History YMMV / TheFallOfTheFireEmpire

* CompleteMonster: [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderPrincessAzula Dragon Empress Azula]], [[AdaptationalVillainy shedding all her canon redeeming qualities]], assisted in the murder of her brother, Zuko; killed her "friend", Mai, when Mai confronted her; and helped her father, Ozai, kill her uncle, Iroh, by poisoning Iroh's tea. Helping the Fire Empire on a genocidal, brutal conquest, Azula ascends to the throne where she promotes [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil slavery]] and [[FinalSolution ethnic cleansing]], having entire villages in the Earth Kingdom annihilated for not giving up people to be slaves. [[SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum Upon learning her mortality cannot be staved off]], Azula massacres the Fire Sage order and plots to spark a war after her death, intending on plunging her kingdom into a titanic, horrific conflict to kill countless innocents and secure her bloody legacy.

* CompleteMonster: [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Dragon Empress Azula]], [[AdaptationalVillainy shedding all her canon redeeming qualities]], assisted in the murder of her brother, Zuko; killed her "friend", Mai, when Mai confronted her; and helped her father, Ozai, kill her uncle, Iroh, by poisoning Iroh's tea. Helping the Fire Empire on a genocidal, brutal conquest, Azula ascends to the throne where she promotes [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil slavery]] and [[FinalSolution ethnic cleansing]], having entire villages in the Earth Kingdom annihilated for not giving up people to be slaves. [[SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum Upon learning her mortality cannot be staved off]], Azula massacres the Fire Sage order and plots to spark a war after her death, intending on plunging her kingdom into a titanic, horrific conflict to kill countless innocents and secure her bloody legacy.

* CompleteMonster:
** We have an elderly Azula in a world where Ozai succeeded in conquering everyone. She finally hits her VillainousBreakdown with the realization that there is no way she can escape her impending death from old age, so she decides to [[spoiler:go out in a blaze of glory, starting a war that will probably kill a good percentage of the world's population, and also set things up so that she'll be remembered as a hero who tried to stop that war.]]
** Gian is a [[TheUnfettered ruthless]] and [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] BountyHunter, who doesn't care who is in charge of the world order or who his employers are, so long as he's paid for his services - which involve murder. He forces a [[ShrinkingViolet rather meek young]] Earthbending slave to help him uncover the rebellion base, and kills her in cold blood simply because [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he had no further use for her]]. He's also revealed to be an Earth Kingdom man who essentially exploits his own people for profit, and admits as much to Jiazin without an ounce of guilt about it.

** Gian is a [[TheUnfettered ruthless]] and [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] BountyHunter, who doesn't care who is in charge of the world order or who his employers are, so long as he's paid for his services - which involve murder. He forces a [[ShrinkingViolet rather meek young]] Earthbending slave to help him uncover the rebellion base, and kills her in cold blood simply because [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he had no further use for her]]. He's also revealed to be an Earth Kingdom man who essentially exploits his own people for profit, and admits as much to Jiazin without an ounce of guilt about it.
* MagnificentBastard: Azula and also Qing Xi. Both of them openly admit that they have no real trust in each other, and just trust the idea that there would be no advantage to either betraying the other.

