Avatar: TLAB, post-ep fanfic
Dec. 3rd, 2006 02:06 amNow that the season finale has aired, I want to dip my toe into some Z/K shipper fanfic. Oh, the potential! So much potential to make of these new events. So much dark stuff in the finale; I'm dying to read some good reaction fic. From a ship POV, especially.
However, I'm kind of afraid. I'm afraid because most of my ship fandom doesn't seem to be reacting to the episode the same way that I am. I fear the reaction fic as much as I desire it.
I kind of want someone of like mind to go find all the good fic and point me to it. Unfortunately I am usually that person. ::sigh::
I'll just have to wait and see. Pay a lot of attention to summaries and author's notes before reading, that sort of thing.
However, I'm kind of afraid. I'm afraid because most of my ship fandom doesn't seem to be reacting to the episode the same way that I am. I fear the reaction fic as much as I desire it.
I kind of want someone of like mind to go find all the good fic and point me to it. Unfortunately I am usually that person. ::sigh::
I'll just have to wait and see. Pay a lot of attention to summaries and author's notes before reading, that sort of thing.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 10:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 10:36 am (UTC)But if you are genuinely interested, there's lots of good fic out there. It's burie but it's definitely there. I've been in the fandom for about a year now, and I wouldn't still be here if there wasn't good stuff to be found.
My highest recs are at my favorites list at my fanfiction.net account, linked at the top of my livejournal. The best is probably
I also have some recs listed under my LJ memories, in the category of "Avatar fic recs". There are some gen fics listed there, but most are Zutara.
You probably picked the worst week to join the fandom, being season finale week. The Zutara ship fandom is kind of epileptic at the moment, trying to figure out how the new canon fits with various theories. Nevertheless, there's a lot of fun to be had here, if you don't scare too easily.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 10:44 am (UTC)Hate the fic or hate the 'ship? Because I was a Zutara 'shipper before ever setting foot in the fandom. I just don't usually get exhausted this soon. It usually takes me at least a couple of months to start relying solely on recs for fics.
Nevertheless, there's a lot of fun to be had here, if you don't scare too easily.
HA. I have survived HP fandom since before GoF was published. Bring it. :D
no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 10:56 am (UTC)It usually takes me at least a couple of months to start relying solely on recs for fics.
Fandom in general is so huge now, that's all I go on when I start in a new place.
I have survived HP fandom since before GoF was published.
Oh it's nothing that bad. Seriously-- as far as livejournal fandom goes, avatar fandom is a cakewalk. All talk and no action. The slightest tremor is treated like a potential WWIII of kerfluffles. I came from Jossverse fandoms and small doses of HP fandom, so most of this stuff doesn't make me blink an eye.
The fanfic tends to have a lot of immature stuff given that Avatar fandom is both young in age (many are 14-17) and new to online fandom or shipper fandom as a whole. And the show's fandom itself is only a year and a half old.
The most annoying thing you'll find in Avatar fandom is the tendency to spoil each other (why
There's a lot of badfic on ff.net that suffers from the same problem that all fandoms suffer from; browsing ff.net isn't going to reflect good on a fandom no matter which fandom or shipdom it is.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 11:23 pm (UTC)The fanfic tends to have a lot of immature stuff given that Avatar fandom is both young in age (many are 14-17) and new to online fandom or shipper fandom as a whole. And the show's fandom itself is only a year and a half old.
The most annoying thing you'll find in Avatar fandom is the tendency to spoil each other (why avatar_fans is no longer on my flist) and just general whining if the show isn't catering to your ship at the moment. Avatar fans are not what I'd call scary or crazy, as compared to other fandoms I've been in. They do exaggerate though.
There's a lot of badfic on ff.net that suffers from the same problem that all fandoms suffer from; browsing ff.net isn't going to reflect good on a fandom no matter which fandom or shipdom it is.
As a Jossverser, I complete agree. There were literal shipper wars there, which actual battles fought and generals and armies and everything.
