#forever thinking about korrasami. sorry. korra and asami are in love.

[gayfandomblog]

anyone else obsessed with the fact that korrasami went canon before gay marriage was federally legalized in the US and was the first gay couple in any western cartoon

[comradekatara]

hello, since you did a mitski+gaang post, which mitski songs would you associate with yangchen, kavik and korrasami?

i should’ve done these in chronological order by album but I didn’t so please excuse the disjointedness. also this got kind of long so im putting it under a readmore…

“i’m your man” is SUCH a kavik & kalyaan and asami & hiroshi song. ugh

“bug like an angel” korra alone anthem

also “i don’t like my mind”

“when memories snow” is so yangchen and her past lives…

“the frost” kavik/yangchen breakup song (you’re my best friend, now i have no one to tell, of how i lost my best friend)

“I love me after you” asami & hiroshi and also korra & zaheer song (they’re king of all the land!!!)

“remember my name” is THEE ultimate korra song to me.

“me and my husband” is also an asami & hiroshi song. to me.

“a pearl” is such a yangchen and her past lives song….. (nobody told me it ended)

“why didn’t you stop me” the kavik/yangchen post-betrayal breakup anthem

“old friend” is a mako & korra & asami song…. reconciling with your ex moments

“come into the water” is so asami needing korra to make the first move…. (maybe i’m the same as all those men writing songs of all their dreaming…)

“liquid smooth” is also. you guessed it. an asami & hiroshi song.

as, of course, is “wife.”

“abbey” is another extremely existential korra song about legacy and identity

“brand new city” is asami’s internal monologue but she just never shows it

“pearl diver” is the ultimate chaisee song ever. i know you didn’t ask about her but like. this is THE chaisee song. if you even care

“real men” obviously another asami & hiroshi song. of course

“fireworks” is a korra song bc it’s literally the depression anthem of all time and, well.

“my body’s made of crushed little stars” is also a korra (alone) song. she’s not doing anything!

“a burning hill” is also an asami & hiroshi song. you might be thinking i’m insane at this point, but then i invite you to remember. that yasuko was literally killed by fire.

“goodbye my danish sweetheart” obviously a kavik/yangchen breakup song (kavik’s pov of course) i mean duh.

“strawberry blond” asami pining for korra moments…..

“class of 2013” another korra alone song and god what a song it is!

“valentine, texas” is a yangchen/kavik song no i will not elaborate on that

“working for the knife” WOULD be an asami song if lok understood that capitalism is bad. and yet. alas.

“stay soft” is a yangchen & kavik & chaisee & kalyaan song. naturally.

“everyone” another korra alone song.

“heat lightning” another existential korra song.

“the only heartbreaker” another kavik/yangchen breakup song from kavik’s pov

“texas reznikoff” is sooo korrasami (but i’ve been everywhere and it’s not what i want… i wanna be still with you…)

“first love / late spring” is, again, an asami & hiroshi (and kavik & kalyaan) song

“francis forever” is a korrasami and yangvik pining from a distance anthem

“I don’t smoke” is soooo asami & hiroshi and kavik & kalyaan. sorry

“jobless monday” yet another korra alone anthem

“I will” is SOOO korrasami it’s like the korrasami thesis statement

“carry me out” yangchen & korra (and every avatar’s) existential crisis moments. also a perfect note to end on bc it’s my favorite mitski song <3

[korrasamibottles]

1, 8, 37 :)

1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

Have to go with Under Me, Over Me. It's soft and sweet and stupid and smutty, and I'm so happy with how it turned out. Also it has Ming. ALSO!!! Somebody made some really banger art for it.....

8. What song would make a great fic (to either write or read)?

I know I've mentioned this song before, so sorry if this is old news, but I Like It Heavy by Halestorm is THEE Korra song of all time to me. And one of these days I'll pull a line from it and use it as a title for a korrasami fic in which their first interaction goes a little differently. I have this idea in my head of them meeting at a pro-bending match (before Korra joins the Fire Ferrets--she's still sneaking in to watch at this point) and neither of them has any idea who the other woman is. For a few hours one night they don't have to be the Avatar and a famous heiress, they can just be Korra and Asami. It's all just a vague collection of vibes at this point though, I only have like....one sentence written.

37. Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it?

Two Body Problem!! Although it currently has 69 kudos, so I'm actually perfectly happy if it stays that way forever. Some days I hate this fic, some days I love it, but overall I think I did a good job skirting around canon and tweaking things without altering the plot of book 4. Korra's journey in the last season is so personal to me and I dumped a lot of feelings into that fic (which is probably why I hate it some days) and I think all that emotion really comes through in the writing. Also, since it was my second fic, I think there's hints of my writing style and voice developing, which is kind of cool to see!

[riceccakes]

Earth, Wind, and Coffee: Chapter Three Analysis

chapter one analysis | chapter two analysis

back again for another chapter analysis. i think ive been looking forward to this chapter the most, it’s where some big decisions were made!!! this analysis is a long one, i hope that’s all right! i kinda got carried away. so, let’s dive right in, shall we?

some fun stuff before we start!

