History Fanfic / Embers

*** [[spoiler: The Dragons who used themselves as bait to lure Avatar Kusek to Asagitatsu and the Air Nomads and Bison who tried to save them when they tired.]]

** Name a historical hero and prepare to be disillusioned. [[In the latest chapter, it's revealed that a Northern Water Tribe Avatar went insane and tried to take over the world.]]

** Name a historical hero and prepare to be disillusioned.

* The Fire Nation arc - As of Ch. 57 [[spoiler:Aang has left for the Fire Nation]] with the Gaang in pursuit and [[spoiler:Makoto]] has finally appeared. She attacked [[spoiler:Azula]], who fought her off, which may have only furthered her XanatosGambit. Sokka and Aang spend time having a "manly" talk, while Azula gets some sorely needed healing from Shidan. [[spoiler: The Fire Lord is less than amused when he learns that Azula has had contact with her grandfather, and Azula's loyalties are tested once she meets her father.]] Katara meets the Painted Lady [[spoiler: where she and the rest of the GAang learn to tread lightly with spirits]], who points out Shu Jing to them. This is where the gAang ends up next, home of the retired Fire Army major, Piandao [[spoiler: and Kuzon's ghost mate, Temul, who teaches them about ground fires and how Sky bison treading on their fields means BAD for farmers]]. In the Earth Kingdom, Kuei learns more about the Touzaikaze and how they survived in the desert [[spoiler: both airbenders and sandbenders living underground]]. Zuko, Shirong and Langxue go off to find Asagitatsu to stop the volcano from erupting [[spoiler: by fighting off Makoto and Koh. They win]]. While here, Aang finally learns of the tragic fate that befell his good friend, Kuzon [[spoiler: who was killed by airbenders, trained by none other than Aang's own Temple mate, Ja Aku]]. Currently, the Southern Water Tribe fleet has caught up to Zuko and his crew, and are now in the Northern Air Temple...

** Several chapters ago, Iroh hints that the White Lotus has, centuries ago, had to deal with an Avatar that went bad. [[That Avatar was Kesuk, from the Northern Water Tribe. In the records the White Lotus kept, she was never really strong, and when her spirit beast was killed, she snapped. She set out to take over the world, but thanks to Asagitatsu and lots of help from both the Fire Isles and Air Nomads, they stopped her.]]

* The Fire Nation arc - As of Ch. 47 [[spoiler:Aang has left for the Fire Nation]] with the Gaang in pursuit and [[spoiler:Makoto]] has finally appeared. She attacked [[spoiler:Azula]], who fought her off, which may have only furthered her XanatosGambit. Sokka and Aang spend time having a "manly" talk, while Azula gets some sorely needed healing from Shidan. [[spoiler: The Fire Lord is less than amused when he learns that Azula has had contact with her grandfather, and Azula's loyalties are tested once she meets her father.]] Katara meets the Painted Lady [[spoiler: where she and the rest of the GAang learn to tread lightly with spirits]], who points out Shu Jing to them. This is where the gAang ends up next, home of the retired Fire Army major, Piandao [[spoiler: and Kuzon's ghost mate, Temul, who teaches them about ground fires and how Sky bison treading on their fields means BAD for farmers]]. In the Earth Kingdom, Kuei learns more about the Touzaikaze and how they survived in the desert [[spoiler: both airbenders and sandbenders living underground]]. Zuko, Shirong and Langxue go off to find Asagitatsu to stop the volcano from erupting [[spoiler: by fighting off Makoto and Koh. They win]]. While here, Aang finally learns of the tragic fate that befell his good friend, Kuzon [[spoiler: who was killed by airbenders, trained by none other than Aang's own Temple mate, Ja Aku]]. Currently, the Southern Water Tribe fleet has caught up to Zuko and his crew, and are now in the Northern Air Temple...

*** [[spoiler: Walking Wales aka the Kadzait. They can grow to huge sizes (the skeleton Zuko encounters is 50ft tall), live extremely long lives, and can be good or evil,just like dragons. The Dark ones are known as Sea Serpents.]]

* SeaMonsters - Apparently Byakko fights off what lurks in the western ocean.

* [[spoiler: In Ch 57,Langxue tells Zuko that yaoren can feel where they died. Hyourin and his comrades made sure they survived until they reached a White Lotus secret vault containing the reason Koh hates humans so that their bodies could serve as markers to their reincarnations. They gave up their own right to proper burials just so the vault was never permanently lost.]]

* [[spoiler: In Ch 57,Langue tells Zuko that yaoren can feel where they died. Hyourin and his comrades made sure they survived until they reached a White Lotus secret vault containing the reason Koh hates humans so that their bodies could serve as markers to their reincarnations. They gave up their own right to proper burials just so the vault was never permanently lost.]]

