Liz/Zan
| Pairing | |
|---|---|
| Pairing: | Liz Parker/Zan |
| Alternative name(s): | Awakened Dreamer, L/Z |
| Gender category: | Het, M/F |
| Fandom: | Roswell |
| Canonical?: | no |
| Prevalence: | popular UC |
| Archives: | |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
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Liz/Zan is a Roswell unconventional couple between Liz Parker and Zan.
Fandom
Liz and Zan never met in canon, with Zan dying before the other Dupes arrived in Roswell. Dupes refers to the duplicate alien hybrids, with Zan been the duplicate of Max Evans. Although Zan had very little screentime and no dialogue, he was quickly paired with Liz, and this became one of the most popular unconventional couples in the Roswell fandom.
Ship appeal often built on Liz's (previous) relationship with Zan's duplicate, and the belief she would have a similar connection with Zan.
"I do know that they very much started to catch on in late Season 2, but mostly Season 3 for several reasons. 1) A lot of people loved the chemistry between Jason Behr and Shiri Appleby and wanted her paired with him in some format, but were so pissed off at the character of Max that they couldn't have it be him. So, voila! Zan! 2) Zan was something of a blank slate. We knew very little about him before he was killed off, so he could be an OC in so many ways. 3) He is often written very differently from Max, and some could see Liz embracing that kind of thing after what happened with Max, but still seeing some of Max's positive attributes in him, which would also attract Liz."[1]
The good girl/bad boy dynamic was often explored in fanfic.
Common Tropes & Storylines
Almost all Awakened Dreamer fics were AUs. So the fandom divided these into AUs w/aliens and AUs w/o aliens.
- In AUs with aliens, fix-it fics including where Zan lives are common. In some of these, Max also dies or is dead at the beginning of the story. In others, alternative first meetings bring these two together, with Liz mistaking Zan for Max, or intrigued by the stranger who looks like her (former) lover.
- In threesome fics, Liz and Zan are sometimes paired with Max (Double Dipper) or Michael Guerin (Awakened Polar).
Ship Name
"Awakened dreamers comes mostly from late season 2 and season 3 - a lot of dreamers HATED Max for how he treated Liz, and then for sleeping with Tess, and then he didn't get any better in season 3. The Max we had fallen in love with was gone, and many dreamers said he didn't deserve Liz. So a lot of dreamers started to want to give Liz a man who did deserve her - and the natural choice was Zan. He was so mysterious that you could make him anything you wanted.In ITL&ITB Max said to Tess he felt like he was dreaming and was ready to wake up. Many dreamers saw that as a personal message from TPTB, they were killing the dream.
Well the dreamers thought they deserved to wake up from the nightmare Max had become too - hence Awakened Dreamers - awakened from the past, awakened from what the TPTB had ruined, and awakened to other possibilities for Liz. They used to be dreamers - but now the dream was gone and they were awake."[2]
Fanworks
Fanfiction
- Hands Of An Artist by RoswellOracle, This is the first story in The Artist Series.
- Second Chances by femmenerd, This story follows canon up to but not including “Chant down Babylon.” Basically…Max dies in the fire and this story is set about five years later in New York City. Liz was pregnant by Max when he died and had a son who is now four years old. She lives with Isabel in NYC and is finishing her degree at Columbia and raising her son.
- The Marrying Kind by darkmoon, first part of The Domestication of Zan series.
- Adia by kmou, Future-Max told Liz that Max had to fall out of love with her. But what if Future-Liz came to change the future that present-Liz had created? What if the Dupes aren't evil & Zan is alive? What if Future Liz left something behind?
- Different by StormyBear, This takes place during "Meet the Dupes" and "Max in the City" Zan is not dead....read on and see how he survives. He finds that something....or someone is drawing him to Roswell. Max,Tess and the Dupes are already back in New York once he arrives in Roswell. (Double Dipper)
Archives & Fannish Links
- Zan/Liz works at FFN
- Liz/Zan works at AO3
- Liz/Zan fanfiction were also posted to Polar Attraction, despite it being Liz/Michael fanfiction archive.
- Zan & Liz Awakened Dreamer Info at Roswell Oracle