chapter three was supposed to be the last chapter of the fic

idk if any of you were there when i first started writing this fic, but it was only going to be three chapters with a possible epilogue. however, everything changed when i finished the end of chapter two. (lil atla reference there for ya) (sorry i know that was bad, moving on). like i said in my last analysis, i had an idea of what i wanted to happen (the separation of korrasami) so that they could come back together. it was just a matter of what separates them. so, i’m not sure where i got the panic attack idea but once i did, the rest of the story changed. i realized i couldn’t quite possibly finish the story in one chapter so i split the ideas i had and decided on it being four chapters

now, this being said, maaaaajor changes were made in my story outline. most notably: korrasami was going to be a couple in this chapter

this was originally going to be a full fledged “they meet, they get to know each other, they fall in love, happily every after” but the thing was, i planned on treating their romance as korra’s recovery; that being with asami is what made korra better, that all she needed was a partner, someone to love, and that is not what i wanted to portray with this story. i’ve never been a fan of stories that give a character a love interest and all of sudden their problems are fixed and they’re completely happy, and here i was about to do just that. i knew i’d never respect myself if i continued down this narrative, and when chapter two ended with korra’s panic attack, i realized her growth needed better love and attention. so, i changed what happened and gave her some therapy

this change in the storyline also let me explore more of kuvopal !!! (is that their ship name?)

so, back to LOVE WITCH for a second (because that glorious fic really did steal my heart) not only did it make me love kuvira’s character more, it also got me into the kuvopal relationship! and yet again, i wanted my own go at it. with the original timeline, there was just no space for me to include the lil bread crumbs of their relationship. however, however, however; by splitting the ending between two chapters (and adding some stuff in between) i was able to lay some foundation for them, which im very happy about :)

into the chapter we go:

let’s talk about the meeting! the whole reason this fic came to be! i’ll start by saying i always knew the project was going to get pulled out from under asami. 1) because thats some angsty/hurt shit right there and im a sucker for writing angst 2) i didn’t feel like creating a whole ass presentation because knowing my ass i would’ve made a powerpoint about it so i had every detail down to the font asami used and 3) getting the presentation taken away from asami was a pivotal point in her character arc.

i actually started the chapter in two different ways. at first, i’d written her whole entire morning with there always being one thing that was off. like, instead of a perfect omelette, it was going to split and asami would’ve had a scramble, still good, but not her favorite. instead of going through all green lights on her way to work, asami was gonna meet every. single. red. light. i would’ve gone through with this if it hadn’t felt strange; i wanted to give the impression that something bad was going to happen but i felt like having something go wrong with every thing in her morning was gonna be a dead give away that some even bigger big bad was about to happen, if that makes sense. so instead, i went with the picture perfect scenario, almost too perfect, if you ask me. and indeed, it was too perfect, because hiroshi was too much of a coward to tell his daughter any sooner that his board agreed to get a new presenter

im just gonna cite a bunch of my favorite lines/bits from this chapter because i really enjoyed writing it xD

Iroh has already begun but Asami hears no words, only a blaring ring in her ears. Her face feels hot and she wonders how red she is. She stares at the black binder, notes the natural grooves and curves of the material, the plastic covering over top of it, the metal spine peaking out at the bottom. She’s only brought out of it’s dark trance when she feels a hand be placed on her arm; Kuvira. 

when you’re upset, do you ever just, hyper focus on one thing and its like you’re analyzing it under a microscope for the first time? yes? no? well, i do that, and personally, i do because if i focus on my anger/hurt emotions any more, im going to explode and i dont want to explode. so, this instance about looking at the grooves in the binder and each of the components of it just hits with me, idk if does with you too, but like bruuh.

Asami has her hand over her mouth, silently sobbing, feeling as if she’ll throw up. She leans her head on her wheel, her mind wanders to what could’ve been, what should’ve been. She feels as if her car is closing in on her, that the metal is compacting. The seatbelt keeps her locked down to the driver’s seat and she can’t leave if she wants to. The Satomobile holds her hostage and she lets it. Even while it’s hurting her, even while it’s harshly molding itself onto her, she stays at her father’s heel because, what else is she to do?

this is one of my favorite things ive ever done with asami’s character, is using future industries/satomobiles as a sort of vehicle (heh) for her relationship with her dad. this paragraph just kind of hurts, but the good hurt? but also not good hurt? it’s just, (and not me over here boasting about my writing or anything) it’s so poetic that she has this breakdown and she’s so upset with her dad, i mean “what should’ve been” like, asami KNOWS that the shit that’s just happened is more than wrong, yet asami is still somehow wondering how she can please her dad and it’s in the literal legacy hiroshi built for himself. “she stays at her father’s heel because, what else is she to do?” i remember writing that and being like “shit, am i really gonna do this? yeah” ugh, i could go on forever about how i love this section, but i’ll stop here for now.

Asami begins yelling, screaming at the top of her lungs, letting all the thoughts, all the insecurities her father gave her finally be released into the world. Kuvira lets her, simply nodding and following along on the couch while Asami paces her living room. She spews out word after word, about the work, about the presentation, about Iroh, his position, her position, the company, the CEO, and she only stops when she feels the weight of her father rest on her shoulders.

back with more diction; i really love this paragraph because of how we circle back to hiroshi. note how i first say “the CEO” and then a few words later say “her father” because, in a way, this is asami’s confession that hiroshi is CEO first and father second, if i haven’t already explicitly said so. it’s so heart wrenching and sad but my favorite thing about it is this isn’t even about korra. like THIS right here is a prime example about how i realized this fic became more than just a love story. in the planning stages of this fic, asami was going to go through getting the presentation taken away from her, but what was she going to focus more on? the fact that korra wasn’t around anymore. and yes, asami still does think about korra after this, but so much more happens for her. asami gets to know kuvira more, asami gets to know her lab partners more, (and my personal hc is that they’ve all been lab partners for two years and only NOW asami is getting to be friends with them in their senior year, but hey, better late than never!) and to me, what’s even better, is that a bunch of realizations come to asami w/o korra being there. asami is growing and the idea of being able to grow without needing to have a partner in order to grow is so important to me, not only for the fact that growth should be endless and something you do all the time for yourself, but asami literally wants to share it with korra. not boast about changing and growing and becoming better, but just be better with korra. sdlfakds i swear, im fangirling over my own writing, oops

okay, moving on from The Meeting and onto the rest of the chapter

this dock scene was also another part i wrote beforehand and it had a completely different ending in that asami was going to ask korra out on a date. of course, korra would’ve said yes, and then yay yay happy ending. this didn’t happen and i’m glad it didn’t. in one version of this dock scene, asami was actually going to be upset with korra for disappearing, and even worse, mad that korra wasn’t there to comfort her after the presentation. oof, i know. so so glad i didn’t continue down that line, cause it is toxic, and my girls aren’t like that at all.

