The author declares her belief that the Gaang is "one big polyamorous family" and intends to have them stay that way, which is why she rejects the future canon including the comics and Legend of Korra. She refuses to speak of them or to explain why they meet with her disapproval.
Aang and Ty Lee will become good friends, while they have adventures, Aang has many different girlfriends and finds himself. Rebuilding the air nomads will be a difficult task, partly because they will have to adjust their traditions to the modern era and compromise, but they have help, since the spirits wouldn't let the Air Nomads and sky bison go extinct. Similarly, while Aang has reparation money and an ex-military workforce, the restoration of the temples will take years.
The author says that Ty Lee wouldn't be fully involved in all this, as while she's a free spirit who would fit in nicely with a nomadic lifestyle, she wouldn't shave her head or give up her kids. The author points out that in spite of seeming like a bubbly airhead, she's also a genius to be able to invent chi-blocking, so the author can see her mastering airbending within two years, sharing her skills, riding giant animals, and staying close to Mai and Azula, for whom she'd catalyze a reconciliation of sorts (they'd be polite to each other for her sake, but not friends). Again, that does seem overly optimistic about the kind of "friendship" Azula and Mai had. Azula presumably wanted people she could control, and Mai's parents likely wanted her to become friends with Ozai's favored child.
The author, going off the part about Ty Lee's chi blocking, says that the whole bender/non-bender conflict would happen differently.
The author is once again conflicted about whether Ty Lee and Aang would happen (unsurprising, since it's not the main couple, nor is pairing off Aang with someone a high priority for the author), but suggests that they would have a deep and meaningful connection, as well as some kids, in their twenties, but their relationship would eventually end, albeit amicably. Meanwhile, Aang, despite not being the last Airbender, works to rebuild his nation and keep the peace.
The author once again expresses disgust for a monogamous relationship from age 12, and only having three kids, one of whom is an airbender. The former is nothing new, but she says the latter like it's Aang's choice to have an airbender on his third attempt. While Aang's parenting is apparently controversial, and it's not helped by the fact that his three kids have their own biases and conflicting accounts, it seems most likely that Aang needed an airbender, and he didn't want to keep churning out kids who might think of themselves as unwanted, like Bumi and Kya often did.
The author then moves on to Suki, Sokka and new diplomacy. For Suki, the author suggests that the Kyoshi Warriors will become a peacekeeping force, since they were neutral in the war. It's something that requires them growing from a militia into an organized force that takes on more of an active role in world affairs while remaining true to Kyoshi's legacy. Suki and Sokka would be based out of Republic City, which is actually Two Rivers Colony in this continuity, since it's the first place they were sent as peacekeepers, and the first colony to become independent from the Fire Nation.
Suki marries Sokka, and they keep in touch with their families. Sokka eventually becomes chief, and by the time that happens, the Southern Water Tribe has improved to the point at which Suki feels comfortable living there, but will put any sexist men in their placce.
The author moves on to Sokka, and considers him a true Renaissance Man, developing things like airships and submarines, as well as becoming a governor and diplomat of sorts, enabling Republic City to establish itself. She mentions in passing that he's make chi blocking mandatory in the schools in an effort to fight bender bullying, but that wouldn't be that much of an advantage, since benders can also chi-block, and the reality is that those with special powers are at a significant advantage over those without them.
The author says that Toph would become chief of police, but wouldn't make the police only earthbenders, something that isn't even entirely true in canon. First, Mako, who, unlike his brother Bolin, is a firebender, becomes a cop in Season 2 of the Legend of Korra. Second, the police has many metalbenders, which has an effective method of restraining others that few can counter (and of course, there's also a counter to that, as you can see with platinum restraints). The author also complains about how Legend Of Korra "makes the Gaang look like idiots," and says that they aren't in her canon.
I'd like to propose a graph similar to Uncanny Valley (to sum it up, if something looks like a human, but not enough to be a human, it's creepy), charting how fanfics turn out at the hands of good writers who understand canon. The X axis would be similarity to canon, and the Y axis would be how faithful it is. On the far left of that axis would be Alternate Universe fics, which may have a different setting, but would likely be the same in spirit, while on the right are Original Flavor fics. Somewhat to the left of the latter is the valley, in which fics like this one dwell, and it's obvious that the authors kept things the same except for changing things they didn't like.
