#favourite zutara fanfics of all time

[nostalgicfortomorrow]

zutara fanfic recs bc absolutely nobody asked

PLEASE REBLOG AND TELL ME IF YOU LIKED MY RECS BTW :)

the art of holding on and letting go - teen and up - by evergreenonthehorizon

genuinely one of the best fics i've ever read. it's aang centric and it's from his pov so zutara isn't as prominent as you would have hoped but it's a modern au where they all go to the same high school and aang learns how to let go of his infatuation with the idea of katara rather than who katara is as a person. deeply underrated, please check it out.

we hold our hearts in silence - general audiences - by psychadelic_sya

it completely follows the canon timeline and it features geriatric and ancient zutara who meet again after many years and when you read this, please listen to last kiss by taylor swift on repeat. that's how you get the full experience. it hurts so so so much.

the colour of the stars - teen and up - by bluenebulae

it's a season 3 rewrite from the day of the black sun onwards where katara and zuko both get captured and they work together to try and find the gaang. it's pretty long but the slow burn is so well done, they absolutely nailed the characterisation and it might be my favourite fic ever. they learn everything about each other and the moments zutara shares makes my heart burn with happiness. cannot recommend this one enough.

figure it out - mature - by clearascountryair (uncompleted but ends in a good spot)

they aged up all the characters by two years and it's basically about ember island and what happened after southern raiders. it's a bit uncomfortable at times for some, because there's quite a lot of sex mentioned and featured and drinking as well but the messages overall and the lessons are really good. and it covers the non consensual kataang kiss and there's so many good takeaways. not finished, but ends up in a good spot.

the chemistry of cooking - mature - by smeditteranea

hear me out, hear me out, HEAR ME OUT, it's another college modern au (yeah, sue me, i love my modern aus) but it's really well done, the characterisation is done right, no hate to any of the characters whatsoever, supremely adorable, there's some smut but just scroll past that. so zuko and katara basically end up being lab partners in a cooking class which ozai seriously frowns upon. ozai runs this really morally bankrupt company and zuko works in it, and basically figures out that ozai is doing illegal dumpings and tries to report it.

BONUS:

i feel something (when i see you now) - teen and up - by glowgal

katara is an up and coming popular actor and is zuko's high school crush. they meet again and it's so adorable.

[rifari2037]

10. Do you have any other A:TLA ships?

Yes, I have another ships. Is not like I ship them like I ship Zutara, but they are my favourite. It would be long answer, but here my thought about them.

Sokka and Suki (Sukka)

In my opinion, Sukka is the best written canon couple. They have conflicts in their journey and resolved all of those very well.

When they met at the first time, Sokka was misogynistic and Suki taught him a lesson. Sokka finally understood his mistakes, learned from it, and throwed away his ego. After judging women badly, he humbly asked to be taught by a woman.

In the end, Sokka also said sorry after thinking she was 'just a woman'. Then she told him that she was a warrior but also a woman. It was very good way to resolve their conflict.

I'm not sure who Sokka's first love was, Suki or Yue? But, it doesn't matter, because Suki and Yue were important characters for Sokka.

When Sokka and Suki met again in The Serpent's Pass episode, Sokka still felt guilty and lost over Yue's sacrifice. Sokka became overprotective to Suki because of his guilt.

When they almost kissed in front of the moon, Sokka stopped it. That's as it should be because you shouldn't kiss someone when you're thinking about someone else. And again, in the end they resolve their conflict and kissed. Sokka could finally move on.

They not only looked good together, but also accept each other. Sokka was so funny that he could always cheer up Suki. Sokka always did efforts to Suki too - even it turned out very ugly - and Suki appreciated him. They show a healthy relationship more than other canon couples.

It really disappointed me that I didn't see Suki and Sokka together in TLOK. I read a headcanon that Suyin was Sokka's daughter, but then what happened with Sukka? Because, I really hope Sokka and Suki were actually happily together.

Also, even though I don't considering the comic ever exist, but I do know some people ship Suki with Zuko based on it. I got some of their moments, maybe there are more.

I don't mind with the shipper, but I don't understand the writers. Like why? I know the writers hate how well-written Zutara than their canon ship and they ruined Zutara potential in ATLA. But why the writers had to bother Sukka in the comic, the only well-written canon couple, to gave another love potential to Zuko?

But, well, whatever their relationship was, I don't read the comic anyway.

Toph and Aang (Taang)

Yes, I love Zutara, but it doesn't mean I hate Aang. I just don't think he's a good match for Katara for many reasons, there's a lot of meta and analysis about it - and it makes sense to me.

Meanwhile, Toph and Aang have more potential than canon. Their arc is actually interesting if only the author would dig deeper and not be too obsessed with 'the hero gets the girl'.

Just like fire and water, air and earth are the opposite element. They are different, but they need each other.

Air is the element of freedom. In fact, Aang was Toph's first friend and he was also the one who offered her freedom, something she really wanted and needed.

Earth people are persistent. Aang wasn't weak, he was strong, but he was too soft. While Katara kept Aang in his comfort zone, Toph was the one who taught him to be tougher and stand his ground.

Aang has a connection with Toph, because he saw a vision of her before they met in person. While Sokka and Katara saw visions of their past, Aang saw visions of his future.

What if at that time Aang was actually seeing a vision of his future and his past?

Because in his dream, he saw Toph had no face, it parallels with his past life (Avatar Kuruk) that lost his lover when Koh stole her face.

It wasn't my original thought, I read this meta from a fanfic and I was stunned with this potential!

I learned that earth was an element that Aang often used in battle after mastering it, even though it was a difficult element for him at first.

Not only that, earth was the element that re-opened his chakra and made him enter the Avatar State. Maybe it's a coincidence, but it still shows that Aang has a connection with his opposite element.

But I think I know why they didn't plan on making Aang and Toph canon even though it would've been a great arc.

Like, no way the writer's inserting-self end up with character who originally a muscular sixteen-years-old boy.

Zuko and Katara (Zutara forever)

I know the question is about ships other than Zutara, but I couldn't help myself to include them on the list.😅 Zutara is too addictive to be missed. 💙❤️

[ecoterrorist-katara]

hi! i recently joined the zutara fandom and i've been seeking to read more fics of them! the first one was once around the sun (a famous one) and i'd like to know more about of the most classic zutara fanfics

Hello & welcome to the fandom! Once Around the Sun is one of my favourite fics ever. It’s so beautiful and gets under your skin.

Just a note, in case you're new to fanfic: please leave kudos for the author if you enjoyed their work, or even better, kudos + a comment! Not every popular fic will be your cup of tea, so make sure to check the tags and ratings before reading.

I think “classics” can be a ymmv situation, but a lot of people get into a ship with sorting by kudos on AO3, so I'll go through the ones I've read on page 1 that cover a bunch of different popular premises. S3 forced collaboration? The Color of the Stars by bluenebulae. Arranged political marriage? The Blackfish and the Dragon by ama. Ambassador Katara? such selfish prayers by andromeda3116. Canon divergent post-TSR? i'm still here by owedbetter. Katara-is-captured fic? Sparrowkeet by audreyii_fic. Painted Lady x Blue Spirit? Rumour Has It by FictionIsSocialInquiry. And of course, one of my fave fics of all time, Southern Lights by colourwhirled.

