zkfanworkweek - Tumblr blog

zkfanworkweek · 3 years

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Hi! I loved this week so much thanks for running it!!

Sadly I saw and heard from a lot of people who felt left out/unacknowledged, or that the week was more about popular creators/groups of friends which is sad and I am glad you included the self love day at the end! I was thinking about this and was thinking that if you run the week again, it could be interesting to conduct an interview series with way smaller contributors. As much as we all love to hear from our queen Hayley Foster or our other friends, I think one way to help celebrate a broad array of creators is to give interviews with ones that people don’t know. Like what if we got to hear from those folks that have art and fics that aren’t acknowledged much instead of the ones with the most kudos. Anyways just an idea I had for if this week runs again so that more people will feel included!

Again thanks for all your work running this week! It was truly a joy and I hope it returns sometime in the future!

Thanks so much for your kind words and thoughtfulness! I absolutely intend to run ZFAW again. I 100% understand where you’re coming from, as I heard that as well, and I definitely want to take steps to correct that next year; however, this year was sort of a test run, as I had no idea what would work and what wouldn’t. I didn’t really anticipate the feelings of exclusion that ZFAW would create and I’m deeply sorry for that. While this year I highlighted well-known creators because that was a good way to draw a bigger audience, which was necessary to get this event off the ground, I will definitely take your suggestion into account next year. Thank you so much for taking the time to message us!

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zkfanworkweek · 3 years

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Hi! I just wanted to say THANK YOU for a beautiful week of Zutara art and fanfics. I think Zutara is getting all of us through this tough year, and last week was a beautiful celebration of the people who keep this ship sailing. I’m also new to the fandom but I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Zutara than by recognizing the artists and writers who bring it to life. So again thank you!!!!! ❤️💙💜

Thank YOU for the lovely message! I can’t wait to organize next year’s ZFAW 👀

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zkfanworkweek · 3 years

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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 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

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zkfanworkweek · 3 years

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Late Day 7: Time to Get Rec'd

I gather you all here today to shower all the love and adoration to Zutara creators. Y'all keep life interesting 😩👌

Writers 📖

@rideboldlyride fantastic writer! You had me at "I wrote something for your art" and everything else is history. You write, draw, do our podcast, podfics, and much more! You are one talented lady and imo everything you touch turns to fandom gold!

@bulletproofteacup idgaf you are on a semi-hiatus you are a talented af writer (for those who don't know she is the whole backbone of our Serial Segment) and the spice to our podcast. You are a hoot and a half and what would we do without you??

@fictionissocialinquiry can I tell you how many times I've read Rumour Has It? I can't, I lost count. You, chaotic lady, deserve all the love in the world for your absolutely addicting stories that we can't get enough of.

@ifyouwereamelodymeg who asked you to come in here and write things that are so heckin wonderful and make me feel much too many feelings??? But like don't stop. Keep hurting me is the most beautiful ways, please.

@colourwhirled-writes you are an insanely talented writer and the world building and characterization in the stories you've crafted are just jaw-droppingly stunning! My and countless others all time favourite being Southern Lights!

@theadamantdaughter you are responsible for many nights of lost sleep because I can't stop reading your stunning work. Your stories are imprinted in my head and are a HUGE inspiration to all of us. I'm so thankful you are part of the fandom!

@sunrizing hello? It's me. Crying over how beautifully you write, yet again. You never cease to amaze me with your magnificent stories. I'm so grateful I get to witness it.

Em Dixon on FF is responsible for the first Zutara stories I read and her writing is what got me into the fandom. Everything and I mean EVERYTHING she has written is iconic and part of a large and incredibly rich AU.

Artists 🎨

@pineapple-frenzy you have so many amazing works that give me so many butterflies that I can't even! I love your style and how you depict Zutara!

@beanaroony um you are the whole ass reason I started drawing Zutara. Thank you for inspiring all of us with your incredible and iconic works!

@favlie your art is so fantastic! I love everything you've blessed us with this week. My eyes would like to thank you for blessing them. We are so lucky to have you in the fandom!

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@zkfanworkweek and shoutout to YOU amazing people that put this wonderful week together for everyone to celebrate and appreciate all the beautiful work that has come out of this fandom! It's peeps like you that bring all of us together in such a meaningful way 😁💜

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zkfanworkweek · 3 years

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Until next year, Zutarians! Thank you for a great inaugural ZFAW ☀️🌙

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zkfanworkweek · 3 years

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Zkfaw Day 6: fluff Friday

Stay Frosty, Royal Milk Tea by @hinaoyamas and @sofileall

This is already late but it's fineeee,,, I got really busy with school stuff akajhsb

This fic is amazing!!! I only recently started reading it and I haven't caught up to it yet but it's already so fluffy and I love it so much! Plus, it's a tea shop au and how could you not love that??