TL;DR? The author is clearly dissatisfied with canon, but lacks the desire to diverge from it all that far, which is why the series reads like a blatant Fix Fic at its worst.
The author also proposes that Sokka will become a playwright, and one of his plays will be a retelling of Katara and Zuko's romance, with them getting together sooner. Much to Katara's annoyance, it's based on her diary. He'll also write a more accurate version of Boy in the Iceberg, and a tragedy known as Luna that's dedicated to Yue. All this is quite like him, and it's one of the better parts of this section.
Next up is Toph, who will take advantage of her "unique position." She'll stay in the Fire Nation, but Lao will buy property in it so Poppy can visit Toph. Meanwhile, Toph will stay in the Fire Nation capital
Toph has many skills and many doors open to her, so she'll try various things, from helping Sokka with his metalworking to serving as a Living Lie Detector at war crimes trials, to fixing the temples, to serving as a peacekeeper to passing down metalbending, only becoming chief of police after doing all that. This is actually somewhat interesting, and reminiscent of her daughter Suyin's life story.
Speaking of Suyin, the fact that Toph had at least two lovers is addressed here, and it's suggested that Toph will have many lovers over the course of her lifetime. i suppose it's to be expected, when the most Toph had in canon was a minor unrequited crush on Sokka.
There's nothing especially new with Iroh, since the author again complains about him serving tea to strangers in Ba Sing Se (disregarding how that would possibly be what makes a man like him happiest), and says that he'll help/embarrass Zuko while spoiling his family.
Ursa is next, and since she's a Joo Dee, she can only return to her children once she recovers her memories someday, which the author has plans for.
The author says that Ozai deserves to rot in the dungeon, comparing him to Joffrey and saying he's long since passed the Moral Event Horizon. That's quite fair, but since there's nothing much you can do with someone like him once he's defeated, I can see why Jackie Diaz had him executed in How I Became Yours.
With three fairly simple characters out of the way, the author tackles Azula, saying she'll regain her sanity and repair her relationship with Zuko one day (was there even one in the first place?), because Zuko refuses to give up on her. Katara will also help with this, in spite of Azula's attempts to provoke her, and Azula will needle her and Zuko about their relationship in spite of their efforts to hide it.
Of course, Azula's recovery won't necessarily be complete, but she will move past some of the obsessions with dominating others and controlling people through fear that drove her. The author suggests that the only people she loves are Zuko and Ty Lee (I have my doubts), and that she ships her with "mental health," but she'll repair her relationship with Mai, as well as a partnership in investigating "cold cases."
Next is Mai/Jet/June, whom the author wants to portray as a bounty hunting trio, with Mai and Jet as June's apprentices. Mai will enjoy her adventures but also learn more about the world's injustice, while Jet comes to terms with his problems, although they'll still be somewhat aloof and hot-headed, respectively. The author's unsure whether she ships them, and to be honest, she shouldn't worry about finding a pairing for everyone. Jet will see Smellerbee and Longshot in Ba Sing Se when he's not on the road.
Last are Katara and Zuko. The author says their ending here is happier than in ATLA, and that two former enemies who come to love each other is a "more resonant" love story. I can accept the latter point, but in the former, Bryke would need to establish the pairing all along, rather than in the last half of the last season. It says a lot about Zutara that you need 800,000 words in order to get them to become a convincing couple.
But in any case, the author thinks of her story as a supplement to canon, and imagines that it's going on in the background, showing what she intends to accomplish with this fic in the process.
The author says that Zuko and Katara would help each other grow as people and wouldn't break up, ending up as a happier version of Oma and Shu. Their relationship is surprisingly stable, as well as "a haven" from the problems they both face, even if they bicker from time to time. The author says this is an unpopular opinion, but I believe she has a point. Belligerent Sexual Tension can only carry couples so far, and they'll have to outgrow the worst of their disputes.
The author says that Katara won't give up her culture entirely, as she'd wear Water Tribe blue and Fire Nation red together, keep wearing her mother's betrothal necklace and accept Zuko's ring, instead of a necklace that is a symbol of "male ownership," and one from the Water Tribe, at that. The author mentions she often sees Katara entirely in blue or red in fanart, and would like to see her in a mixture of colors. I agree, and it's a bit of a shame that you can't see this in a fanfic.