If you sort by favourites/comments on FFN, you'll come across some older-ish fics, like Stormbenders by Fandomme (fab undercover adventure from late s3!), His Majesty Prefers Blue by ShamelessLiar (post-canon), Tempest in a Teacup by akaVertigo (Katara grows up in the FN AU), The Black Games by MrsPettyfer (Hunger Games AU), Enslaved by sharkflip (Zuko is kidnapped and given to Katara), and The Undying Fire by Boogum (a veritable epic!).

That said, there are soooo many amazing fics in this fandom, and some of my favourites don't show up on the first couple of pages on AO3 or FFN if you sort by kudos/faves/reviews. I have a list of my lesser-known faves here, but since I made that post I've read a few more fics that I LOVE, including: akaiiko's they call you refugee (you'll see why), Lykegenia's The Things We Hide (fave Hama & Kya arcs ever), and DariusSobreitus' Annakpok (Iliad-inspired AU). I also didn't include any WIPs on that list, but following WIPs can be really fun, like emletish's hilarious The Worst Prisoner and ShamelessLiar's Call Me Katto AU. So: feel free to explore beyond rec lists and kudos! I found some of my favourite fics just by reading summaries.

Also, we got a whole SLEW of new fics between Zutara Week now and Zutara Big Bang a couple of months ago, which I haven't even begun to dig into (I currently have Wolfstar brainworms so I've been distracted from my Zutara fic hyperfixation). We’re a very spoiled fandom indeed. Happy reading!

[badlucksav]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you @nyamadermont for the tag!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 199. I don’t know what the 200th will be yet 😅

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 1,836,320. That’s a whole lot of characters kissing.

3. What fandoms do you write for? My most common ones are Avatar: The Last Airbender and Avatar: Legend of Korra, but I’ve also written fics for The 100, Six of Crows, Law & Order: SVU, Spiderman (Tom Holland), Harry Potter, MCU, The Last of Us, Soul Eater, Spy x Family, Stranger Things, and Twilight.

Honestly though I haven’t been writing much fanfic. I’ve shifted what focus I have for writing to poetry and original fiction.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

1. The Proposal — a Zutara AU based on the 2009 Sandra Bullock & Ryan Reynolds movie of the same name.

2. An Unlikely Alliance — a Zutara season 2 divergence fic where they find themselves traveling together

3. Your Number 1 Fan — a NSFW Zutara AU where Katara is a cam girl and Zuko is a subscriber

4. Perks of Being Your Neighbor — a Zutara modern AU with fluffy good “neighbors” tropes as well as big brother Zuko to an orphaned Kiyi.

5. Play with Fire — yet another Zutara modern AU. This time, they’re in college. Slowburn, tons of pining.

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try to! Comments are a writer’s lifeblood. The only time I usually don’t is if the comment is rude or demanding of an update.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

That would hands down be The Conduit, if only because I left it on one hell of a cliffhanger and then never wrote the sequel.

My bad yo

Second angstiest (sort of?) would be The Ghost of You (iykyk)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I like happy endings, so I feel like most of my fics have one. I’d say, for the level of pining and enemies-to-lovers aspect, The Proposal probably takes that cake.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Can’t get hate if you write rare pairs or rarely post

But yes, I used to. It actually drove me away from posting on ffn, and also drove me away from the Zutara fandom for a long time (and even still, I’ve never really come back).

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Oh yes, oh yes I have. And I write everything from soft vanilla first time sex to dirty kinky hot sex. Fully depends on my mood.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I don’t write them much, but the crackiest one was definitely the drabble I wrote throwing Rocket from Guardians of the Galaxy, Joel from The Last of Us, and Kaz Brekker from Six of Crows into an elevator together.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I think I’ve had a few requests for permission to translate, but I’m not sure if anything was ever actually translated.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I co-wrote with @idklolwot!

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Oofers, what a loaded question. All time favorite? Like I have to pick one?? Impossible.

It’s a tie between Irosami and Zutara.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Oof, at this point like all of them 💀 at least as fanfic. I’m considering taking some and turning them into original fiction.

16. What are your writing strengths?

People seem to like the character interactions I write as well as how i describe settings and the character’s inner monologues.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I definitely find the climax/conclusion to be the hardest. Maybe that’s why I never finish fics.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

If I spoke other languages fluently, I think I’d give it a try. But I don’t, so I won’t.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

First fandom I wrote and posted for was Avatar: The Last Airbender. But I recently unlocked memories of writing super cringe Twilight fanfic in middle school that never saw the light of day.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

This answer changes often. There are so many fics I love for different reasons (The Conduit is some of my most creative work, The Fire and the Flood is some of my best writing, The Proposal is actually finished…) but as of right now, it’s The Fire and the Flood. Maybe because I’m rereading it and falling in love with it again.

Tagging some of my favorite writer folks. If you’ve already been tagged, feel free to ignore 🤣

@orangepanic @neva-borne @mycomfortblanket @krastbannert @authorjoydragon

[on-sinkingships]

Fic Writer Interview

Thank you for the tag @formulaocean I really appreciate it <3

How many works do you have on ao3?

6 works! 5 are F1 related and the other is SoC.

What’s your total word count?

61,690 words. Which...I did not know it was that many bc I feel like I don't write a ton lol!

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

and you understand now why they lost their minds (and fought the wars) - 817

fate (in slow motion) - 334

stranger skin - 310

call it conditioning - 172

what i create is chaos - 140

Do you respond to comments? Why/ why not?

I do my best to! Sometimes it's pretty difficult though. On wips I try to respond to old comments before posting the next chapter but sometimes I forget.

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

So ignore the fact that I wrote a sequel but probably What I Create Is Chaos. I toyed with just leaving it there with the angst but decided against it. In my drafts, though, I have some really angsty fics, but I don't know if I will post them.

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

and you understand now... but literally everything I write is a happy ending I feel. I love to read angst and whump but then when it comes to writing I feel like I need to have it all end up happy.

Do you write crossovers?

I haven't yet, but I have considered it! The hard thing is I don't know what I would do for a crossover. I have had ideas (legally blonde lestappen) but I haven't taken the time to write them yet.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I don't think I'd call it hate? But there are people who have commented and just pointed out grammar errors or misspellings which like I get...but also it just kind of ruined my day and demotivated me? I know I need to do a better job editing, but also if you see something just send me a dm!

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Not that I have posted. I honestly don't think I'm very good at writing it and if I ever do end up trying it out, it will probably go on anon.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No. I don't know why anyone would want to steal my fics lol.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Like YEARS ago. I started writing fics in middle-school and I collaborated a lot then.

What's your all-time favourite ship?

It is so hard to decide. Like, Lestappen was what got me to start writing fanfic again in college so they're definitely up there! But I was also a zutara girlie and would read anything that put Sansa Stark in a good light.

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

Here We Go Kentucky. It was a Loscar angst fic that I just can't find inspiration for. I really adored Loscar, but with Logan losing the seat mid-season, it's kind of hard to write this now because it followed until the end, and I can't get the timeline to work.

I had an F1 mythology AU too that I never got around to finishing! The general concept was kind of a character study looking at drivers that refuse gifts from the gods to earn their achievements on merit versus those who make deals to get ahead. There were some that started on merit and then cut deals later on and paid the price and those that became really disillusioned with it all...

There's also an Olympics AU lol. Charles is a diver, and Max is a cyclist, and they keep running into each other every 4 years. They hook up every time. Charles is obsessed with Max's thighs.

What are your writing strengths?