Once Korra’s eyes meet hers, Asami says, “That doesn’t mean you always have to be on your own.” She smiles at Korra, at the girl who’s turned her world upside down. Her hand remains on Korra’s cheek and she feels the girl sink into her palm. “I’ll be here for you, and it seems like Tenzin will be too, what with saying he was calling you more. And you have his family, and your own family, even though they’re away, they’re here to support you, we all are. You can still be strong and turn to other people for help. It takes great strength to ask for help and I know for a fact you’re strong enough, those bags of coffee beans were nothing for you.”

i like this line of dialogue here for a few reasons, mostly because asami is so soft and so right and the joke at the really helped lighten the mood but didn’t take away from what she’d just said before. i don’t have too much else about the Reunions section, though if you guys have any questions or anything you wanna point out, please do so! i think what i will say is that i tried to be as real and gentle with korra’s progression. i was so nitpicky about everything i wrote because i didn’t want to get any of it wrong or over dramatized or fake. recovery from anything is so important and it takes time and it’s not a straight line so i hope i did a good job with it the rest of the fic. 

moving on, i love the found family trope and this leads me into the next section, New Friends

when i think about this section, i like how soft it is, and i really enjoy the ending bits: korra recounting memories from the south, asami meeting tenzin. i think what i like about the end of this chapter is that, it kind of leaves the question: what’s next?

asami has grown, she’s changed, she sees the errors of her father’s ways but she’s not excusing them. korra has grown, she’s changing, she’s taken the first step in recovery. now it’s just a matter of, what happens with this growth now. and i really loved how i wrapped up the fic in the next and last chapter, so i hope you enjoy it too :))

honorable mentions:

there were a lot of changes in this chapter and one of them got changed twice! korra was gonna get a therapist but then i was like, we gotta get the krew together, and then i was like supppppoorttttt grouuuppppp, because lets be honest, all the krew has stuff they need to work through, and i know therapy isn’t for everyone, but mental health is so vital and important. asami is an advocate for therapy in the chapter but there are also other means to take care of yourself and your mental health and while i’ve never been to a support group, i understand finding comfort in knowing you’re not alone.

i guess what i’m trying to say is please take care of yourself and dont be afraid to lean on others. i know not everyone has the means to get a therapist/psychiatrist and i know that your friends aren’t made to only be your therapist. buuuut, don’t be afraid to reach out, there’s nothing wrong with needing help and support :)

anything i would’ve wanted to change?

honestly, i think the only thing i would’ve wanted to change was mako’s speech during the support group meeting. for me, it was a lil bit too poetically out of character. not to say i want to change the content, but rather the manner in which it’s presented. other than that though, i really loved writing this chapter :)

so this analysis was reeeaaaalllly long, i understand if not everyone made it to end. anyways, thanks so much for reading this analysis and the fic! once again, i’m very much open to questions and any comments, i love them very much! i’ll see you guys in the next analysis of the final chapter :)

[thanks--for--listening]

all these people think love’s for show (but I would die for you in secret)

yes im finally back with fic! this time its korrasami tho bc my avatar obsession has not let me go yet. and yes its based on peace by taylor swift lol (also on ao3)

--

I’d give you my sunshine, give you my best, but the rain is always gonna come if you’re standing with me

Korra always came back to the sky. When the noise became too much, when the voices and the faces wouldn’t relent. Staring at the stars made her feel small, reminded her that the world was bigger than the images in her head. It was always changing, the constellations and the colors from the portals shifting as time passed, but in the end that change brought something new. Something good. Something beautiful. 

“Can’t sleep?” She turned, saw Asami standing in the doorway, arms wrapped around her stomach. It made her wonder if it was cold out here, if she would even notice anymore. After everything her body had been through, she couldn’t gauge her standards, couldn’t figure out whether she felt something normally or too much or not at all. Did she not feel the chill in the air because she grew up in the South, or because she’d felt the life drain out of her, felt a cold so deep the definition had changed completely? Could she ever care for someone like Asami, someone so perfect and beautiful and normal, when she was so permanently damaged she couldn’t even begin to see the extent of her own scars?

Korra tried to snap out of it, searched for something she could offer her and came up empty. She fought back the urge to light a fire on the balcony floor just to keep her warm as she nodded. Asami sighed, walked up to her until they were standing side by side, arms leaning on the railing in front of them. “Yeah, me neither.”

“You wanna talk about it?” Korra asked. 

Asami turned, raised an eyebrow at her. “Do you?” She shook her head, and when Asami laughed, she swore she felt a spark inside her, the embers of a flame that had burned quietly for so long finally finding the space to grow. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

Silence floated in, gentle and easy, leading their attention back to the sky. The whole city seemed to be asleep, everyone exhausted from the past few days. She thought she’d appreciate the moment of relief, but there was something unsettling about staring into the streets and seeing nothing but vines and rubble. She’d spent her entire life used to the empty, to open space with nothing but sky and silence to fill it, but here it looked all wrong. It looked like another thing she’d ruined. Republic City would never go back to what it once was, to what it was supposed to be, to what Aang had dreamed it could be, and it was entirely her fault.

