#anonymous23

[danthropologie]

so nice of Steiner to get himself fired so that there’d naturally be more Daniel dts screen time right in time for his redbull redux arc ❤️🥰

god/the universe/dts producers/etc really ARE daniel girlies god bless 🙏

[feckyeswriting]

Anon Review - Received 24 Sept 2017

Story: The Shadow of What Was Chapter: 1. Chapter 1 From: Anonymous23 (Guest) -------------------

What a lovely, exquisite read. I simply adore sentimental stories, and this one definitely struck me in a soft spot. Having three siblings, and knowing what it is like being...apart from them, allows me to relate to Katara's bewildered pain on an entirely different level. Excellent job for portraying it so vividly in just three thousand words. :) And, as a bonus, you wrote in first person. A hard task, equally challenging and enjoyable, and I think you executed it fantastically. I both love and hate first person POV, as delving into other people's minds and emotions is something I love doing, but elaborating and expressing it onto paper is a difficult thing indeed. Contrary to that, you handled it amazingly, slicing down to the core of Katara's personality in every little way, and for that up you have earned my respect, DragonMaster65. You are a very talented writer. :) My favourite part about this fic is the focus on Katara and Sokka's sibling relationship, a strong bond, and one not dismissed at all in A:tla. Katara finding comfort within her friends shows in a subtle way how she still has supporters and people who care for her, even if far from her brother. The only critique I offer would be that, in future, try to become the character(s) you are writing, especially in first person. Experience things and react the way they would, as I find Katara here just a teeny, tiny little bit OOC, which is completely understandable, since you normally write in third person. But as advice for any of your upcoming works, attempt to envision yourself as them in their situation, and then write about how you feel. :) I look forward to any more of your fics should you post again. :)

Thanks for checking out this fic! I honestly wasn’t certain that I would get any comments back on it since it’s not a ship-fic. It was refreshing to just get to look at the A:TLA world and characters just as characters and not a pool of potential romantic entanglements. 

Originally we had attempted to organize an over-arching plot between all four of us on the team, tackling pre-, during, and post- separation in our fics but it just didn’t get off the ground. This fic came out differently even than what I had outlined it to be, but still in a rewarding way. I agree that Katara and Sokka’s relationship is such a key one in the original series, and I was actually a bit nervous that I was going to either under- or over-sell the final fic. 

Argh, I know that I didn’t hit Katara’s perspective out of the park. In my own run of edits I cut a large swath of exposition in the middle where there was absolutely no passion or emotion in her voice. I think I needed a few more passes to really get into her head, but there wasn’t enough time. I’m not sure if I’ll attempt 1st person again for A:TLA or if I’ll leave that to my other fandoms where I’ve had more practice. Hmm... Nah, I won’t shy away from it, but I’ll definitely be looking for further con-crit to help out :)

Thanks for the always-helpful review! And look forward to another fic sometime in the next 2 weeks! A bit of a teaser/heads up - it’s going to be about royal heirs and probably not in the way that most people look at them. 

[feckyeswriting]

Anon Review - Received 7 July 2017

Story: Aftershock Chapter: 2. The Coronation Celebration From: Anonymous23 (Guest) ------------------- Anonymous23:Allow me to compliment you on your writing style. Very smooth and not overbearing; it didn't feel like I had read thousands of words at all. Magnificent job there.… Now on to your actual plot. I've seen this concept many times before: Aang is rejected after the war, Zuko loves Katara but respects her enough to give her time to mull over her options, and Katara, well, has to mull over her options. But this fic presents a fresh light to it. Most people write Aang as an annoying nuisance that Katara wants to get away from. Here, she almost pretended she loved him in order to spare his feelings. It shows her caring nature and I think you handled the not-quite-a-break-up well. Aang reacted accordingly. Hurt, but also with a cold and hollow acceptance. I hope he learns to release Katara from this grip of affection he has her in, and realise it's paining her just as much as it is him. In my opinion, Katara was a tad OC at the end of this chapter. Teetering on the edge of a sorrowful breakdown is not her at all. She's tough. She's determined. To me, she's like a diamond; delicately cool and beautiful on the outside, but when it come to blows, she is the strongest thing there is. Other than that this chapter was a joy to read. I look forward to any future chapters should you post.

Hey Anon23, I wanna thank you for that totally awesome review! I love getting responses from people who don’t just tell me what I want to hear. I appreciate your comments and critique :]

I’ve been working on my style for a while, so it’s always nice to hear that it’s not overbearing. 

The plot is really cliche, I’m not gonna lie. It was a common theme even back when I first wrote the original fic. But it’s a fun plot, so I’m hoping to make it mine. 

