#orangepanic ask

[btheleaf]

As a Pema fan and expert, I'm curious your opinion on how Pema takes so many people becoming airbenders but not her. I imagine her relationship to bending and particularly airbending is rather complicated. Thoughts?

First of all, thank you 😂 my obsession has granted me a new title it seems. Pema Expert :)

Answer under the cut

When Pema was a child, of course she wished we was born with an element. What kid doesn't? She was born in the Earth Kingdom and throwing rocks around is COOL.

As she got older, she saw the pressure that all the benders were under to try and master their elements or use them in their daily lives for work. She was born into a family of non benders and primarily surrounded herself with non benders. She harbored no resentment for benders but was glad she wasn't one. She just wanted to be herself and was content to be how she was.

Pema becomes an acolyte because she falls in love with the teachings of the air nation and their way of life. In the acolytes, she finds herself as a person, she finds freedom, she finds joy and happiness, and she finds Tenzin. Never once did she wish for an element when she was getting everything she ever wanted without one.

The only time she ever truly wished she was born with an element (as an adult) was once after Book 2. A spirit pulled Oogi into the ocean mid-flight, and she had to pull Tenzin from the water after he exhausted himself from rescuing the kids and trying to save Oogi. He wasn't responding to CPR, and in that moment she never wanted anything more in her entire life to be a waterbender. He coughed up the water eventually and didn't die, don't worry.

When Bumi first shows his element in Book 3, Pema is shocked at first and then very disturbed by the development. Bumi and her were the only nonbenders in the entire group, and now it's just her and the acolytes again. To her, he basically left her alone with all these damn benders.

She jokingly tells Bumi how uncool it is that they can't bond over being nonbenders anymore and Bumi just,, fully starts crying. Pema is shocked and confused as he breaks down and tells her that she deserves it more than him, that she should have been an airbender because she spent her life studying the culture. He's afraid that she'll resent him now because of it.

Pema smiles and hugs him and tells him that she doesn't want an element, even if it's air. She hardly has time to raise four young children and support Tenzin when he's nearly dying all the damn time running around on Avatar business. She doesn't have the desire or time to learn an element.

She tells him that she doesn't want that responsibility, and she's actually sorry the element fell to him because she knows that he's proud of his illustrious career in the UF as a nonbender. He cries even more when she says that, and that solidifies the fact that she doesn't want an element.

She's glad the harmonic convergence skipped over her.

[dont-blame-it-on-the-kids]

Ooh what's Falling Backwards, Falling Backwards? Nice title.

Last edited Feb 26, 2024 lmaoo

I only have a bullet list of ideas and a bit of the first one written for this fic.

Based off the vibes of the song Pluto - Sleeping at Last cuz that’s such a Lin vibe to meeee

But it’s a Lin centric (shocker I know) snapshot piece of everything that gives her nightmares at night, times she was actually falling and times she was emotionally falling.

A few hcs in there like my drowning as a kid hc and some random injuries from when she was a younger officer. (My fav is her falling onto rubble/rebar that one is so precious to me for some reason lol) moments of emotional despair, when tenzin broke up with her, when Aang died, when Toph gave Bolin answers about Lin’s father when she was ignored every time she would ask.

The vibe I was going for was related to the line about where armor ends and skin begins as well as the feeling you get when you’re almost asleep and you suddenly feel like you dropped 30ft back into your bed.

Lin woke suddenly, the world spinning with her sleep-addled mind. She gasped for breath as the heel of her hand rubbed furiously over her forehead. Trying to scrape away the feeling of his hand on her face.

“No, no no,” Lin started to cry as the feeling didn’t leave her. Tears falling over her cheeks, the salty taste in her mouth as she started to scratch at the spot on her skin. Nails digging and gouging to try to remove him from her. Iron joined the salt on her tongue as blood ran down around her nose and joined the tears, falling into her mouth and dripping off her chin to the covers on her lap.

Suddenly a hand on hers startled her and she gasped as she snatched her hand away from the warm touch.

“Lin, you’re bleeding.” Kya’s soft voice came from beside her.

Lin shook her head, pressing her palm to the wound and pulling back to see the red smear across her hand glimmering in the soft moonlight. Shit.

“Here, let me help.” Lin faced Kya now as tears rolled from her eyes. The illumination of healing water replaced the white moonlight with the soft blue glow, the cool of the water finally replacing the feeling of his thumb on her skin. Memories like fingernails dug into her body and she tried to shake her head to dispel them. A hot cloth gently wiped the blood and tears off her face and hands.

[krastbannert]

13, 42 for Maiko?

13. Do they have potential to be toxic if they’re usually healthy?

Yeah. They definitely do.

Neither of them are incredibly good at expressing their emotions. Zuko is passionate and loud, but also very rash and temperamental, Mai is quiet and composed but that means she holds everything back until she explodes. When they fight, they fight. And it's not pretty. So I would say what toxicity their relationship does have is less like not supporting each other or being controlling or dishonest or anything like that - if these two would be toxic, it would be due to lack of communication. (Good communication, specifically - Zuko yelling and Mai not talking is not a good combo. And yeah, Zuko does, canonically, get jealous. So maybe a little of that, too.)