“Hey,” Asami‘s voice nearly startled her. “You okay?” She didn’t understand why she was asking until she followed her gaze, looked down and saw the metal railing bent and broken underneath her hands.

Korra sighed. “I thought when the battle was over, this stuff would get easier. I’m beginning to think it’ll always be this hard.”

“I’m sorry,” Asami said. “I feel like I kept pestering you after Zaheer. Kept trying to get you to talk to me, to let me help you, but now...I can understand why you wouldn’t want to. Why you couldn’t.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. You did everything right. I’m the one who messed that all up.”

“Don’t be silly, of course you didn’t.”

“Yeah, I did. I messed everything up with Zaheer, with Kuvira. With Mako and Tenzin.” She hesitated, before adding, “With you.”

“You haven’t messed anything up with me.”

“But I will.” 

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, this,” Korra gestured toward the yellow beam shooting up into the sky, “isn’t going away. It isn’t going to stop. And as long as you’re with me, you’ll always have to deal with it. And someone as good and kind and wonderful as you shouldn’t have to suffer because you love someone like me.”

“Who said I’m suffering?” Korra glared at her, but Asami didn’t relent, didn’t soften her gaze. “I’m serious. Being with you has only made my life better.”

“Since you met me, you’ve been arrested, captured, stranded in the desert, and forced to fight some of the strongest benders in the world. Oh, and you almost had to sell your company. Let’s not forget that.”

“I also met some amazing people, learned how to take care of myself and my business, and made sure the Sato legacy wouldn’t be associated with hate and fear. You showed me that I could be more than I’d ever thought possible. If I’d never met you, I don’t know who’d I’d be now, but it wouldn’t be me. Not really.”

She didn’t want to say it, didn’t want to let out the words that had been eating away at her since the battle, but she couldn’t keep them in anymore, couldn’t let Asami look at her and not know the truth. “You lost your dad,” Korra said quietly, “because of a monster I created.”

“No. I didn’t. I—“ she bit her lip, and Korra watched as she swallowed, blinked back the tears that she knew would force themselves out sooner or later. “I lost him because he made a choice. To sacrifice himself for the greater good. To fight Kuvira, who you did not create. You stopped her, in a way only you could.”

“I should have stopped her sooner. If I had been stronger, if I had taken her down the first time, if I hadn’t been so weak, maybe—maybe I—“

Korra felt her words disappear, felt tears of her own threaten to make an appearance, but the feeling of Asami’s hands over her own buried whatever emotion had tried to fight it’s way to the surface. She squeezed hard, like she was holding her together, and Korra wondered if maybe she was, if one person could be that strong. If two hands were all it took to keep someone intact. “You are not weak, Korra.” Asami spoke as if she was giving a command, and she felt compelled to listen. “You are the strongest, bravest, most selfless person I know. But even you can’t stop bad things from happening. None of us can.”

“But I’m the Avatar. I’m supposed to help people. Save people.”

“And you have. How many people did you save by creating that spirit portal? By defeating Unalaq? By stopping Zaheer?”

“Yeah, but— I just—“ she searched for the words, found them buried underneath the rubble of every version of herself that came before tonight. “I just wish it didn’t hurt all the time. And I know what Tenzin said, but I wish being me, being with me, didn’t mean a lifetime of desperately trying to prevent bad people from doing bad things. It’s like I’m always fighting, like I’m always gonna be fighting. And I’m so tired, Asami. Sometimes I wish it would all just stop. Not for a day, or a week, but forever.”

They didn’t say anything, not at first. Korra looked down, stared at their hands, still pressed together. She waited for the words she knew would come, waited for Asami to recoil, to tell her it was too much, that she was too much. That she wasn’t worth it. That the brief periods of peace would never be enough to outweigh the pain and suffering that would always follow. And when she did, when she reached her breaking point and walked away, Korra knew she’d let her go. She’d gotten more time than she’d ever expected already — she wouldn’t allow herself to be greedy and ask for more, no matter how badly she wanted to keep those hands wrapped around hers. 

“It isn’t fair,” Asami finally said, “that you have to go through this. You didn’t decide to be the Avatar. You didn’t pick this life. But I did. I choose you, Korra. Today, tomorrow, and every day after that. I’m in this no matter what.”

Korra looked up, tried and failed to hide the surprise in her eyes. “Even if it hurts?”

“Even if it hurts. I want it all: the good, the bad, and everything in between.”

Korra hesitated, just for a minute. In her wildest dreams she couldn’t have written this, couldn’t have imagined a world where after everything that happened, Asami wants to stay. Wants her. And maybe it was selfish, and maybe she was damning her to a life that no one should ever have to live, but she couldn’t lie and pretend that she didn’t want her more than anything, couldn’t walk away when she was standing in front of her, couldn’t stop from confessing every secret she’d tried to bury in the name of survival. 

“If you’ll let me, I choose you, too. I don’t want to spend my restless nights with anyone else. And I know I can’t give you the life you deserve, but if it’s enough, whatever I have is yours. Always.”

Asami stepped closer, threw her arms around her. Korra fell into them, let herself get lost in the feeling of Asami’s embrace. She felt safe, in a way she didn’t anywhere else. The world couldn’t touch her here. 

She didn’t know how long they stood wrapped in each other’s arms. Korra didn’t care— she’d spend a lifetime in this moment if she could. She probably would have tried, if she didn’t hear Asami yawning into her shoulder, didn’t feel exhaustion weighing heavily on her own eyes.

She forced herself to step back, to lean out of her arms just enough to look her in the eyes. “So much for not talking about it, huh?” Korra said, and she knew photos could never do it justice but she wished she had a way to capture the look on Asami’s face when she smiled, when she laughed quietly, just for her to hear.

Asami pulled her closer. “Don’t let go yet,” she sighed into her chest, “You’re warm.”