Aang can get on my nerves in canon and fanon, but I tried to look at it sort of that Katara felt “well I don’t not love Aang.” They’ve been in high stress for ages and I understand why Aang fell in love with her. I just don’t think that she necessarily fell in love with him, but wasn’t going to say outright that she didn’t love him. She does care for him after all. I already know there are later scenes back when I first wrote this that were a bit too heavy on the “Aang is annoying and cannot respect Katara’s choice / agency.” Those will change, especially hearing from readers like you that it’s a concern (one that I now share 5 years later).

I vaguely disagree that Katara wouldn’t be upset at the not-really-breakup. Mostly because they’ve been under so much stress. She’s not going to wallow in her feelings because I do agree that she’s a very strong-willed person; however it’s still an awful, awful experience to have that sort of emotional soul-bearing conversation and to see the other person just lock up in disbelief. It was essentially the kind of reaction that she was dreading and trying to avoid by continuing the illusion that she wanted to date him. 

Anywho, I appreciate your thoughts and will keep them in mind with my future updates!

[feckyeswriting]

Anon Review - Received 04 Oct 2017

Story: How Things are Supposed to Be Chapter: 1. Chapter 1 From: Anonymous23 (Guest) ------------------- Anonymous23:That, in a wrenching, just broke my heart. You have a way with words, and presenting such a tragic story with wonderfully beautiful sentences managed to cut me to the core. You are truly one of the most amazing and skilled writers I've ever seen. :) I don't have much time as of now, so expect my review to be shorter than normal, but I definetly wanted to inform you that this fic really touched. You would think that Zuko of all people, raised in a dysfunctional, broken family, would want his own to be the exact opposite. But it didn't turn out that way, as duty called to him louder than happiness. Really, fantastic job. This fic is an absolute gem, and I can't find any fault with it. And believe me, doing so is my talent. :) Excellent effort. I'm thoroughly excited for more Pro-bending action made by you. :)

I apologize on behalf of my words for your heart! Though I must admit, that was my intention ;D From the beginning, I knew that I had to write something tragic if I was going to have to write kidfic, and taking the “sad” prompt from my team was pretty much a given!

I might actually die of an over-inflated head if you keep saying such nice things about my writing style. I wanted this fic to hurt, even if it meant taking Zuko out of his normal box. That, I think, is the only “failing” of the fic in terms of characterization, but I can explain that away in my mind by the nature of the AU. He’s always been very focused on duty and honor, but I think he’d also be caught in the struggle of not wanting to marry someone out of pure obligation. I do think he will figure out how to bring Izumi up the way that he would if they were in a normal family unit; this fic just wasn’t about that part of their lives. Maybe depending on the topic of the other fics in the event I’ll attack that. Or, if I get the inspiration, I’ll write that as one of the bonus point gym event fics. We’ll see XD

Thanks so much for reading and I’m truly happy that at least one person enjoyed the piece :3

[feckyeswriting]

Anon Review - Received 04 Oct 2017

Story: Elemental - A Drabble and Shortfic Collection Chapter: 2. Tea Time From: Anonymous23 (Guest) ------------------- Anonymous23:I just found this, browsing through your most recent posts, and both drabbles are enjoyable and as relaxing to read. Anything with Iroh in it is never short of good, and I do wonder what a roasted salamander-goose would taste like. Quirky, I would say. On a different subject, may I suggest a prompt as well? I've always wanted to see elementary school Zutara: where Zuko bullies Katara for her attention in a modern day setting (as young, confused boys are wont to do), even as he struggles with his 'crush' on her. Told from Zuko's narrative, of course (although not necessarily first-person). I've always imagined this scene as a fun little snippet, and I do hope you consider my idea. Once again, I can't wait for the future updates still yet to come. :)

If I had to guess, maybe salamander-goose tastes like frog’s legs? Just my thought haha. I was just making up something to be similar to a turkey XD I love just wandering off in weird directions in drabbles. 

Absolutely I’m happy to take your prompt! It does take me a few days between all my other projects, but it’s been added to my planning doc ^_^

Thanks for reading my pieces, even silly ones like these drabbles!

[feckyeswriting]

Anon Review - Received 25 July 2017

Story: Ash and Torment Chapter: 2. Hands Outstretched From: Anonymous23 (Guest) ------------------- Anonymous23: First off, sorry for the late review. I've been busy all morning, and as our time zones are significantly different (at least, according to my calculations), there is a little delay. :) Now onto the actual review. As I said before, the inner, ever-churning turmoil inside Katara is portrayed very nicely. You don't approach it with direct words, but with subtle hints and alluding actions; she's struggling through a lot right now, and I'm enjoying the style in which you capture her emotions. I can completely understand her unbridled anger, but I'm glad to see she's found some form of relief, even if it is in an unusual and surprising concept. Meditating is an interesting way to calm her ire, but effective nonetheless. It also shows just how observant she is to her surroundings; not speaking, but watching. Katara wanting to learn the basis of sword handling is very in-character, in my opinion, and well done for slotting that small desire in. In the first season of A:tla, she craved the knowledge to learn how to fight (and more specifically, bend) and now that she's trapped in the Fire Nation doesn't change the fact that she's an ardent and curious girl. I think one of the most prominent things about this chapter is the fact that Katara saved Zuko's life, someone who she deems as 'part of the enemy'. It shows her compassionate nature, as it is just not in her personality to let someone, whether adversary or not, die when she can rescue them. Very meaningful touch there, and I hope to see their relationship bud and grow as time passes. Another thing I wanted to point out is the major deviations you've made from canon. Ozai is te Fire Lord, Iroh isn't commanding a siege against Ba Sing Se, and Ursa never left. I'm just realising this now, and I wonder how it'll affect this story later on. Again, amazing job here. Wonderfully written and in-depth. I hope to read chapter three soon. :)

