Fan Casting Fire/Water Juxtaposition in Sort by Tropes

As two of the four classical elements, and probably the two most frequently used in fiction, it's no surprise that fire and water can play dominant roles in building atmosphere in visual media. A raging rainstorm can carry as much pathos as a burning house, just as a roaring bonfire can be as comforting as a calm lake. When a writer wants to form an immediately obvious contrast between two characters, places or events, though, it can be particularly visually stimulating to associate one with fire, and one with water — perhaps drawing a contrast between creation and destruction, tranquility and belligerence, or nurturing and consuming.