“We should probably head back inside, anyway — see if we can salvage any more sleep tonight.” 

Korra wouldn’t have caught it if Asami hadn’t been wrapped up in her arms; instead, she felt the tension shoot through her body like an echo, until her shoulders went stiff and her hands squeezed a little tighter. 

“Asami,” she said slowly. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she answered too quickly. “I just like being out here. I don’t think I’m ready to head inside yet.”

“Asami. Talk to me. Why don’t you want to go back to bed?” She looked at her, really looked at her, and this time she saw the bags under her eyes and the desperation in them, and quietly added, “Did you sleep at all tonight?”

Korra watched her hesitate, and patience had never been her strongest virtue but she willed herself to wait. Her efforts were rewarded; Asami shook her head, stared at the ground and whispered, “I don’t want to see it again.”

“See what ag—oh.” Realization swept over her, and she cursed herself for not putting it together sooner, for not thinking about what could have possibly led her to also be awake in the dead of night. “Oh, Asami. I’m so sorry.”

Asami looked up, and the tears that had threatened earlier fell all too quickly now. Something inside Korra broke at the sight. She pulled her closer on instinct, held her and pretended it would be enough. She wondered if this would be their future, holding each other together to keep them both from falling to pieces, wondered how many nights they’d spend exactly like this, running from nightmares that didn’t disappear when they opened their eyes. 

Korra waited until she heard the cries settle, until Asami stopped shaking in her arms, to ask, “Can you tell me about it?” 

Asami shook her head. “You’ll blame yourself,” she said, her words decisive, quiet but powerful. “I won’t let you hurt like that.”

“I won’t let you hurt like this, either.”

“You can’t fix everything, Korra.”

“I can try.”

Asami stepped back, looked up at her, and Korra swore she smiled, just a little, just for a second. “It—“ Asami started, searching for words before she continued. “It makes me feel so helpless. The watching, the waiting. Every time I see it I know he’s...that he’s gone, but then you disappear into that machine. And no matter how many times I try and tell myself that it isn’t real anymore, that it’s over, part of me never knows if you’re going to make it out. Not until I wake up and see you for myself.”

There was a war inside her. Korra the Avatar wanted to ball up her fists, wanted to feel her fire burn, wanted to fight the pain away so that Asami would never hurt again. Korra the girl wanted to pull her closer and never let go, wanted to make promises she couldn’t keep just to make her feel better, even if it wouldn’t last. As battle waged within herself, whichever Korra was left behind wanted to ball up and cry. She knew she’d been right, knew that no matter what Asami said, she couldn’t possibly want to hold onto this much pain. She knew that it didn’t matter which Korra won the fight in the end — not a single version of her was worth it. 

“I’m sorry,” Korra finally said. She had a million other apologies sitting at the tip of her tongue but she forced them back. 

Asami read her mind anyway. “Not your fault,” she said. “I’ll remind you every time if you need me to.”

“Still. I’m sorry you’re hurting.”

Asami sighed, as if the very admission of her pain was something to be frustrated about. “I don’t understand why it hurts this much, though. A month ago we weren’t even on speaking terms. I spent years hating him for what he did. And I was right. He did so many awful things to so many people, and a few games of Pai Sho can’t make up for that. So why can’t I stop seeing him?”

“He was still your father, Asami. All those years he spent raising you don’t just go away. You have a right to be sad about what you lost.” 

“That’s the thing, Korra,” she said quietly, like she didn’t trust the words coming out of her mouth. “Sometimes, I’m not sure I’m sad. I’m mad. I’m mad that he went against everything he ever taught me. I’m mad that he fought for someone who hated what you are. I’m mad that he left me alone, that he didn’t even give me the choice.”

Korra reached for her again, searched for any words that could have possibly helped but came up empty, left only with a mantra of apologies that would never fill the hole left behind. She knew that feeling, understood with brutal clarity what it felt like to lose her agency, to be left at the will of those around her when she was the one who would suffer the consequences. It was a feeling she wouldn’t wish on anyone. And as she stood there, Asami’s head on her chest, she knew that she could never be the one to make her feel that way. Stay, leave, fight, run — no matter what she wanted, it could never be up to her. 

“I’m sorry.” Asami’s voice broke through her own internal ramblings.

Korra failed to hide her incredulity. “What could you possibly have to be sorry for?”

“I came out here to try and help you, and then I turned and made it all about myself.”

“Oh, stop it.”

“I’m serious, Korra.”

“So am I. You think I have the monopoly on pain? That I’m the only person who can ever be comforted?” She stepped back, placed her hands on the side of her face and made sure she was staring right into her eyes as she said, “I love you Asami, and that means that I’ll always be here to listen, or hold you, or do whatever it is you need. Anytime, anywhere.”

Asami smiles back at her. “I love you, too.”

“And,” Korra added, “as much as I wish I could keep you away from all the shit that comes with being me, I promise I’ll never take the choice away from you. If you want in, you’re in. If you want me, I’m yours.”

Asami leaned forward, kissed her cheek, and Korra thought she might burst into flames right there on the balcony. “Thank you,” she whispered.

They stood there for a minute, and she knew they should head back inside but she wanted one more moment of whatever this was. Peace, maybe, or something like it. Something close enough.

“We really should go back inside,” she finally conceded, “but I think I have an idea.” She stepped forward, held her hand out behind her. “Trust me?”

Asami reached for it without hesitation. “Always.”

Korra smiled, led her back into her temporary bedroom, held onto her until they were laying side by side, with just an inch of space between them. 

“You said when you wake up, you never know if I made it out. If I’m okay. This way you’ll know.”

“I bet you use that line on all the girls,” Asami said, and she could hear the smile in her voice, but she couldn’t help herself from responding seriously. 