* MagnificentBastard: Azula and also Qing Xi. Both of them openly admit that they have no real trust in each other, and just trust the idea that there would be no advantage to either betraying the other.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Several aspects of the story got changed as it developed. Most notably (WordOfGod):
** Jiazin was originally supposed to be revealed as a descendant of Zuko and Mai through her mother's side. This was scrapped early on, since Zuko having descendants ''and'' Mai being pregnant were things Azula was unlikely to miss, and she would certainly have taken steps to... control... the problem. Tying into this, Jiazin's mother was supposed to be a much bigger character, but as this plotline was dropped, the focus shifted to her father (though I still regret not doing more with her).
** Cheng wasn't supposed to last beyond the Empress Island sequence; she would have remained there and Shiyan taken up the hunt alone. As I wrote the scene where the Mistress gave them the task, however, it became obvious that as Cheng was the one who screwed up, she'd be put on the assignment to redeem herself. Besides, she gave Shiyan someone to talk to.
** Chaiy was supposed to die during the rebel capture of Long Du Shi, not her father. However, while I knew I wanted a rebel leader to perish, it was less important which one, and with Yue's much more significant death coming at the same time- well, killing off two major female characters on top of each other didn't sit well with me. Jiazin's parents were also spared by the developing story; originally they were supposed to be killed after she went traitor, but it made more sense that two powerful nobles wouldn't be executed out of hand without the Empress's (who is a continent away) say-so, and the potential for an uneasy alliance with Yan Li and Chaiy felt much more interesting.
** Aang was originally supposed to die and be reincarnated when the moon and ocean spirits were freed. However, I decided it was more fun to bring him back for a BigDamnHeroes moment at the climax [[spoiler: and then subvert everyone's expectations with who ''really'' finished off Azula]].
** I toyed with having Kanoda develop waterbending abilities after the spirits were freed, but since with literally no one to teach him there was no way he'd get anywhere close to being useful with it by the end of the story, I decided it would be pretty pointless. More than a few surviving Water Tribespeople no doubt developed bending at around this time- but Kanoda wasn't one of them.
** Chaiy was originally supposed to be a kind, supportive character with an edge that really manifested only when confronting the Fire Empire. This characterization survives to an extent in her earliest chapters, but after she first met Jiazin something about her firebrand revolutionary personality caught on.
** Finally, Yuan was supposed to be ultimately revealed as the murderer of Kanoda's father, leading to a bit where he'd have to foreswear vengeance in order to get the spirit fish to safety. This just felt too contrived; Kanoda's father was killed by a nameless {{mook}}, and he'll likely never get closure.

* CompleteMonster: Old age has made Azula [[UpToEleven even worse than her father]], with her fear of death making her more unstable and desperate than ever. It's pretty unnerving coming from the same author who was able to give her a believable {{Heel Face Turn}} in the Azula Trilogy. It's also very much in-character and believable, too - she wasn't ''born'' a monster here ''or'' in canon, but by the end she was so far gone that only death could destroy the evil she has become.
** Gian also counts. Late into the first story arc, he kills a young Earthbending slave girl in cold blood after she has helped him (against her will), simply because [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he has no further use for her]]. He's also revealed to be [[spoiler:an Earth Kingdom man who essentially exploits his own people for profit, and admits as much to Jiazin without an ounce of guilt about it.]]

* MagnificentBastard: Azula of course, and also Qing Xi. Both of them openly admit that they have no real trust in each other, and just trust the idea that there would be no advantage to either betraying the other.

* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler:Shiyan, who sinks into catatonia after accidentally killing the person she was raised to see as a living god]].

* MagnificentBastard: Azula of course, and also Qing Xi. Both of them openly admit that they have no real trust in each other, and just trust the idea that there would be no advantage to either betraying the other.

* CompleteMonster: Old age has made Azula [[BeyondTheImpossible even worse than her father]], with her fear of death making her more unstable and desperate than ever. It's pretty unnerving coming from the same author who was able to give her a believable {{Heel Face Turn}} in the Azula Trilogy. It's also very much in-character and believable, too - she wasn't ''born'' a monster here ''or'' in canon, but by the end she was so far gone that only death could destroy the evil she has become.

* FetishFuel: Some people consider the Chosen to be this, apparently, judging by some of the reviews.

** Gian also counts. Late into the first story arc, he kills a young Earthbending slave girl in cold blood after she helps him (forcefully), simply because [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he has no further use for her]]. He's also revealed to be [[spoiler:an Earth Kingdom man who essentially exploits his own people for profit, and admits as much to Jiazin without an ounce of guilt about it.]]