Faster Than A Speeding Date → AO3 Link Words: 3,703 I Chapters: 1 / 1 a ridiculous v-day prompt fill for @ekingston
That’s what friends are for: Kara takes Lena to a speed dating event for Galentine’s Day.
Her body feels foreign. It takes days to adjust to the motions and weeks to grow comfortable in it.
It's like a second thought and each time she moves, she has to think about it. She bends forks and breaks dishes with inhumane strength. She reaches a staircase and doesn't remember how to lift her foot to take the first step.
The woman is always there with her, patient and ever so gentle. She eases her grip on the cutlery and hooks their elbows together before nudging her towards the stairs.
With each passing day, she acquires an inch more of her body.
A rattle of bones, a clack of fangs and teeth. Soft skin that bleeds under halfmoons of nails.
Or my interpretation of this spooky art
read it on ao3
Here’s an old story, while my brain fights with itself and refuses to put together more words. Happy Halloween!
Oh, we’re almost finished! I’m happy to post this one too. Also, let us all believe that erasers don’t exist in the Avatar universe, simply because everybody uses ink or writes in the dirt. As usual, enjoy this, because we all know that Varrick and Asami are the kind of people who love until the point of invention :)
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Prompt: double date
"Is this really necessary?"
Asami sips calmly at her drink. She's not usually one to indulge herself in alcohol, especially during a lunch in the middle of her workday. Given their company, though, she might find this necessary.
"Zhu Li insisted."
"Yes," Korra grouses and the childish drawl makes her sound young, "But Varrick!"
If Asami shares her girlfriend's feelings, well she's not going to tell.
"Zhu Li promised he'd be on his best behaviour."
Korra groans and drops her head on the table.
Truthfully, meeting for lunch with Zhu Li and Varrick doesn't sound too awful to Asami's ears. They have to discuss a new plan for the city infrastructure and since it involves the area around the new spirit portal, Korra's presence had been required. After a few tribulations of shifting plans and matching schedules, the four of them had settled for a lunch meeting in a plain but cozy restaurant.
Asami raises her free hand to the nape of Korra's neck, scratching a mellow pattern between her locks.
Criminal tendencies put aside, they had foolishly hoped married life would cut a new man out of the eccentric industrialist. Sadly, all hopes were crushed in a matter of time. Fallen from the helm of progress, Varrick had channeled all of his quirks towards his wife and her career. Grand gestures, full support for her presidential campaign, movers centered on her person... he appeared to be completely invested in Zhu Li. He even vouched for bestowing her name to a street under construction after her victory at the elections.
It was oddly charming.
Korra's unintelligible grumble in the folded napkin interrupts Asami's trail of thoughts.
"What was that, dear?" Asami asks, fingers teasing at Korra's scalp. The Avatar moves, turning her head and Asami's hand moves accordingly. Korra watches her through lethargic eyes, "If you keep doing that, I might fall asleep before they get here."
Asami smiles and withdraws her touch and Korra's nose wrinkles in response. The heiress is tempted to lean in and kiss it.
"I didn't say you had to stop..." Korra sighs, but straightens in her seat. Her plain water remains untouched in the glass.
Before Asami's tone can swirl into a gentle tease, a bell chimes and the restaurant door opens. Varrick marches inside, an exuberant flair to his gait.
Korra's mouth concedes a happy smirk, "Took you long enough."
"Nonsense! One is never too late to do the thing!" Varrick's loud voice carries through the room, "But now that you mention this, I'm actually thinking of making punctuality into a fashion. People could arrive late to appointments and still look amazing. I'll call it stylishly late!"
From beside him, Zhu Li smiles at the pair, "Korra, Asami. Thank you for joining us today. Have you been waiting for long?"
"Not at all, we-"
"I got it!" Varrick interrupts to lay an enthusiastic arm around Korra's shoulders, "We'll call it fashionably late! Eh! This way you'll never be late, only fashionably late! What do you guys think? Eh?"