I don't know! All of my writing is self-indulgent, so I'm not sure what my strengths really are! I just like to write and get the ideas out. I'm sure when I have more time, I'll focus more on my technique but for now it's a fun hobby.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Time management, for sure. I should not do multichapter yet I keep doing multichapter. Also, there are grammar errors (see above, lol).

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

It depends on the fic and the context. I think pet names are cute and easy to do! But full conversations can be a bit cumbersome. I think it works best when certain phrases are interspersed throughout, so it's not a full conversation in a different language, but you can still derive the meaning.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

It was Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. I was 12 and impressionable. To be fair though, there are fics from both of those that I still love to this day.

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

I've got some galex drafts going! I really love them as a ship, so I wanted to explore it a bit. They're kind of on the backburner though until Stranger Skin is finished :)

What's your favourite fic you've written?

I really liked fate (in slow motion), even if it isn't my best! There were some lines in it that I really enjoyed writing and it came together pretty quickly and felt cohesive. I like the vignette style too! I have to see if I can bring it back at some point.

tagging @mossistyping @13834 if you haven't already done it!

[shitpostingfromthebarricade]

Question 10 for Cosette, 20, 23? (And good luck with the driver's test!!)

10. What's your favourite piece of fanart for Cosette?

Someone else asked this same thing for this same character, so rather than choose, I'll just post different ones.  <3 This one by @pilferingapples is WONDERFUL, I adore it.

20. When did you first join Tumblr? How long was it between that and finding the Les Mis fandom?

I first joined in 2010 or so?  But like, I enjoyed AtLA a normal amount and watched Sherlock with my dad, and when I checked out those tags (Zutara vs Kataang flame wars and SuperWhoLock culture respectively), I was like, "Hmmm.  Let's not."  So I followed, like, HumansOfNewYork and fitblrs and social justice blogs until 2018 when ... inktaire, I think it was?  Kept posting about all of these characters in a musical I had been in the pit for but didn't recognize At All, and by the time I decided I was in the market for a hyperfixation, they had posted a link for WAR, and that was it.

23. Has your favourite character/ship changed over time?

Oh, for sure.  Entering the Les Mis fandom from the fanon end of things after only ever having been exposed to the musical definitely gave me a different understanding of the characters and their relationships than I have now that I've read the book/researched the era and figures/know more about the historical context/have seen a bunch more adaptations.  LM was also my first real experience with fanfic in general, so once the novelty of those tropes and styles wore off, I started actually exploring the story and characters more earnestly, rather than using the fandom to channel my interest in this new and unfamiliar genre, which meant that who and what I was interested in changed as well.

[the-lark-ascending69]

what are your favourite ships

Like... of all time?? Oh anon I think.... ummm.... the only ones that have consistently stood the test of time for like years and years and years may be... percabeth from PJO (baby's first otp, ever since I read the books at like 7 I knew they were meant to be together forever and I will always love them), and possibly zutara from ATLA, like c'mon they should have been canon. Zutara is actually one of the only ships I ship that I think would have made the story better if they were canon. For most other ships, I'm content with enjoying fanfic and fanart, but I think the writers lost a great opportunity by not making them canon. Anyway zutara is canon in my heart.

As for ships I'm particularly obsessed with right now... well, obviously ronance, ronance is bit otp rn, but I also like lumax a lot. I think lumax is the single best love story in the show, like at this point drop all the other ones and focus on lumax only, that's the only one that matter.

[j0kers-light]

20 Questions for Fanfic Writers!

Thank you again and again for the tag @spaghettificationandpretzels let’s get right into it! 🖤✨

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I have five works posted.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?
494,302

3. What fandoms do you write for?

DC Comics, One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, and I take private requests sometimes.

4. Top five fics by kudos

His Lighthouse - 520

His Lighthouse Oneshots - 77

Drabbles of the JJK Kind - 16

Opposites Attract - 15

His Angel - 9

5. Do you respond to comments?

Every single one 🖤✨

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Bat Connections.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Pick one love 🤭

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Never 💅🏾

9. Do you write smut?

Duh

10. Craziest crossover?

I haven’t written a crossover.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I think so? It was the same plot just recycled through to change the layout.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! I got a dm asking for help after they translated the story to Italian and things got a little funky.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes, but it’s not posted on my A03.

14. All time favourite ship?

Zutara stop playing with me.

15. What’s a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Opposites Attract and my original story idea 😣

16. What are your writing strengths?

I dunno. I’ve been told character development, world building, and foreshadowing within the plot. I just be writing.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Writer’s block, time management, using the same words repeatedly…

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I have, but I feel more comfortable writing in English.

19. First fandom you wrote in?

Avatar the Last Airbender

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

This answer changes every time someone ask me 😂 Today it’s Baby Sat

No pressure: anyone can do it

20 Questions for fanfic writers!

Thank you for the tag @darklydeliciousdesires

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I copy all my work onto AO3 the second I post it here, so it's accurate, it's 177.

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 806,890

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Sons of Anarchy

Mayans M.C.

Vikings

Call of Duty

The Gentlemen

Rebel Moon

The Punisher

Peaky Blinders

Gangs of London

4. Top five fics by kudos

The Reaper and the Death Angel Jax Teller/Reader - 244

Rest Your Weary Hands Ivar the Boneless/Reader - 230

Little Doe Ragnar Lothbrok/Reader - 143

I Love Your Bleeding Heart Happy Loman/Reader - 140

The Flat Tire Chibs Telford/Reader - 112

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes, every single one as soon as I can.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

None, I only do happy endings.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

All of them.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No, not really.

9. Do you write smut?

Yep!

10. Craziest crossover?

The Reaper and The Death Angel was a crossover between Bones, The Punisher, Criminal Minds and Sons of Anarchy.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No idea, I hope not.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Lol! I'm nowhere near good enough for that.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope

14. All time favourite ship?

I don't really have one, I haven't written enough OCs (yet) for that but I'm very excited for my upcoming Jax fic with my OC Winifred.

15. What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I will finish all of them one day!

16. What are your writing strengths?

Worldbuilding, crazy in-depth research, giving background and personality to characters that don't have much in canon.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

In all 177 I have never written a damsel in distress, I'm going to try in an upcoming fic. My biggest is my lack of confidence, I basically second guess everything and think I suck most of the time, it seriously hampers my writing quite a bit.

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I never had a reason to do it but I'd give it a go.

19. First fandom you wrote in?

The Punisher.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

I have no confidence, so I don't have one, I post and then do my best to forget it's there unless I get a comment or a reblog, then I love it.

Tagging @chaos-4baby @laurfilijames @rayslittlekitten @drabbles-mc

[fictionissocialinquiry]

FISI’s Favourite Zutara Fics

A lil late for ZFAW’s Saturday prompt, sorry about that! Haven’t had any internet over the weekend. But better late than never!

I’m not gonna lie… a lot of these are angsty af. But I promise you they’re not gratuitous angst! They’re well written, beautiful stories that will make you feel like a better person for having read them. These are my favourite all time fics, ones I’ve read more than once and will continue to read (even though I’m taking a week break from fandom and fic).

 Multi-Chaptered Fics

The Sparrowkeet Series by audreyii_fic

To be honest, this story’s summary doesn’t do it justice so I ain’t including it. Originally a one shot, Sparrowkeet is headcanon for me now. Move over canon, this is where it’s at. Audreyii_fic’s characterisation, world building, and writing is exquisite. It’s incredible. She manages to channel the same fun and whimsical energy from the show while allowing the characters to grow and develop to places I wish they had actually been taken.

This one is a fandom Must Read and one I return to regularly.

