History Fanfic / TheFireChapters

%%* HurtingHero / IronWoobie: Zuko, '''full stop.'''

An Season 3 AU ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' fanfic series by [[http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1178956/Wren_Sharpbeak Wren Sharpbeak]]. It essentially starts out with the question of what Zuko would have done if he had discovered that Azula's promise of him regaining his honor and the love of his father turned out to be a complete farce BEFORE leaving Ba Sing Se for the Fire Nation.

* ShipTease: Taang, Zutara.

* HurtingHero / IronWoobie: Zuko, '''full stop.'''

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: A meta-example with Chapter 9, "The Shallows," as Wren wanted to try her hand at a psychologically-based thriller episode rather than action-adventure.

* NotSoDifferent: Sokka realizes both him and Renzou have been poisoned with prejudices about the other's culture.

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

* GoodParents: Hakoda, of course. Also General Huo. [[spoiler: Obviously, when they finally meet each other is a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming]]

----> '''Sokka''': "Don't be mad at him...he did the right thing by telling us. And...there's something else you should know."

----> '''Zuko''':"What is that?"

----> '''Sokka''': "Just that…well…if that had been me in your place…*sigh* I'd have a scar too."

* TheViperAndTheFarmer: Subverted. When Zuko is being chased by soldiers, a little girl whom Zuko helped before, shouts she has found "the man with the scar"... and then points at the opposite direction to where Zuko is hidden. He is so grateful for that he even ''bows'' to her.

* NotSoDifferent: Sokka realizes both him and Renzou has been poisoned with prejudices about the other's culture.

* DeathFakedForYou: Renzou helps Sokka to fake his death so he has escape from the army safely. Later [[spoiler: Kho'Li lies about killing Zuko and Katara.]]

* SecretSecretKeeper: [[spoiler: Kho'Li]] knew all along that Private Lee a.k.a Sokka was alive but he didn't say anything. He confess this to Renzou later and [[spoiler: gives him a White Lotus' tile.]]

* BigDammHeroes: Momo saves Zuko's life in the nick of time in "The Factory".

* ShipperOnTheDeck: Sokka becomes a Zutara's shipper. When he talks to Aang about it, not knowing about Aang's own feelings for Katara... [[PoorCommunicationKills it doesn't end very well.]]

* ShipTease: Taang, Zutara

* ThroughTheEyesOfMadness: Played with. Azula realizes, for the most part, she's hallucinating Mai after having unintentionally killing her with a lightning strike. It's figuring out ''why'' she's hallucinating Mai that's [[SanitySlippage driving her up the wall.]]

* GoneHorriblyRight: PlayedForLaughs in Chapter 18:3 "New Techniques" when Zuko gives Toph a cane to help her find her way around wooden floors and she quickly discovers its capabilities as a weapon. Played straight soon after when Zuko realizes that, following a earlier training session, encouraging Katara to bend the flow of his blood back to normal, a ''very'' pervasive form of water-bending, may have opened up a can of worms for both him and the young water maiden.

* KickTheDog: In "The Solstice Festival", Azula and co. drop off a flyer that supposedly releases Mai and her father from [[ArrangedMarriage "previous obligations"]] to the Fire Lord concerning Zuko, who goes into a HeroicBSOD after reading it. Then we find out the flyer is offering a bounty on Zuko...''for his severed head.'' [[ItGetsWorse And that wasn't the worst part.]] The flyer referred to him as ''just'' "Zuko", not "Prince Zuko." This, along with Iroh's explanation that royals were executed with honor and even given a trial, drives the real pained statement home: ''Ozai disowned Zuko as his son.''

An Season 3 AU {{Avatar The Last Airbender}} fanfic series by [[http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1178956/Wren_Sharpbeak Wren Sharpbeak]]. It essentially starts out with the question of what Zuko would have done if he had discovered that Azula's promise of him regaining his honor and the love of his father turned out to be a complete farce BEFORE leaving Ba Sing Se for the Fire Nation.

* DealWithTheDevil: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] in "The Shallows" with the malevolent spirit Tanha, "The Thirst Giver", who tempts mortals with their innermost longings, ones people may not be even be fully aware of. The price of accepting her "offer" is that she possesses your body and can only be driven out by destroying the object of desire, which can have disturbing complications ''[[FridgeHorror if it's a person.]]''
** She tempts Sokka with the notion of having the ability to bend. She thinks he'll be easy to tempt with wanting to be powerful like the others. However, he refuses, asking why she would give someone from the ''[[MakingASplash Water Tribe]]'' ''[[PlayingWithFire fire]]''bending. Tanha [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] the annoyance of trying to tempt a IdiotHero with something as simple as power.

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.

"Secret, secret, secret, TUNNEL!" They ended the song with a flourish of upraised arms.

"Sokka, you're a genius!" exclaimed Aang brightly while Katara laughed.

"Yeah…I am," he agreed with mock humility.

Iroh and Zuko merely stood there staring at the trio as if they had each sprouted a second set of ears, while Toph crossed her arms and shook her head.

[[YouDontWantToKnow "I don't even want to know."]]

* Iroh, [[GenreSavvy having read up on Tanha's background in his spare time]], isn't at all swayed by Tanha's temptations, his lust for power and desire to see his wife and son having long since passed, and assures her that she will have no better luck tempting the children. Tanha, however, leaves with these chilling words: ''"Zuko already has."''

** Aang is teased by Tanha that even though he gave up his earthly affections for Katara, he's ended up cut off from the Avatar State, which in Aang's eyes has made the gesture pointless as he's denied the love he feels he and Katara deserve. Tanha subsequently tempts him with the notion of "protecting" and fulfilling the desires of his loved ones while he goes fight the Fire Lord alone, but he sees through that rather handily. Having to admit he still desires Katara's love though...[[{{Foreshadowing}} that doesn't go away so easily]].

* DealWithTheDevil: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] in "The Shallows" with the malevolent spirit Tanha, "The Thirst Giver", who tempts mortals with their innermost longings, ones people may not be even be fully conscious of. The price of accepting her "offer" is that she possesses your body and can only be driven out by destroying the object of desire, which can have disturbing complications ''[[FridgeHorror if it's a person.]]''

--->The two men walked in silence for a bit as the implications of that last statement hovered between them. At last, Huo finally gave a more thorough explanation.

* DressingAsTheEnemy: Enforced in "Casualties of War", when Sokka is unexpectedly
drafted into the Fire Nation Army. Turns out to produce some ''major'' ChekhovsNews when Sokka later explains that the contingent of soldiers he "joined" were part of a trap for Aang and the invasion on the Day of Black Sun.