42. Who is the sensible mature one?

I would argue Mai, personally. I think Zuko is smart - a lot smarter than many people seem to give him credit for - but like I said above, he's a little rash and temperamental, and while he can definitely be mature and make hard decisions, he can also act purely on instinct. I think Mai is more the one who sits back, thinks about the possibilities a bit more, and makes the "mature" choice.

(Which is something, I think, that she has to un-learn to an extent as she grows up - she has to unlearn how to always be the quiet thinker, and has to learn that sometimes, it's okay to act on instinct alone.)

------

Asks came from this ask game!

[devildogdemon]

Thank you so much for answering and gahhhh, I honestly didn't think I would enjoy this scene so much more than I already did. It always felt so perfect, though I will never forgive your torturous talent of writing the slow burn marathon that preceded it /hj.

Deep down, I feel like I always knew the flashlight held more meaning and power than it seems. But please forgive my surface-level ass for not seeing how beautiful, empowering, and romantic all in one it truly was until you spelled it out for me just now lol.

Your intertwining of their character arcs is so fascinating the more you describe it. It's just impossible for me to not see this story as their greatest journey in life (at this point in the timeline at least lol, I need to read your other fics!) . You fleshed them both out so brilliantly, and made their bond on this journey so magnetic and fulfilling. And may I just say, Asami's kiss being spur-of-the-moment was always something I enjoyed most about this. But hearing you say "without realizing it she's finally dropped her walls. Kissing Iroh now feels so natural that she's doing it before she has a chance to tell herself no." ARGGGHHH I'm totally not 🥺'ing at reading that rn ���️‍🔥 Not to mention Iroh's own reaction, thought process, and the tacit deep connection between them before they come up for air and speak to each other.

I am sorry for the pain that writing kissing scenes causes you! This one especially, all those re-writes that must have driven you crazy! But please know, there's not a single thing I would change about it. "It felt like being seen. Like coming home." I don't think anything sounds more perfect than that, especially for my girl Asami!

And may I concur that the humble, serene ending establishing their proper communication is an absolute lovely note to end on? I mean, the only thing that could make it better is an impromptu dumpling date request from Iroh 😉 I will admit I'm a sucker for "The chaos is finally over, wanna go out?" But I don't think I've ever enjoyed it more than with these two, at the end of this life-changing journey you took me on with them 🥰

Thank you so, so much again, for the answer, and literally every other word you write. The Irosami crowd will never serve under a finer Captain 🫡

For the DVD commentary please! From a fic which reading was one of my favorite experiences all of 2022 🫶 (not exaggerating in the slightest)

AWOL, Chapter 44 (Spoilers):

“Is that why you’re here?” she asked. “To offer me a job?”

“No, actually.” Iroh reached into his coat pocket and pulled something out. “I came to bring back a prototype. I believe I took excellent care of it, but I wanted to return it to its rightful owner as soon as possible.” He opened his palm to reveal her portable light. “A brilliant inventor let me borrow it, but I understand it’s one of a kind. A museum will want it one day.” 

He thought that her invention belonged in a museum? It was one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to her. Without thinking Asami threw her arms around Iroh’s neck, stood on her toes, and kissed him soundly on the mouth. 

It took Asami a second before she realized what she’d done. She hadn’t thought about it at all, but it seemed like everything had so suddenly changed that she had just… slipped. So much for being better than that. She felt her face grow hot. Asami lowered herself down, arms still around his neck, and forced herself to open her eyes. Iroh was staring at her with a combination of shock and unmistakable delight. He chuckled quietly, almost to himself. Then he leaned down, slowly, and pressed his lips to hers. 

His kiss was soft and brief, almost tentative. Iroh pulled away and searched her face, curious, as if determining the result of some important experiment. Asami gave him a stunned smile and he nodded slightly. Then he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again, this time more firmly. His mouth was very warm. Her nose filled with the smell of him as she closed her eyes; fresh soap, the barest hint of cologne, and something else underneath that she liked but couldn’t quite place. Maybe it was just his own scent. Her heart thudded in her chest as his lips parted hers, gentle yet insistent, never rushing. Exploring. Familiar, yet new. She pulled him into her, finally remembering to kiss him back, to kiss him, to kiss Iroh, her Iroh, again and again and again and again. The fabric of his collar was rough against her fingers. He pressed her close, and she felt the portable light dig slightly into her back. Nobody had ever kissed her like this before, steadily, patiently, thoroughly. It felt like being seen. Like coming home.

When they finally parted, Iroh was grinning, gold eyes alight. He rested his forehead against hers, their noses just brushing. “Okay,” he breathed.

“Okay.” She felt like she was spinning. 

“For the record, I refuse to pretend that didn’t happen this time.”

“Yes,” Asami laughed, a little breathless. “That definitely happened. Actually, I think the other one happened, too.”

“Good,” he said. “I liked the other one.”

“Yeah. Me, too.”

Ahhhh omg thank you. I still love AWOL so much even though my writing has evolved a little since then.

So as you know this is the end of the fic where 44 chapters of mutual pining come crashing down.

“Is that why you’re here?” she asked. “To offer me a job?”