 Clothe Me in Seasons, Dress Me in Snow by sadladybug

It is not the memorial she deserves, nor the one she would want. But it can't be helped. He owns no property in the other nations, and he needed to keep her close. Closer than she was in life, anyway.

Zuko's reflections on a life lived and a life that could have been.

This is one of the best written fics I’ve ever read. It’s tragic and deep and will hurt you in all the tender places but you would be doing yourself a favour if you read this. There’s a real bittersweet feeling to it and the love between them is just… urg, visceral.

 Lovable by LadyCharity

Zuko knew that he could not save Azula. He could only try to forgive her. Fittingly enough, those two were one in the same.

I love stories that make Zutara their centerpiece but every now but then a story like this comes along. A story where their relationship builds almost incidentally because the plot and character development straight up hijack your emotions. I got so invested in this story. Zuko is amazingly well characterised and his complicated thoughts and feelings around his father and Azula are incredibly well written!

 One Shots

Lunar Ephemerality by @formerlygoldilocks (goldilocks23)

After multiple failed attempts on his life and years of self-set expectations, Fire Lord Zuko is a shell of the man he used to be. But Katara won't turn her back on those who need her.

I really didn’t expect this to hit as hard as it did. This straight up snuck up on me, fly-kicked my feelings, and by the end I had written an 800 word comment that was too big for AO3 and I had to contact the author directly to send it to her. Awkward. I couldn’t help myself. The side to Katara we see here is so good, her empathy and love for her friends are one of the things I love seeing most in AtLA fanfic. I’m a sucker for Zuko having complete breakdowns and having to piece himself back together too. So sue me. I like it when they suffer a lil bit. The writing is absurdly good and I will be keeping an eye out for any new stories by goldilocks23!

 31 Minutes by @ifyouwereamelodymeg

It's quite astounding, really, how quickly she's learned to translate him. They've spent a grand total of zero time together outside of training, and he's hardly big on chat so she knows next to nothing about his life.

But she knows him, probably better than she knows anyone at the moment – with every tap of his fingers, every crook of his lips, every turn in his voice, he just...

He makes sense to her. It's weird.

I’m a sucker for fic writers playing with style to make the story pop and boyo does this fic deliver. This is one of the rare times that I’ve been dumbstruck at the end of a story— I just couldn’t accept the ending. Because I’m a sucker for pain, (and this story will bring The Pain) I loved it. The ease of Zuko and Katara’s growing relationship in this bowls you over, it’s absolutely beautiful and you find yourself nodding along emphatically when Zuko calls himself an idiot for waiting… “Life’s short, kids, live each moment as though it could be your last,” says this fic as it pulls my heart out and dropkicks it off a cliff.

 i count to five (and life passes by) by @markedmage

Five heartbeats.

I still haven’t forgiven Mage for this one. I think it’s the best thing she’s written to date! I mean, tragic and painful and heart-rending but holy shit is it powerful <3

 The Lake of the Dismal Swamp by @thewhiitelotus

Spook af. Spook (horror) is real hard to do well but thewhiitelotus is coming for your goosebumps and those shivers down your spine. She has a way of balancing beautiful, evocative imagery with action (in this and other stories of her) that just keeps you reading!

 Calloused by @rideboldlyride

Iroh hadn’t been able to watch. The pure horror of a man - a father- burning their child for a slight infraction... He couldn’t do anything to stop it, but he will stop his brother from destroying entirely the kind boy he knew Zuko could be.

This is a painfully underappreciated fic for how great the characterisation is. I know we in the zutara fandom tend to not read stories that aren’t Zuko/Katara centric as often but do yourself the favour of reading this (or listening to it: RideBoldlyRide has done us the gift of recording a podfic for this and it’s stupidly *good*). This story is Iroh confronting Ozai just after he burns Zuko’s face and it kicks.

 four days and three nights by @hinaoyamas (lettersfromnowhere)

Zuko discovers firsthand that nothing is more fleeting than happiness, or more enduring than memory.

Do you like reading stories with a distant, omniscient narrator? The kind that read like a myth from the ancient world? Welp, hit the hyperlink, friend, cause this one’s for you. Not only is the writing exquisite but the characterisation and painful inevitability of the plot is grade A.

 For the Fire Nation by tullyblue12

He falls in love with her for his country before he falls in love with her for himself. A Zuko/Katara AU that explores how love and duty aren’t always mutually exclusive.

There are about 40,000 exquisite lines in this story but here is just one of my favourites: “He falls in love with her for his country first. That’s what his people never understand.” This fic says a lot with so few words, which is something I really look up to! In 2,800 words, tullyblue12 does what some 100,000k fics cant: They make you feel.

 Guide Me Home by Rashaka

To sleep, perchance to dream. Katara and Zuko find a friendship they never expected in a place that seemed impossible.

This is a one shot I will forever wish for a continuation of. The setup is just… so juicy. There’s a real sorrowful innocence to this story that the unique short, dialogue only scenes really punch home. I know some people don’t like dialogue only fics but when done well like in this one, it leaves you with the impression of something deeper than a 1,185 word fic has any right to! 

 Other Favourites!

Hopeless by tullyblue12 — Kids grow up fast when a cruel world awaits them. In times of hopelessness, Katara and Zuko grow together. In times of separation, they hope to see each other again.

Speechless by goldilocks23 — Zuko has a medical condition. Or: Zuko speaks in haiku at inappropriate times.

Don’t Follow Me Down by eleventy7 — Katara is the dread queen of the underworld, ruler of the dead, destined to reign her cold kingdom alone. Until a sun god catches her eye. A Hades/Persephone retelling with incredible writing.

I Don't Speak Meow Language by @botherkupo (Boogum) — In which Zuko adopts a cat and Katara just wonders what spirits she pissed off to deserve this fate.

I have the privilege of being friends with some of these authors (they know who they are) and am in near daily awe and gratitude for the works of free fiction they provide us, the fandom. And not just any old stories: Guys... Really good ones!! Can I ask that if you go check out these fics, can you just drop a kudos or a comment their way? If you’re feeling shy just copy and paste this into the comments box anonymously: “WOW! Loved this! Thank you so much for writing it!”

I know it would mean the world to this talented bunch <3

[amywritesthings]

fic writer interview.

found this in the tags while I was browsing & thought it could be a fun way to end 2022! i am not tagging anyone, but if you'd like to fill it out, then feel free to copy + paste it to a new post!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Eleven, soon to be twelve!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

113,915

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Marvel (The Avengers, Moon Knight), Star Wars (The Mandalorian, Andor), The Last of Us, The Bubble, and Stranger Things

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Point A to Point B (493)

Where Shadows Meet Spaces (356)

Meet Me at the Usual (277)

A First for Breathing (226)

Meet Me On the Other Side (118)

5. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Every single one, no matter how long or how short! Reblogs on tumblr and replies/comments under the posts are literally my life source to keep me going through the day. I try to make sure I don't miss a single response if I can help it.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

It isn't finished yet, but I have the finale outlined for Famous Last Words as I only have two more parts to go. (That I intend to finish some day I promise!) Same Old Mistakes will have the angstiest ending out of all of my fics.