Although as you've mentioned before being I Spuffy shipper, I'll admit I come from the other side of the track. I fell in love with B/A as a very small child, and never truely recovered. Talk about megaAngst. (Now I just watch David on Bones and laugh) Plus I have this personal prejudice on blondes with blondes, visual awkwardness; although I think we must expand our gene pool through the rest of the population *blonde power!*.
Also just wanted to say, I've lurked occasionally on your lj via FF.net for intelligent and thought-provoking episode responses which I can't get locally. As your being gone soon, plus with the drama and need to expound resulting from the finale, I felt a bit of motivation to comment. Hope you don't mind.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 05:05 pm (UTC)Read three words for a gut reation, three sentences for spelling and grammar, three paragraphs for overall quality.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 05:06 pm (UTC)Hopefully those don't disappoint. Ah...your commentary is a good one, by the way.
And...your icons. Please, may I use them? They are incredible. Please?
no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 11:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 07:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 11:11 pm (UTC)(if I didn't have, you know, school and work, it'd already be done. Also, if Zuko would just shut up maybe I could get to the sexy fight scene already. Mmm yes.
But a teaser:
One of these days, he thinks to himself, brushing a stray hair out of her face. I'll stop hurting the ones I love.
That does not stop him, of course, from going through her discarded clothes in search of the Earth Kingdom's plan to invade the Fire Nation on the Day of Black Sun.
He feels guilty about it, at least.
XXX
(don't say I never gave you anything ;)
jak
no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 11:24 pm (UTC)He feels guilty about it, at least.
:D
:D
:D
That's Zuko we know and
want to kicklove. Also I'm dying to know if that snippet is as post-coital as it sounds. Don't tell me! Let me picture it.Though I'm not sure Katara would actually be carrying any written information that's of use. She probably just memorized the date, not wrote it down. But any kept letters of correspondence with her father's small navy might include dangerous details.
Hey... I just realized... are they going to room & board with the Southern Water Tribe forces now that they're fleeing the city? It would make sense.
(I won't I promise. Also, I love you right now. And most other times too.)
damn this is long.
Date: 2006-12-04 12:57 am (UTC)There is a reason Katara has written information on her--in my fic, she never took the plans the Earth general gave her out of her pocket, and has been carrying it with her since.
I thought they would go back to the Guru, myself, but your idea makes sense, too.
(Also, you know Rebirth? I did a few more drabbles for it. Now you can find each drabble individual through my tags! Yayz. First chapter is almost done for it, I swear. I just wannna finish my post-finale chapter first, then I'll finish Rebirth ch. 1)
Tag---http://jakia.livejournal.com/tag/rebirth
(also, I have a favor to ask: when (yes when, as soon as Aang gets done chatting about penguins and Zuko gets done angsting, chapter will be done) I get the first chapter done, do you mind looking over it for me? You don't have to actually beta-read it, loveroftheflame is doing that for me. However, I'd like to have another opinion on it, because it's a little off in some part maybe, and well, I trust you. ^_^ Please?)
jak
Re: damn this is long.
Date: 2006-12-04 01:09 am (UTC)I guess they might go back to the Guru. I was suprised they took the Earth King with them... will he be the adult of the show, now? The Iroh of their gang? Interesting if it were so, because he's pretty inexperienced in the world. Not much of a guide. On the other hand, even if he's sheltered he's still more mature than all of them; it'd be nice to see that new perspective.
Is it bad of me that I secretly want to ship older!Mei and the Earth King? (does that guy have a name?) Because of her "just take the bear" comment, really. And I can see her as a friggin awesome queen. She'd look around the city and go "Hn. That, that, and that has to go."
The King would go: "Whatever you want dear."
Mei: "And we'll need to have the Dai Li do blah blah blah blah."
King: "Do the Dai Li do that?"
Mei: "They work for you, so they do whatever you want them to do. ...Darling."
Re: damn this is long.
Date: 2006-12-04 01:17 am (UTC)And...oh God. Older!Mai and the Earth King...
...NEW OTP!
Damnit. Why oh why does that pairing have to make so much sense in my brain? It's like...like...
Crack. Only slightly more plausible.
How old is the Earth King, anyway? He's pretty young, like twenty or something, isn't he?--it wouldn't be too horrible to ship him with Mai, who's fifteen, but super mature for her age.
