Reviews for The Prince's Choice
La Spiritz chapter 30 . 7/18
I came across a warriors gambit and was going to read it but saw it had a prequel. I'm glad you wrote this. It's perfect for my romantic side. It's like I knew which way the story would go but at the same time I couldn't put it down (especially when details are still a delightful mystery.) I love how Katara's natural instincts are perfect for the role of Fire Lady. I cant qait to read the sequel and get a little of that Zuko POV that you mentioned as well.
SaturnTails chapter 30 . 7/6
I felt an urge to read this again and it sucked me in and consumed my whole day! Awesome stuff. But, aggghffks, I’d forgotten it ended so dramatically in the middle of the story. Ah well, on to the sequel. I know there’s new chapters for me to read there (I’m following it, but find I can’t read chapter by chapter as I get disconnected from the story).
Moose Voose chapter 21 . 6/6
Hey I am loving the story! Really really am loving it! I just have a small complaint about the way Katara views romance.

Overall, I really enjoy that she is a very strong character. What makes her truly strong and actually likable is that she has actual flaws. Strong characters that can do no wrong are intolerable to read, but Katara’s character is just raw and real. It makes it really easy to forgive her flaws and love her like other characters in the story. She’s not likable because you wrote characters liking her. She’s likable because of who she actually is, and her popularity just makes sense. Also, she’s just incredibly charming. You can really see why Zuko loves her. His perception of her is also overly positive which is also so realistic

But with the strong character, she’s generally being a textbook feminist. And, I am definitely a feminist—obviously most women are, even if they claim otherwise. But I just want to point out that some aspects of our culture and our ideas about romance are really toxic. We have an incredible amount of scientific evidence for what makes for a stable, happy committed relationship. I just want to make two points that Katara seems to not understand or believe in. (As a disclaimer, I’m in the middle of a bachelors in family studies preparing to receive a masters in marriage and family therapy, so an info dump is to follow since this is kind of my passion.)

1: Couples who wait for marriage to have sex statistically experience more committed and more happy marriages. Couples who cohabitate before marriage are statistically more likely to get a divorce. Therefore, when you present them as pretty chill with sex before marriage—and I realize they haven’t done anything besides kiss twice, but Katara’s views on sex and her tribe’s approach to it was laid out pretty clearly—I hope you also are maybe aware that that view does not produce the happiest marriages and relationships. This isn’t about a man getting to sleep around but a woman is ruined if she’s not chaste—it means that BOTH men and women are happier when they are not sexually active before marriage. (And there is a whole host of data showing that married people are happier than single people. Even cohabitating people who are very committed do not experience the same happiness boost that married people have. I say this to make the point that a happy marriage IS a desirable objective, and therefore waiting for marriage would also be desirable.)

2: Katara says that her tribe comes first, her friends and family come first. I’m sure this point was made so that Katara won’t fall into the trap of defining herself only by her love interest and abandoning everything else in her life that is also important. But the leading marriage expert in the US who has done over 40 years of research into what makes long term relationships work and can predict divorce with 92-97% accuracy after watching a couple for fifteen minutes is named John Gottman (just in case you aren’t familiar with him; sorry if this is all already known to you) One thing that Gottman has found is that spousal preeminence is essential. That person becomes number one. Job, hobby, even children to a certain extent should not compromise your promise to always serve and love your partner. This really common ideal of either man or woman refusing to let love affect friendship, family, or work is going to lead to a less committed and therefore less happy relationship. If the guy prioritizes his mom over his girlfriend or wife, that’s clearly trouble. It’s just as troublesome if the woman prioritizes her job or her family over him. I’m not advocating for unequal commitment and the servitude of women. I’m describing mutual devotion. Love is the result of dedicated service, kindness, and every day consideration. For that kind of love to exist—Katara should put Zuko before her friends if they get serious. He should be more important than family if she ever had to choose. And she can’t be so tied to her home and community that she can’t commit to his.

I know eventually Katara is going to be the fire lady and will probably love the fire nation as her own. I also know that when it comes down to it, she’ll probably apply the above principles of spousal preeminence and will put Zuko first. We instinctively usually understand that in practice, but today it’s become a political faux pas to articulate it as theory. It’s seen as demeaning for a woman to commit so seriously to a relationship when it’s just the price both men and women pay to have true, lasting love for their partners. Men who don’t similarly commit are shitty partners.

It could be that you already understand the above principles and will show through Katara’s relationship with Zuko that some of her ideals aren’t super wise in practice. That would be fascinating if it were the case. But if not—I sense a certain pedantic tilt to the way Katara sees the roles of women and men. If Katara is meant to teach readers anything about relationships and sexuality, I personally would love to see a strong female character modeling behavior that is scientifically proven to lead to an actual happily ever after. Just like I hate reading (usually guy) characters who are creepily possessive and rude, I also struggle to like female characters who look down on the work that it takes for her to actually, really enjoy love.

I say all this, but you have already done a lot to make Katara fairly balanced. She defends the girls who are sincere in the competition and genuinely want to marry Zuko. She has come to respect the art of healing that she formerly looked down on. She enjoys gossiping and chatting with female friends now whereas at the beginning she kind of didn’t. She accepts the idea of always worrying about Zuko. She is not an overpowered female warrior; without bending, she had to step back and let Zuko fight. Suki beat her even as a non-bender. All of these are really positive in modeling the respect that is necessary towards both more traditional gender roles and also towards more progressive roles modeled by Katara and Toph. Basically, up till this point Katara has really really impressed me in her ability to emulate what science says makes a couple happy. My dissatisfaction comes only because of her views of sexuality and how important Zuko should become to her.

