#sweetorangepoptart

[korrasamibottles]

I just reread the space between heartbeats and I suddenly need you to tell me everything about it! What gave you the idea for all the story beats and details???

Thank you so much for asking (and for re-reading?? Such an amazing compliment wow)!! I'm still completely floored by how sweet everyone has been about this fic....I wrote it from the heart so the positivity really means a lot😭 Also sorry this got so long oh my god lol.

Before I even started writing, I knew I wanted to come at the whole thing from Mako's perspective. He's such a complicated and fascinating character to me, and there's so much potential to explore how the trauma of witnessing his parents' murder and the depersonalization of having to be brother-father-protector-provider to a younger sibling while also still a child led to him being SO detached from his own wants and needs and feelings, and so used to thinking of himself as a tool rather than a person, that if somebody asked him point blank what he wanted his head would pop.

But maybe...after spending a lot of time around somebody who isn't afraid to openly want things and ask for them....Mako could start thinking about what HE wants, so that when somebody finally does ask him he's able to untangle his feelings enough to actually put them into words.....?

Mako's character has such a strong presence and I didn't want Wu to feel flat in comparison, or for it to seem like he was only there to further Mako's development, so I decided to give Wu the benefit of having the setting be all about him.

This also gave me an opening to show how Mako's influence could give Wu the push he needed to shake off the spoiled prince persona and become the more mature, compassionate man he always had the potential to be. We saw the beginnings of that in the show and in Ruins of the Empire, and I like to think they'll continue on that trajectory even though I'm not getting my hopes up for any wuko crumbs whatsoever in the Mako solo comic.

(Everyone already knows this because I never shut up about it, but what makes me so bonkers about wuko is the potential for them to bring out the best in each other. That kind of dynamic is fucking gold to me.)

Anyway. Once I had the POV and setting figured out, I had to give Mako a reason to be there, and I thought, well, he hasn't yet reached the point where he's able to admit he has feelings for Wu (even inside his own head) so the pretext of him deciding he had to keep Wu alive to protect the fragile democratization process felt right and seemed plausible.

The first two scenes came together from a few lines I poached from an unfinished korrasami wip....

"That's not–I'm not–we're just colleagues, Asami," he splutters convincingly.

"Yeah? So everyone at the precinct just hand-feeds each other moon peach slices in the morning, then? That's standard 'colleague' behavior?"

"Asami–"

"And right at the breakfast table," she whispers dramatically, shaking her head in mock disapproval and relishing how the blush has spread from his ears down his neck. "We all saw you practically purring into his hands, Mako. Like a damn octocat."

....and this bit of dialogue from the closet scene

“What kind of closet locks from the inside!?”

“You tell me! You grew up here!”

“Not in this closet!”

I turned the peach lines into a whole scene because I loved the idea of Wu being like "teehee I am getting him to try something new and fun" meanwhile Mako's like 3 seconds away from just snapping and sucking on Wu's fingers. Except it's rated T so. You know. Gotta be more subtle about it lol.

As for the closet dialogue....I'm a simple woman and I will never ever get tired of closet-themed jokes and accidents. My personal headcanon re: Wu's sexuality is that it was kind of like an open secret among the royal family. Like he'd flirt with women in public just to keep up appearances but really, everyone knew. Hence the "not in this closet!" line. To be clear, I don't think the royal family was ok with it, and I'm sure he suffered for it, but in this fic I positioned him further along in his own self-acceptance journey than Mako.

The next scene didn't unfold as easily, and I really, really struggled with it. Mako was a bit of a ticking time bomb by this point in the story–the tension had been rising for a while, and I knew it had to break eventually, but I wanted it to break in the right way.

I wrote several different versions, but every time the dialogue got away from me and it always ended the same way: with them getting into an actual argument and Mako storming out the door. And that was Not the vibe I was going for. I wanted more of an "oh fuck" moment rather than a "this guy is pissing me off and I have to get out of here" one. Mako has a tendency to get snappy in emotional situations, and that combined with him being an acts-of-service kind of person made the "it's my job to worry about you!" line finally click into place.