I actually don't know if they have uniforms or what the tea shop looks like so I hope this is okay ajajshhs

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zkfanworkweek · 3 years

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I’ve seen stuff for @zkfanworkweek popping up on my dash, which has been really nice and filled me with a lot of nostalgia (I say, acting like it’s been years since I was last deep in zutara even though i did zutara week 2020 lol)

Anyway, I have sadly not had the time to get involved with anything, but today I do want to thank all of the people who contribute to the zutara fandom. Your art and fics keep it alive and thriving, even if you feel not many ppl notice

As for recommendations, I’m going to rec @emletish-fish worst prisoner series

Anything by advocaat / @cabbage-foam

And mending wounds by @fictionissocialinquiry

There are so many more, but these 3 authors have written fics that particularly stuck with me and have made me go back to re-read

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zkfanworkweek · 3 years

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Underrated Zutara Fics

@zkfanworkweek

There’s some Zutara fics I love to death, but unfortunately for some reason I barely ever see them recommended (or I personally just don’t see them recommended)! Here’s a few of them:

Binary Stars by bluenebulae ( @pseudonova ). This one is… the most breath-takingly unique Soulmate AU I’ve ever read. It’s perfect.

Build me up, strip me down/Together, apart by @catbythefirelight. I’ve never seen anyone tackle the angst of Zutara’s intercultural relationship quite like this before.

(Don’t) Follow Me Down by eleventy7 ( @tinyhistory ). Katara as Hades and Zuko as Persephone? What an amazing subversion!!

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zkfanworkweek · 3 years

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Completed Fic Rec List

here is a fic rec list for completed works! i read a really, really ridiculous amount of fic so it is by no means exhaustive. here’s just a few complete works i really enjoy. shoutout to all the amazing zutara writers out there, you’ve given me a countless number of hours of enjoyment thanks to your lovely works. some M and E rated fics, so it’ll be under a cut. WIP fic recs can be found here.

@zkfanworkweek

Keep reading

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zkfanworkweek · 3 years

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so much love

honestly… for day 7 of @zkfanworkweek, i’d like to just say that there are SO many talented writers/artists/creators within the fandom.

this past week has been an incredible time to uplift and support and love on the amazing creators who bless our fandom, and i’d like to do that once more really quickly right now.

below is a collection of incredible content creators that i sincerely love/appreciate/admire

Keep reading

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zkfanworkweek · 3 years

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Zutara Fics I’m Currently Reading

I’ve done some rec lists of Zutara fics in the past, but I always find those so hard to put together. So for @zkfanworkweek I thought I’d simply share a list of Zutara fics that I currently have in my ao3 subscriptions. Obviously that means these are all WIPs, and some of them may not have been updated terribly recently - but I’m in no position to judge on that.

A Spark (To Light the Way Home) by writing_as_tracey

electric feel by windthorne

Hot Head, Cold Feet by nire

No Map Without Water by akaVertigo (aka the fic that proves you should never give up on a WIP even if it hasn’t been updated in over a decade)

Secrets of the Jasmine Dragon by silentmountain

something you build by owedbetter

Songs of the Northern Prince of Fire by tullyblue12

The Better Part by Dyce

The Boy with the Golden Eyes by N_ginoza

the brightest lights by serendipitea

The Masks We Wear by JiggleWigs (This one is primarily Urzai with background Zutara but truly one of my favorite AtLA fics.)

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zkfanworkweek · 3 years

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Fic Recs for Fanwork Week!

@zkfanworkweek has been absolutely amazing to follow, and I’ve loved seeing the great community built up around this ship! Here are some relatively unknown fics (arranged alphabetically) that I want everyone to love!

Cinderblossom by @kashicanhaz. Friends. Lovers. You have to read this angsty, adorable little story about an older Zuko and Katara finally realizing they were meant for each other, with just about the sweetest steambaby around.

The Eastern Lake by sparrowkeet1. Their other works are more well known, but this great little one-shot was among the first Zutara fics I ever read, and it really set the standard.

Half Asleep by crushinator. A perplexing mystery and a great romance, with absolutely divine characterizations? Can a reader ask for anything more?

Old Wounds by @dailyspike. I just found this story a few days ago, and what can I say? I am a complete sucker for arranged marriage stories, and I love this one!

une barque sur l’océan by skai-heda. So soft. So sweet. I am so obsessed.

There are so many fics that I could literally fill pages and pages, but these are what came most immediately to mind.

I too write Zutara (among other things), so if you’ve read these lovely stories and you want to check out even more, here’s a link to Fato Profuga, my retelling of the Aeneid (Zuko is Dido, Katara is Aeneas, gender roles are nonexistent) and A Sea of Troubles, my most popular fic to date, although to be honest the longer I think about it, the less I like it.

