Better Off Not Knowing: Difference between revisions

Content added Content deleted

Inline

Latest revision as of 23:19, 24 March 2023

A brief Slice of Life fanfic based on The Legend of Korra, written by AO3 user RhazadeWaterbender.

It's set just after the finale of Book 3, and involves a twelve-year-old girl reading a newspaper article about the events of said finale while waiting for the school bus. Details about the viewpoint character emerge throughout the narrative.

Tropes used in Better Off Not Knowing include:

All There in the Manual: The story summary discloses the viewpoint character's place of residence, and her name is given as "Hakini" in the tags. The author has also offhandedly revealed other details elsewhere.
Big Eater: Hakini is a growing girl—possibly quite dramatically so, if her birth mother's genes leave their mark—who's already big for her age, and the "increasingly ravenous appetite" that she has to show for it gets a brief mention.
Dramatic Irony: It becomes increasingly clear to the reader that Hakini is the biological daughter of Zaheer and P'Li. She herself, however, is mercifully unaware of the fact.
Elsewhere Fic: Although it's roughly concurrent with the Book 3 finale, it's set "somewhere in the Fire Nation." As such, no canon characters actually appear.
Flash Fiction: Clocks in at just over 200 words.
Give Her a Normal Life: Implied, although the choice wasn't made by her biological parents.
Happily Adopted: Hakini draws a distinction between "her parents" and the (unknown to her) "people who'd brought her into the world."
Huge Schoolgirl: She's a twelve-year-old student, described as gangly and awkward, who—at a confirmed height of 5'11" and still growing—is already promising to be taller than her adoptive father. (Not too surprising, considering that her birth mother was 6'8"...)
Kid Fic: An inverted example, in which characters with no apparent connection to the plot have adopted the biological daughter of a canon antagonist couple.
Nameless Narrative: Canon characters are mentioned, but not named. Hakini's name (the author has admitted that, when it was written, she hadn't yet actually been given one) and those of her adoptive parents are not revealed in the story proper.
No Infantile Amnesia: Downplayed. Hakini was born in the summer, but her earliest memory is of "bone-crushing cold." Considering her age, she'd have been conceived shortly before the Red Lotus were incarcerated and born in P'Li's cell; ice crevasses tend to be cold throughout the year.
Patchwork Kids: Averted; although something about Zaheer's mug shot looks vaguely familiar to her (Word of God is that it's the cheekbones), she's implied to mainly just have a Strong Family Resemblance to P'Li (or, at least, to have inherited the height and the bending element.
Playing with Fire: Hakini is stated to be a firebender. Yet another way in which she takes after Mama.
Seasonal Baggage: A contrast is drawn between Hakini being a firebender born in summer and her distant memories of cold.
Slice of Life: When it comes right down to it, this is a story about a kid reading the newspaper while waiting for the bus.
Tell Me About My Birth Parents: Defied. Sure, Hakini asked once...only to find out that the information had been deliberately withheld. Hence...
Title Drop: In the second-to-last paragraph. Applied not only to Hakini, but to her adoptive parents as well.