The author says that Katara would study medicine, work for the rights of women and children, help the Gaang with forming their UN-like body, draft its universal declaration of human rights, clean up the river from "The Painted Lady," and thus become the People's Firelady (I asked this when I liveblogged How I Became Yours, but is that even a title? Perhaps we'd have known if Ursa hadn't been forced into exile before Ozai took the throne, or if her granddaughter Izumi didn't become a Fire Lord in her own right). The author pointedly remarks that this is in stark contrast to the comics, in which she has no agency outside of Aang. I'm all for women's rights, but I'm tired of people arguing endlessly over which pairing or female character is more "feminist" than the other, particularly when their personal preferences play the main role in their judgments.
As for Zuko, the author says he'll grow into his job, with the help of his advisors, helping to address poverty and the propagandistic education system. He will eventually become strong but fair, albeit not [[100PercentAdorationRating unanimously approved of]], but the fact that he's different from Ozai will be a point in his favor. The author also suggests that he's intending to look different from Ozai, partly because she likes his Season 3 look best, and she bases it on Iroh II from Legend of Korra (once again, it seems like the author follows canon until it's inconvenient for her fic). The author concludes by saying that she'd like to see fan art of Zuko and Katara. The author says that Zuko would be a good father in spite of his issues.
The colonies will become independent with the support of the Fire Nation, and Oyster Bay will eventually be led by Rena. The Fire Nation itself will, despite needing some years to adjust, prosper through peaceful means.
The author concludes that she liked Zuko and Katara the most of everyone in the show, and wants them to be happy together.
All in all, this chapter is essentially undistilled rewriting of canon, and perhaps this fic's intent in its purest form. It might have worked better as a brief epilogue with glimpses at where everyone is now, but it would also lead into another Author's Note in which the author discusses everything in painstaking detail.
This concludes the fic itself. To wrap it up, I'll do one final "What I liked/didn't like" for this chapter.
What I liked
- The play is pretty funny.
- Toph's life story.
What I didn't like
- The author abandons all subtlety about her desire to fix canon.
Now I'll share the list of what I consider the best and worst canon characters in this series, starting with the worst.
Number 5 is Jet: He's always had a few screws loose, even before the Dai Li got their hands on him, but I can't quite see him being portrayed as the way he was, completely unhinged and obsessed with Zuko. As some reviewers have said, he's definitively indicative of the more "cracky" elements of this fic, and not in a good way. That said, he isn't higher on the list because he comes into the fic fairly late.
Number 4 is Ty Lee. The main problem with her is that she tends to get shoehorned into the roles that the author has for her, such as Aang's second girlfriend or one of the potential airbenders, regardless of whether it's good for her character. For example, her angst about being an airbender is highly out of character, and also disproportionat to what she might actually feel.
Number 3 is Iroh. He's probably my favorite character from the original series, and it's easy to see why he's as popular as he is. He has an interesting backstory and has gained a lot of wisdom in the process. He cares for Zuko a great deal in spite of how difficult his nephew can be, and steadfastly holds faith in Zuko becoming a better man. He's quite shrewd and a skilled fighter, but also has his share of eccentricities (some real, some faked). Unfortunately, the fic [[Flanderization tends to focus on those eccentricities above all else]], and thus often loses sight of what makes Iroh a good person and an interesting character.
Number 2 is Mai. Somewhat similar to Iroh, she's a girl with many facets. Outwardly, she's an emotionless and proper young Fire Nation lady, forced into that role by her parents. As a result of that, she's somewhat cynical and bitter, but this does not mean she has feelings, and her love for Zuko inspires a great many within her. Unfortunately, the author seemed to forget about almost everything about her except her snarkiness, and, in the case of her relationship with Zuko, the fact that the two were actually happy together.
Before we get to the winner, I'll give some (dis)honorable mentions.
Arnook: I don't remember the man being this much of a jerk in canon, particularly not only being callous to the deaths of many invading Fire Nation soldiers, but also Hakoda and his family.
Ozai. Granted, it's really too much to ask for someone like him to be at all sympathetic, but not only is his depravity dialed up, his competence is also reduced, to the point where I have to wonder whether the author wanted to make him seem like less of a threat, so that Aang defeating him is less of an accomplishment. He didn't make the main list, though, because it's not too much of a departure from his canon characterization.
Azula. She's a complex character and difficult to portray well, but the author seems to be overly sympathetic to her, and plays up her good qualities, even if she doesn't necessarily excuse the bad. She's not higher on this list because of her complexity, though, which gives a fair amount of room for Alternative Character Interpretation.
