for your own infinite creativity! You can interpret them any way you like!
Our one-word prompts are especially open-ended, so this year we are adding a few possible interpretations to aid that spark of inspiration. Feel free to use them or to come up with something unique!
OCTOBER 3RD - MONDAY: Master Jinora x Vigilante Kai
OCTOBER 4TH - TUESDAY: Pride*
*Pride Parade, Air Nation pride, proud of each other or something they did
OCTOBER 5TH - WEDNESDAY: Probender AU
OCTOBER 6TH - THURSDAY: Dreams & Nightmares
OCTOBER 7TH - FRIDAY: Parenthood & Family Shenanigans
OCTOBER 8TH - SATURDAY: Sneaking Off
OCTOBER 9TH - SUNDAY: Hair*
*bedhed, bad hair day, doing each other’s hair, alternate hairstyles, etc.
OCTOBER 10TH - MONDAY: Free Day!*
*This day is for anything else you wanted to create! Did you really like one of the prompt candidates that didn’t make it? Something else you wanted to create, but the prompts aren’t quite striking your fancy? This is your day!
Remember to read the rules before submitting your piece and to tag us @kainora-week or to tag your piece #kainoraweek2022 so we can find and reblog everyone’s work! Feel free to send us any questions about the week to our inbox.
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art by @cranberry-drumstick
kainora discord | kainora blog | rules | AO3 collection
