That Writing Meme

[sharkflip]

Stolen from avocado_love and like everyone else.

I think it would be fun to talk about stories, but the usual memes are like, "What happens next?" "Tell me about Character A?" Which isn't so much talking about stories as it is writing more of a story. But you know how sometimes you read something and you're like, "I got ___ out of this story, I wonder if I have

Comments

[beboots]

"the most important one is possibly that they eat raw fish in the Fire Nation. Europeans historically had this huuuuuge thing about raw versus cooked as a metaphor for savage versus civilized and all of those philosophical conceits. I wanted to play with what a contact would look like without those arbitrary differences." !!! I never thought about it this way! I mean, yes, I kind of superficially understood that hey, things might go differently because Zuko is more Chinese and that's kinda cool, but I love this idea. Love love love.

(Also, please don't tell me that you are familiar with the pseudo-historian Gavin Menzies. >_> He's the author of "1421: The Year China Discovered the World" and makes all kinds of claims about how China actually colonized places like New Zealand and the West Coast of the Americas and sailed up the Thames and such in the 15th century. While interesting "what if"/alternate universe fiction fodder, he actually makes up - like, outright fabricates - his sources. Sorry, end rant.)

Also, on another note, I totally get your point about the Fire Nation being portrayed in a very black/white manner in canon. I mean, it's BRIEFLY justified in that Sozin flashback episode, kind of, but it's mostly explained away in the manner of "Well, the Fire Nation has evil/insane/evil AND insane rulers! And a non-evil and sane ruler (Zuko) will solve all of the Fire Nation's problems!"

[sharkflip]

I haven't actually read 1421, because so many people have told me it's... yeah, well.

I have read, and swear by, 1491, though. :D

And I actually keep meaning to read up on the known historic Chinese explorations, and the treasure ships fleet and such like. I need more time!

[beboots]

Well that's all right then. ;)

Zheng He's treasure ships were apparently fascinating (they're the ones that Menzies talks about and exaggerates). I really want to read more about the non-isolationist side of Chinese history as well!