Number 1, which should surprise no one, is AANG! I've said enough about him, but to sum it up, the part of the fic in which the Fix Fic aspect is most obvious and obnoxious is Aang's character arc, which means that not only is he portrayed with very little fidelity or respect, but it's also the most detrimental to the fic as a whole.
Now for the best characters
Number 5 is Lu Ten. While he's arguably an OC Stand-in, he's given a fairly detailed backstory and good relationships with Zuko and Iroh, which really goes a long way explaining why his death had the impact it did.
Number 4 is Katara. Since we see things through her eyes, she undergoes a lot of Character Development and has all sorts of witty commentary on the people, places and events she sees in her travels. She didn't rank higher because of some of the flaws, such as her treatment of Aang, but I suspect they say more about the author than about her.
Number 3 is Toph. She's generally the same sarcastic, gruff but good-hearted Little Miss Badass that we know and love, with nice elaboration on her parents and family situation. One of my few complaints, though, is that she does seem a bit naive in her admiration of June, although she does get over that.
Number 2 is Zuko. He struggles to overcome his flaws and personal failings, and it's nice to see him make progress on those regards. His expanded backstory is well-thought out, and relevant to his present development, which is nice to see. One flaw, though, is that he seems to be right a bit too often, even compared to Katara.
Now for some honorable mentions, mainly characters who were portrayed well, but don't quite fit the main list for one reason or another.
- Yon Rha. Granted, it's partly because his time in this fic is close to 100 percent overlapping with his canon screentime, but he's as close to 100 percent faithful as you can get here. That's not much of an accomplishment given his limited role, so it doesn't earn him a spot on the list, but it's worth mentioning
- Song. She's given an honorable mention for Sokka because while most of her character is original, she's portrayed fairly well.
- Yue. Granted, she's been (essentially) dead for a while, but the mentions of her in the past are a touching look at her character.
The winner of the best portrayed character is Sokka. He's a character who's largely the comic relief, but he does have his serious sides, and the author does a good job of portraying both. His relationship with Katara is quite compelling, with both the sibling bickering and support for each other done justice in this fic.
Since there's fewer original characters, I won't do as much of a countdown. I will say, though, that I found Ming to be the best because of her compelling backstory, and I came to dislike Dr. Yang the most, around the time she crossed the line from "tough but fair" to "overly critical shrew."
As for the series itself. I'll list the broadest and most recurring high and low points in the series.
What I liked
- Zuko and Katara make a good couple, and the author puts in a lot of effort to show why they're compatible.
- Most of the characters are nicely fleshed out and portrayed very well.
- The author brings back surprisingly minor characters and gives them good roles.
- The author has fairly good attention to detail.
What I didn't like
- There's too little resolution to Zuko and Katara's romance.
- Most of the fic is terribly slow paced, and while it improves substantially in the last few chapters, it's too little, too late.
- Aang and Mai came off poorly at times, and the author refused to consider them viable options for Katara and Zuko, respectively. Perhaps the fic would have been better, and came off as less of a Fix Fic if she had more respect for the canon pairings.
- Aang in particular. The author, overly eager to "compensate for" canon, decided to strip away many of the positive traits that are already there.
- Some characters, like Iroh and Mai, are reduced to one single quirk.
- The author sometimes cherry picks evidence and skews things out of proportion to arrive at her conclusions.
So there you have it. I'd give Stalking Zuko four out of five stars, since it's largely well-written, and keeps the preaching to a minimum outside of "The Southern Raiders" arc. I'd give Not Stalking Zuko three out of five stars, since while it expands on the worldbuilding, some of the worse aspects (poor pacing, Aang bashing, etc.) rear their ugly heads. I'd give Not Stalking Firelord Zuko two out of five stars, given the lack of resolution and continuing flaws.
All in all, while this liveblog was hard work, and I ended up getting close to giving up on it at a few points in the end, it was ultimately a fulfilling experience, and it's satisfying knowing that I'm finally finished (part of the reason I kept coming back was that I couldn't leave it unfinished). I feel as though I learned a lot about writing fan fiction, especially from the author's notes exploring the author's mind and decisions, and also about writing romance arcs.
I had a somewhat longer concluding section in mind when I envisioned getting to this point, but now that I've gotten here, I've said most of what wanted to say. Thank you for reading this, and I hope you enjoyed it.