“No, actually.” Iroh reached into his coat pocket and pulled something out. “I came to bring back a prototype. I believe I took excellent care of it, but I wanted to return it to its rightful owner as soon as possible.” He opened his palm to reveal her portable light. “A brilliant inventor let me borrow it, but I understand it’s one of a kind. A museum will want it one day.” 

I wrote AWOL more or less in order, but the idea of Iroh borrowing Asami's newly invented flashlight was a late add. I write Iroh as kind of tactile and Asami as a gift-giver in her love language, so her giving him the light and him touching it to find his way home (to her) was I thought a nice way to bring them back together. His comments about the light belonging in a museum are also meant to show his shift in mindset from Asami being something he wanted (him vs Mako) to someone valuable in her own right, independent of a relationship. Which is essentially Iroh's character arc in this fic - going from being very focused on his own feelings to really, truly putting someone else first.

He thought that her invention belonged in a museum? It was one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to her. Without thinking Asami threw her arms around Iroh’s neck, stood on her toes, and kissed him soundly on the mouth. It took Asami a second before she realized what she’d done. She hadn’t thought about it at all, but it seemed like everything had so suddenly changed that she had just… slipped. So much for being better than that. She felt her face grow hot. Asami lowered herself down, arms still around his neck, and forced herself to open her eyes.

And here we have Asami's. Her journey in AWOL is to let herself be open to love. I absolutely wanted the kiss at the end to be driven by her, and to be something she doesn't overthink - not in the way Iroh kissed her before because he was desperate, but because without realizing it she's finally dropped her walls. Kissing Iroh now feels so natural that she's doing it before she has a chance to tell herself no.

Iroh was staring at her with a combination of shock and unmistakable delight. He chuckled quietly, almost to himself. Then he leaned down, slowly, and pressed his lips to hers. 

His kiss was soft and brief, almost tentative. Iroh pulled away and searched her face, curious, as if determining the result of some important experiment. Asami gave him a stunned smile and he nodded slightly. Then he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again, this time more firmly.

For the actual kissing I liked the idea of it being the opposite of what had happened before. Part of Iroh putting Asami first is now making sure she wants this. He kisses her a little and sees what happens. Only when she's obviously happy with it does he go for it. But Iroh being more of an actions-over-words person and my own personal dislike of stopping the action to have characters say "may I kiss you?" I wanted to do all of this silently.

His mouth was very warm. Her nose filled with the smell of him as she closed her eyes; fresh soap, the barest hint of cologne, and something else underneath that she liked but couldn’t quite place. Maybe it was just his own scent. Her heart thudded in her chest as his lips parted hers, gentle yet insistent, never rushing. Exploring. Familiar, yet new. She pulled him into her, finally remembering to kiss him back, to kiss him, to kiss Iroh, her Iroh, again and again and again and again. The fabric of his collar was rough against her fingers. He pressed her close, and she felt the portable light dig slightly into her back. Nobody had ever kissed her like this before, steadily, patiently, thoroughly. It felt like being seen. Like coming home.

I re-wrote this like 14,000 times and still hate writing kisses. Kisses are so fucking hard to write.

When they finally parted, Iroh was grinning, gold eyes alight. He rested his forehead against hers, their noses just brushing. “Okay,” he breathed.

“Okay.” She felt like she was spinning. 

“For the record, I refuse to pretend that didn’t happen this time.”

“Yes,” Asami laughed, a little breathless. “That definitely happened. Actually, I think the other one happened, too.”

“Good,” he said. “I liked the other one.”

“Yeah. Me, too.”

Overall I like that the end of AWOL is kind of quiet. They're not tearing each others' clothes off or anything. Just a good, solid kiss to know how they really feel and then a little "okay." If anything I think the mutual okays with their heads together is the real finale of the fic. They are both, finally, on the same page. But just in case that wasn't perfectly clear Iroh wants to make sure. He's learned his lesson about kissing someone and not following up about what it meant.

[sooz-again]

Since Bosco and Miyuki are both spirits, what's their love story?

You can hide behind the anonymous function all you want, @orangepanic, but I know this is you.

Okay. So. Bosco/Miyuki, but as spirits, because apparently this is happening. I've got less of the seeds of a love story for this one, and more of a....hypothesis, iI suppose.

As far as I can remember, the fan theory behind Bosco and Miyuki being spirits is that they are a single animal species, instead of the combined species, like platypus bears or skunk bears or polar bear dogs (there's a lot of these critters that are bear combos. This isn't that notable except for the fact that I love bears, and clearly so do the ATLA creative team, and I am in no way complaining. More bear beasts, please). The only other non-combined animal we see is Hei Bei, who is (regrettably) a panda bear, and he is also a spirit, so this is reason to believe that non combined animals are spirits.

I want to bring us back to when the Gaang were in Ba Sing Se, and invited to see the Earth King's bear, leading to the utter confusion from everyone that it's just a bear, and not a ____-bear. And I have always found this fascinating, because up until this, I hadn't really thought too much about how every animal combo was named after the two animals that created that animal. But with them all recognizing the 'bear' part made me realize that, yeah, they all do know what a bear is, separate from a platypus or a skunk or a dog. They recognize it as a singular animal, even if it was foreign to them.

