PLEASE... don't ask me to update Firewater Rose Arc 1. I
really do appreciate all the comments about wanting more of the story -
it's why the story is posted here, and they motivate me to write more.
Firewater Rose Arc 1 is complete, and the sequel is in full-swing.
Click below on Firewater Rose Arc 2 for the next installments of that
story, that's where you'll find the updates. :-)
I didn't realize it at the time, but the roots of my infatuation with anime began in 1978 when Sandy Frank released Battle of the Planets in the US. It was an Americanization of Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman ("Gatchaman"),
but it was so completely different from anything I'd seen before in an
animated TV show. The animation style and the pieces of the
original Japanese storytelling that got through were captivating. Gatchaman ended-up being my first foray into fanfiction
writing. I'll eventually post those stories here, but at the
moment, I'm tied-up writing an Avatar: the Last Airbender fanfic
and an original work. The first arc of my Avatar fanfic is complete,
and nearly a third of the second arc. The third arc is still a
giant plot bunny sitting on my head.
My favorite shows currently on-air are: Avatar: the Last Airbender, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Inuyasha, Full Metal Alchemist, and Law and Order (for a little live-action fun).
I started writing Firewater Rose
one day, about two weeks before I finished it, in fact, when an idea
jumped into my head and just wouldn't go away until I wrote it
down. The Firewater part should be obvious, since the fic is a Zutara fic. The Rose part is a little more complicated. If you've ever heard the song, The Rose,
either by Bette Middler or someone else, the last verse was one of the
things that just wouldn't leave me alone when I started writing:
Just remember
in the winter
far beneath
the bitter snows
Lies the seed
that with the sun's love
in the spring
becomes the Rose
The first arc is really a planting of a seed. True,
enduring love isn't simply born overnight. It takes time, effort,
and nurturing, and when it has those things, it's beautiful to behold.
My
daughter asked me why I preferred Zutara over Kataang. It's not
that I think Zutara is more likely than Kataang. As much as I'd
like to deny it, I think it could go either way. Fortunately for
all the Kataang-shippers, I'm not the one making that call. The
reason I prefer Zutara over Kataang is because I find the character
development opportunities that a romantic relationship between Zuko and
Katara would offer more interesting. Everything's already there
for Katara and Aang. Katara and Zuko - that takes some work, and
some tweaking of both characters.
Rather
than put any A/Ns (Author's Notes) in my fics, I'm going to post them
here, I think. I find it less intrusive that way.
FWR
Arc 1 is done and posted. It went to 8 chapters which is atleast
one chapter longer than it was planned to go. Sorry if the time
jump caught anyone off-guard at the end, but I wanted to minimize the
chances of the fic becoming completely obsolete, so I skipped over huge
sections of unwritten canon. Now, the worst I have is an
alternate means by which Zuko joins Team Avatar, and an alternate
ending. The last chapter is more like an epilogue, anyway.
Plans
for Arc 2: Zutara development. Arc 1 planted the seed, time to
water the garden. It may end-up being significantly longer than
Arc 1 just to get all the plot-bunnies lined-up. Darn plot
bunnies, they're eating all the cabbages! I'll get to find out
how many plot-lines I can juggle with this one!
Arc
2 Chapter 1 note: There's a rather subtle foreshadowing of Arc 3 in
this chapter. So far, no one's spotted it yet. You'll all
be just that much more surprised when it's revealed, I guess.
(insert evil grin here)
Arc 2 Chapter 4 note: I mentioned
Pakku receiving a vision. This is based on the tradition that
when the Dalai Lama is reincarnated, the Tibetan monks receive a vision
relating to the Dalai Lama's new identity, and confirm this with the
toys.
Arc
2 Chapter 5 note: The vein Katara is referring to is the inferior vena
cava, and it runs pretty much the length of the right side of the body
from the heart on down. The superior vena cava goes from the heart up,
if I'm remembering right. This vein is the reason why doctors tell
pregnant women not to sleep on their right side - the weight of the
baby will close off this vein causing the right side of your body to go
numb. It's one of the largest, if not THE largest, veins in your body,
and severing it can cause you to bleed to death quickly. Leaving the
knife in was inspired by a story on a rescue show where a toddler had
managed to puncture the back of his mouth with a toothbrush, severing a
major blood vessel. By leaving the toothbrush in, his mother stopped
the bloodloss and saved her son's life.
Arc 2 Chapter 8
note: Creating original characters (OCs) is always a risky proposition,
especially when one is given a role as important as Akaj's role.
It does a fanfic writer's heart good when readers are genuinely
interested in OCs. Thanks to everyone who's commented on Akaj,
Kazi, Kanna, and even Seong! As for Seong's character, I promise
you'll see him at least one more time before the end of the tale.
Maybe he can have a cameo in the next fic or something, too.
I know there haven't been any updates in a very long span of time. The story isn't dead, I've just become extraordinarily busy, and all of my writing time is consumed by an original work. When I need a break from that, though, FWRA2 will be getting updated.
Firewater Rose Arc 2 credits: Thanks to my wonderful husband for:
1. Introducing me to Avatar: the Last Airbender
2. Beta-reading for me
Thanks to Kawaii-Lyn for beta-reading for me!
Omashu:
1. Thanks to my husband for beta-reading for me. He spotted the
source song for the plot right away, but it's one of our favorites.
2. "Shameless," by Garth Brooks is the right musical style (western),
wrong era, but a good guess. The song is actually a ballad
written about 20 years before, "Shameless." The last lines of the
fic are almost verbatim the last lines of the song. Each
paragraph matches up to a stanza, in order.
Gatchaman fics: Bird Drabbles
I'm
not writing any more on these, they are complete. If I get
inspired to write another Gatchaman fic, I might, I dunno. If I
do, it'll probably Condor (Joe)-centric just because Condors are
awesome like that.
Plug: http://www.deviantart.com/view/33495976/
I had to plug it, it's that damned awesome!
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