timepiececlock

I've been meaning to make a large A:TLAB rec list for a while, and since

donna_c_punk is getting into the show, I thought I'd go all the way and make a Fandom Guide. It's as extensive as I could think to make it with regards to links and communities, with some of my personal commentary on the fandom as a whole, and a fic rec list at the end.

*NOTE: If a listed link lacks commentary, it simply means I'm not familiar enough with it.

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A Crash Course In

Avatar:TLAB Fandom

+ Recs

Fandom Trends, Habits, and Pros & Cons
1. Nice LJ icons to be had. Lots of funny ones.
2. Plenty of fanart, though not as much as you get for stuff like Naruto fandom.
3. EVERYONE IS YOUNG. Well, some of them are in their twenties, but I swear 70% of them act like Avatar is their first fandom. It might be. Forgive them. (Before you ask, yes, I am snob when it comes to this.)
4. They review a lot-- I've gotten more reviews for Avatar fic than I think all my other fic combined, which...is great but doesn't quite make me feel better, because I'm not sure my writing's improved enough to warrant change. But the readers review prolifically, which is nice and really cheers you up.
5. The people on

avatar_fans and other LJ groups are obessed with arguing for or against their favorite ships. This usually comes down to Katara/Aang or Katara/Zuko, neither of which is canon (the first is unrequited love plus friendship, the latter is just a lot of really cool speculation.) The older fans tend to like Katara/Zuko more, and more fic gets written for that pairing, judging by The Pit. (I'm more into the cheering, less into the arguing)
6. Stupidity happens in this fandom, just like every fandom. Not as bad as some, but still annoying at times.
7. A lotta people on

avatar_fans can't spoiler-cut worth a damn.
8. Occasionally really good debates happen. Occasionally. Sometimes stupid debates happen too.
9. Sometimes refer to themselves or are referred to by other fandoms as "Avatards". I despise this moniker.
10. When good debates happen, sometimes people rise from the woodwork with really cool historical/cultural trivia to enlighten the topic.
11. Puts way too much faith in Wikipedia.
12. LOTS of fanfic. Yay!
13. Lots of FSTs and fanvids as well.

Resource Sites
- Nickelodeon's Official Avatar Website - pretty flash opening, general info.
- IMDB.com's Avatar page - Everyone loves the Internet Movie Database.
- firebender.com - general fansite, mostly known for screencapping, which it does consistantly and punctually. Nice site layout, very easy to navigate.
- avatarfans.net - messageboard
- Distant Horizons - messageboard, fansite, show & character info, fanstuff, etc.
- there was another great resource site (kind of blue-ish?) that I liked with lots of interesting pages like stuff about weapons used by characters, animals that appear, etc, but I can't find it.

Communities

avatar_fans - general comm., popular, mods often absent, variety of news, icons, fic, art, discussion. EDIT TO ADD: Fucking spoiler-posting idiots, I quit you! Not cool!

avatarfans - claims to be the less kerfluffley version of

avatar_fans, but doesn't get posted to enough.

avatar_hotline - ask these guys for help on any Avatar related subject: canon, historical details, characterization, beta-assistance, etc.

avatar_rants

katarafans

zuko_fans

iroh_fans

avatarfic - nice, but doesn't get enough traffic.

theavatar100 - Total love. This is my playground.

avatarsues - a scary place.

itunes_avatar - for spoilery discussion of episodes pre-released on the iTunes Store.

theshipperstate - general ship discussion comm., created to get people to stop gabbing about it on avatar_fans.

avatar_mirror - a rating comm.

iconbenders - icon contests

Ship Communities (alphabetically)

aang_toph

aangxkatara

aangxzuko

avatar_incest

avatar_slash

katara_zuko - my other playground

sokka_azula

sokkaang

sokkayue

zhao_and_zula

Media
1. episode comms
2.

musicbending
3.

avatar_vids
4.

avatargraphics
5.

avatar_icons
6.

avatar_fanart
7.

irrel does lovely fanart (and has put two of my parody drabbles into comic strip form-- WHEE!--and has done so for other fics as well)

Fanfiction

Places

-

avatarfic - see above
-

theavatar100 - see above
-

wordbending - avatar fanfiction by

memlu, typically drabbles of all pairings and gen. Hasn't updated in ages, so bug her about it.
- ALL Avatar C2 Communities - at the Pit Of Voles.
- C2: Fic That Doesn't Suck - my personal rec community for the Pit Of Voles.
- Avatar fic recs from my LJ Memories - lots of my favorite drabbles off LJ.

Some General Recs, no particular order

-Rednovember - I really didn't care for her first epic Avatar fic, but everything after that I *love*. Really really.
-Tempest in a Teacup by

akavertigo - the most AWESOMEST fanfic AU out there.
-Ship of Fools by

amurderofcrows - one huge genfic that has parts set before, in, and beyond the series. Pretty pretty pretty.
- Shattered by magnusrae - great fic with the best OC I've seen yet, no pairings, combines angst and action.
- he spies by Pallaplease/

memlu - Best.Zuko/Sokka.Fic.Ever.
- Suave Boogie - needs to get off his/her ass and write more fic already. (read "Wholeface" first.)
- Masako Moonshade - great Zuko/Katara chapter fics.
- Not Me by ShadowBYeBYe - a babyfic, and I like it.
- Rebuilding by Anonde/

easytodistract - most interesting future AU fic that I've seen in a while.
- Dark Eyes - great creepy Jet fic, gives backstory up through episode 10 events.
- Vicky So - lots of Zuko/Katara or Zuko fic. Excellent grasp of writing teenage characters. Prolific and funny and moving.
- While You Loved Me by Penguinlet/

jcflygurl - Hilarious, promises to be romantic at some future date.
- Dangerous Ground by by wilderness-writer - Epic Zuko/Katara action-adventure fic, complete, totally worth reading.
- 48th by Otabe Yatsuhashi - one-shot, my favorite (subversive) take on a way-too-common AvatarFic cliche: capture & bait fic.
- Can We Keep Him? by Kit Spooner - one-shot. funny. good for multiple rereads.
- Meelu the Bold - excellent collection of fics for various characters. "Death Row" is my favorite, for Jet.
- Stuck In An Igloo With You by Enchanted Daisy - probably my favorite one-shot Z/K fic of the last month or so.
- The Inifinity Legend by Lady Windsong - an epic fic I'm enjoying, hasn't been updated in a while.
- Red Hawk K'sani - multiple characters and pairings, one-shots and drabbles, slight Z/K slant.
- Winner: Sasuke v. Zuko by

_rednovember - exactly as awesome a drabble as it sounds from the title.
- Push & Pull by

melodiee - another WIP I'm enjoying quite a bit; slow Z/K
- The Last Concordance: Kongiri by OnePenToRuleThemAll - The OTHER really interesting AU futurefic, which I forgot to mention before because it's been a month since it updated.
- Trustfall by sasori - Sokka/Zuko friendship/action fic, well-done.
- Five Ways Avatar Aang Never Saved The World by Sabrina Empress of Insanity - I love me some Aangst.
- whirleeq - great fic all-around, excellent drabbles.
- Hotspur/

dungeonwriter - lots of entertaining Zuko fic.
- Avatar Fanfiction by me/

rashaka - (EDIT: added at

_rednovember's request) two WIPs, assorted drabbles, Z/K

EDIT: More fanfiction recs have been provided in the comments below! Enjoy. :)