This easy-to-use guide is intended for all newbies to fanfiction, fanart, cosplay...whatever. And if you don´t know what those terms mean (yet), read on! Most examples are going to be from Harry Potter and Avatar: The Last Airbender, because those are two of the fandoms I know best.

( LJ-cut so my journal´s more pretty. )

I had one of those moments that REQUIRE documentation tonight while contemplating a cover for the Dollhouse mix that, really, is not nearly far enough along to merit such thoughts. Anyway. Not important.

The important part is this: I really start to struggle at the point where I can't follow a television show the way I read a book!!

I need to have the entire piece at my fingertips to pick up for as long as I can give to it, and then to leave until the next time I have a chance/inclination to pick it up. If I have to wait a week between episodes; if I have to search for an episode and don't have a guaranteed place where I'll be able to find it; even if it's a television show that I only watch with certain people and I don't see them very often...all of them lead to me forgetting key elements/suspense of the show, or feeling disconnected from it and fading away, or returning to the shows I know intimately and can read/write/meta in immediately.

Now, that's the epiphany. It doesn't mean it's the end point, in fact I hope it will be the starting point, since now that I know my current limitations I can tap into other motivations to get myself past them. But it does tell me a lot about what, exactly, it is that books have that television doesn't, the way I fan it right now.

Huh.

Title: Red Rocket, White Candle
Author: sarahetc
Fandom: Firefly
Pairing: Wash/Zoe
Rating: PG
Spoilers: All the way through the end of Serenity.

Link: On some rudimentary level, it was beautiful.

An absolutely gorgeous, cathartic fic to deal with the strong feelings left at the end of Serenity. Each crew member gets their voice, and they speak exactly as I think they would in the situation.

Title: Hold Me Too Fiercely
Artist:
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA)
Pairing: Zuko/Katara (Zutara)
Rating: G
Spoilers: In the artists' notes it mentions spoilers through Sozin's Comet. But the piece itself is spoiler-free, as long as you know who these two characters are.

Link: I need help believing you're with me tonight.

Just a beautiful balcony scene at night. I love their body language, his leaning into her and something about her hand make it such a yearning piece. I don't care if you don't like this pairing, you should check out this piece! And then go look at all of irrel's art at her journal, here, because it's just as gorgeous. Bonus squee: The title is from the love song in one of my favorite musicals of all time, WICKED!

Title: Open If You Know How To See
Author: me, laurellejana
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA)
Pairing: Toph/Aang (Taang), possible Zuko/Katara (Zutara)
Rating: PG-13 for suggestiveness
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters; I'm not looking to make any money here, just ask a few questions. Like what if they'd gone for Taang. ;D
Spoilers: Through Day of the Black Sun Pts. 1 and 2. It mentions time after the finale, but no Sozin's Comet spoilers there because I don't know any, lol.
Summary: "But for a little while, Toph wanted to be acting in the pure instinct of the moment and not thinking so hard about every tiny thing."
Thanks/Credit: This was originally done and posted in response to belgian_ink's prompt "I dare you" in gemkazoni's Avatar-request meme that I wrote about in my last entry. Well, as all good writers do, I took the raw product that I'd written at 1 in the morning, and ran it through the editing wringer several times with my WONDERFUL beta, sinbani. (Several people to thank here, but she's the most important. Seriously, she made this fic what it is now. Thank you hon!!) The finished product is about 400 words longer, and I'm pretty pleased with it; hopefully you will be too.


( I dare you. )

Title: Avatar Drabbles Meme
Originator: gemkazoni
Fandom:obviously it´s ATLA (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
Pairings: Anything is possible, so please be very careful what drabbles you decide to read. The prompt will always come first and will say what romantic relationship and what rating the requester wants, so you´ll know what you´re getting if you read on.
Ratings: Anything up to and including an R rating. I´m only comfortable recommending this post because nothing above PG-13 has been written yet.
Spoilers: There´s no limit to what can be spoiled, but the drabbles are supposed to be labeled for spoilers. I know there´s at least one up that has Boiling Rock spoilers.

Link: Request one or write one yourself! Bonus points if you write to my prompt, lol.

This is a great idea going into the week of Avatar´s series finale, and one that gemkazoni hopes to see continued even after 7.19.08 (I hope it will too). Lots of very different pairings have been asked for, some very inventive ones included, and the prompts have been very different as well. Hopefully you find something you like!