Which means that, they probably also know what a platypus is. Or a dog. That the first people, upon seeing a tigerdillo, knew that this animal was a combination of features of both tigers and armadillos, and knew what tigers and armadillos are. Even if the singular animals are now maybe something more of legend, the people of the world know what they are.

And this leads me to my hypothesis. The animal combos definitely came from somewhere, and I'd like to suggest that they are the result of animal spirits finding love. Or just experimenting. I dunno, love certainly isn't always needed to make a baby, after all.

This doesn't explain why all the animal combos in the world aren't spirits though. I suppose that could be hand waved away with the same argument for why lions and tigers can make babies but the babies tend to be sterile. Maybe instead of sterile they're mortal, or whatever the Avatar-universe alternative to being spirits is.

But let's bring this back to Bosco and Miyuki. You know what animal combo we haven't seen in Avatar? Bear cats, or cat bears. Clearly Bosco and Miyuki never hooked up. Maybe this is because they actually hate each other. Miyuki, we know, was working against the Fire Nation, but Bosco? He didn't exactly stop the Dangerous Ladies from coming in and taking over Ba Sing Se; in fact, he absolutely befriended Ty Lee, even after his supposed best bud Kuei was taken captive. If you ask me, Bosco was likely helping to keep Ba Sing Se weak and prime for the Fire Nation to take.

All in all, I'd say that Bosco and Miyuki's relationship could be prime grounds for an enemy to lovers story, for someone else (meaning: Orange) to tackle.

[ljf613]

The ATLA/Emma crossover sounds super interesting!!

This is a fairly recent plot bunny. I originally started thinking about it when @janeuary-month put out a call for ATLA/Austen AUs. (Thanks to @orangepanic for bringing it to my attention-- sadly, I wasn't able to get anything together in time for this event, but maybe I'll have my act together by next year?)

Obviously, if I'm going to be writing an AU like that, I have to use Toko (my ATLA OTP) and Emma, my favorite Austen novel. The question was who to cast in what role. Much as I love them, I just couldn't see either Zuko or Toph as Emma or Knightley, and I couldn't see Zuko as Frank or Toph as Jane... but Toph as Frank and Zuko as Jane? *chef's kiss*

Other castings for this AU include:

Iroh as Miss Bates

Aang as Emma

Suki as Isabella

Sokka as John

Katara as Knightley

This whole concept still needs some more work and worldbuilding before I can actually make it work as a coherent story (how does the avatar system work?), but here are some loose ideas:

Toph and Zuko are secretly engaged but they're hiding it because Zuko and Iroh are refugees from the Fire Nation and her parents would not approve.

Aang and Suki are cousins who were raised together like siblings.

Toph comes to town to teach Aang earthbending (her parents are optimistic that this arrangement might lead to a betrothal).

Toph actually wasn't all that interested in coming to teach the Avatar but then she remembered Zuko lives nearby.

Aang and Toph play at flirting but they both know it's not serious.

Aang likes to try to set up his friends because he just wants everyone to be happy but then he starts worrying that Katara has a crush on Zuko and why should that matter to him except that it does and-

It's going to be a fun time!

Ask me about my WIPs!

[linnorabeifong]

Thoughts on General Iroh II? 👀

He can get this anytime. 🤭

On a serious note I love him and he was underutilized they could have fleshed him out and made him shirtless… and gave him more screen time and…. animated his back muscles… and what who said that… 👀

I’m a fan. He is eye candy and a chivalrous gentleman.

They did him a disservice and made him boring but I have remedied that…. He he I’m writing Iroh rn. Giving him a spicy back story. Maybe I’ll post it.

Also if you love Iroh please check out @orangepanic ‘s fics on Ao3.

Rant over thank you for the ask.

[homeagainrose]

Oh wow a tagging game I'll actually play. Gasp! Tagged by @orangepanic.

Words are face, false, water, fight

We'll drop this under a break because probably going to be long...

I tag @ekwolfwriter-blog, @ryu-slayer, @badlucksav,

Words for you guys if you want to play: Star, Dragon, Night

Face/Fight

This is from a Zutara WIP - Circling Celestial Bodies if anyone is following. It's my current favorite, I'll get back to everything else, I swear.

Zuko starts, his fire burning through him with his temper. He knows waterbending is illegal in the Fire Nation and since the escape, the punishment is horrid. Katara glances around like a terrified cat-deer. This is her absolute worst fear. He reaches for his swords. He doesn’t have his mask and they’re not going to listen to the Blue Spirit. Uncle would be proud; he at least thinks part of this through. “Release her!” Zuko orders, the carefully trained commanding tone of a crown prince leaves his lips. The villagers jump. The magistrate glares at him. “And by whose authority do you think you are? This woman has committed horrendous crimes against citizens of the Fire Nation, she will therefore face justice for her actions.” The magistrate scoffs. Zuko draws himself to his full height, his temper fueling his words. “By order of his Royal Highness, Crown Prince Zuko son of his Imperial Majesty, Ozai son of Azulon, the Fire Lord.” Zuko tosses his metal identification tag, complete with gold tassels, at the magistrate. He stares open mouthed. “She stays with me.”

Water

This one was supposed to be Oshamir Week's fantasy but it spiraled and now it's going to be part of the Halloween Fics. A in verse Star Wars fic heavily inspired by Dracula because there is so much vampire coding and it's me. They also said it first!