Zhu Li doesn't bother with a sigh, "We'll work on the branding later, dear. I apologize for our tardiness, but Varrick insisted on driving and since he couldn't manage a parallel parking, we had to find another spot further down the street."
"We can't have the president herself driving a car, like some commoner. And it's those parking spaces' fault! They are ridiculous!" Varrick protests, as he pulls out a chair for Zhu Li, "Who decided to make them so narrow and compact?"
"That would be my girlfriend," Korra replies evenly, "You know, the CEO of Future Industries who rebuilt the city after the spirit vines?"
Varrick crosses his arms obnoxiously, "Well Asami," he says, "I'm sorry but I need to say this. Your parking spots are simply unacceptable. Barely passable. What kind of planning is that?"
"Now, hold on a minute-" Korra begins, but Zhu Li precedes her, "Don't anger the Avatar, dear," she puts the menu between his hands, "Why don't you decide what to order?"
Asami places her hand on the small of Korra's back, and guides her back down in her seat.
"Thank you for agreeing to this meeting," Asami says, "I know it wasn't easy to coordinate all our schedules."
Zhu Li smiles congenially, "If one of Republic City's most brilliant minds proposes a plan for the evolving infrastructure of the city, the least I can do is listen. And with the Avatar input and approval it's already one step closer to fruition."
"But first, let us eat!" Varrick exclaims from his seat, nose buried between the pages of the menu, "I'll have this one!"
Zhu Li examines his choice with a critical stare, "You don't like spicy food, so you'll end up complaining about the weird taste of the seal. Plus, you're lactose intolerant, so you can't order meat simmered in milk. I'll order the noodles for you, I've been told they're quite good here and I know you'll like them. Isn't that right, Korra?"
Korra stumbles through her reply, thrown off by the couple's fast dynamic, "Uh, yes they're good. Me and Bolin used to eat here after probending practice." She turns back to Asami for help, but her girlfriend is busy schooling her feature in an even expression, moments away from cracking in mirth.
Their waiter takes orders with a professional bow, writing concise words on a small notebook with a velvety black cover. As soon as he leaves, Zhu Li folds her hands on the table.
"Shall we take a look at your designs, Asami?"
Nodding, Asami turns back to retrieve her blueprints, but Korra precedes her, hands already buried inside her bag. She rifles quickly through the small pile of belongings, before landing on a red binder overflowing with papers. Asami accepts the folder with a grateful nod.
They balance each piece of cutlery in a carefully arranged scheme on the table, so they're able to both eat and discuss schematics at the same time.
"And that should do the thing, right?" Varrick questions, hand folded to his chin in contemplation.
Korra takes the last sip of her drink, "Yes. I'll need to communicate with the spirits first about these changes. But I have no doubts they'll agree," she trails off, noticing something left untouched on Asami's plate.
"Have you spoken to Tenzin yet? I'm sure the Air Nation will want to be involved in the process," Zhu Li points out.
"Not yet," Asami shakes her head, "We wanted to wait for your approval."
She watches as Korra scoops a spoonful of her serving of cabbages, the side to her main course of fish. Half turned in her seat, the Avatar proceeds to eat the entire of her portion in few large bites and Asami's smile tilts in grateful fondness. She never quite liked cabbage, be it a food on her plate or the shoddy work of her rivals.
She nudges her foot on the back of Korra's calf, leaving the touch there. There's nothing sensual in her gesture, just a grounding pressure that feels familiar and comfortable.
"Is that all?" Korra says around a bite of food. She speaks with her mouth full, so when the words come out they sound more like "Ish de a?"
Zhu Li lowers her fork and produces a pencil out of her pocket, "Except for minor alterations. But mostly, yes, this looks like a solid plan for the new district," she says and proceeds to cross out a section from an equation. She ponders for a second before she scratches the paper with the wrong end of her pencil. Asami quirks an eyebrow at the motion, puzzled by Zhu Li's actions.
"What are you doing?"
Zhu Li halts her motion, "Oh, this? It's an eraser."
