FanficRecs Character Bashing Sucks.
I agree with the preceding review, but I think Kryal actually blows Vathara clear out of the water with this one, giving every character a chance to be amazing without bashing anyone. Even Aang, the fandom's designated Butt Monkey, manages to pull off a series of amazing acts of thoughtfulness, wisdom, and badassery. Aang does get a mild tap, but it is immediately followed by some hard thinking on his part that is perfectly in character. The Tok'Ra get a nasty slap, but again, the characterization is spot-on, making repeated references to canonical responses.
As for pairings, they are there, but they are given canon-level subtlety. Katara gently taking Aang's shoulder during a tense moment or Sokka and Suki navigating an ancient ruin as a perfect team ("Okay, Sokka and Suki, roll a Stealth Check...") does what multiple paragraphs of gushing could never hope to do.
As a note on pairings, Kryal spends a lot of time developing a Platonic Life Partnership between Toph and Zuko that the series hinted at but never got a chance to develop. Marvelous.
FanficRecs Even the Dragon King's Temple Floods
This is a nigh perfect blend of two great shows: Avatar (the Last Airbender)and Stargate: SG-1. Right from the start, you get plunged straight into the action as our heroes meet up and kick some ass. You will be pleasantly surprised by the in-depth world building and the subtle exposition by characters that are portrayed impeccably in a realistic manner. The mash-up of science and spirits clash vividly as the author uses previous knowledge and well-researched ideas to create a universe that immerses you in the story and kindles the imagination.
Genres? It's science with a dash of fantasy; action and adventure with just the right balance of humor and drama; a shot of mystery on the rocks of suspense; the bond of friendship and the meaning of family. I think there's even the barest hint of angst in there (though who am I to be deciding that?).
Perhaps most importantly of all, this story has NO PAIRINGS. That may dissuade you, but for me, after seeing dozens of fics ruined by either overindulgent or unbelievable romance, I found this refreshing.
I must warn the one-shot reader that the author (Kryal) has already finished the story, and places it at the 200-thousand word range. If this is you, try reading "Rampage" by Avocadolove. It is shorter, just as well-written, and was was the instigator of multiple Avatar-Stargate fanfics (this one included).
For the avid reader, however, this is pure gold. Long chapters (15k+ each) along with immaculate grammar and spelling (even a Nazi such as myself found less than 3 per chapter) give the swiftest of readers time to enjoy with as few distractions as possible.
Status: Editing completed work. Chapter count: Five Word count: over 90,000 Flow: 98% (pace, structure, and readability based on proficient reading level)
Note: The first chapter was posted two years ago, but the author began posting again a couple months ago at a regular pace, with updates every two weeks or so.
Note 2: A basic knowledge of each fandom is recommended, but not necessarily required.
FanficRecs A promising start that gradually devolves into Mary Sue trash
While the premise, prose and writing style are excellent, there are several glaring problems with this story that ruin it for me.
First and foremost, the author's OC Goa'uld, Djehuty[[note: aka Thoth, Urdu, The Wise One]], borders on a Mary Sue. Large portions of the Goa'uld's history have to be rewritten to accomodate his presence. He is an extremely old System Lord who is behind all of the Goa'uld's tech, even things the Goa'uld canonically didn't invent. He is also is not evil or senile, and holds the moral high ground over all other Goa'uld (and even the Tok'ra). His Jaffa are little better, being versed in Earth slang and snark due to studying "security footage" of captured SG teams stolen from the other System Lords.
The Tok'ra are given heavy Ron the Death Eater treatment here. Rather than the true symbiosis and respect for the choice of their potential host that they canonically have, in this story they are portrayed as using coercion to get people to agree to being hosts, and generally act only slightly more pleasant than a typical Goa'uld.
The Tau'ri's skills and abilities have been heavily downplayed for the sake of "realism". Daniel is completely unable to bypass the language barrier with Toph and Zuko (more on that later), and the SGC personnel are downright incompetent in combat at times (several trained soldiers dying from their own ricochets). Most notably, the Tau'ri are unable to solve a single problem on their own without the help of Toph, Zuko, or one of the OCs.
Meanwhile, the Avatar cast are largely exempt from realism, being stronger and more durable than normal humans on top of their bending. The author goes to great lengths to justify it, ultimately culminating in the reveal that they're actually Ancients, without ever stopping to fill in the massive holes in that explanation.
Characterization aside, the author also introduces a needless language barrier which serves only to slow the story down. It then gets handwaved away in the finale without having made any lasting impact at all.
Overall, this story is tolerable if you're willing to tolerate some favoritism and mangling of canon, but I would not personally recommend it.