Sequel stuff:

I'm actively publishing the sequel to The Pipa Player because I have most of it written and it doesn't take much time out of my schedule to post it. If you're curious what the first story was about but don't have time to read it, visit here for a quickish summary.

Pimping stuff:

attackfishscales wrote a fic for me for a secret santa exchange, and I just found it here on ffnet. So I am promoting it heavily, not because a) it was a gift, b) it mentions me by name, or c) it features friggin Koh, but because it seriously is amazingly written, has a theme you can't conceive even in your wildest nightmares -- and it features friggin KOH. So read Glass Faces and hope you can sleep tonight.

Beta stuff:

I have to admit that I haven't had as much time in the last year or so to beta as I used to. This has something to do with my new job, the fact my father died, and all those wonderful little life-transitions that inevitably change one's priorities. I'm still keeping my profile in active status -- why, I don't know -- but "active" is a very strong word. And I imagine at some point, I'll either go back to editing or change my beta status.

But for posterity's sake, the fics I've beta'd in the past:

The Fan and the Crescent Blade by Capricious Kiwi. Beta'd Chapters 6 - 8.

A fic about the unlikely friendship between a Fire Nation soldier and a Kyoshi Warrior. Zhi is one of the coolest OCs I've seen written, quite frankly. Plus Capricious Kiwi's got an eye for technical detail unrivaled by most authors.

Scorched Earth by J. Idanian. Beta'd Chapters 1 - 11

For a long time, I described this story as "just starting out," but now it's longer than even my first story. J. Idanian is one of the most prominent OC writers in the Avatar fandom now, and the work above is widely recognized as one of the best epic OC-fics for the fandom. So, of course, I have to brag a little that I'm one of his betas. With an amazing knack for description, a wide range of characters who are all as realistic as any person you might meet on the street, and occasional cameo appearances by familiar characters we know and love, J has proven why his story holds such a lofty title as one of the best. The story follows four unlikely traveling companions as they cross the Earth Kingdom, trying to find their own purposes to their lives. I've only beta'd through Chapter 11 or so, but I'm slowly catching up from a longstanding hiatus over a year ago.

Brothers of the Typhoon by Bard Child. Beta'd Chapters 7 - present

This is another OC-story, centered on what happened to the Air Nomads who did survive the genocide. It's really a fascinating study of the tribulations of three young men who find themselves now shoved into a world entirely unlike the one they just left, where their pasts are now those of criminals. They have to rely on each other to get by, while trying to discover their new lives. One of the most original ideas for a story that I've come across in the Avatar fandom. A little gritty/realistic, though, so if you expect kittens and rainbows, you might need to buck up before reading.

Book Four: The Airbender Chronicles by QueenofNobodies. Beta'd Chapters 6 - present

A rewrite of the series, but with the introduction of one new - and interesting - OC, who ends up turning the whole situation on its head. It's rare to find an OC second-airbender who is not a Mary Sue, but this author has pulled off just that. Honestly, Cheng Xin is an enjoyable character that you find yourself rooting for by the end.

The Warrior of Love Prologue: The Journey Begins by Herpestidae. Beta'd Chapters 1 - present

Currently being rewritten as a character study, this is the beginning of the journey of Bai Mao, a young firebender who searches for his lost love, a girl named Rieji, while being conflicted over his growing feelings for a girl named Takeo. All OC cast (with a passing reference to some of our old favorites), this story explores all aspects of love and its intricacies, especially in such a greatly disparate world as Ba Sing Se. Definitely interesting for the dynamic particularly between Bai Mao and Takeo.

OC story stuff:

The Pipa Player is a story of an Avatar who, due to the overzealousness of his previous life, grows up in a world that's just starting to consider the possibility of not having an Avatar at all. Because of it, he's caught up in various intrigues and political schemes from different nations, all looking to control the Avatar or neutralize him.

It is also kind of a prequel/origins story, designed to give some background on some of the plot elements we've seen in the series. Not the origin of the Avatar, but of various other things. Being a thousand years in the past, a lot of things are different, and as the story unfolds, many of the cultures and events that we've heard of in the canon will develop.

Also, as I've said many times before, it's a story of Koh and where he came from.