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zkfanworkweek · 3 years

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Day 7 of @zkfanworkweek week: Recommendations

I was originally going to post this for Hidden Gem day, but hey, better late than never! This gif set I made has lyrics from the song “Sleepy Eyes" that @ryzelpretzel created for Zutara OPM week 2020. She also made two other Zutara songs, called “Catacombs” and “Somewhere Between” (the latter of which was inspired by “Once Around the Sun”) on her YouTube channel that are certainly worth listening to as well. Ryzel Pretzel has a very beautiful singing voice, and her lyrics are eloquent and marvelously written for Zuko and Katara. I would definitely recommend listening to all three of her Zutara songs, and checking out the rest of her YouTube channel that goes by the same name!

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zkfanworkweek · 3 years

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ZFAW: Fic Rec/Self Love Saturday

First of all, I’d really like to thank @zkfanworkweek / @hinaoyamas for organizing this amazing event! The fanworks that have come out of this week have been nothing short of spectacular. There’s never been a better time to be a Zutara shipper. Thank you, also, for altering today’s prompt and giving everyone a space to talk about their own work. This prompt really made me sit down and consider my relationship to my own writing, and my thoughts on it got a bit long, so I put most of it under the cut.

I’m relatively new to Zutara, and my contribution to the fandom so far has mostly consisted of metas. I’m currently writing two separate fics—I was actually going to publish an excerpt from one of them for Angst Wednesday but I chickened out at the last minute—but they have yet to be published. If you had told me ten years ago that I would end up writing essays for fun, I would have laughed in your face, and yet…here we are. Writing these metas has been a genuinely enjoyable process for me these past few months. There’s something about Zutara that really lends itself to character analysis, and I’ve loved being part of it.

Self-promotion feels so weird, but here are what I consider to be my best metas:

-Power couple Zutara

-The famous lightning strike

-Zuko and Katara’s bending styles

-Zuko and Katara’s complementary values

There are so many incredible Zutara fics out there, more than any one person could possibly go through. I’ve talked about some of the more popular fics in the past, but today I want to focus on fics/authors that I don’t think get enough love. Please, please, check all of these out:

-blue brought us together by @hugs4zuko

-Of Lanterns and Turtle Ducks by @zukos-calming-tea

-Operation Take a Bite of the Silver Sandwich by @gemgirl28

-The Wishes of Rulers and War Heroes by @littleviolentonesstuff

-Rooted by jacqstoned

-midnight kiss by distancing_reality

Before I get into my little rant about my personal relationship to writing, I just want to say a huge thank you to all our writers, every single one, regardless of how many hits/kudos/notes your work gets. Thank you for sharing your work with us. It’s courageous and does not go unnoticed.

Keep reading

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zkfanworkweek · 3 years

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Rec List Saturday

I don’t read a whole bunch of fics, and I do always try to stress how SUBJECTIVE taste is on this blog, so for @zkfanworkweek I wanted to take a different stab at this.

Here is my most recent Top 10 ALL Fic list (Disclaimer: this list does not include the underage tag, crossovers, or works not in English; this list does contain explicit content so reader discretion is advised and not to be accessed by minors)

Now, here I got creating oddly specific categories and giving you just ONE writer in each:

One writer that I was shocked I could just talk to in Discord: @soopersara (for A Tale of Ice and Smoke)

One writer I really WANT to eventually talk to: @catie-does-things (for Fate Deferred)

One writer I think more people should be talking about: @takawbelle (for Noodles after Night Shift)

The writers I first followed on Tumblr: thadamantdaughter, honxrable, and @atomicpen

I need to get my own writing done, but do expect a rec list of people in the Discord.

Because I love them.

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zkfanworkweek · 3 years

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Self Promo Saturday

@zkfanworkweek thank you for everything! This week has been amazing and emotional!!!

Hi there! I’m Jax, aka AWildJaxWrites. I’d like to introduce you to my weird fic

There is No War in Ba Sing Se

It updates sporadically (but more often than my other stuff let’s be real) with short “episodic” chapters.

What’s it about?

Take canon Zuko and pluck him back at the beginning of the series, but the world is different.

How different?

Well, the war is over, Aang isn’t in the South Pole (but still MIA), Lu Ten is alive, and Iroh is Fire Lord.

Why should I read it?

Honestly, I think it’s fun! Tongue in cheek, I call this my “Riverdale Style Reboot” of the series. It’s a little bit edgier, a little bit darker, and it explores different sides of the characters. (Side note, my initial draft of this turned into a wild meta that is turning into another post.)

Anyway, please check it out! I love the little weirdo.

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zkfanworkweek · 3 years

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WIP Fic Rec List

happy zutara fanwork appreciation week! so, i decided to separate my fic rec list into WIPs and completed works, because i’ve actually had a ton of incomplete fics that i’ve been really digging recently and wanted to share. some are really well known, some others maybe not, but i enjoy them nonetheless. i’ve been lagging on my entries for zfaw, but i knew i had to at least get a rec list out. 2020 has been hell, but i’ve been so glad to have all these amazing fanworks to get me through, and i wanted to share at least a little bit of the love. there are M and E rated fics, so i’ll put the list under a cut! (in no particular order, by the way)

@zkfanworkweek

Keep reading

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