No need for apologies! I will wait an age to get reviews, especially carefully crafted ones that make me make dying whale noises in joy

I hope that the turmoil continues to be interesting and hasn’t fallen off into the “alright girl, we get it - you’re angry” void yet. I wanted to explore how she would work to be above that horrible, consuming feeling and meditation felt like a perfect avenue. Its something that she cannot be criticized for exploring. It also fits into a subtle theme that I’m going to try to weave into the next chapter. More on that then. I have a feeling that critical readers like yourself will pick up on it. 

I totally agree (obviously) that her wanting to learn swordmanship makes sense for her. She’s never one to shy away from learning a new skill. Plus, I mean, I’ve always been in the camp of thinking that canon Katara would have loved to try and kick Zuko’s ass at another one of his hobbies. 

I wanted her to save Zuko’s life here from the get-go. This was the scene that prompted me to take all this week’s prompts and turn them into this AU. And it was important for me to have her have this moment where she realizes even as she despises the fundamental decisions of the Fire Nation, she can still care about the individuals who are still yet innocent / unable to affect change themselves. Compassion as a virtue is oddly enough one of those feelings that I struggle to write outright. It tends to be treated as a goody-two-shoes sort of emotion where of course a character is going to make the good decision, they’re a good character. Sometimes people show compassion even when they don’t want to be that perfect example of forgiveness and kindness. I’m sort of deviating off from topic here and rambling, but it makes sense in my head XD

I’m gonna be honest, its been about.... a billion years since I last watched the show. I read up a quick summary of the 100 year war midway through this chapter and realized “oh shit, this is totally canon divergent.” And just ran with it. /shrug. The differences are certainly there and even I am not sure as of this moment how they’ll effect the rest of the fic. I have only vague plans that start making sense as I approach each chapter XD

Thanks again for reading and reviewing :3 The next chapter should be up sometime today; I just need to, you know, write it. 

[feckyeswriting]

Anon Review - Received 15 July 2017

Story: Aftershock Chapter: 3. Bed(time) and Breakfast From: Anonymous23 (Guest) -------------------

Nice chapter. You've covered quite a few crucial points here that I think will come into play sometime in the future. You have addressed the big question that has been looming over the Gaang: what are they going to do now that the war is over? It seems that the simple answer for Sokka and Katara is that they depart with their father back to the South Pole; then again, Sokka is having second thoughts, as leaving will cross with his relationship with Suki. He's conflicted, and well done for making it feel that way without putting it straight into words. I wonder what direction you will take for Toph. I've always wanted her to reconcile with her parents, and it would be interesting indeed for that to happen. Aang, on another hand, is still obviously hurt by Katara's words and descion. It's in my opinion, however, that this will help him grow as a person. As I said, I hope he sees that Katara isn't the one for him and that he learns to view her as a friend. Recovery is still far from his grasp, but it never does come easy, does it? On a irrelevant note, however, I can't to access your tumblr account. I've found it, but I can't seem dig up the answers you mentioned to have posted. As an anonymous reviewer, one without a FF account, my reviews have rarely been replied too. I'm slightly disappointed, but it's nothing for you to worry about. I guess I'll simply have to go without. :) Anyways, I'm excited to see where you lead this fairly open-ended fiction. I'll be waiting for your next update.

First off, so sorry for not clarifying and adding in the link to the anon review tag. That should be clearer now. Secondly, I apologize if my response is short bc I’m feeling kind of under the weather.

It seemed a natural question to try and answer. My original ideas back in the day were just focused on “omg zutara happening” but I’m hoping to actually flesh out the rest of the gaang in a suitable way. You brought up Toph, someone who I especially hadn’t thought about originally. I, too, would love to see her reconciling with her family. At minimum, she’s going to find her happiness and if for some reason it doesn’t work out with her family - because not all families work out - then she’s going to make her own path. 

Aang will certainly be hurt for a while longer, but don’t fret. He will learn from the experience, and he and Katara will not be angry at one another for all eternity. Going to re-visit my outline and see when it will fit best for them to start bridging that gap. 

Thanks again for reading and leaving such insightful commentary. I really appreciate it.