Author's Note- This is not meant to offend people who write stories in this genre. They just all seem kind of weird to me, so this is an honest parody. Please review!
Oh, No! It's A High School AU
By The Bookemist
Toph Bei Fong and Katara (insert cleverly puntastic last name here) slid into their desks for English class. Their teacher Mr. (insert one of the masters in the series, usually Pakku or Iroh) told them to get out their homework.
(Insert long, boring conversation between Katara and Toph about boy troubles. It depends on the author's ship, but this will usually involve Sokka, Aang, and Zuko in some way).
After class, the two painfully written protagonists grab some Fire Gummies from the vending machine and head on home to relax. All of a sudden, though, Toph freezes up and grabs Katara by the shoulders, "Katara! I just realized something. We're supposed to live in a fantasy cartoon similar to medieval Japan, not an obvious imitation of suburban America!"
Katara gasps, "You're right, Toph! What could this mean?"
"There's only one explanation. Some young fan fiction writer, who loves the characters of Avatar: The Last Airbender but is unable to write them within their own universe, must have taken all of us into a setting they are more comfortable in; their own lives."
Katara nods and says, "That makes total sense. Fan fiction only exists because people long to spend more time with memorable characters. When a writer is either new the genre or just completely moronic, it seems easier to just take those characters and put them in a totally new world, with no explanation."
"What people need to realize," Toph says, "is that the universe that characters live in is inextricably tied to their personality. Sure, crossovers can work, but for characters like Zuko and Aang, both of which personalities are a direct result of bending and war, you just can't put them in modern day highschool. If Zuko was a normal guy, he wouldn't be Zuko."
"This isn't to say that all those stories are bad, though. ATLA fan fiction is very hard to write. The show gives very few details, and so it is often hard to write within the context of the universe without spewing out a bunch of bullshit which the author obviously pulled out of his asshole. Still, I'd rather read a crappy story about the Battle Of Han Tui then a crappy story about the teenage angsty love triangles of the Gaang, and who will go with whom to prom," says Katara.
"I know," says Toph, "plus, those stories put a lot of people totally out of character. Speaking of that, could you hand me the T.V. Remote? I think America's Next Top Model is on now!"