Deep down, Mako knows he's more than just a bodyguard to Wu, he knows how Wu feels about him, but he can't let himself really think about it. Because if he's more than his work, more than just a tool to be used, if Wu wants him around simply because he enjoys his company and not because Mako is providing a service, then that means Mako's entire sense of self is built on a lie. That's a terrifying realization, with or without the added element of internalized homophobia (and I had to add it. For maximum angst.)

I knew I wanted the fic to end with Mako realizing that the way he'd been operating simply wasn't healthy or sustainable, followed by a dramatic confession of feelings, but how to get there? Well why not invent a weird old bug woman. I thought a sort of grandmotherly figure might be somebody Mako would take seriously, and also I selfishly just wanted a woman in the story lol.

I honestly don't know where the ant spiral idea came from–maybe it's something I learned about as a kid that's been haunting the crevices of my brain for years. But it felt like an interesting way to symbolize how Mako was on a self-destructive path of repeating the same harmful behaviors over and over. If he kept depriving himself of meaningful connections, never stepped outside his comfort zone, continued avoiding learning how to process his emotions, and kept letting his fear and his pain decide what he was and wasn't allowed to want, he'd only keep inadvertently hurting himself and the people he cares about. That sort of thing. But he's stubborn, and needed to figure it out himself, so I let Qin Li give him the pieces (dare I say peaches?) so he could put it all together.

The final scene was written in its entirety at the auto shop, because apparently that's where my muse lives. Great place to write, can't recommend broken cars highly enough. Anyway, I wanted his eventual admission to feel like removing a giant splinter, which is to say: extremely painful and strained, but a huge relief once it's out. Difficult as it was, he needed to actually verbalize that shit not only for himself but also because it wouldn't have been fair for Wu to have to be in a relationship with somebody who couldn't even admit the feelings were real. And of course I had to have Wu jump into his arms at some point. Couldn't resist :)

One other thing I just thought about (and can't figure where to put it in this post, so I guess I'll just stick it here) is that I had fun giving both of them weird little quirks. Like Mako being an anxious/compulsive skin picker and Wu being fidgety and refusing to wear his glasses.

OH YEAH ONE MORE THING. Mako yanking on the doorknob in the closet was 100% a euphemism. For something.

#seriously thanks for this it was fun thinking about why i did what i did!!! #asks #sweetorangepoptart #wuko

[appalesbian]

OH my GOD I want to talk about life is strange!!! Full confession, I have only played the first one. I don't have all the hot takes as I was never in the fandom or anything I just was blown away by the game. My brother encouraged me to play it and gave me no further information. Just said "I think you would like it". So I played it and I was NOT expecting anything from it. But I love games where you can make choices, and the ability to 'try out' the choices was really cool. And wow, the choices influencing the very ending sequence! I was blown away by the fact that I managed to craft this beautiful 'us against the world' sapphic love story 🧡 and I wasn't even trying! I did cry at the end. I don't even remember all my choices in my first playthrough but needless to say if I can kiss a girl in a game I will always do it. I guess I don't actually have that much to talk about lol except wow what a game.

yessssss I’m so here for the Life is Strange love in my inbox! I have so many feelings about the (first two) games and so much love for the world and the characters. I’d never played anything like it and as far as I know, there hasn’t been anything comparable since.

If y’all are looking for a story-driven walking simulator with lots of sapphic feelings (other than LIS lol), may I humbly recommend Gone Home? It’s a very short game, only 2-3 hours or so, but it’s one of the most affecting experiences I’ve ever had with a video game.

#sweetorangepoptart #the life is strange brainrot…. I can feel it returning…..