“I don’t like to reveal all my tricks the first time.” Qimir says, his voice shifting. Osha can’t tear her eyes away from the expression on his face. He looks like he wants to devour her. She’s not sure where that thought came from. “You don’t?” Osha asks. Her voice less strong than she would like. Qimir has stalked towards her, stepped into her space, as he looks over her. Osha can’t look anywhere but his eyes. Something shifts between them. The storm suddenly feels diminished and not important with what is going on here. She usually hates people being in her space, but Qimir feels different. He raises his hand to brush his fingers along her cheek. Her lips part as she stares at him. She can’t look away. He’s close enough Osha can feel him brush against her Threads. There is a desire to weave them together, but she fights it. Qimir’s fingers rest under Osha’s chin, turning her up to face him, as if she wants to look anywhere else. His thumb runs along her lip as his eyes practically bore into her. Osha is held captive by his attention. She’s vaguely aware of his other large hand at her waist, spread out over her hip. She likes how it feels. Qimir shifts his hand to brush his fingers against her cheek. “I have crossed oceans of time to find you.” Osha gasps at Qimir’s words. His voice is low, a raspy whisper meant only for them. She can’t look away. She can’t look anywhere else. She is suddenly aware of the fullness of his lips as his teeth with their rather pronounced canines worry the tender flesh.

False

A bit of Sokka and Hakoda fun, heavily inspired by Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Sokka remains on edge even as they take their seats in the airship’s lounge. Hakoda orders them drinks. He seems far more relaxed now. Hakoda gives his son a look. “Relax, we’ve made it.” Hakoda says as he raises his glass. Sokka gives him a look. “When we’re airborne with the Fire Nation behind us, then I’ll share that sediment.” Sokka says. He really wishes he was better at relaxing, but he keeps getting caught up in these hairbrained adventures. At least this one is a favor for a friend. Sokka tries to relax as Hakoda turns back to his newspaper. He is still very much on edge. A steward moves through the lounge checking tickets. Movement near the entrance of the ship catches Sokka’s eye. Admiral Zhao. He needs a plan and quick. “I’ll be right back, Dad.” Hakoda nods as Sokka gets up from their table. How does this keep happening to him?

[thatoneguy56fanfic]

Day 14: Creepy + Left For Dead

For @orangepanic’s Whumptolktober! I know I missed a lot of days, but I finally had an idea for this. Also, trigger warning: this fic includes talk of stalking and mental health disorders, plus a mention of drugging and kidnapping. So don’t read if you don’t like that kind of thing. I’m sorry in advance for my fellow Asami-lovers.

I woke up feeling confused and groggy. How much had I drunk at that party? I wondered, reaching up to rub my face. That’s when I noticed that I couldn’t really move. My body felt strangely heavy and sluggish. What the fuck?

“Oh, good. You’re awake!” The voice made my body stiffen, and I looked up to see my ex-girlfriend, Asami Sato standing in the kitchen of my apartment. This couldn’t be happening! How had she found me? I had been so careful. I had no social media anymore and I’d even gotten my lease under a different name.

“Still feeling a bit groggy, huh?” Asami said, a creepy smile on her face. Her voice sounded way too sweet. I knew that tone, and it made my heart race. “That’s okay. Don’t worry, it’ll wear off in a few hours.”

“What will?” I asked, finally finding my voice.

“Oh, I just gave you something to help you relax, that’s all.” Asami said, walking towards me. I could only watch helplessly, my body refusing to listen to my brain's commands. “You know how emotional you get, sweetie. I just wanted to have a conversation without you doing anything unreasonable, you know? You understand, right?”

Okay, so she seemed to be having one of her episodes. She was probably off her meds too. I could handle this, I just had to be careful and calm until whatever she’d given me had worn off. Then I’d get away or call for help.

“You’re right. I’m sorry for being unreasonable before.” I said, choosing my words and tone carefully. Asami’s smile widened.

“See! I knew you’d understand.” She said, climbing onto my lap, straddling my legs. I felt my heart skip a couple of beats. “I just wanted to talk, Korbear. I knew if I could just talk to you, I’d get you to understand my side. But you were being so unreasonable.” She ran her fingers over my cheek gently. The use of her old nickname for me made me tense even more. “Moving out without telling me. Getting that pesky restraining order. But what really hurt was you convincing my dad to put me in that psychiatric hold. That really hurt my feelings.”

“I’m sorry, Asami.” I said, feeling proud of how steady my voice sounded. I just had to stay calm. “You’re right. That was really rude of me. I should’ve just let you tell me your side. It wasn’t fair of me to do what I did.”

“You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that.” Asami said, placing a hand over her chest in relief. “I was so worried that those irksome friends of yours had put lies in your head again. Like they did when they convinced you that I was isolating you. I mean can you believe that? Me? Isolating you? Come on, that’s just ridiculous!”

“You kind of did, Asami.” I said gently. “You didn’t let me leave our house.”

“You didn’t need to! That’s not isolation!” Asami said, her voice rising defensively. “I love you, Korbear. I just wanted to take care of you, that’s not a bad thing right?”

“But what about my job? Or my friends and family?” I replied. “You tried to take those from me.”

