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Post-NATLA ATLA Fandom
Mar. 1st, 2024 06:17 pmI'm probably not the right person to talk about this, but I was pretty active in the fandom for a time (if my AO3 page doesn't give that away), so I might as well throw my two cents out there onto the internet for posterity. Or at least as an interesting artifact to look back on in as the ATLA fandom continues to adjust to the release of the live action.
Since I haven't seen it, I have no desire to actually talk about the netflix adaptation, because...eh. I'm not going to watch it. Ever, most likely.
(Which really just has to do with my personal ethos regarding adaptations and retellings - I want a retelling or adaptation to add something, to expand, to make things bigger and make me consider new venues of thought and perspectives on material I already know. It doesn't have to be the same; it doesn't have to make choices I agree with, or even like - it just has to be thoughtful regarding the original material. I just want good cross-textual conversation that makes me think, even if it doesn't necessarily elevate (either) the original material or the adaptation itself by being an adaptation. And I have it on good authority from people I love and trust, that natla either doesn't fulfill those criteria, or struggles in such a way that will leave me feeling cold and hollow. So.)
I'm mostly curious about the reactions of the fans in the wake of the release, to be entirely honest. I've already heard from a number of friends that their old ATLA fics have been getting a resurgence in attention - which I've also noticed myself. I've also noticed that the fandom tags have become a swamp of shipwars yet again, which...isn't great, but also not surprising. Weirdly enough though, there hasn't been a ton of new fan material posted (where I've seen it, at least. I'm not on Twitter or on most other platforms besides here, AO3 and Tumblr) - no new art, or fics, or even edits, aside from the occasional gifset from the new show.
Maybe things will change in the near future, as people finish watching through the adaptation, and get past their initial reactions (whether they write fic based on the original out of spite, or find things to explore in the new version, or whatever sparks their interest). For some reason, I don't necessarily see that happening here, though.
Perhaps it's just because people who were fannish already came and went through the renaissance, and have since mellowed out or found new fandom pastures? Maybe the show being on Netflix (where a lot of the renaissance attention already came from) means that those who would have had their interest piqued already knew about it? Or maybe the audience for the NATLA adaptation just aren't particularly interested in transformative fandom?
Since I haven't seen it, I have no desire to actually talk about the netflix adaptation, because...eh. I'm not going to watch it. Ever, most likely.
(Which really just has to do with my personal ethos regarding adaptations and retellings - I want a retelling or adaptation to add something, to expand, to make things bigger and make me consider new venues of thought and perspectives on material I already know. It doesn't have to be the same; it doesn't have to make choices I agree with, or even like - it just has to be thoughtful regarding the original material. I just want good cross-textual conversation that makes me think, even if it doesn't necessarily elevate (either) the original material or the adaptation itself by being an adaptation. And I have it on good authority from people I love and trust, that natla either doesn't fulfill those criteria, or struggles in such a way that will leave me feeling cold and hollow. So.)
I'm mostly curious about the reactions of the fans in the wake of the release, to be entirely honest. I've already heard from a number of friends that their old ATLA fics have been getting a resurgence in attention - which I've also noticed myself. I've also noticed that the fandom tags have become a swamp of shipwars yet again, which...isn't great, but also not surprising. Weirdly enough though, there hasn't been a ton of new fan material posted (where I've seen it, at least. I'm not on Twitter or on most other platforms besides here, AO3 and Tumblr) - no new art, or fics, or even edits, aside from the occasional gifset from the new show.
Maybe things will change in the near future, as people finish watching through the adaptation, and get past their initial reactions (whether they write fic based on the original out of spite, or find things to explore in the new version, or whatever sparks their interest). For some reason, I don't necessarily see that happening here, though.
Perhaps it's just because people who were fannish already came and went through the renaissance, and have since mellowed out or found new fandom pastures? Maybe the show being on Netflix (where a lot of the renaissance attention already came from) means that those who would have had their interest piqued already knew about it? Or maybe the audience for the NATLA adaptation just aren't particularly interested in transformative fandom?