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I do not. I totally could one day, though. Just has to have the right mood.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

No! Luckily I am fortunate enough to say that I have been given only constructive criticism to my fics, which is not equivalent to hate.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do! I actually really get nervous about writing smut. Like it'll take me eons to write smut chapters versus normal chapters because they're the pieces of writing I'm most self conscious about. (Even if... nearly all of my works constitute as smut-based fics.) I primarily write f/m smut just because... well, it just happens that way? And I write smut for me, so I don't primarily write things that I don't find hot. Because fic-writing it's about self-indulging, baybeeee.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No! Not that I am aware of, anyway. Hopefully not, because stealing fics is lame.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I'm aware of, no.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I'm actually more well-versed in roleplay writing than I am with fanfics, so I want to say... yes? Because I've written collaborative stories with friends that I've just never published to the public, but it's a long-winded way of say yes and also no.

13. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

I don't know if I have one? I write mainly reader insert because I would be writing original character x canon fic, but they don't typically sell well, so I adopted 2nd person writing to get with the times.

In terms of readership, I loved Buffy/Spike from BtVS as a kid, Garrus x Sheppard from Mass Effect 3, Zutara from ATLA, Jack & Elizabeth from POTC, Obidala, Dramione, Reylo... I'm typically a big proponent of enemies to lovers, if that hasn't been obvious yet, lol.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I have a Succession fanfiction that is extremely dark and 'dead dove don't eat' territory that I've had sitting in my google docs for over a year now. I think it's some of my best writing, but I know that it's extremely taboo and very much not safe for work, so I struggle with posting it despite how I go back to read it all the time lol. I write a really good Kendall Roy, guys!

15. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue. I went to school and have a degree in pre-production motion picture and television writing, so screenwriting is my niche little hobby that I wanted to turn into a career and never did. That being said, I think that I can really pick up on dialect of characters and actors very well in order to translate them into original pieces / fanfiction, so I think most of my strengths lie within my verbal writing.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Description. I absolutely loathe writing long paragraphs and descriptors and tend to gloss over when others write very long paragraph writing. My attention span just cannot handle non-quippy and whippy writing, and that goes for myself as well. I'd rather just write the dialogue and the drama going on between interpersonal relationships, and tend to struggle with setting up locations and atmospheres in a broader, descriptive sense vs. abstract.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I don't do it because I would have to use Google Translator and that's a total gamble, but I admire those who can and do fluently. I can read Spanish, but I cannot write it. The closest we get is me writing Din speaking in Mando'a and quite honestly I do not know if those translations are even real / up to Wookiepedia code lol.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Y'all are going to lose. your. shit over this.

Jimmy Neutron. I was nine years old. A 12-part story I still say is my best work 😂

19. What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

Point A to Point B will likely be my favorite. I have put so much of my heart and soul in that storytelling and world crafting that I'd be remiss to suggest anything else.

[paintingcranes]

hi, I just wanted to say that your "poison leaves bit by bit" is one of my favourites fics ever. the stunning prose and how all the characters feel so in character and also how each of the relationships be that platonic or romantic are so fleshed out and are done justice. the internal conflict and feelings of the characters feels so visceral and realistic and their trauma is actually acknowledged, both the gaang's and background characters. often with zutara fics the imperialist history of the fire nation is just not acknowledged or even just allowed to continue which makes it questionable when some fics make katara fire lady and she just has no problems with that especially when we know the fire nation is responsible for her mother's death. your fic doesn't do that and takes the time to explore the characters before jumping headfirst for the endgame relationship.

i just wondered if you are still continuing that fic, I ask this knowing that you have a life and problems of your own and if I'm bothering you, I am really sorry!

Hello anon! I'm sorry for taking almost two weeks to respond to this thoughtful message, but I wanted to properly say thank you for your kind words <3 This message meant very much to me and lifted my heart during some quite tiring weeks! I'm so touched to know that my fic is one of your favorites because it's definitely a labor of love. Exploring the many different ways that atla characters experience trauma, but still express love in their own messy ways (even when they don't fully understand each other), has been cathartic for me. I was also happy to read that you appreciated my exploration of the Fire Nation's imperialism - it's something that I've always deeply wished was explored more in fandom. Beyond the fact that characters like Katara, Sokka, and Aang deserve the chance to process the full extent of their grief and/or anger over colonization and the FN, I also think a love story between Katara and Zuko is most meaningful when the fight for them to come together as equals reflects their fight to create a more just world - making both things happen is genuinely very hard when they live in a world of injustice and colonial power imbalance, but I think it's all worth fighting for. Please don't apologize at all for wanting to know more about my next update, because I love knowing that you're still following the story after I've spent so much time away. The short answer is yes, I am continuing the story, and I'll definitely be updating before 2021 is over :) The long answer is that like you suggested, there have been a lot of major changes taking place in my life during this past summer and fall, which have occupied most of my time and energy. So the draft for the next chapter has been sitting over half-finished on my computer (along with writing for several other fandoms far different from atla), waiting until I'm in a more stable place to finish. The other half of the truth is that I also really needed a break from the zutara fandom, after there were a bunch of events during the summer when poc (and woc in particular) were treated quite poorly, and several of my friends subsequently left the zutara fandom. These events, in my opinion, were examples of wider issues that have been going on for years in both the zutara and broader atla fandom. But the distance has really helped me come back to this fanfic story (and zutara as a ship in general) on my own terms over the past few months. At this point, I really just want to write about the characters in a way that connects to me. It's obviously completely okay if my interpretations of the ship and characters and story don't appeal to everyone, but when I do finally update my fic, it'll just be for myself and for anyone who finds joy in my writing. Basically, I'm slowly feeling better about where I'm at, and I hope anyone who reads the upcoming chapters of my story will feel that come through. I hope you know that your message also reinvigorated my desire to share my ideas, so thank you again, and I'm wishing you all the best <3

[experiment-000]

My Top 10 Ships of 2020

It's been a weird year but I've seen other people doing this. Plus this year I've been way more into gen fics (love a bit of found family especially in clone wars and marvel) than anything shippy. So I genuinely don't know what imma put on here aside from two ships for sure. Sorry this post is super long idk how to do the below the cut thing and I've had this app for 5 years...

10) Viktor Nikiforov and Yuuri Katsuki - Yuri!!! On Ice

It was a real toss up between this, supercorp, kanera and wolfstar cos they're all very integral ships to my fan heart but this son because of the Yuri on Ice fandom's rebirth this year. I've never stopped shipping this, never stopped reading fanfic of them for any extended period of time, they're still my most bookmarked ship on ao3 (although I think now star wars - all media types may have overtaken them for fandom). They were one of the first things I watched where the queer ship I loved became canon and I can't wait for the film (and hopefully someday a season 2). Heck I even made my mum watch Yuri on Ice with me so I think that says it all.

9) Edelgard Von Hresvelg and female Byleth - Fire Emblem: Three Houses

My first fire emblem game was fates when I was like 14 (and finally gay awake lol). I was so disappointed that I had to be with a guy character because the only female option was kinda creepy and also I wouldn't get the character of kana. So when three houses came out I was so happy because finally there were beautiful incredible female characters my female byleth could romance (I'm so sorry mlm you deserved so much more than you got). I got the game as soon as it came out (had to search a lot of shops let me tell you) and started on black eagles. I was actually kinda disappointed back in 2019. I didn't like the explore the monastery bit (still find it kinda tedious) and the battle mechanics weren't quite the same as fates (no pairing up?! Aka my main battle technique for protecting the weaker units). So I got like 20 hours in and put it down. Came back to it in lockdown and finally finished it! I'm so proud of myself I virtually never finish games. And I fully fell in love with the useless lesbian edelgard in the process. When I started back playing in 2020 I was like eh I wish I'd picked a different character to romance (like shes an emperor that's morally very shady) but then the romance stuff started with edelgard and I fell the heck in love.