“You didn’t need to work!” Asami said, placing her hands on my shoulders. “I’m rich, you could’ve just lived off my money. You’ll never have to worry about working when you’re with me, you know that. As for your friends, well they’re just jealous of what we have.”

“And my family?” I asked.

“They never really liked me anyway. So who cares what they think. They’re obviously going to say anything to make me look bad.” She replied, pouting. “Don’t tell me that you’re believing their lies again are you, Korbear?”

“Asami, I need you to listen to me.” I said, choosing my words carefully. “Have you been taking your meds?”

Her eyes darkened and her smile dropped slightly. I felt my heart plummet. Did I push too far?

“That’s not very nice of you, Korbear.” Asami said, her tone slightly less cheerful. “Here I am, surprising you on your birthday, and this is how you thank me? Of course I haven’t taken them. I don’t need them, sweetie. You know that! Those stupid doctors don’t know anything. I’m perfectly sane. They just can’t understand how much I love you. We were meant for each other, Korbear.”

I couldn’t help it any longer. She was clearly in some kind of mental distress, and I could feel my patience growing thin.

“Asami, you can’t just stop taking your pills.” I said, slowly. “It’s dangerous-“

“Of course I’m not taking them!” Asami shouted, cutting me off. “Because I’m not crazy! I don’t need any pills, I keep telling everyone that!” She got off of me, breathing hard and pacing. Spirits, she was more unstable than I’d realized. Cold fear started to claw at my chest. Suddenly, she stopped pacing and marched back over to me. She leaned down and gripped my chin tightly.

“That was very rude of you, Korbear.” She said, her voice low and dangerous. “I am not dangerous. You know I’m not. I would never hurt you, I love you!”

“You’re right! You’re right!” I said, genuinely afraid now. I’d never seen her like this before. Sure, she’d always been extremely possessive and stalker-level obsessed with me. But this was new, and far more intimidating than her previous behavior. “I’m so sorry. Of course you’re not dangerous. I shouldn’t have said that, please forgive me, Sams.” I added, using my old nickname for her in an attempt to appease her.

“Of course I forgive you, silly girl!” Asami said, her face brightening again. She smiled broadly again, patting my face affectionately. “I could never stay mad at you, you know that. But don’t ever say anything like that again, okay? That really hurt my feelings.”

“I won’t, I promise.” I said.

“Good. Because the ride home would be so awkward if you did.” She replied.

“Ride home?” I asked in confusion.

“Of course! You didn’t think I’d let you stay here, did you?” Asami scoffed, as if it was the most obvious thing ever. The thought of her taking me anywhere filled me with dread. “It was such a pain in the ass to find you, Korbear. You really didn’t make it easy on me. But you should know by now that I’m so much smarter than you. You didn’t really think that you could ever hide from me, did you?”

[wishingforatypewriter]

October 20: Sweet + Emotional Angst

Written (late again) for Day 20 of @orangepanic's Whumptloktober. This one is a short Jarper oneshot that didn't quite want to work with me, but I may revisit this idea later.

Jargala Omo had become accustomed to a few Triple Threats hanging around the Platinum Pool Hall on any given day. It was an annoyance to be sure, but one she accepted as a sign of a healthy alliance. But the sheer number of them crowded around the bar and billiards tables on this particular afternoon raised questions. 

She approached Shin and Mushi at a pool table where the latter was just finishing a turn. 

“Did the cops raid your base or something?” she asked, one eyebrow raised. 

“No, Viper's just being even more insufferable than usual,” Shin said. 

Well, that tracked. “Any particular reason why, or is he just being an ass?”

“He’s always an ass,” Shin quipped, and you weren’t gonna catch Jargala arguing otherwise.

 A beat later Mushi asked, “Did you get a chance to read the paper this morning?”

“The ostrich horse races?” She wondered idly how much money he had to have lost to put him in such a bad mood. 

“No, the obituaries,” Mushi said. “His old man died in prison yesterday.”

Jargala did all she could to keep the surprise from showing on her face. She’d been under the impression that all his relatives were long dead. “I take it he was connected.” 

“He ran the Red Monsoons for a decade after Yakone got busted. They did a whole story on it in the Gazette.” 

“Good to know,” Jargala said with a shrug. “I have to head out for an errand. Just make sure your people don’t drink my bar dry.” 

She pretended not to notice the knowing glance the two men exchanged as she walked towards the front door.

Jargala arrived at the Triple Threats’ headquarters half an hour later with her most expensive bottle of Si Wong tequila. When she knocked on the door to Viper’s office, she was met by the beginning of a tirade she imagined had been repeated an inordinate number of times that day. 

“What part of fuck off do you useless bastards not understand? The next time one of you dumb fucks knock on this door I’m gonna—”

Jargala walked through the door, closing it behind her, and took a seat on the edge of his desk as though she’d been invited in. 

“You could have called first,” he grumbled, still clearly cross, but far less venomous than before. 

“Didn’t feel like it.” Jargala opened the tequila and took a long swig before passing him the bottle. 

He shook his head at her, but still took it. “It’s barely fucking noon.” 

She shrugged. “We can pour some out for your dad.” 

