Fic: "Substitute" chapter 11

[dracomaleficium]

The Jeeko ship has seen a lot of excitement over Christmas. Apart from our very fun AU round robin fic which continues to be very fun, we decided to host a very informal secret santa fest (claimed two prompts because clearly I don't have enough stuff to write as it is) and people decided to give us Christmas specials in the form of fic and art.

Comments

[dracomaleficium]

All of this makes me extra cautious about chapter 12 and I really wonder what you will think of it, as it does involve a secret ice skating trip and will serve, in a way, to highlight Jee's changing attitude to what's acceptable and what isn't outside of the frames society would put it in. In a way, it's supposed to make the boundaries even more fuzzy and for once I'm glad I haven't yet finished the next chapter before posting this one, because I'm sure your comment will contribute to making it better. I'll be paying a lot of attention to Jee's development through all this, that much is certain.

The funny thing about this fic is that it's sort of outside the typical Jeeko fandom, too. The specific appeal of the pairing had been initially the ship-on-the-ship, your typical nautical romance that isn't really a romance at all but rather a mutual understanding about sex purely for companionship and lust which then grows into something more, with one side wanting to grow and learn through exploring sensuality and the other sharing his experience and learning to overcome his prejudices. Their respective personalities only made it more fun and it's still a huge reason for why I like their dynamics so much (and Zuko traditionally being the one in charge reduces the possible squick factor considerably). The nature of "Substitute" required me to subvert that - not only the power dynamics are put on their head here, the environment is very, very different too and so is the perception of what is morally acceptable. So in a way, I'm experimenting and there are very few genre requirements to speak of - I need to somehow make Jee fonder of Zuko without the physical bond being already there, which is tricky. There are more AU ficlets tentatively appearing now that Princebender is growing in popularity and fans are coming out of their closets, but this is very much a pioneering journey and that's another reason for why I value your input so much ;)

Oooops, another ramble. Sorry. Thanks for putting up with me and all your faith :*

[errantknightess]

Now, you see, that's what I said about the potential up there :) It's hard to judge a character's behaviour fairly when he's in the middle of going through changes. It's entirely possible that all the things that "strike me" in this chapter will no longer be as striking when put into perspective. Caution is still advisable, sure, but the secret skating trip sounds like a fun business and a good opportunity to clear certain things up - for both the characters and the readers (well, some of the critical ones, at least ;p). Good luck with that!

Wow. I've never thought of it that way. Never even thought it's possible to think about this way. What you write about this ship makes a lot of sense, and it's surprisingly deep and serious. That's one of the things that always amazes me in fanfiction writers: the amount of thought, all the insight and the close analysis of the canon. Thank you for these remarks; I hope they will help me understand your work better. Understanding the drive and the reason for such-and-such dynamics in the case of "controversial" relationships is crucial.

And I don't mind the ramble, not at all. I'm here to help, so if it helps you - ramble away :)