History Fanfic / BringingOutTheBlue

* Depower: According to chapter 14, the surviving Air Nomads were so grief-stricken over the genocide that the were all depowered, and no new airbender had been born for some time.

* ItWasAGift: Zuko has a number of these. (He started out the story with the Earth Kingdom dagger and Mai’s heartstone; now he also has slate and bedroll.)

** They're also plotting a long-range resistance conspiracy thing, largely in Zuko's memory while they believe he's dead.

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: The Fire Nation royal family, which isn't that different from their canon versions.

* MoralEventHorizon: Zuko's whole attitude toward Aang understandably changes after the Siege of the North and the massive slaughter that ''someone he trusted and let walk free'' has inflicted on his countrymen. They've patched it up a bit, but Aang and Blue are still very definitely not friends anymore.

* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Played straight at first, then subverted in Chapter 14, when Zuko explains how he cut through the chains holding Aang. Turns out the chain was designed to be soft(though still strong enough to hold a human being), so if it were to be heated up by firebending it would exploded, with the chain acting as lethal sharpel

* BecomingTheMask: The more time Zuko spends as Blue, the more his Prince façade, his Blue façade and his 'true' self all start to mix together.

* TheGuardsMustBeCrazy: Played straight, subverted, and lampshaded. Whenever dealing with a difficult Fire Nation Officer, Zuko notes that, despite the inconvenience it places to him, the Fire Nation really needs more men like that. He even makes a mental note to follow one guy's career should he get back in a place of power.

** EmpoweredBadassNormal: [[spoiler: Not as of Chapter 23, when Blue reveals to the gaang that he's a firebender]]

* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Played straight at first, then subverted in Chapter 14, when Zuko explains how he cut through the chains holding Aang.

** [[spoiler: Not as of Chapter 23, when Blue reveals to the gaang that he's a firebender]]
** BadassAbnormal: Zuko!Blue when he is being assisted by [[spoiler: Spirit!Blue]].

So as far as the Gaang was concerned, Blue was someone who’d just rescued Aang and continued to be a good ally and later, friend. Zuko found such naïve trust ridiculous, but all the same, it was hard not to respond to it, or to dislike them for it. As Zuko struggled with the way that the Avatar and his companions were nothing like he expected, he began to realize that perhaps, he’d been wrong about some things – about the Avatar, about friendship, about the role of the Fire Nation in the war… Zuko believed in living by his father’s harsh rules, but he couldn’t easily apply them here. In turn, the Gaang also learned to see some new perspectives. Slowly, all their destinies began to change.

So as far as the Gaang was concerned, Blue was someone who’d just rescued Aang and continued to be a good ally and later, friend. Zuko found such naïve trust ridiculous, but all the same, it was hard not to respond to it, or to dislike them for it. As Zuko struggled with the way that the Avatar and his companions were nothing like he expected, he began to realize that perhaps, he’d been wrong about some things – about the Avatar, about friendship, about the role of the Fire Nation in the war… Zuko believed in living by his father’s harsh rules, but he couldn’t easily apply them here. In turn, the Gaang also learned to see some new perspectives. Slowly, all their destinies began to change.

* TheWhitePrince: Zuko, although he’s well on the way to becoming a WisePrince instead.

* SpiritAdvisor: [[spoiler: Spirit!Blue for Zuko]]
* TheStoic: The Gaang assumes Blue is this.

** TheGuardsMustBeCrazy: Played straight, subverted, and lampshaded. Whenever dealing with a difficult Fire Nation Officer, Zuko notes that, despite the inconvenience it places to him, the Fire Nation really needs more men like that. He even makes a mental note to follow one guy's career should he get back in a place of power.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Iroh gets a bit of this.

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: The Fire Nation royal family.

* ShownTheirWork[=/=]WordOfGod: Much of the background research and information for the story, as well as some of the future developments, are discussed in the comments of [[http://maguena.livejournal.com/6408.html this post]] on the author’s Livejournal account. Warning: Heavy spoilers abound in the discussion.

** [[spoiler: Not as of Chapter 23]]

** BadassAbnormal: Zuko!Blue when he is being assisted by Spirit!Blue.

* CastFromHitPoints: What Zuko does to disable the drill. A relatively mild example, however, as he recovers afterwards.

* CrypticConversation: Every conversation Zuko has with Spirit!Blue is one of these. Iroh is also fond of them.
* DealWithTheDevil[=/=]BargainWithHeaven: Zuko’s deal with Spirit!Blue in Chapter 20.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: WordOfGod has stated that the blue dragon imagery that Spirit!Blue occasionally uses in communication with Zuko is foreshadowing.

* HealItWithFire: Zuko and Iroh both use the straight version; Zuko goes on to develop a more metaphorical version that he teaches to Iroh. The consequences of burning self in the straight version are handwaved through a) Iroh has Just That Much Control, and b) ability to apply incredibly helpful healing salve afterwards.
* HoldingTheFloor: Toph pulls this in Chapter 22 to give the approaching Blue a chance to end the standoff between the Gaang and Mai.

* LaResistance: Sokka thinks that Blue might be working for a resistance group. There is also the Order of the White Lotus and the conspiracy started by Zuko’s former crew with the goal of forcing the Fire Nation’s military command structure to change.

* TheMutiny: Jee and the rest of Zuko’s former crew stage a minor one after the Siege of the North when they go back to try and rescue any survivors of Koizilla’s attack. Also, it’s mentioned once that Zuko faced a mutiny from his crew about a year ago.
* NonSequitur: Spirit!Blue’s initial means of communication with Zuko tended to be inserting one of these into Zuko’s train of thought.

* ReassignedToAntarctica: Every member of the crew of Zuko’s ship was assigned to it as punishment. Also, as punishment for their minor mutiny after the Siege of the North, they get assigned to a dead end patrol.

* SpiritAdvisor: Spirit!Blue for Zuko

* SupernaturalAid: Spirit!Blue has given this to Zuko a few times.
* ThisMeansWar: Invoked in Iroh’s thoughts when he finally learns that Azulon had ordered Ozai to kill Zuko and Ozai had been going to do it.

* SignLanguage: Zuko’s initial means of communicating as Blue.

A ForWantOfANail AU.

* ItWasAGift: Zuko has a number of these. (He started out the story with the Earth Kingdom dagger and Mai’s heartstone; now he also has slate and bedroll.

* ItWasAGift - Zuko has a number of those. (He started out the story with the Earth Kingdom dagger and Mai’s heartstone; now he also has slate and bedroll.

* NonSequiter: Spirit!Blue’s initial means of communication with Zuko tended to be inserting one of these into Zuko’s train of thought.

* CoolSwords

* AccidentalTruths: See the story summary.