And I think I read somewhere that the King's name is Nalan, maybe Nalri...something that started with a NA, I remember that much. I think it came from the PAX spoilers with the creators...not sure, might have to look it up on avatarspirit or something like that.
jak
Re: damn this is long.
Date: 2006-12-04 02:30 am (UTC)it wouldn't be too horrible to ship him with Mai, who's fifteen, but super mature for her age.
I would have to age her up to at least 17 or I'd be grossed out. For may/december pairings, 17 is my minimum cut-off age. But I can imagine her marrying him in an arranged political marriage a couple years after the war. It'd be one of those political marriages that turns into real love and a strong political foundation.
And btw, I swear that I am not just trying to think of someone for Mei besides Zuko (because I could like her with Zuko too)... it just popped into my head while I was typing the reply to your comment and it struck me as TOTALLY AWESOME. And politically viable in the future.
Re: damn this is long.
Date: 2006-12-04 02:35 am (UTC)And can't you just imagine her being all dry and reserved, and he's so sweet that he goes way over the top to impress her? Like, "Look at this maginicent bridge I built and named after you!" and she'd be all "It's nice."
And then in the bedroom she'd be all assertive and the end result is she has him wrapped around her finger.
Re: damn this is long.
Date: 2006-12-04 03:19 am (UTC)My sister was completely weirded out when I said MaixEarth King. Which is crazy, because she usually jumps on crack pairings like that.
He would so go over the top to impress her. Mai would have like, the fanciest doors in town. And probably her very own bear, too.
And I dunno why, but I still think the Earth King is a little younger than that-- 23 would be my ideal guess. Mostly because of how controlled he is. If he was older, I don't think...I dunno, I guess I think he wouldn't be quite as naive, I guess? Not sure. Hmm.
And yeah, she'd have to be at least seventeen. Maybe nineteen. It would depend on how it's written. I've liked pairings with big age gaps before (Remus/Tonks from Harry Potter, pre HBP, baby), but it usually depends on the characters before I ship them.
(I became an Avatar'd because of zutara, if you must know. I watched the show casually, not really caring much about it, and then I saw the preview for the "Waterbending Scroll" and my brain went: "Well, huh. This show has potentiel to be a lot darker and deeper than they've shown so far--they're even minorly hinting at a romance between this evil prince dude and that chick.
...
I bet they have great fanfiction. I'm gonna check it out."
Then I found my first capture fic and have been a fangirl since. True story, true story)
ALSO: Long FengxAzula. Because Zhao is dead. And Azula needs another evil love slave to boss around.
Re: damn this is long.
Date: 2006-12-04 04:42 am (UTC)Dude, we totally created this ship. You and me, right here! First EarthKing/Mei shippers on livejournal! ::high five!::
Re: damn this is long.
Date: 2006-12-04 06:16 am (UTC)damn you all.
Re: damn this is long.
Date: 2006-12-04 06:20 am (UTC)Re: damn this is long.
Date: 2006-12-04 12:26 pm (UTC)THEN WE CAN RULE THE WORLD WITH THE AWESOMENESS OF EARTHKINGXMAI!
Re: damn this is long.
Date: 2006-12-04 06:10 pm (UTC)EVERY FANDOM NEEDS A CAPSLOCK COMMUNITY. THEY ARE JUST FUN.
Re: damn this is long.
Date: 2006-12-04 12:24 pm (UTC)Until they stand next to an actual adult. And the the creators feel the need to remind us (or maybe themselves) that, hey, they're just kids! (the only exception being Iroh)
Because 15 year old Sokka is probably just a few inches shorter than his dad, barely--if it were real life. However, because it's a cartoon--ZOMG we must make him a lot shorter!
(Another example--look at Katara and the pirates. She's like...less that their shoulders. Yet in other situations, she's really, really tall. Strange.)
And--YES! Feel the love of EarthKing/Mei! Now we need to get a posse going or something...
Re: damn this is long.
Date: 2006-12-04 06:16 pm (UTC)EarthKing/Mai is totally going into all my futurefic from now on. It may be just an obscure reference, but it will be there.