[buckybarnesss]

wuko nation we are but a small fandom so it has been a moment since my first rec list but i wanted to give some well deserved attention to my three most recent favorite fics.

secret by sweetorangepoptart (our very own @kingwuko)

mako and wu find comfort in each other’s company following the events of guan’s election coup in gaoling. a secret relationship ensues.

duty's promise by theconsciousprince (@kingbadgermole here on tumblr)

after the events of book four, mako and wu navigate their connection in a world recovering from kuvira. not ruins of the empire compliant.

regularly scheduled miracles by thesinginghoneybee (@starshinemaiden)

the thing about soulmates when you are a royal is that you don't get to keep them. wu's mother's was shipped to the outer Ring. his father's, never spoken of. his great aunt's was imprisoned if you believe the rumors. wu believes the rumors. and when wu becomes prince wu, heir to the earth throne, over night, his chances of finding and keeping his soulmate drop to zero. But despite that, when a soulmark appears on his arm the very evening of meeting his new, hot, firebending bodyguard, wu can't feel anything but joy. the thing about soulmarks when you have a job that frequently leaves you bruised to hell and back is that sometimes you don't notice them until days later and now you don't know who caused them to appear. and the thing about being prince wu's newest bodyguard is that mako has met so many people in the last week that his soulmate could be half of republic city. the other thing about being prince wu's newest bodyguard is that half of mako doesn't want to think too hard about his soulmate might be because there is no way someone like him would get so lucky as to have the next earth monarch as a soulmate no matter how lofty mako's taste in people runs.

#my blog #wuko #lok #legend of korra #fan fic recs list

[kingwuko]

Secret

A fanfic written by yours truly, KingWuko aka Sweetorangepoptart Fandom: Legend of Korra Pairing: Mako/Wu Rating: Explicit Content Warnings: References to homophobia 9 chapters, 90,300 words, COMPLETE

Summary:

Mako and Wu find comfort in each other’s company following the events of Guan’s election coup in Gaoling. A secret relationship ensues.

Excerpt from chapter one below the cut:

“Yeah. Probably. I mean, I remember doing some stuff… you don’t seem phased.” Mako awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, not making eye contact with Wu.  “Stuff?” Wu raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, like I remember dragging you to Guan’s machine? It’s a little fuzzy but I’m pretty sure it was real.” Mako glanced at Wu to see his reaction, but Wu wasn’t reacting much at all. He just seemed to think for a moment. “Oh, is that why you’re acting weird…? Don’t even think twice about it! Like I said. It wasn’t you. I could tell, you were all—” Wu melodramatically made his eyes go blank as he spoke in a monotonous voice. “Yes-Mas-ter-Guan.”  Mako rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but in my dream, memory, whatever it is, you were struggling.” Mako shrugged. “Sorry. You probably don't want to talk about it.” “No no no! It’s okay! I can talk about it. I mean—yeah, it was scary and spirits know it's impossible for me to struggle against you, tough guy!" He furrowed his brow and put his thumb to his chin. “But you wanna know something weird? Maybe it was a coincidence, or maybe the brainwashing leaves some muscle memory or, or maybe there was a small part of you in there listening, or whatever. But when I was struggling, I told you that you were hurting me, and your grip loosened and you stopped. So, you know. All things considered, you actually were gentle.” Mako looked at him skeptically. He didn’t remember being gentle. Maybe Wu was lying to protect his feelings. Or maybe Wu was right, and it was unconscious or muscle memory. “Hey…” Wu reached over and placed a hand on Mako’s shoulder, more delicately than usual. “It was all scary, but I’m not scared of you. So if you are being weird because you think I might be frightened of you, just stop! You’re my best friend. I totally trust you! And I’m hoping we won’t ever get brainwashed again, so it’s never going to be an issue in the future.” Wu folded his arms, concluding his speech.

Read the whole fic here!

#wuko #mako #prince wu #king wu #fanfiction #lok

[tallanastyflorida]

tagged by @sweetorangepoptart 🥰🥰

Last song listened to: I listen to my local radio a lot and don't remember what they were playing but the last song on my spotify is Jolene by Dolly Parton

Currently reading: The Well of Loneliness by Radcliffe Hall. Just starting but it was a holiday gift from my sister ❤️ Just finished Babel by R.F. Kuang and im 😵‍💫

Currently watching: Breaky Bad (still) my mom got me the complete dvd set!!!! so i dont have to struggle with torrenting sites to watch it anymore 😎 and uhhhh watched 2004 garfield movie last night

Currently obsessed with: taking a nap with my kitty and not having to stay late at work anymore. and some projects for wuko week🫢

tagging @gayfertilitygoddess @ineffablegender @whorelandoflorida @somberv

#nasty words #tagging game #florida

[omegastation]

sweetorangepoptart replied to your post “Out of curiosity, how many of you play a Ryder who constantly picks...”