8) Cory Matthews and Shawn Hunter (and Topanga Lawrence) - Boy Meets World

Disney+ was released in the UK this year and I finally got the opportunity to watch boy meets world in its best quality (aka not on YouTube). I watched it back when I was like 12 or 13 and it's such a nostalgic show for me. Watching it again I still absolutely adore it (and my bi ass was low-key crushing on Shawn especially in chick like me - I'm 18 btw and I got so scared for a sec but rider strong was 18 when chick like me came out so it's fine woah). And of course now I see the possibilities of the beautiful Cory and Shawn relationship like they were so bromance it was basically romance and throw in topanga it's the perfect ot3 (but I'm also fine with just Cory and Shawn or just Cory and Topanga). Read some good fanfic for them this year. My favourite was one about Shawn stealing makeup and stuff and exploring gender (need more fics like this I'm biiii).

7) Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes - Marvel Cinematic Universe

I rewatched all the MCU films this year too. And got really into Peter parker whump and irondad. Plus my eternal obsession with identity and relationship reveals of course led me from Spiderman identity reveals (and found family cuteness) to stucky coming out. Especially when it involves the internet and social media. Not my favourite ship but it's been significant to my year due to the sheer amount of marvel stuff I've read.

6) Satine Kryze and Obi Wan Kenobi - Star Wars

I rewatched clone wars in prep for season 7 and wow Satine's death was sad and sudden. She first appeared in S2 E13 I think and just the sheer sexual tension of their bickering. "The sarcasm of a soldier. The delusion of a dreamer." Just ugnnhhh my bi ass can't take much more of this. And Anakin just sipping his wine in the background grinning. And I fully believe korkie is a Kenobi.

5) Commander Cody and Obi Wan Kenobi - Star Wars

I am very much an Obi wan multishipper. I don't really have a favourite but I fully believe he was with satine and Quinlan in his life. I don't think be would've actually done anything with Cody because of the whole superior officer thing. And this probably isn't even my favourite Obi wan ship - that honour probably goes to quinobi or obitine. However the most popular ships in the fandom are codywan, quiobi and obikin. No offence to anyone who ships these they're just personally not to my taste, but I can't stand quiobi, and obikin I find only slightly more tolerable and I think that's just because there's so much obikin content so if I like the concept of a fic that happens to be obikin I'll read it. I'm just not a fan of the mentor/student relationships. So I generally favoured the codywan fics when there was shipping involved meaning I read a lot of them this year. Needed that nice fix it content post season 7.

4) Zuko and Katara - Avatar: the Last Airbender

Again I am a multishipper I have nothing against zukka it's cute. But I'm a zutara shipper first and foremost because when I first watched avatar I was like 13 and denying my gayness and gayness in general so I shipped the straight things and the straight things only. Most of these ships I stopped shipping - dramione, spuffy, some my little pony ones which we don't talk about. Zutara stayed. (I have nothing against any of the things I used to ship I just stopped shipping them so much/shipped new things more). I've continuously shipped zutara since I first watched avatar even if I didn't necessarily spend that much time on it it has always been here as one of my favourite ships. It has such good fanfic I swear including my favourite ever fanfic from any fandom - love thy enemy. Plus like the black games (reread this for the millionth time this year), a delicate subterfuge (which I read for the first time this year and damn it's so good) and so many more. With the avatar resurgence this year I haven't actually rewatched avatar aside from my normal random episode every now and then when I feel like it. But there's been a lot of avatar on my dash from people I follow getting into it and people I followed for avatar returning so naturally I returned to the fandom and read quite a lot of fanfic. I also read just a lot of avatar gen fics which were great at the whole found family thing I've been so obsessed with this year.

3) Catra and Adora - She Ra and the Princesses of Power

Catradora is canon! They kissed! What more is there to say. Arguably they should've been top but I never shipped them that much since I was always very much a multishipper when it came to she ra so yes I was very happy it became canon because we actually won for once but also I've never read much fanfic for them etc. But they are very much a dynamic I love and watching she ra all again in prep for season 5 I really enjoyed the build up of their relationship. The other two only go above because Buffy is my favourite show ever and damn there's some good fuffy fanfic and Aphra and Tolvan is both fresh in my mind and star wars owns me. Would love some catradora fic recs btw if anyone has them tho.

2) Buffy Summers and Faith Lehane - Buffy the Vampire Slayer

I didn't realise it was last year that I got super into them but according to my ao3 bookmarks it was lol. 2020 I swear it's lasted an eternity. I got into them about a month before lockdown (which feels like another lifetime). I've loved Buffy since I first watched it when I was 13. It's arguably still my favourite TV show. I've been through a lot of ships for Buffy - bangel to spuffy and now fuffy. I still think angel and her were a beautiful ship back in season 2 and especially in the angel episode I will remember you. But faith and Buffy had so much chemistry in season 3 - she would've been a fresh start for Buffy and the amount of fix it fics I read I swear. My favourite has to be one where they met in LA during Anne and how that changed everything feat Buffy's internal homophobia.

1) Cheili Lona Aphra and Magna Tolvan - Star Wars

I read Darth Vader (2015) and Doctor Aphra (2016) for the first time at the end of 2020 (got a comic subscription which has served me very well already I've nearly finished the star wars canon comics). Just to see canon queer ladies in star wars was so magical for me as a queer lady. I didn't think star wars would be so overt yet as to have a queer kiss in canon (even if it's in the comics) and especially not with the main character of arguably their main comic series. Now we just gotta hope that we'll get it in live action someday soon. They weren't the ship I consumed the most content of in 2020 but they were the highlight of my 2020 because star wars did that and I finally found out about it

Honourable mentions: Vivian and Elle - Legally Blonde, Candace and Vanessa - Phineas and Ferb, Stevie and Alex - Wizards of Waverly Place, Xander and Spike - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (I actually don't ship this but damn some authors are good - this was the ship that made me realise I don't need to like a ship if the author is good enough to write it well), Eli Vanto and Mitth'raw'nuruodo - Star Wars (started reading the books last year but finished this year and only started with fanfic this year), Villanelle and Eve - Killing Eve, Kanan and Hera - Star Wars, Barriss and Ahsoka - Star Wars, Remus and Sirius - Harry Potter, Kara and Lena - Supergirl (let's hope this becomes canon next year!) (Those last four are ones I've shipped forever some of my og ships but nothing particularly big has happened for me this year with them so)

I got Disney+ this year so rewatched a fair few things from my youth and though hey my obsession with that character may have been a little gay.

[dhwty-writes]

thanks for tagging me @flowercrown-bard!

Fanfiction tag game

how many works do you have on Ao3?

36 (which is honestly a lot more than I’d have thought)

what’s your total Ao3 word count?

 244,36. Fun fact: most of that was written between August and December last year

what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Of Witchers, Bards, and Broken Hearts. So far no surprises. This fic got wildly popular and at this point I’m still not sure why

Toss a Coin to your Lover. The first witcher fic I ever wrote! I vomited out 1k words at 2 am and then look what became of me...

The Best Laid Plans. Ahhh, yes. The mistletoe fic. One of my personal favourites.