“There’s no one else. Never has been. Just you.” 

Asami erased the space between them, moved so her head rested on Korra’s shoulder, and she wondered how it had taken her so long to realize how well they fit together, how she could have possibly lived so long in a world without this. 

“Does it ever go away?” Asami asked after a minute, her voice drifting away from their lighthearted jokes, soft and sad and lacking the hope Korra wished she could give her.

She thought of her own ghosts, of the scenes that played in her head like clockwork, of the way she could still find herself choking on air as she opened her eyes. She thought about the more recent additions, the way Kuvira had swapped places with Zaheer the past few nights, haunting her as relentlessly as her predecessor. “I don’t know. But it does get easier, after a while.”

“I wish I could have been there to help you. I wish I didn’t stay when you left. I wish—“

“You’re here now. That’s all that matters to me.”

They laid there for a few minutes, and here, when it was just them, Korra felt the silence return. It didn’t carry the weight of the world, didn't bring anything with it. It simply filled the space around them, provided a comfort she wasn’t used to. 

“Korra,” Asami whispered. “Is it okay if I’m still scared?”

“Yeah. Is it okay if I am, too?” She felt Asami nod. “Then we’ll take on the night together. Fear and all.”

“Even if it hurts?”

She couldn’t stop herself from smiling, even as she felt her eyes close, her arms pulling Asami closer still. “Even if it hurts.”

[ahhhsami]

Have you ever thought about doing a mermaid story? Like, for instance, the one that charmingly antiquated did in webcomic (can't leave links like this, sorry). I can totally see that happen with Korrasami.

Inspired by this comic! Hopefully it was the right one. (AO3 LINK)

Korra held up her hands. “Okay, let’s talk this out. Let’s not do anything rash.”

The pirates laughed at her and their swords inched closer to her.

“Okay, yes I may have stowed away in your hold, but let’s be reasonable. I would be a great asset to your crew.”

The captain motioned for his crew to lower their weapons. “I have an idea how you could help the crew, lass.” His eyes scanned over her and Korra grimaced.

“Okay. Well not that. But I’m an expert with a sword… that came out wrong,” she groaned.

The crew laughed as Korra backed up and looked over the side of the ship.

“Alright. It seems that we can’t really help one another out. So… I’m going to not overstay my welcome.” Suddenly Korra jumped up on the side of the ship and then jumped over it. She landed hard on the dinghy that was tied up. She pulled out her dagger and quickly cut the ropes, the dinghy splashed into the water.

“Cap?” a crew member asked.

The captain’s boisterous laugh filled the air and he threw his arms out. “If that lass did that, I think it’s okay to let her go. The sea will take her life anyway.” The captain continued to laugh as he walked away from his crew. The crew that still had awe written on their faces as their stowaway rowed away in their little dinghy.

“Maybe this wasn’t the best idea,” Korra mumbled as she laid down and tipped her hat to cover her eyes. The sun was beating down on her and for as far as the eye could see was only water. And she couldn’t navigate until the sun set and the stars filled the sky, so she really had nothing to do right now. Other than sweat and lose the little water that was in her body.

Korra’s not sure how long she lay and do nothing, but it had to have been hours. She wasn’t roused from her nap from the temperature dropping because the sun had dropped, but because something rocked her boat. She sat up and clutched onto her dagger. She slowly looked over the edge, but didn’t see anything. She slid over to the other side, again not seeing anything.

Maybe she’d just been imagining things. So instead of really worrying, she laid back down and continued to nap. Eventually the sun did set and she was able to find her course by using the stars. She picked up the heavy oars and started towards east.

Korra frowned to herself when she saw the sun rising. She had rowed all night and she could feel the fatigue setting in. She needed water. She needed food. But her body didn’t feel up to it, so she situated her hat over her eyes once more and laid down. She’d rest for a couple of hours and then try to catch a fish.

As soon as she dozed off, she felt her boat rock again, but she didn’t react like last time. Instead she stayed still and waited. It felt like a minute or so before the boat dipped to the side just a bit. Something was definitely up. She quickly removed her hat from over her face and turned her head and as soon as she did, her jaw dropped and her heart skipped a beat. She jumped up to her feet, clambering as far away from that side of the boat as she could.

“Wha- What the FUCK?!” she shouted. “Oh my god. This better be a fucking hallucination…”

Korra’s eyes widened as the hopeful hallucination crossed her arms and rested herself on the edge of the boat.

“Please leave,” Korra whimpered. Instead of leaving there was a curious head tilt. Korra eased up a bit and sat down in her boat instead of her precarious position on the edge of it. Suddenly the creature held herself up, giving Korra time to take her in.

She had long raven hair that draped over her shoulders and was slick against her skin. Her skin was fair, her face as bare as her torso. Korra swallowed hard as her eyes traced over the curves of the creatures body and her perky breasts. She cursed her mind for creating such a beautiful hallucination.

“If I ignore you, you’ll probably go away,” she mumbled to herself. She was about to lay back down, when the boat shifted and the creature pulled herself into the boat. Korra let out a shriek when she saw a long tail flop onto the boat. “Ehhh, so you’re a fucking mermaid. Great.”

Korra curled up on herself, trying to make herself smaller as she sat on the boat. The mermaid looked at her curiously and then reached out, taking her arm into her hands. Her pale fingers traced over the patterns and lines of her tattoo. A shiver went down Korra’s back, the mermaid’s touch feeling so real.

“What are these?”

Korra puffed out her cheeks, not expecting her hallucination to speak. “Oh fuck,” she groaned.

“Hmm?”

“Tattoos,” she answered although she didn’t know why. “This one is of my hometown.”

