The Fire Chapters: Difference between revisions

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Surprisingly (or not), he does nothing, realizing all too late what a idiot he is to have turned back on Iroh and potentially have a part in the Avatar's demise. As he's "escorted" along with Iroh back to the Fire Nation and having resigned to his true eventual fate, the Gaang (along with Aang, who recovered quickly in this version) break into the ship they're on to rescue Iroh so he can teach Aang firebending, not expecting Zuko to be a prisoner alongside him. With much coaxing from Iroh, they take Zuko along as well, and the series starts off from there, with Iroh and Zuko in the group now.

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* [[Alternate Continuity]]: The series branches off from a point where Zuko overhears Azula's plan to fool him into betraying Iroh under the false pretense of "regaining Father's love." Eventually, it leads to Zuko joining the Gaang much earlier than in the actual series, but with Iroh along for the journey rather than in prison. We then see how interactions between Zuko and the Gaang would've turned out if Iroh had been along to soothe tensions among the teens.

* [[The Abridged Series]] / [[Real Life Writes the Plot]]: Done on a more serious note in Chapters 13-18, as Wren explains that the extensive plots, details, and diaologue she had mapped out for each "episode" would have taken more hours than she could afford to with other commitments. She mostly makes up for this by summarizing scenes which help set up the parts she DOES write about, and reasons that the parts she has written provide more intimate moments between the characters. Chapter 19 comes out in full once she has more time to devote to the series.

* [[Berserk Button]]: For Zuko, anything that comes between him and [[Parental Substitute|Iroh]]. General How learns this the hard way in "The Trial". Through a bad case of [[Poor Communication Kills]], Zuko believes Iroh's trial for his attack on Ba Sing Se is being rigged ''against'' rather than ''for'' him. Zuko '''flips his shit''', [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge|attacks How in a murderous rage]], and is an inch away from ''burning How's neck'' until Kuei steps in and explains the situation.

* [[Conflict Ball]]: Aang drops and picks this up a few times throughout the series. By "The Herbalist", he seems to have suppressed his physical attraction for Katara and his devotion to her whims. After his run-in with Tanha in "The Shallows", though, he seems to have picked up the ball in resentment of Katara and Zuko's growing fondness for one another and [[Green-Eyed Monster|Aang himself being denied that same sort of sentiment with Katara]]. He drops it in "The White Lotus", only to pick it up again in Chapter 14 with Katara pleading with him to use to eclipse to contact Roku, something he'd been explicitly against before. He only decided to do it because it'd be "for her", which means [[Aesop Amnesia|he's gone right back to abiding by Katara's wishes above all else.]]

** Toph is tempted with the ability to see. She's elated at first, but then [[Genre Savvy|realizes]] that being to able to see would mean losing out on her [[Disability Superpower|earthbending-sight]], what made her [[I Just Want to Be Special|special and one of the best earthbenders around]]. She emphatically refuses.

** Katara doesn't initially have any desires for herself, devoting her time to waterbending and helping her friends, but Tanha realizes that she still harbors a seed of distrust for Zuko, and the spirit attempts to drive a wedge between the two, holding Katara's trust for Zuko up against the safety of her friends. [[Zig Zagged Trope|Katara does attack and fight Zuko, but only so she can free him from Tanha's control.]]

** Zuko, at first, faces off with the form of "The Blue Spirit", but after defeating it, unmasks the form to reveal that it has his face, pure and unmarred, Tanha tempting him all the while that it could be ''his'' if he wanted it. The form then re-figures into a porcelain mask of his unmarred face. Zuko picks it up...[[Demonic Possession|and puts it on, losing himself to Tanha's dominant spirit]] until Karara forcibly removes it while fighting his possessed form. Before that, Katara witnesses him eying the mask, [[Lampshading]] the simple, but tragic notion that all Zuko desires out of anything is an [[I Just Want to Be Normal|unmarred face]].

* [[Defector From Decadence]]: Lieutenant Jee and Commander Huo. It's [[Subverted Trope|subverted at first]] as, despite Jee's previous praise of Zuko as his ship's former captain, they still try to capture him and bring him to Azula, ever loyal to the Fire Nation. Despite doing so (and catching Sokka in a botched rescue attempt as well), Huo lets both boys go. Jee, relieved but curious, asks why:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

** Later on in the series, Huo, Jee, and an entire fleet outright desert, declaring their loyalties to Zuko.

* [[Genre Savvy]]: A [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|crowning]] example in "The Solstice Festival" for Sokka, who capitalizes on Azula's [[Genre Blindness]] about Earth Kingdom lore, using a written note to trick her, Mai, and Ty Lee into "pursuing the Avatar" through the ''tunnels near Omashu.''

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* [[Heel Face Turn]]: Ty Lee. And she was just as surprised here as she was in the TV series.

* [[Honor Before Reason]]: Zig-zagged in "Legacy of The Fire Nation". Jet knew he'd be outmatched and likely killed against Azula, even with Zuko's help, but also knew Zuko would be outmatched trying to protect him. [[Redemption Equals Death|The choice wasn't hard...]]

** A small, but important example near the end of "The Herbalist", coming after Sokka reveals he knows from Iroh how Zuko ended up with his scar:

 

 

 

* [[Hurting Hero]] / [[Iron Woobie]]: Zuko, '''full stop.'''

* [[I Want My Beloved to Be Happy]]: Zig-zagged. Zuko fears that if his feelings for Katara, [[Will They or Won't They?|reciprocated or not]], came out into the open, it would cause Aang to lock off his crown chakra for good, rendering him unable to ever enter the Avatar State and fix the Avatar cycle. Because of this, he keeps them hidden and subtle when Aang's around, but reveals them little by little whenever he and Katara are alone, which actually happens a lot.

[[Category:The Fire Chapters]]

[[Category:Fanfic]]