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 {{tropelist}}
-* [[All There in the Manual]]: Among other details: the viewpoint character's name, height, and place of residence.
+* [[All There in the Manual]]: The story summary discloses the viewpoint character's place of residence, and her name is given as "Hakini" in the tags. The author has also offhandedly revealed other details elsewhere.
 * [[Big Eater]]:  Hakini [[Justified Trope|is a growing girl]]{{spoiler|—possibly quite dramatically so, if [[Statuesque Stunner|her birth mother]]'s genes leave their mark—}}who's [[Huge Schoolgirl|already big for her age]], and the "increasingly ravenous appetite" that she has to show for it gets a brief mention.
-* [[Dramatic Irony]]:  While Hakini is entirely unaware of the fact, it becomes increasingly clear to the reader that she's {{spoiler|the biological daughter of the [[Arc Villain]] [[Unholy Matrimony|and]] [[The Brute]]}}.
+* [[Dramatic Irony]]:   It becomes increasingly clear to the reader that Hakini is {{spoiler|the biological daughter of [[Arc Villain|Zaheer]] [[Unholy Matrimony|and]] [[The Brute|P'Li]]}}.&nbsp; She herself, however, is mercifully unaware of the fact.
+* [[Elsewhere Fic]]:  Although it's roughly concurrent with the Book 3 finale, it's set "somewhere in the Fire Nation."  As such, no canon characters actually appear.
 * [[Flash Fiction]]:  Clocks in at just over 200 words.
-* [[Give Her a Normal Life]]:  Implied{{spoiler|, although the choice wasn't made by her biological parents}}.
+* [[Give Him a Normal Life|Give Her a Normal Life]]:  Implied{{spoiler|, although the choice wasn't made by her biological parents}}.
 * [[Happily Adopted]]:  Hakini draws a distinction between "[[Good Parents|her parents]]" and the (unknown to her) "people who'd brought her into the world."
 * [[Huge Schoolgirl]]:  She's a twelve-year-old student, described as gangly and awkward, who—at a confirmed height of 5'11" and still growing—is already promising to be taller than her adoptive father.  {{spoiler|(Not too surprising, considering that her birth mother was 6'8"...)}}
+* [[Kid Fic]]: An [[inverted]] example, in which characters with no apparent connection to the plot have [[Happily Adopted|adopted]] the biological daughter of {{spoiler|a [[Unholy Matrimony|canon antagonist couple]]}}.
 * [[Nameless Narrative]]:   Canon characters are mentioned, but not named. Hakini's name (the author has admitted that, when it was written, she hadn't yet actually been ''given'' one) and those of her adoptive parents [[No Name Given|are not revealed in the story proper]].
-* [[No Infantile Amnesia]]:  [[Downplayed]]. Hakini was born in the [[Seasonal Baggage|summer]], but her earliest memory is of "bone-crushing cold."  {{spoiler|Considering her age, she'd have been conceived shortly before the Red Lotus were incarcerated and born in [[Tailor-Made Prison|P'Li's cell]].}}
+* [[No Infantile Amnesia]]:  [[Downplayed]]. Hakini was born in the [[Seasonal Baggage|summer]], but her earliest memory is of "bone-crushing cold."  {{spoiler|Considering her age, she'd have been conceived shortly before the Red Lotus were incarcerated and born in [[Tailor-Made Prison|P'Li's cell]]; ice crevasses tend to be cold throughout the year.}}
-* [[Patchwork Kids]]:  Averted; although something about {{spoiler|Zaheer's mug shot}} looks vaguely familiar to her ([[Word of God]] is that it's {{spoiler|the [[Villainous Cheekbones|cheekbones]]}}), she's implied to mainly just have a [[Strong Family Resemblance]] to {{spoiler|P'Li}}.
+* [[Patchwork Kids]]:  Averted; although something about {{spoiler|Zaheer's mug shot}} looks vaguely familiar to her ([[Word of God]] is that it's {{spoiler|the [[Villainous Cheekbones|cheekbones]]}}), she's implied to mainly just have a [[Strong Family Resemblance]] to {{spoiler|P'Li}} (or, at least, to have inherited {{spoiler|the [[Huge Schoolgirl|height]] and the [[Playing with Fire|bending element]]}}.
-* [[Playing With Fire]]: Hakini is stated to be a firebender.  {{spoiler|Yet ''another'' way in which she takes after Mama.}}
+* [[Playing with Fire]]: Hakini is stated to be a firebender.  {{spoiler|Yet ''another'' way in which she takes after Mama.}}
 * [[Seasonal Baggage]]: A contrast is drawn between Hakini being a firebender born in summer and her distant memories of cold.
 * [[Slice of Life]]:  When it comes right down to it, this is a story about a kid reading the newspaper while waiting for the bus.
+* [[Tell Me About My Father|Tell Me About My Birth Parents]]: Defied.  Sure, Hakini asked once...only to find out that [[Locked Out of the Loop|the information had been deliberately withheld]].  Hence...
 * [[Title Drop]]:  In the second-to-last paragraph.  Applied not only to Hakini, but to her adoptive parents as well.
 {{reflist}}
+[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
 [[Category:Fanfic]]
 [[Category:The Legend of Korra/Fan Works]]