Asami looks closer, noticing for the first time the pink end of the pencil. It's not made of graphite, nor wood, and it feels softer to the touch.
"You like my new invention?" Varrick snatches the pencil out of her hands, "It's a special kind of rubber, one that can cancel pencil's strokes. It doesn't work with ink, but I'm working on finding a solution."
To demonstrate, Zhu Li doodles a small star in one corner. Using the eraser, she carefully traces over her drawing, until each line disappears and the page turns white again.
"I first thought to produce little squares of this rubber, like portable erasing tools. But then, genius struck!" Varrick continues, wiggling his eyebrows, "What if we put the eraser on the back of the pencil? Then you both have the pencil and the eraser on the same tool!"
Asami touches the rubber again, the pink now stained by a gray smudge, "That's really smart, actually. How did you get the idea?"
Varrick sits back and crosses his arms, expression sombering somewhat, "My dear Zhu Li kept running out of paper in her office quite fast, so I had to find a way to let her save space. With my eraser, she won't have to stop and look for more paper ever again!"
Asami glances down at Zhu Li's notes, letters shaped in a small flowing cursive, neat and elegant even in small corners. She catches Zhu Li's knowing grin, both of them aware that making typos and mistakes falls outside the realm of possibility for the president. She did have a past as an assistant, after all.
"Yes and I thank you, dear. Never be said that the president doesn't have enough paper in her office."
Varrick visibly perks up at the words, that sound so much like something he would say, and his smirk turns satisfied. Beside Asami, Korra leans over her plate in his direction, impressed.
"Woah, Varrick. Think you can let me have one of those? Asami's notebooks are always filled with crossed sections and torn pages. It will be useful for her, too."
A familiar feeling warms Asami's chest and the heiress mirrors Zhu Li's smile, green eyes crinkling.
After another volley of proposals and questions and counterarguments, the waiter approaches their table again to take away the empty dishes.
"May I interest you in a dessert? Our kitchen offers the finest selection of chocolate from the Earth Kingdom."
Never one to turn down more delicious food, Korra accepts two servings, for both her and Asami, but Zhu Li hesitates, eyes flickering downward.
"I shouldn't," she says, smoothing the nonexistent wrinkles of her shirt, "The meeting between heads of states is next week and my public relations consultant said-"
"Nonsense!" Varrick springs up from his seat. Despite the thundering, he addresses the waiter in an even tone, "We'll have two as well, kind sir."
The waiter blinks and nods, adding another line to his pad. Zhu Li waits for him to leave their table before hissing at her husband.
"You know why I shouldn't eat that dessert, Varrick, Jin said-"
"You shouldn't listen to that consultant of yours. Jin is just a bloated head, as sensible as a hippo cow with an hernia," Korra's eyes bulge at the image, suppressing a sudden snicker, "There's nothing wrong with your figure, dear."
Varrick brings one hand to his chest and kneels down on the ground. The end of his blue jacket brushes the polished floor.
"You're beautiful, my dear. Even more beautiful now than when I first laid my eyes on you," his moustache twitches with his theatrics, "You are the strongest woman I know and I won't tolerate you refusing your favourite dessert only because of empty words."
An expression of surprise crosses Zhu Li's eyes, "Oh, hush. You say that because you are my husband, so you have to."
The denial spurs Varrick in a series of cheesy compliments that have Korra rolling her eyes at Asami. Opposite of them, Zhu Li doesn't bother to hide the pleased redness that spreads on her cheeks at her husband's words. When their food arrive, she ends up scrapping every morsel of dessert with a pleased hum.
After a fumbled argument about settling the bill, the four of them make their way outside the restaurant in idle chatter. They part ways with smiles and promises of another meeting soon.
Korra waves a lazy hand at Varrick and Zhu Li's retreating backs, "Well, I'm surprised that turned out well."
"Yes," Asami says, entwining their fingers together as they start walking in the opposite direction, "I knew you would end up enjoying yourself. They are a... surprising pair, but pleasant nonetheless."