However, since I do enjoy Katara being flawed, I’m alright with this if the plot exposes some of the weaknesses in her stances and doesn’t preach that it leads to unrealistic happiness if she sticks with it. I also appreciate that Zuko is actually modeling the correct behaviors even when Katara does not—he is consistently chaste when appropriate, and Lu Ten notes that Zuko already takes Katara into consideration with the decisions he makes, a very respectful and appropriate thing. So I suppose as things take their natural course, Zuko will probably win out in some of these key areas, and therefor positive behavior will be represented by both Katara and Zuko combined. Which I think is wonderful writing.

(I also realize that by arguing that there is a great deal of scientific evidence for the benefits of chastity before marriage that reading that could be painful to anyone who has not lived that. I myself have definitely definitely not kept to that standard, but I still view it as an ideal. I don’t mean to cause anyone pain or discomfort. I deeply believe in every person’s ability to change and heal, and I know that someone who commits to complete fidelity and chastity (chastity defined as sex only with your married partner, meaning chastity is necessary after marriage as well) can enjoy the benefits of true commitment as well as those who have made that commitment and successfully kept it earlier and longer. But making this point is important to me because I know that if we represent these ideals in literature more, people can come to stop seeing some “traditional values” as outdated, sexist constraints and see them actually as the springboard for long lasting satisfaction and true, lasting love. I realize that I’ve made some controversial points, so I kind of am braced for disagreement. But regardless I wanted to share what I’ve learned from studying marriage and family in case exchanging ideas had any value.

Overall though, I find this story sends overwhelmingly positive messages about what it means to be family, true serve of those in need, and how friendship is the healthy foundation of love. Overall, Katara seems to be very accepting and comes to love and enjoy things she previous thought she wouldn’t—from fire nation candy to the fire nation towns to even the future fire lord himself. Truly masterfully done. Your writing has a depth and realism that is just incredible. I definitely couldn’t write anything this good. Thank you for inspiring me to work harder on my own projects!
Carolina Lozoya chapter 30 . 5/28
Damn, that was wonderful. I was reading chapters upon chapters each night. I loved the development of each character and how Katara still truly cares for her tribe. The fact that she won't drop everything to stay with Zuko is very true to her character. Loved it!
Schlubber chapter 30 . 5/13
Hi! I think this is my fourth time reading this fic. I follow you on tumblr, which is how I came across The Prince’s Choice, and I love your story. The Selection and A:TLA are some of my favorite series and I’m really impressed with how you combined them into such a compelling narrative. I also don’t think I’ve ever gotten so attached to a group of OCs. Eva’s ending just breaks my heart, and Shoji and Aiga are so funny and thoughtful. Anyways, thanks for writing this. Your stories inspire me.
Guest chapter 30 . 4/16
HOW DARE YOU! YOU DROP ALL THOSE BOMBS IN YS IN THE LAST CHAPTER! THAT SHOULD BE ILLEGAL
Guest chapter 8 . 4/14
I wanna know more about this tattoo Zuko has. And it was on a dare?! Did his cousin dare him? Or someone else?
Number Square chapter 30 . 3/19
I love the Selection Series and I couldn't resist reading this!

pros: I love how you integrated the avatar universe into the format of the Selection. I love the personality you gave Zuko. I love the changes you made to the background story in regards to the air nomads and history.

cons: There were definitely some times that sentences were structured strangely. Also misspells drive me nuts.

overall, great job. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and hope that the sequel will be finished as well.
Lennox13 chapter 29 . 1/8
Sorry about the healing comment - I know how easy it can be to forget such a small thing.
Really liked this chapter, though.
I hope Katara summons a massive wave and washes everyone from the Palace. I'm truly sick of these people and their petty priorities. Ugh, but I'm reflecting, seeing the reality of this world in the little squabbles and manipulations of the story. 2020, am I right?
Lennox13 chapter 28 . 1/8
Uhhh, she's a healer?
Lennox13 chapter 21 . 1/8
I mean, this does seem odd. Ozai might be wanting more opportunities to take Katara out. She's a clear threat.
Lennox13 chapter 16 . 1/8
I like how their spirit personas are the opposite to their elements. It's such a cute contradictions.
Lennox13 chapter 15 . 1/8
Against the rules boyfriends and other attachments might be, but since when has everyone actually obeyed the rules?! It's human nature. And what if she'd been forced against her will? Honestly, if I were truly in love but knew it would mean food and provisions for my family, I'd enter the competition and leave before the end. My love would understand. Anyway, feel flattered that they are believably human for us to think they'd break the rules.
Lennox13 chapter 14 . 1/8
She had a child out of wedlock who had been stashed in the town. First guess, and I'm really concerned about my own sanity... Uhm, boyfriend. Or girlfriend? Hmmh, oh well. I'm glad there's a bit of excitement brewing.
Lennox13 chapter 10 . 1/8
I really thought Eva had poisoned the wine... Damn.
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