* WeirdnessMagnet - Team Avatar due to Aang's presence, just as in canon. Toph outright states that she had never even met a spirit before joining up.
** Also people, who have been dealing with the spirits before or are somehow spiritualy aware tend to caught their attension much more easily than normal humans. It's the reason they are usally ostracized, because others fear they may be attacked or marked by angry spirit these people attract.

* SadlyMythtaken - [[spoiler: One of Kyoshi's followers had become a Yaoren and died for lack of spirit-healing. Seeing an Earthbending follower die from Waterbending was a major reason for Avatar Kyoshi so decreeing the rigid separation of the elements and nations. However, in the present, hundred-year-old spiritualists like Aang and Tao believe the spirits took offense to and struck down the follower for daring to tread on two elements. This would be quite true, for present benders, since the spirits tend to violently uphold an Avatar's Decree.]]

* SobbinWomen - In the historical form of bride capture. Played straight by the Water Tribes according to Sokka, and by the Earth Kingdom according to the Dai Li (when it comes to spiritually strong 'desert witches' for the Earth King's bloodline), but inverted in the Fire Nation, where it's a woman that ambushes the man with 'three cups of wine and a [[RedStringOfFate red cord]].' In both cases, it's implied to ideally be ceremonial, basically part of the marriage process or a proposal (Iroh's wife proposed in this fashion), but Teruko [[RapeAsComedy jokes]] about doing it to [[RapeIsOkWhenItsFemaleOnMale Sokka]], since he's prime stock, and given the Northern Water Tribe's feuding traditions and all three groups' cultures, it's probably been nonconsensual often enough.

* ShootTheDog - Part of a growing schism between Hakoda and several Kyoshi Islanders. Waterbenders have occasionally been born on the "neutral" island; the implication is that they rarely reach adulthood. As a fishing village, children are often forced to join the crews on the wooden boats, which can be easily disabled by waterbending. If a waterbending child has a FreakOut due to rough seas, they will '''throw the child overboard.''' The crew may throw the kid a rope once he calms down if they think he won't retaliate.
** Of course, Hakoda lives an ice pack where hunting is preferred to fishing - that particular situation is less common. It still lowered his opinion of Kyoshi Islanders for not being nicer to their waterbenders on top of letting people die by maintaining their neutrality. And Langxue's doormat personality ''really'' disturbs him.

* {{Irony}} - Back when the Fire Nation was divided up into warring clans they thought Air Nomads to be a bit touched in the head for being friends with them, and with the other clan they have been at war with for generations. [[spoiler:Chapter 54 has Aang doubting Kurzon, because Kurzon was friends with him, and with Temul, someone who Aang considers to be a bad person.]]

* [[Irony]] - Back when the Fire Nation was divided up into warring clans they thought Air Nomads to be a bit touched in the head for being friends with them, and with the other clan they have been at war with for generations. [[spoiler:Chapter 54 has Aang doubting Kurzon, because Kurzon was friends with him, and with Temul, someone who Aang considers to be a bad person.]]

-->"A bold lie, from one who would see my nation [[spoiler:drowned]] for one woman's murder." [[spoiler:Temul]]'s gaze was implacable as lava. "You'd have us all pay for one man's evil." [[spoiler:She]] pointed a long, bony finger. "And who will pay for his? Would you offer ''your'' life, little [[spoiler:waterbender]]?"\\
[[spoiler:Aang]] gulped. Because of course [[spoiler:Katara]] would. [[spoiler:She]] was perfect, [[spoiler:she]] was kind, [[spoiler:she]] was just ''good''...\\
[[spoiler:She]]... wasn't saying anything.\\
[[spoiler:Sokka]] stepped forward. "I would."\\
For [[spoiler:Katara]] to agree would be to possibly open the door to giving up [[spoiler:her]] life to [[spoiler:Temul]], which is likely why [[spoiler:she]] stayed quiet. However, [[spoiler:Sokka]] did speak up, opening that door, and [[spoiler:Temul]] adopted [[spoiler:him]], [[spoiler:his]] life is no longer [[spoiler:his]] own.

* BlessedWithSuck - The yaoren (Zuko, Shirong, and Langxue) who all have terrible luck. Aang definitely counts, despite the Avatar having all the power of the world with no spirit wound. However, instead of being told on his sixteenth birthday, his Elders tell him when he's ''twelve''. Shunned the by his fellow friends at the Temple, this will be nothing in comparison to what the Onmitsu and the descendants of the surviving Air peoples will do to him, should he come near them. Zuko and Shirong don't want to go near Aang despite their duty to the Avatar, and Langxue will definitely have his hope shot down once he meets the Gaang. Really, Aang really has to be the biggest [[TheWoobie Woobie]] in the story.
* BloodOath: There is a spiritual bond, peculiar to each nation, where the TheOathBreaker suffers pain, fatigue, sickness, AngstComa, and then (almost sertainly) death (unless treated by a healing bender).