My Sara was disconnected to both Alex and Scott, but Scott and Alec were very close to each other.

Scott as well? Why if I may ask? 

#sweetorangepoptart #mea #mea spoilers #spoilers #alec & ryder #ryder siblings

[todisturbtheuniverse]

re: screaming sneezes, lol

When I do have scream sneezes its involuntary for me. Thankfully, the scream sneezes are few and far between unless I'm having really bad allergies.

sweetorangepoptart replied to your post “people who scream when they sneeze why”

Involuntary. If I feel a sneeze and I actively try to sneeze quietly, it makes my ears pop, my nose begins running and my eyes water. I'm also part of the 1/3rd of the population whose sneezes are triggered by bright light

ourimpavidheroine replied to your post “people who scream when they sneeze why”

*raises hand* Totally involuntary. If I know the sneeze is coming then I try to suppress it. If not, it just flies right out of me.

This is good information to know. It sounds so uncomfortable. :/ Our bodies do the oddest things sometimes, huh?

commanderlurker replied to your post “people who scream when they sneeze why”

Oh my god. Do not get me started. TOO LATE. I have a family member who I'm pretty sure does it for the attention and boy does it fuck me right off.

Hah. I also had a family member who I was pretty sure did it for attention (she certainly did everything else for that reason), so I know how you feel.

#sky-stones #commanderlurker #sweetorangepoptart #ourimpavidheroine #universe replies

[korrasamibottles]

I'm having Bolin feelings this morning so how about Bolin for the ask game!!! 12 and 18

Thank you!!!

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

Sorry in advance for this one, but to ME Bolin's neverending silliness and good cheer is his way of ignoring/sublimating what must have been an incredibly traumatic childhood. He simply is NOT dealing with it! Everything is fine and he's happy!! Could a depressed person do this???

Mako did the best he could to shelter him when they were growing up, but he was just a kid himself and here's no way Bolin ended up totally mentally unscathed.

Anyway. I made myself sad with this, so here's a nicer headcanon: post-series, Bolin and Korra will occasionally set up scavenger hunts for each other. That just seems like something both of them would be into lol.

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

I really like his friendship with Asami! He was there fighting alongside her when her father tried to kill her, and she was there for him during the Nuktuk premier when his mask slipped for a minute and he expressed how lonely and vulnerable he was feeling. Their interactions are just very sweet to me, and I think their personalities mesh really well.

There's also some fanart out there of Bolin and Asami on a friend lunch date and the caption is something like "they're bitching about Varrick" and I LOVE THAT VISION FOR THEM.

Editing this.....found the art!

#asks #sweetorangepoptart #bolin

[appalesbian]

25 and 35

25. Are there any specific writing tools that you find helpful?

Idk if this is an actual writing tool but I have a text-to-speech app on my phone that I find hugely helpful for proofreading. I’m not good at catching typos by reading to myself so it’s really nice to have a little monotone robot read it to you so you can be like “wait, what?” It’s also a pretty good litmus test when writing sex scenes imo as far as what sounds good and what is just like… too much lol

35. What do you enjoy most about being a fic writer?

Technically already answered but I’ll use this opportunity to shout out that beautiful dopamine rush of getting an AO3 notification😅 Kudos? Love ‘em, great times. COMMENTS? No better feeling in the world. Somebody just commented “oh my god” on one of my fics today and I’m still smiling about it. Notifications for updated works that aren’t mine? Not technically relevant here but make me dance in my chair every time.

#asks #sweetorangepoptart #thank you for the ask!

