The minute the credits of “The Crossroads of Destiny” came up, I cried out in despair. I was put through that shocker of a season finale only to have to wait months for Book III to begin?

The wait is indeed agonizing.

But in the meantime, what can we expect from Book III: Fire? We don’t know much about it, but we do know that we can expect more of what we love about Avatar. Killer action sequences and creative bending battles. A light-hearted sense of humor to complement the high flying adventures. The horrors of war and great characters that must cope with irretrievable loss. A major focus on relationships: family relationships, friendship relationships, and romantic relationships. Fascinatingly bizarre new creatures. New cultures and items set against epic backdrops. Asian-inspired mythology.

But what can we expect specifically from the final book of the first story arc set in the Avatarverse?

1. New haircuts & outfits.

Well, at PMX, Mike and Bryan tipped us off that everyone—and they meant everyone—will have new haircuts and outfits. Does this mean that Aang will grow hair to cover his arrow tattoo? He’ll at least need a new outfit after what happened to it in “Crossroads of Destiny.” Will Katara ditch the hair-loopies and go for the “hair down” look that many guys (and the Avatar crew itself, according to the audio commentary on “The Waterbending Master”) adore? Will Sokka ditch the warrior’s wolf tail so he won’t be noticeable as a Water Tribe warrior? Will Toph get to make some of the costume changes she wants to make to her character (cf. the ASN interview with Jessie Flower)?

And meanwhile, how is Zuko’s hair going to change now that he’s back in (apparent) good stead with the Fire Nation? Will he have a hairstyle more like the one he had in his fever-induced vision of himself as Fire Lord? Obviously he will at least exchange his earth kingdom clothes for royal Fire Nation apparel.

2. We will see a lot more of Ty Lee and Mai.

At PMX, Mike and Bryan said that we’d see a lot more of Ty Lee and Mai in Book III. Now that “The Crossroads of Destiny” has come and gone, we know why: because Ty Lee and Mai are with Zuko, they are now no longer side-characters but are part of the “B plot of the show” (in case you haven’t noticed, the GAang is usually the “A plot” and Zuko is usually the “B plot”).

Anyway, Zuko’s joining “Ozai’s Angels” means that we will inevitably see a lot more of “Ozai’s Angels,” even aside from what Mike and Bryan told us explicitly.

Since we’ll see more of Ty Lee, expect more comedic moments where Ty Lee flirts with Sokka and Katara attacks her viciously.

(Oh, and by the way, speaking of learning more about Fire Nation characters, I might as well mention that according to what was said at Comic-Con, in Book III we will learn a little bit more about Kuzon, the Fire Nation friend Aang mentioned in “The Blue Spirit.”)

3. Mai and Zuko romance.

At the shipping presentation at Comic Con, Aaron used the word “rekindled” to refer to the possibility of a future Mai and Zuko romance. In the series, we’ve certainly been set up enough for there to be something happening between the two of them in Book III. In fact, it’s inevitable that this issue will be addressed.

I’m not saying that they will end up together in the end, but I AM saying that this will definitely be addressed.

Now for something a lot more speculative. If Mai and Zuko do become a couple, it will either provide angst for when Zuko turns against Azula, or Mai will join with Zuko. For those who don’t think Mai would ever turn against Azula, consider “The Girls of Avatar” commercial, where Mai (and Ty Lee) are described as “semi-faithful” sidekicks. And then there’s her refusal to jump in the sludge. (Please understand: I’m NOT saying that Mai WILL betray Azula or even that it’s likely. I DO remember her attitude towards her little brother back in New Ozai.)

4. Important developments or discussion about the Avatar State.

In the “Previously on Avatar” used in front of the Book II season finale, one of the scenes was Avatar Roku’s explanation of the fact that if Aang died in the Avatar State, the Avatar cycle would be broken. That’s very suggestive about what happened at the end of “Crossroads of Destiny.” We don’t know yet if Aang is the last Avatar, if he will still be able to enter the Avatar state, or if nothing changed, but surely we’ll find out something significant in Book III. What that will be is anybody’s guess.

Meanwhile, as of the writing of this article, Nick magazine is advertising a February promotion: go to www.avatarescape.com, and play the game “Escape from the Spirit World.” According to Nick, the goal of the game is to “save the Avatar lineage.” This might not be connected with what happened in “The Crossroads of Destiny,” but if it is, it’s certainly very suggestive. It could be that the players must try to prevent Aang from being not only the last airbender but also the last Avatar as well, seeing as Azula fried him while he was in the Avatar State and possibly destroyed the Avatar State itself. Since it’s unlikely that they would promote a game in which players are doomed to fail, it seems likely that Aang will not become the last Avatar.

We’ll find out for sure in a few weeks.

Stay tuned for Part II of this article, where you’ll have more things to expect from Book III!