Viper sighed. “Look, I don’t know who told you what, but that bastard wasn’t worth a drop of sewer sludge. Let alone your imported shit.”

“Sounds like there’s a story there,” Jargala said, crossing one leg over the other. 

“And you’re not getting one.” 

“Good. I didn’t want to hear it, anyway. Now, drink or pass the bottle back.” 

“Is your pops a good one, sweetness?” he asked instead, still glancing at the tequila in his hand. 

“The best there is,” she replied. “He deserves a much better daughter than me.” 

“Let’s drink to him, then, and let Aklaq rot.”

Jargala nodded, knowing better than to ask why. “And his Red Monsoons along with him.”

[btheleaf]

WIP ask game

it's been too long since i annoyed everyone. I am sorry if you don't even write fics or make art or fanworks. Just ignore this post if you wish 😅

rules: make a new post with the names of all the files in your wip folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. tag as many people as you have wips. people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, then post a little snippet or tell them something about it!

@dont-blame-it-on-the-kids @lis-muerta @novaae @nyamadermont @yukaro353 @orangepanic @creampuffqueen @late-night-sleeper @beifong-brainrot @beifongboars @empreslinbeifong @marenkas @gloomybadger4life @dollvix @danbeifong @oldandirrelevant @linnorabeifong @desidarling123 @sweetorangepoptart @purplefishies007 @eclecticflowerfreakgoth @ilive4milfs @hoogameep @backwards-blackbird

My excessive number of wips is under the cut. If you click the read more you will understand why I tagged so many people (i am addicted to starting fics, and I never finish them)

smut/ pwp

pemzin first time

pemlin edging smut

intoxicated kyema

storytelling/ miscellaneous

tenzin hospital stay

crossover lok voy

Koshe and Saikhan

pemova checkup

twins au pemlinzin

modern AU equalist

island interlude

there was only one bed

first times

16 trapped

fics that contain non-con, but that’s not the beef of the story

"Tenzin"

pemlinzin torture

azi

held fast

solitary

pemlin prostitute au

scold's bridle

non-con for the sake of non-con ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

suyin hates acolytes

dv linzin

cave fucking

pemeer

tenzazi

Azi's love for linzin

raiko x pema

fics that would put me on some kind of watch list

[redacted] and huan

miao party

sheng is back :(

update: I crossed out the one's i've gotten asks for

[yell0wsalt]

Tagged by @orangepanic @ekwolfwriter-blog and @homeagainroseshare to out my WIPs

rules: make a new post with the names of all the files in your wip folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. tag as many people as you have wips. people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, then post a little snippet or tell them something about it!

Active WIPs/plans are as follows:

I Can Fix That Chapter 5

MelJay childhood encounter

FT phone sex

MelJay lap dance

those are the only ones coming to mind rn. Tagging anyone interested

[krastbannert]

5, 28, 49

5. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?

No. It's more like @authorjoydragon's squishmallows take over my side of the bed every night and I'm left with about 1 inch of space before the edge of the bed.

28. How are you, really?

Fuckin tired of living in a hotel room, that's for damn sure.

49. What does your last text say?

I congratulated my sister on graduating college (not typing it out because I can't be bothered and because it has potentially identifiable info that I don't want online).

------

Asks came from this ask game!

[linnorabeifong]

”what like it’s hard?” Heavens I need Lin in a legally blond au, she excels so effortlessly.

💗🤍💗

Also anyone seeing this post should go read orange’s fics….

DVD COMMENTARY (Blazin Sunsets)

Bumi blinked at it. It looked like she’d won every round. “Um,” he said quietly. “You’re not, you know…”

“Of course not,” Lin snapped. “How in spirits’ name would you use earthbending to cheat at cards?”

Thanks :)

Gosh I still love this fic so much. One of my absolute favorites.

I wrote Blazing Sunsets for the Avatar Rare Pair Shipping Challenge in 2021. At the time I didn't ship Lin or Bumi with anyone and I think was just scrounging for characters who didn't have canon ships and mashing them together to see what happened. Which, to be fair, I still do. But this was definitely one of those fics where I started out ha ha ha what a crackship! and by the end of my own fic I'd sold myself.

What I most wanted in this story was the dynamic between Lin and Bumi. It was less about the setting of Blazing Sunsets, though that helped, and more about how to get the two of them into a situation where they realize they're not as different as they might appear. In this scene Lin replaces Bumi's losing streak at a poker game and by the time he comes back from getting more liquor she's won every hand. I love it for the "what, like it's hard?" dynamic of Lin fitting comfortably into a world Bumi thought she was unfamiliar with while at the same time keeping her own integrity of, obviously, never cheating at cards.

Send me a snippet of my own work and I'll tell you about it.

[sooz-again]

B, K, and M for the ask game?

B. A pairing - platonic, romantic, or sexual- that you initially didn't consider, but someone changed your mind.

I mean, there are just so many with this, lol.

Most recently, @erisenyo helped me discover the potential of Sokka/Hahn (and also Jet/Hahn) despite me never having cared about Hahn before a couple of months ago.

@orangepanic introduced me to the Boulder/Ursa, which has far more sweet potential than I ever could have imagined.

