#late ffwf answer

happy ffws on the last saturday of 2022 haha! and daaaaangggg, choco, that's a great question!

i think one thing i enjoyed most about writing fanfic this year is expanding my array of fics and delving deep into intropsection and other various themes. i mean, i most definitely had a few fics from last year that were introspection, but this year i had waaayyyy more of these fics, most of which are based upon Aang's grief of the Air Nomads because for some reason that's my favorite thing to explore (lol...). but i also began exploring more niche themes that i don't think many people in the atla fandom tend to explore, such as Katara's changing perception of Aang as the avatar (gods don't bleed (except you do)) and Zuko's guilt on his role in the Fire Nation's imperialism (dreamless dreams).

this year, i also learned that i enjoy writing other relationships that aren't Kataang! i really did enjoy writing Iroh's and Lu Ten's relationship in leaves let go (to fall from the vine) and Hakoda's and Aang's potential father-son relationship in these sleepless nights we spend (waiting to come home). even in my current in-the-works multichap see the sky and sea (and remember me), i love writing Sokka's and Katara's sibling relationship just as much as the Kataang. these things are definitely something i enjoyed the most when writing these fics this year, and i'm waiting to see what next year will bring!

now, three fics i read this year... hmmm....

Monarch by @itsmoonpeaches. it's a sin to say i've only read this amazing fic this year (and yes it's still a Work-In-Progress) but OML this is so good!! the court intrigue, the characterization of Azulon, the various nefarious motives everyone has, the backstabbing... ugh i would most definitely recommend it to the atla fandom!! this deep dive into the imperialism of the Fire Nation through the eyes of the royal family would be one that's very very tricky to do well, and Peaches wrote it masterfully!

Unspoken, Undeniable by @flameohotwife, which is her fake-dating au for Kataang. there’s a lot of amazing fluffiness and pining and even a little bit of angst as Katara and Aang dance around each others’ feelings HAHAHA. would definitely rec it for a good ol’ fluffy romantic time! (also yis there is a sequel to that if you’re horny LOL)

and finally, your fic Drag You Down, which was just completed this past thursday! this is a kind of Kataang fic i have seldom seen in the fandom, a Kataang fic that’s more than a Kataang fic! it addresses Aang and Katara as who they are, down to their core, and their flaws and fears as the reason why they had to split up--and not because of a “simple miscommunication problem” either. it weaves in a storyline that is not just about Kataang, but it works in such a way that it affects how Aang and Katara each navigate the barrier between them before they can finally get together. in essence, the fic isn’t putting Kataang as the sole focus, but as the foundation of the story, with each event affecting it in some way, even if it’s not directly related to the relationship. it also addresses themes of The Guru and The Crossroads of Destiny that i rarely see in the Kataang fandom, and it’s done so well and so in-character for the both of them! overall, such an amazing fic i would definitely recommend to anyone who wants to bite into its themes and character-building!

Happy FFWF, friend! What is a trope that you think is overdone in the fandom? If you had to, what twist would you put on it to make it feel fresh again?

happy late ffwf, my friend! and ooh, good question! i do have two answers, one that's just in general, and one that's for the kataang fandom.

the first one, which is just in general, is the "enemies to lovers" trope because it's just sooooo overdone and also doesn't make logical sense; most of the time (to me), it just hinges on the assumption that two characters are horny for each other, which is a very superficial reason. bleh. if i had to put a twist on it (but not really a twist, per se), i would love to see them become enemies to friends to lovers. that just makes more logical sense, not to mention it gives the trope a deeper connection than just "horniness" or even "soulmateism"

the second one, which is specific to the Kataang fandom, is the heartbreak trope in which Aang gets "revenge" on Katara for "breaking his heart." that just... it makes no sense?? because Aang would never act entitled to Katara??? and "punish" her for having her own needs and space???? he respects Katara wayyyy too much for that - but sadly those kinds of fics are way overdone in this fandom.

i've already done my own kind of fic for this trope, never one (without the other) so i guess you already know the twist i love to this trope haha, tho it shouldn't be a twist: Aang respects Katara's needs but still pines after her respectfully. another fic that i think does this trope very, very well is @chocomd's fic Drag You Down, which, while more of a “break-up” trope than a “heartbreak” trope, still has that heartbreak and angst that i always adore from choco BUT keeps the characters in-character. highly, HIGHLY recommend reading this fic!

happy late ffwf! and i absolutely HATE, and I mean HATE it when people write dialogue as expositional blocks/use it as more to tell the reader than show what's going on in a fic.

to mitigate that, I first ask myself if the dialogue is what someone in real life would realistically say in the given situation. obv, it's not going to stick every single time, but I find that by thinking to myself, "what would I say in this situation if I was [insert character name]," it tends to really help make sure the dialogue is something an actual human being would say and not... like, a robot or something.

I think most of it is just from observing human interaction, tho. if you can emulate that natural flow of conversation between two people in fic, then you could probably pull off exposition in the dialogue without making it sound like exposition.