“It’s beautiful.” The mermaid smiled at Korra. “I’m also not a hallucination.”

“And that’s exactly what a hallucination would say,” Korra sighed.

The mermaid furrowed her brow. “I can prove it to you.” Suddenly the boat shifted and the mermaid slid back into the water.

Korra raised a brow and looked over the edge of the boat. It wasn’t long before the mermaid resurfaced, a fish in her hands.

“Oh,” Korra said softly. She reached out and took the fish, it really was real. She took her dagger, cutting into it and putting the fresh flesh of the fish into her mouth. “Yep, real,” she hummed to herself as she closed her eyes, savoring the taste. She truly was starving.

The mermaid pulled herself back onto the boat as Korra continued to eat. Korra was surprised that the mermaid was just sitting there and observing her. It was pretty unnerving in all honesty.

“Do you have a name,” Korra dared as she popped the fish eye into her mouth. She normally wouldn’t eat that part with such ease, but her body needed the nutrients.

“Asami.”

“That’s a beautiful name,” Korra threw the last bits of the fish back into the water.

“Do you?”

“Oh, Korra.”

“Korra,” Asami tested. “Korra.”

“Yes, Korra,” Korra chuckled.

“Tell me about land.”

“Um.” Korra rubbed the back of her neck. “Not really much to say. There are people…”

“Yes, bipeds.”

“Uh, sure.”

Asami pointed at Korra’s legs. “You are a biped.”

“Oh. And you’re a mermaid,” Korra pointed to Asami’s tail.

“According to bipeds, yes.” There was a slight silence and then Asami jumped out of the boat. She resurfaced at the bow of it. “To land?”

“Yeah. I need to get back. I can’t really stay forever on this little dinghy.”

Asami pointed out toward the open sea. “Closest land.”

“Okay.” Korra took the oars into her hands, but stopped when she felt the boat jerk forward. Asami had taken the rope at the front of the boat and was now pulling her along, much faster than Korra using the oars. Korra laughed to herself, still shocked and amazed that this mermaid was truly real.

Korra sighed as she sat against the side of the boat. She clasped her hands behind her head and watched as Asami hoisted herself onto the boat once more. It’d been three days since the mermaid had first appeared. During the days she would tow the boat and during the nights Korra would row. They would both take breaks though and this was one of them.

Korra used her hand to fan herself, eventually just opting to open the top of her tunic more.

“It’s so hot today,” she complained.

Asami’s tail flicked and she scooted closer to Korra. “It is,” she said, her eyes focused on the bit of skin Korra had revealed. “What’s that?”

Korra looked down at where Asami was pointing, which happened to be another tattoo on her chest. She pulled her tunic open even more, allowing Asami to look at it fully.

“I, um got this for a woman I loved,” Korra confessed.

Asami’s finger traced over the intricate lines lightly, causing a shiver to go down Korra’s back, even in the sweltering heat.

“Loved?” Asami asked.

“Yeah… um she was hanged for supposedly practicing witchcraft. She wasn’t though. She was a woman of science, of true knowledge,” Korra explained with adoration and sadness lacing her voice.

“Science?”

“Um, it’s a way to explain why things happen through observation, rather than blaming it on magic or miracle,” Korra defined.

“Oh. Interesting.”

Korra laughed softly, her eyes meeting Asami’s. “She was my first love. After she was taken from me I turned to traveling. Stowed away in ships to get from one point to another, but this time it backfired a bit,” Korra chuckled.

“Do you still love her,” Asami asked curiously.

“I always will,” Korra sighed. “First loves kind of stick around forever, I guess.”

“I-I don’t know if I’ve been in love,” Asami admitted. She took her hand away from Korra’s chest and fiddled with her hair.

Korra shrugged and smiled at her softly. “It’ll happen.”

Asami nodded, a serious expression on her face as she searched Korra’s. Suddenly it was broken and she smiled when she heard Korra’s stomach growl.“I’ll get you another fish,” she said and slipped out of the boat.

Korra tilted her head back and stared up into the clear blue sky. She put her hand flat on her chest, over her pounding heart. The heart that had picked up as soon as Asami’s fingers had started to trace her tattoo. Something she hadn’t felt in so long.

“Can you do that to my hair?”

“Do what?” Korra asked as she helped Asami onto the boat.

Asami lifted her hand and ran it over Korra’s braids. “Those.”

“Oh, uh. Sure.” Korra moved around a bit and then motioned for Asami to settle between her legs. “It’ll be easiest if you sit here.”

Asami nodded and then her gaze fell toward the floor of the boat, but she obliged.

Korra couldn’t help but blush as she braided the mermaid’s hair. It was so soft and delicate, something she hadn’t expected considering that she’s constantly in salt water. She continued to do this in silence, the only thing she really could hear was the thumping of her own heart. It took her a long time just to do one braid due to the length, but there was something calming about this. Something nice. Being able to forget about being stranded in the middle of the ocean. Being able to enjoy the silence and the peacefulness of the moment.

When Korra finished a couple, she brushed them over Asami’s shoulder. The mermaid gasped softly and her fingers fiddled with them.

“They’re beautiful.”

As soon as Asami said that, all Korra could think about was how beautiful Asami was. She held her tongue though and kept braiding until the sun set and it was time for her to start rowing once again.

“FUCK!” Korra shouted. She was using her hands to scoop out as much water as possible. At this rate the boat was either going to sink or tip in this storm. The waves were wild and the rain harsh. Lightning filled the sky and thunder shook her to the bones.

Korra’s eyes widened as she saw a wave bigger than any of the previous ones. She grabbed the side of the boat, hoping that it wouldn’t tip. But that wasn’t the problem. The wave crashed down on her and crushed the boat under its weight. Korra spluttered and tried to swim to the surface, but the waves were too turbulent. Her body in pain. She felt her lungs get tight and she gasped while underwater, swallowing the ocean water. Her world soon went black.