Handsy Strangers and Clever Bards. This is a very short fic of mine in which Jaskier is hit on by a stranger and says that Geralt is actually his boyfriend. Not a lot happens but it’s pretend relationship, so I get it

To Find Warmth Where There Is None. The Kaer Morons cuddle pile fic! I love that one

do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I try to, but I tend to forget. I just love interacting with the author when I’m writing comments, so I imagine my readers might feel a similar way. I also love interacting with readers, getting to know their opinions, theories, etc.

what’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

See, here’s the problem: I don’t really do endings, I reach a point where I don’t know how to continue and slap that thing on the internet. Besides that, most of my fics just end with the couple getting together. But if you’re looking for a fic with a particularily sappy ending, I’d recommend my entry for Zutara Week 2020.

what’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

ahhhh, I think this would be this angsty baby here. Geralt apologises to Jaskier after the mountain, but they have to keep their relationship secret, feat. a beautiful (albeit very sad) artwork by @spielzeugkaiser

do you write crossovers?

no, I don’t really see the appeal

have you ever received hate on a fic?

I think I might just start to cry if I ever did, so I am very glad that I haven’t

do you write smut? if so, what kind?

I tried writing smut a couple of times and am absolutely unable to read any of it again. I’ve said so several times but the only Geraskier thing spicier than a tomato I’ve got is this

have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not a fanfic, no! But I’ve got a 200k monster with @parttime-creative (that I have to continue, whoops)

what’s your all-time favourite ship?

Zutara. It’s almost been 10 years since I lost my heart to that ship

what’s a wip that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Probably We Were Born Sick, just realistically speaking. I’m not as invested as in OWBABH and the drive is kinda gone...

what are your writing strengths?

Honestly, I think that is more a question for my readers than me. But judging from what I’ve been told before, I’d say it’s creating secondary characters? Oh, and another thing that I enjoy immensely to write are dreams and visions.

what are your writing weaknesses?

I would say body language. Not that I have problems envisioning it, but then turning it into words is driving me nuts. Also, travel logs. These are also the most boring things for me when I am reading.

what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

So, here’s the thing: as a reader, I don’t particularly care about that, I can just skip it. Only when it’s like crucial sentences, then I’m all for it (ASOIAF with Valar Morghulis/Valar dohaeris my beloved).

As a writer, worldbuilder, and linguist, however? I fucking love my conlangs. And I love incorporating them into the story. But I do realise that most readers don’t care for that and that’s okay. I don’t really incorporate it into fics anyways. (My original work/pathfinder campaign tho? different story)

what was the first fandom you wrote for?

The first fandom I wrote for (as in published a fic in fandom spaces) was for the Warriors novel series in 2010/2011 I think? Although I did not use any of the original character or even the setting! (If you ask me, I had a stellar premise and to this day I maintain that it was better than any of the later seasons. but oh well)

That was when I first became aware of fandom. I have, however, still the document of a self-insert Dragid Feuerherz fanfic from when I was about 8

what’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

I would say it’s OWBABH, because I really love that AU with my whole heart... BUT the fic I’m definitely proudest of is For You I’ll Always Wait (very loosely inspired by my absolute obsession with Hadestown). I wrote eight entire poems for it! I analysed Jaskier’s ballads so that I could replicate the tone and the rhymes and metre and everything! And it’s almost entirely set in a dream world with weird laws of physics and deities and stuff! I even printed it and bound it as a book!

Yeah, I love that fic. I loved writing it and, what’s even more important, I love reading it.

Thanks for tagging me, this was fun!

I’m tagging @witcher-and-his-bard, @parttime-creative, @contemplativepancakes and whoever else wants to do this

[presidenthades]

20 Questions, Writer’s Edition!

Thank you @euriipides for the tag :)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

24

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

330,311.  203,806 of those are from this year alone (starting in May) for Darklina.

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Mostly Shadow and Bone/Grishaverse.  On AO3, the only other fandoms are Hunger Games and Designated Survivor.  Let’s not talk about FF.Net.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

TBH I have a personal rule right now not to look at my AO3 stats, but it’s probably safe to say Ten Suns in the Sky is up there lol.

5. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I do, though I admittedly get a lot in the Darklina fandom so I can’t respond to every single one or I’d spend more time responding to comments than writing...  I just get so much joy out of every comment, from the ones that just have heart emojis to the full-out essays some people write, and I want to express my gratitude for that even if it’s just a “thanks for reading and commenting.”

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

From my Hunger Games days.  A Game Played Beautifully by Children is a three-shot AU of my own main Hunger Games AU (The Sweetest Mockery).  It’s.  A lot.  Of angst.

7. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Hard to say, but probably one of my fluff pieces.  I have a soft spot for Prince Charming from the Designated Survivor fandom.

8. Do you write crossovers? If so, what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Not yet, unless you count Greek mythology elements as a crossover with Greek mythology?  I do love those crazy Hellenic bastards.

9. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Fortunately no, which I’m...honestly a little shocked about, because Ten Suns is pretty popular in the Darklina fandom, but I’ll count my blessings while they last.

10. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do, but it’s not smut for the sake of writing smut, usually?  I guess it’s closer to what people call emotional smut.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Don’t think so, although there was a sketchy moment from my Twilight days when I was a wee 14-year-old.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, though I did get a request from someone to translate Ten Suns to Portuguese.  Not sure it went anywhere because I really didn’t want them posting the translation outside of AO3.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Darklina Round Robin!

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

Zutara was the ship that started shipping for me.

15. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Probably The Sweetest Mockery, as mentioned earlier.  I’ve just lost a lot of my Hunger Games drive.  But I’m so very proud of the world-building I did in that fic so maybe one day...

16. What are your writing strengths?

Hmmm.  World-building?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

When it comes to fanfic, I really don’t know when to shut up so it can get wordy sometimes hehehe.

18. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I personally would rather not.  It just seems unnecessary when it gets to be more verbose than a word or phrase here and there, since you have to translate for the reader anyway.  I would prefer to just use italics or context clues.

19. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Twilight at age 13.  Used to be ashamed of it, but now I’m like eh, we all had a phase like that...right?

20. What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

I am really enjoying Ten Suns, but Heliogony is also up there.

Tagging (but only if you want to): @aerica13 and anyone else who might be interested

[zkfanworkweek]

ZFAW Content Creator Interviews: OwedBetter

Hey everyone! We hope you’re all excited for ZFAW, and to honor (ha!) ZFAW’s commitment to supporting and celebrating fan content creators in the Zutara fandom, we’re going to be rolling out a series of interviews with well-known and widely-beloved content creators over the next few weeks. We’ve got artists and fanfiction authors, some names you recognize as well as a few phenomenal up-and-coming talents, and we can’t wait for you to meet them all!

I’m super excited about this one! For the sixth (incredibly delayed, I’M SORRY) interview in the cycle, we have Jo, aka @owedbetter. Best known for the absolutely iconic Zutara fanfiction “I’m Still Here,” Jo’s works can be found at: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12312357/chapters/27990618

Tell us about how you came to ship Zutara. What does this ship mean to you?

To use one of my favourite lines from Jane Austen, "I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun." I started watching Avatar: The Last Airbender when I was just a tiny little baby child at 10 turning 11 years old. I do know for a fact, however, that Zutara had simply always been it for me from the very beginning. I believe it was during "The Storm" that I just knew that there was more to Zuko than what was at surface level. As a brown girl trying to make her way into positions of leadership as a child, Katara's strength, rage, and bravery paved the way for me to survive in the way I have. As a survivor of child abuse myself, Zuko remaining kind and gentle and good was of paramount importance. Together, they were the joining of two souls that met in conflict and chaos but through merit, equal standing, and forgiveness, they were exactly what each other needed. They are not opposites nor two halves of a whole; they are the sky and between them is only the world. Everyone has the need to feel truly seen and understood as they are by another, and Zuko and Katara do exactly that. Other stories come and go, but they're the story I come back to and will continue to call home every single time. I will never tire of them.