And I don't know who changed my mind about this, but Zuko/Aang has recently started fascinating me and it never really did before. There's something really special there, about their stories and how close they become and depend on each other and rely on each other. They're a ship I could see myself writing a lot of in-depth character studies of, and never really feel I've scratched the surface.

K. What character has your favorite development arc/ the best development arc?

I have to go with Azula- ignoring the comics, of course. Her downfall is one of the best written character arcs of the show. It wasn't something I could have predicted the first time I watched it, but every rewatch, I feel like I pick up on more and more clues of what is to come. It's shocking, and sad, and just so beautifully and tragically handled.

(again, ignoring the comics)

Beyond Avatar, I actually have to go with another antagonist/villain: Handsome Jack from the Borderlands series. Even just looking at Borderlands 2, the way Jack is portrayed when he's introduced to the Vault Hunters (I always think of when he comes on in Liars Berg, calling the player 'pumpkin' or 'cupcake' or something as he brags about Butt Stallion; how much of an ass he is, but a playful ass), versus how he is while the Vault Hunters are trying to get into Control Core Angel (the venom in his voice when he says, 'do me a favor and die') is such a stark change in who he is. And when the Vault Hunters are trying to break everything and kill Angel, there's a very humanizing desperation in his voice while demanding everyone stop, probably the only time we really see a more vulnerable side of him. It helps to paint a picture of who he is, and who he was. Really, Jack doesn't change much from the beginning of B2 to the end of B2, but just the way he is revealed to the players is incredibly well done, for making a villain that is both fun and entertaining, and someone you hate and do want to kill by the end of the game.

And then, tying the Pre-Sequel into the mix, where we see Jack become the villain we know and love in B2; he starts out actually caring about other people, which seems insane when thinking about who he is in B2. But he does, and it's so fascinating to see who he is before he became head of Hyperion. I have a lot of issues with the Pre-Sequel, but Jack's character arc is not one of them. Jack's character arc through both games fleshes him out in a very satisfying way.

(and I am ignoring his story in Tales, because that was an AI version of himself and while he did completely act in accordance to how Jack would act, ehhhh, it's not really Jack so I'm not counting it)

Unsurprisingly, Handsome Jack and Azula are my top two favorite antagonists from any media, so makes sense I would pick them.

M. Name a character you'd like to have for a friend.

Bosco. Or Appa. To be fair, I don't think there are a lot of characters out there I'd like to befriend. A lot of the characters I enjoy the most are characters I'd hate to be around in real life. If there's a character out there who just like...lives a normal life with a normal range of emotions and plays board games and takes long walks, then that's who I'd probably want to be friends with, but those people don't tend to end up in fiction.

[the-hopefulpenguin]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💗

Thanks for the ask! For my five:

The Saint’s Blade is definitely my favourite fic, and one of my favourite things I’ve written overall. A series of interconnected stories about Sophia Hess going into another world which worships Worm capes as gods – becoming a paladin – and falling in love in the process. The opportunity to world-build was wonderfully fun, the OC cast great to work with, and it gave an interesting chance to play with Soph’s character to boot.

No Greater Love is the other longer fic from my more recent Worm stuff which I’m proud of, where Taylor gets dropped into a universe where her alter-ego is a Ward, dating Shadow Stalker…and has just been killed in action. I particularly enjoyed writing the aftermath of Taylor’s death in the first chapter, tackling it from three different perspectives – the casualty notification officer, her mom, and her girlfriend – and exploring the nuances as a result.

While I really enjoy a lot of my Legend of Korra and ATLA fic, Kuvira’s Diary in the Advance to Ba Sing Se, 171 AG is one I particularly liked writing. As the title suggests, it is verbatim Kuvira’s diary from the point of leaving Zaofu to her securing Ba Sing Se and being empowered by the other nations to re-unify the Earth Kingdom. Writing an early, not-jaded Kuvira was great fun – particularly as I was able to sow the seeds of what she later became throughout – while the worldbuilding of the Earth Kingdom sinking into anarchy and depredation was an enjoyable exercise.

Balestra, co-written with the wonderful maroon_sweater, was unquestionably the most fun I’ve ever had writing a fanfic. In premise, it was an epistolary enemies to lovers romance inspired by This Is How You Lose The Time War. In execution, it was her and I writing each other condescending hate mail on a daily basis for a month – really quite fantastic. This is only uplifted by the fact that Roon is an incredibly talented writer, deeply and dryly witty in a way which never ceases to impress; trying to keep up with her alone was an engaging challenge.

When We Are Dust, my collection of Worm WW1 AU snippets, is a fic I often go back to read – especially ‘All His Evermore’, about General Hana Kochar of the Kurdish Republic, ‘Inherent to Circumstance’ about Shatterbird, leader of the Arab Revolt, and ‘Et Decorum Est’ about Captain Dean Stansfield in Craiglockhart mental hospital. Translating the characters into the historical setting was an engaging challenge, and the AU fit my penchant for both military detail and big emotional moments. I’m also proud of the writing; the last line, in particular – ‘As for the dead? They remain, fixed and unmoving down the centuries. Like stars, when we are dust.’

Tagging @cpericardium @therealtsk @orangepanic @wishingforatypewriter and @crookedmouth-mountainbones and anyone else who wants to join in!