Korra coughed and her body jerked into a sitting position.

“Holy shit. She’s alive!” A man beside her shouted to his friend. They both leaned down, helping Korra stand.

“H-how?” Korra wasn’t able to get out another word before she lost consciousness again.

Korra looked down at her new tattoo as she walked down the dock. She didn’t know if Asami would still be around, but she needed to try to find her. She hoped that she had stayed in the area. Hoped that Asami had been worried enough about her that she hadn’t left. Hoped that the connection they had built this past week had affected the mermaid too.

“Asami?” she said softly. She looked around, only seeing the calm ocean. She sat down, her feet dangling from the dock. “Asami?!” she shouted louder this time.

“Korra!” Asami shouted happily as her head popped out of the water.

Korra smiled down at her. The mermaid had waited. She rolled up the sleeve of her shirt and lowered it, so that Asami could get a good look at it.

“I got a new one,” Korra said shyly. It was clearly a tattoo of the mermaid.

Asami’s face lit up and she leapt out of the water, her hands holding her up on the dock, her body positioned between Korra’s legs. Her long tail swished in the water as her peridot eyes met Korra’s icy blues.

“It’s beautiful,” Asami praised.

“You’re beautiful,” Korra returned this time. She slipped her hand around Asami’s waist, holding her close.

The mermaid smiled once more and then started to lean in. Korra copied the gesture, their lips meeting in the middle. Neither of them could stop smiling into the kiss, so they pulled away, both giggling. Korra bent down slightly and helped guide Asami’s tail over her legs, so that Asami could sit comfortably on her lap.

Asami took her hand as her tail tangled with Korra’s feet. With her free hand, she cupped Korra’s cheek and their gazes met once more.

“I think I know what love is,” Asami confessed.

Korra smiled at her softly. “I honestly didn’t think I’d fall in love again… but I was wrong.” Korra kissed Asami tenderly and then looked out at the setting sun. “And I’m glad I was,” she added softly.”

[mytly4]

What are your general thoughts on LoK? You've talked a lot about ATLA, not so much about the spin-off. Love reading your posts!

Thank you, Anon!

I love both ATLA and LoK immensely. Surprisingly enough, I discovered them both just last year (has it been so little time? I feel as if I have loved them forever!). I started watching ATLA partially because I was curious about LoK and wanted to watch it, but realized I needed to watch ATLA first.

I think that both ATLA and LoK are two sides of the same coin, and it’s hard to talk about one without referring to the other. IMO, ATLA is the stronger story of the two, with especially great character work. But it’s also a more conventional story, with a fairly typical Chosen One framework. That’s not a bad thing in itself, of course, but it’s sort of been done to death in popular fantasy/sci-fi. Harry Potter, Luke Skywalker, Paul Atreides, Neo … practically every hero of a major fantasy or sci-fi series in the past half century or so has been a Chosen One in roughly the same mould as Aang. So Aang’s journey, while a pretty good story in its own right, feels kind of been-there-done-that.

LoK is refreshingly different. Korra doesn’t fit into any predetermined mould. Though she does have some things in common with other female fantasy heroes, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer*, she is on the whole a unique character with a unique journey. A Chosen One typically has a very standard journey, but Korra’s journey is anything but standard. She doesn’t have to fight a single main villain; she struggles to find her place in a world that seems to have no place for her; and most importantly, rather than playing by the rules of her world, she changes them to suit her own style, and in the process changes her world as well. It’s amazing and so deeply satisfying to see her, for example, fighting UnaVaatu in the season 2 finale not as the Avatar but as herself - a huge, blue and powerful version of herself, of course, but nonetheless, Korra the human being, not Korra the Avatar. And of course, there’s her crowning moment of awesome in the series finale, in which she creates a new portal to the spirit world by jumping in front of the spirit ray in order to save her enemy, Kuvira.

*(Hmm, it would actually be cool to compare and contrast Korra and Buffy. Some food for thought …)

Korra herself is the main reason I love LoK - she’s one of my favourite characters in fiction, and her picture is my avatar on several of my online accounts (an Avatar avatar … sorry, couldn’t resist the pun!). The rest of the characters on LoK are great - I particularly love Asami, Jinora, Tenzin and Lin - but on the whole, I think ATLA had better characters (it helped that it was a tiny, close-knit cast, so that nearly everyone could get an emotional arc).

There are other aspects of LoK, such as the art style, which I love - the two-part ‘Beginnings’ episode is especially gorgeous. The world-building is pretty good, but most of it rests on the (much stronger) foundation laid by ATLA. Some of the additional elements in LoK - such as the political privilege enjoyed by benders - actually contradict the world building of ATLA, in which benders were definitely not a privileged class. That said, I do love how the world of LoK has changed fairly organically in the 70 years since ATLA, and especially due to the political and social changes brought about by the end of the Hundred Year War.

LoK has its share of problems, especially in the first two seasons - the Equalist  storyline was badly done in both concept and execution; the Water Tribe civil wars storyline was incredibly boring; the love triangle was even more boring; the amnesia storyline was utterly groanworthy … I could go on for quite a bit. However, the show took an upturn after the middle of season 2 - from ‘Beginnings’, to be precise - and season 3 was nearly flawless (season 4 had its problems, but they were relatively minor). ATLA was a more consistent show throughout, but on the whole, I think both ATLA and LoK have some fantastic episodes that I love to watch over and over again.

I could probably go on much longer - there are aspects of LoK I love that I haven’t even mentioned yet (Korrasami! the spirit world! the Beifong clan!) - but I think I’ve gushed enough. :)