[buckybarnesss]

◣ TAG GAME ◥

Four characters that make you go "my man, my man, my man"

tagged by @paulmescal-s

mako from legend of korra, derek hale from teen wolf, gendry from game of thrones and bucky barnes from captain america

low pressure tagging: @dear-massacre @jamiesugah @renmackree @sweetorangepoptart @yourplanssuck

#my blog #meme #do i have a type of character that i am fond of? #perhaps #did i also happen to have that screencap of gendry just casually on my computer? #also perhaps

[kingwuko]

Rating: Mature

Summary:

Air is the element of freedom, but when he suddenly begins airbending, Wu finds himself more trapped than ever by his Auntie and her Dai Li. He wishes he could fly away like the sparrowkeets outside his bedroom’s tiny window. Mako’s helping to rebuild a culture on the brink of extinction, while also rebuilding his friendships with Korra and Asami in the wake of his mistakes that hurt them both. He wishes he could figure out who he is beyond the heavy weight of his past.

#wuko #mako #prince wu #fanfiction

[korrasamibottles]

How about 'eyes'? for the WIP thing

"Mako tries to keep his gaze trained on the doorknob, on the way the light makes simple brass glitter like gold, and not how he can see the reflection of his flame flicker and dance in Wu's eyes."

#TEEHEE #asks #sweetorangepoptart #mw

[kingwuko]

Hello Wuko Nation!

Hi everyone, welcome to my Wuko blog. Here you will find pretty much everything Wuko that I have gathered from the corners of Tumblr. I keep the queue filled and it posts 3 times a day, plus anything new that pops up. I follow the Wuko/Mako/Wu tags pretty closely, but if you make a post and I happen to miss it, feel free to reach out!

Feel free to send asks or DM me, or join the 18+ Wuko Nation discord server. I love talking about Wuko, ATLA, and LOK; and I'm delighted whenever someone reaches out to me!

I run an Avatar Legends (the Magpie Games TTRPG) game in real life, so I sometimes post about that as well.

I write Wuko fanfic too, under the Ao3 pseud Sweetorangepoptart. Check them out and leave some kudos/comments if you like them!

Multi chapter: Secret (Rating: Explicit) (COMPLETE) Security (Rating: Explicit) (In progress) Windswept (Rating: Mature) (in progress) Oneshots: Unnatural (Rating: Mature) (cw homophobia) Ruby (Rating: Teen and Up) (cw childbirth mentions)

Collaborative work with @kingbadgermole: Much Ado About Baking (Rating: Mature) (in progress)

Work I am beta reading Duty's Promise by @kingbadgermole (Rating: Explicit)

Do YOU have any Wuko fanfic that you need a beta reader for? DM me and I'll beta read your Wuko (or solo Wu/Mako) fanfic. I can help with basic grammar/punctuation edits and overall readability, and even brainstorming if you need it! I'm completely comfortable reading explicit works or works with triggering topics.

My main is @sweetorangepoptart if you want to say hi or check out my non-avatar interests.

#Wuko #Prince Wu #Mako #King Wu #mako/wu

[kingwuko]

Rating: Explicit

Summary: Mako and Wu have been in a secret relationship for nearly a year, but when Wu requests Mako to head up his personal security detail, their relationship and its secrecy are put to the test.

#wuko #prince wu #mako #king wu #fanfiction

[kingwuko]

Chapter 9, the final chapter is live!

This fic is officially COMPLETE!

#wuko #fanfiction #mako #prince wu #king wu #lok #I might cry this i'm so proud of myself for finishing this fic

[korrasamibottles]

Six Sentences Sunday!!

Rules: post 6 sentences of an unfinished work and tag 6 people

Thanks for the tag @ozais-lobotomist :)

Asami turns a corner around layers of sheet metal stacked as high as her head and nearly trips over a woman crouching in front of an open crate, eyeing its contents with extreme prejudice.

She inhales deep and exhales slowly. "Hi Ming," she says delicately. "Are there any rubber safety gloves left over from the latest shipment?"

"Yes," Ming replies without looking up. Asami waits for a beat, giving Ming an opportunity to elaborate. She chooses not to take it and begins unpacking the crate instead, moving the little neatly-wound bundles of wire within onto a nearby shelf in silence.

Asami presses her lips into a firm line and nods absently to herself. "And where might I find them?"

Tagging @stargayatlantis @sweetorangepoptart @allgremlinart but no pressure :)

#Ming 2: Return of the Ming. #everyone's older in this one btw. and ming works in the warehouse at future industries now....