by Brittney (link)
Genre het
Pairings Zac/OFC
Length 14 chapters
Status Completed
I read Catalyst years ago when I was trying to get back into the fandom, and it shaped my view of what fic was out there. Given how formative it was for me, I’m surprised to look back and realize how short it is, but Brittney packs a lot of story into those fourteen chapters.
The basic premise of this fic isn’t all that original; I myself have written something similiar. There’s a reason that stories where Zac and Kate are separated are popular, though, and a coffee shop setting is popular in all sorts of fanfic. Lack of originality doesn’t mean something unique can’t be done with a fic, and Brittney’s voice in Catalyst is certainly unique, with a wonderful sarcasm running through the narrative.
Catalyst does take a few typical turns, though. Aubrey is something of a manic pixie dream girl for Zac, in contrast to the less-than-flattering portrayal Kate gets when she finally appears in the story to attempt to explain her behavior. The climax comes very near to the end, leaving Zac and Aubrey on a good note, but without a lot of resolution. Future oneshots in the same universe show a very happy ending for them, but I wouldn’t have minded seeing a bit more of that in the main narrative. Still, this is a sweet little example of several popular tropes in fics about Zac, and even with a few grammatical errors, a proficient one as well.
Review by Bethany (website)