2. What inspires you to create Zutara fanworks?

 I've been a professional writer for the last ten years. It's my job to imagine and create stories. I also love consuming stories through every medium possible. The well never dries when you keep it full to the brim. When you do the work I do and you consume as many stories as I do and you've lived a long enough life and paid attention to the life around you as I have trained to do, to be inspired is second nature. For Zutara, however, these are voices that have lived in my brain for fifteen years. When I get an idea for a story, literally any story, it's like my subconscious is naturally attuned to their dynamic that every prompt I come up with is automatically a Zutara prompt. Such is the way. If I ever publish a novel and/or lead my own show/movie, you can bet that it's probably Zutara if you squint.

3. Be selfish - if you could request one fanwork based on your own art/fanfic, what would it be? What would you absolutely love to see someone create? 

To this day, "i'm still here" is probably the single greatest thing I've ever done in my whole stupid life. It would be the greatest honour to see my work interpreted visually. Genuinely, I'd love to see certain scenes as comic panels or something. Katara's realisation at the beach over who she is and she thinks about Yue, her mother, and her grandmother. Zuko and Katara's mutual understanding. The scene that started it all: baby Zuko taking care of baby Azula at the beach. Katara and Iroh talking in Chapter 7. Toph meeting fear for the first time. The entire ending of Chapter 6. As of writing this, I haven't updated the sequel yet but I would love to see visual interpretations of incoming Original Characters because they've been fun to create. I don't even know. If anyone wants to draw something from "i'm still here", I would like to see it. Please let me see it. I will cry. But also, I would like to see visual interpretation of Zutara in my modern quarantine pandemic AU because I would like to see long haired 28 year old Zuko wearing autumn-wear in a public park filled with flowers with 26 year old Katara basically wearing anything I wear because I am projecting in that story for a reason. 

4. Any words for people who are new to the fandom and/or nervous about sharing their work for the first time?Buddy, we're all just a bunch of nerds who are creating things for our enjoyment and the enjoyment of likeminded individuals. Do things for you and because they bring you joy, first and foremost. Everything else can be ignored if you want to ignore it. You're doing great. 

5. What is your favorite Zutara-related thing you’ve made and why is it special to you?

 Again, "i'm still here" is literally the greatest thing I've ever done in my life. Something I get commended for a fair amount with ISH is how I handled Zuko being a child abuse survivor, and his conflicting emotions with his violent abusers because he's still a child who wants his family to love him. That comes from an extremely personal place for me and it means the world to know that other survivors out there resonated so well with it. Also, Masterchef Zuko with that chicken adobo meant me getting a LOT of people saying they tried out the recipe themselves and I can feel my grandmother radiate with pride over knowing I'm so great a cook that I can convince people to want my dish just by writing about it. I'm so proud of everything I did with ISH. I worked really hard on it and I'm so happy to know it means a lot to other people too. 

6. What’s an idea for a fanwork that you have but haven’t gotten around to making?

I have this one modern AU involving dogs that I've put on the backburner since 2017. One day... one day!!! I'm a bit of a workaholic, though, so most of the things I want to do, I just do 'em. 

7. Are you participating in ZFAW? If so, want to give us a hint as to your plans? 👀

I am! I have a draft ready based on one of Hayley Foster's animatics and I'm very excited. Tumblr user hayleynfoster, I owe you my entire life. 

[nellasbookplanet]

Was tagged by @saturdaysky for this fic ask game. Thanks, this was fun!

Answers are going to be under the cut bc I naturally got a little rambly

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

Only 2! I'm pretty much unable to write shorter works/oneshots, so I don't make a lot of stuff but I do make them long.

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

210 852 as of this moment.

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

I was going to say two (critical role and the 2012 teenage mutant ninja turtle show back in my midteens) but then I had the horrifying realization that I did indeed write Starshine Legacy fanfic when I was, like, eleven. I didn't even know fanfic was a thing back then. I just liked the games and I liked writing so I combined the two.

4) What are your top five fics by kudos?

Only two fics to rank (those early works are on other platforms), but:

The Worlds Between Us with 401

Among the Nein with 361

5) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I tried with Among the Nein and like the first chapter of Worldhoppers, but it got a little overwhelming after a while. Communication is hard, you know, and I ended up spending a disproportionally large amount of time trying to figure out how to reply and still ended up going just "thanks for commenting :D" most of the time. I'll probably reply to the comments of the last chapter for Worldhoppers when it’s eventually posted though.

6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I tend toward happy endings, actually! And of my 2 critrole fics only one is finished so far, so hard question to answer.

7) Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I mean, Among the Nein is a critrole among us au, that probably counts as a pretty crazy crossover? I also played with the idea of a critrole taz balance crossover (even started writing it, featuring Kravitz coming to reap an amnesiac tiefling who refused to die) but ended up discarding the idea.

8) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I did get a negative comment on one of my tmnt fics back in the day. Funnily enough, I didn’t realize its meaning at the time, as it used an english expression I hadn’t heard before. To me it was jibberish, which really is what that commenter deserved (I did eventually look up the meaning and get a bit upset, but not very much)

9) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I do not, and doubt I'll ever feel comfortable doing so. I'll probably be skirting the edges of it with later chapters of Worldhoppers, though.

10) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

11) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

12) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Also nope.

13) What’s your all time favourite ship?

It tends to fluctuate depending on whatever story I'm currently fixated on. Zutara has a special place in my heart however, seeing as it's the first ship I remember shipping. At the moment it's probably shadowgast (surprising no one).

14) What’s a WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Thinks wistfully about that critrole taz crossover.

15) What are your writing strengths?

Definitely world building! I adore world building, be it fantasy or sci fi. I also think I'm fairly good at writing distinct characters and character interactions. (According to comments/reviews I'm also good at writing funny things, which I find continuously odd since I rarely aim to be funny in my writing and my jokes irl tend to fall flat).

16) What are your writing weaknesses?

I can get really rambly and preachy, lol. 

I’m also hindered a bit by the fact that I’m constantly mentally stuck somewhere between English and Swedish. I always keep google translate open in a tab to hop between the two for when I can only figure out a word in one of the languages, and an English synonym site since my vocabulary isn’t quite as varied as most native speakers (I tend to fixate on certain words and overuse them). I still probably fuck up grammar and expressions a lot more than I’m aware of, and I know I mix American/British spelling (why are they different?? it’s the same language??) so I’m kind viewing this whole fanfic thing as practice in case I ever want to write seriously in English.

17) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Don't like it as a rule, but sometimes I can’t help it bc languages are fun when you know them (irritates the hell out of me when I read something and suddenly there are whole phrases I don’t understand, though. At least add a dictionary or something at the end!).

18) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

The Starshine Legacy spooky horse games featuring talking horses, girls with super powers, and an alien kraken locked up under the sea back in elementary school. It was the first full story I ever finished! It was written entirely in Swedish and posted on a forum. (fun fact: one of the readers suggested I also post on a fanfic site and linked me to ao3. I checked it out and came out disappointed that everything there was written in English).

19) What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

Most of the time my favorite is whatever I'm working on at the moment, so right now it's Worldhoppers.