They fall in a comfortable silence for a moment, before Asami speaks again, "Do you want to do something else? I have a couple of hours before my next meeting and-"
She trails off and stumbles on the curb, caught unprepared by the pull of Korra's hand on her palm, like a dead weight, "Korra?"
The Avatar is frozen mid motion, mouth open in a perfect circle.
"Holy Raava, Asami," Korra states, free hand moving into vague figures and voice warped by shock, "I just realized we sort of- kind of went on a double date with Varrick and Zhu Li! Oh, Raava..."
Astonished, Asami stifles a laugh into her hand, prompting Korra to give her a confused stare. It only takes a second before Asami's hearty laughter steals the entirety of Korra's annoyance and makes her join in.
Recon is starting
#pascalcampion
TW: animal death / animal neglect
I wanted to draw this comic for a long time, but I never knew how to approach this issue. In my childhood all my friends had budgies, all of them were put aside somewhere and left alone. Treated like “annoying” decoration. Don’t get a bird if you can’t meet its needs.
I wanted to try something a little different with this one. Hopefully it’s okay. Also, I fell behind with the schedule, busy day. Don’t know if I’ll get next up in time, but I’ll do my best. As usual, enjoy :)
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Prompt: longing
"Hello?"
"You have reached Air Temple Island, this is Master Meelo speaking. How shall I assist you today?"
"... that sounded vaguely threatening."
"I'm merely being professional, ma'am."
"Yeah. I bet you could land any job at a front desk. I could put a good word for you if you want. Uh, is Korra there?"
"Please, state your business with the Avatar."
"Business? Meelo, it's me, Asami."
"Pretty lady!"
"Uh, that's me. Could I speak with my girlfriend, please? Is she busy?"
"I dunno. Why would you want to speak to her when there's a real bender right here? Don't you prefer the company of a powerful airbender?"
"You know she's the Avatar, right? She's as powerful as-"
"Pf, I fought and won against a giant mecha of metal once. I saved Republic City from an invasion."
"... that you did. But I'm sure of my decision Meelo. Thank you for the offer, though."
"Your wish shall be my command, then, wonderful lady... Korraaaaa! Your pretty lady is on the phoooooone... We shall meet again soon, beautiful woman, and in the meanwhile do think of me fondly if you can..."
"I'll... I'll do my best, I guess."
"Give me that phone, Meelo, thank you... Hello? Asami?"
"I'll let you know Meelo has more game than you, oh mighty Avatar."
"Ugh, he's just a nuisance."
"A nuisance way smoother than you. I remember our first dates when you struggled with forming barely coherent sentences. Nevermind a whole conversation."
"I was nervous because I wanted to impress a beautiful girl."
"Your nervous rambling was so cute."
"And you're an absolutely awful person."
"Aw, I love you too, Korra."
"You say you love me, but next thing I know you're running after a dashing airbender, much younger than both of us. Mh, I didn't peg you to be like one of those ladies, who only have eyes for younger flesh."
"Ah Korra, you know me so well."
"He's definitely a keeper, though. But wait until you hear about his most famous airbending technique. A brave and challenging pose, one that requires an impressive display of skill and a, let's say, a complete bodily effort. He puts every inch of himself behind this technique."
"Mmm."
"Really impressive."
"..."
"..."
"You should stop making fun of poor Meelo, Korra."
"As soon as he stops making advances at you..."
"Don't worry, dear. He knows I'm happily taken. And I have no intentions of letting go."
"Sounds right. You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice, 'Sami."
"I think I might have a slight idea."
"Is everything okay?"
"Surprisingly enough, we only had just minor problems. Guess I got used to the urgency of your Avatar related problems. But even if they're small, when you pile them all together-"
"Even the smallest inevitably becomes an annoying inconvenience. Yeah, I get that feeling. Tell me more, if you want?"
"Ranting isn't sexy, Korra."