And since I requested something I decided to write something, which I´ll put up here for you all to read if you´d like.

Title: Open If You Know How To See
Author: me, laurellejana
Fandom: ATLA
Pairing: Toph/Aang (Taang)
Rating: PG-13
Prompt: from belgian_ink, who requested Toph/Aang when they´re both older, as close to an R rating as the author would write, and a prompt of "I Dare You." I did my best to fill it and still stay within the guidelines I set for this journal.
Spoilers: Through The Day of the Black Sun (though I can´t promise it´s totally compliant, since I haven´t actually seen that far and I´ve only been spoiled for select details).

( Dares were still the most serious of challenges. )

Title: The End Is Where We Start From
Artist: sophiap/Sophia Prester
Fandom: Princess Tutu
Pairing: Fakir/Ahiru (Fakiru)
Rating: T for depth of concepts/complicated words (my rating)
Spoilers: This fic is set post-finale and contains spoilers through the very final episode.

Link: In the months since...

After the end of Princess Tutu, I wanted more. Immediately. Not that it´s a bad ending. For those who haven´t seen it, it´s a wonderful ending...but I still wanted more. This fic does that more beautifully, carefully, simply but tenderly...and all of the other adverbs ending in "ly" that you could think of. It´s true to the hearts of the characters and the style of the story, and gets the details so very right that I felt the whole thing was playing out right in front of me. If you felt the way I did at the end of Tutu, go read this fic, and then come tell me what you think of it. I´m at this screenname, on gmail. ALSO, it´s at Yuletide, a yearly fic gifting site where people request fics with particular themes, pairings, etc., in their favorite pairings, and other wonderful people (who don´t even KNOW THEM, how cool is that??) write them. Check it out!

Title: Roar of the Earth
Artist: nuvolaluz
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA)
Pairing: Toph/Sokka (Tokka)
Rating: T
Spoilers: Through "The Blind Bandit," but if you haven´t seen that you shouldn´t know this pairing. So none! (Unless I´m crazy and the post-war, peace-time council of nations has already been named...that´s mentioned.)

Link: It had been almost three years.

This is my first Tokka rec, yay! Hopefully no one reading has a problem with me not putting forward a particular ATLA ship in this journal...because I´m trying really hard not to. And because doing it this way gives me the chance to put forward ships that might otherwise contradict each other...so far, I´ve featured a Taang and a Sukka to this Tokka and a couple each of Kataang and Zutara...I need to expand into some of the more cracky ships, don´t I??

But as for this piece, it´s a lovely, very understated but still very sweet look at the way Toph and Sokka would be as a couple. The thing I love about the possibility of this relationship is that they wouldn´t need any sweeping declarations or anyone else´s approval...they´d just be happy being together. That feeling is captured perfectly in nuvolaluz´s piece. And, at just under 900 words long, it´s a fast read too.

Title: Take My Hand
Artist: ag_markov
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA)
Pairing: Katara/Aang (Kataang)
Rating: G (my rating)
Spoilers: None yay!

Links: Don´t mind if I do.

I tend to think of Kataang as the fluffy ship of ATLA, so I look for pieces that at least show that side of it. Even though Aang´s face here is a little...mischievous...they´ve definitely got the happy fuzzy thing going on. And they look exactly the way I imagine them looking in a few years, maybe after the war is over and they´re travelling around together touring the lands they only saw in war? Set it where you like it, but go enjoy this piece now! Beware, though, if you have slow internet - it is rather large.

Title: You
Artist: fullbindedfox/Tyrannariia
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA)
Pairing: Toph/Aang (Taang)
Rating: PG (in my opinion; one little swear)
Spoilers: None yay!

Links: You´re a little reckless, I´ll admit.

This is the first fansong I´ve ever heard, and I´ve gotta say it´ll be a hard act to follow if I ever find another one. It´s written from Aang´s perspective and done perfectly that way because it´s a song with somewhat rambly, silly lyrics that are exactly the way Aang would be if he and Toph got together. When you get to the post, click the link, then the banner that says "You" An Aang/Toph tribute, and then click play. Yes, you get to hear the artist singing the song she wrote, and doing a fine job of it too.