"Everything about you is sexy, Asami. Even when you complain about misogynistic ancient business men. I love watching them flail as you tear them apart with your words and your looks."
"Looks like somebody took a page from Meelo's guide for flirting."
"Please, I'm not that desperate. And it's not my fault my girlfriend is so hot I can't help my mouth. Oh, don't get me started on that adorable snort of yours-"
"Korra!"
"But I digress. Tell me more about your day?"
"Nothing unusual. Roadblocks between construction projects, whiny workers, complaints... I didn't imagine Zaofu to be so conservative, being a place born from refugees. Oh, we discovered some kind of building? Buried underground? They're not exactly sure what it could be, but it's slowing things down at the construction site. We can't risk damaging what could be an artistic treasure."
"Could it be spiritual-related?"
"Unlikely. It looked like a storage building more than anything else. Maybe a library of some kind... But you're just trying to make it spiritual-related, right?"
"The Avatar is the bridge between spirits and humans, after all. And I'm always happy to give a hand."
"Mh, and since you'd be here we could make that trip to Omashu?"
"You know I've always wanted to go with you there."
"I'm sorry, dear. No matter how much I wish you could come here, I'm afraid it will end up being a boring warehouse, instead of a mysterious temple. But I'm flattered you would make that up for me."
"Hey, if I can't even take advantage of the Avatar status every once in a while to see my girlfriend, what kind of girlfriend would I be?"
"The best kind."
"Mmm. And who's taking a page from Meelo's book, now?"
"Oh, shut up. How are things otherwise in Republic City?"
"Thankfully busy."
"Thankfully?"
"This way I don't have the time to miss you any more than I already do. It would drive me crazy."
"I thought I was supposed to be the workaholic one in this relationship. Promise me you won't pick up my bad habits, dear."
"I promise only if you promise to actually work on those bad habits. You're cute when you're sleeping, but hunched on your desk? Not so much."
"I promise I'll do my best, dear. Now, what about Republic City?"
"Oh, yes. Everything has been quiet lately. I'm mostly running errands with Tenzin, helping here and there. I even went to a couple of press conferences with Zhu Li, too. She definitely has a better handshake than Raiko. Less sweaty, for starters."
"Did you end up going to that gala held in your honor?"
"Yeah. Bolin and Opal came with me, so we ended up having fun. And the food was nice, too. Even if everyone wanted to meet me only to tell me what an honor it is to be meeting me."
"They only want to thank the greatest Avatar ever. You can't complain if people love you and keep throwing parties for you."
"Says the lady who built a giant version of me in the middle of the city."
"You deserved it, Korra! A statue is the less we could do. Especially after everything you had done for the city. First Amon, then Unalaq and Zaheer. And Kuvira... You are amazing, Korra, both as a person and as the Avatar, so it's only fair people recognize it."
"Should I expect to see a new statue next time I visit the Beifong's?"
"... it depends if the people prefer Huan's art to my project, I guess."
"You're incorrigible."
"Yeah, well. And I miss you."
"I miss you too, Asami."
"It's only a few days. As soon as things start to run smoothly I'll take the first airship back to Republic City. I'll even pilot one myself, if I need to."
"I have no doubt. But take as much time as you need, Asami. I'll be here, waiting for you and being proud."
"Isn't it a little weird, uh?"
"Being proud of you?"
"No, I mean. Me being the one who's away and you staying at home in Republic City. It's usually the opposite with us."
"I can't fault people for wanting to exploit my girlfriend's genius. You're the best at what you do."
"Still, I can't help but miss you."
"Hey, how about when you come back we have dinner together? Down by the bay? At that water tribe restaurant you like?"
"Only if you promise we can go for a ride on a turtle-duck boat after."
"Then it's a date."
but so elphaba
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As Korra once again consumed my life, I had to reach out to my bff @plastic-pipes for a commission. I always imagine Korra letting her hair grow out again. Also the betrothal necklace, cause Asami isn’t messing around lol.
Marbles and random things I enjoy
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