Hey, I Wanna Talk About A Piece Of Fridge Brilliance (pun Intended) In The Boiling Rock.

Hey, I wanna talk about a piece of fridge brilliance (pun intended) in The Boiling Rock.

Specifically, about the Coolers. And about Zuko.

The Coolers are, first and foremost, a means of firebender suppression. They are invoked as a punishment against unsanctioned firebending. They are designed, specifically, to shut down firebenders who have toed out of line. Like the metal prison in Imprisoned, like the suspended cages in The Puppet Master, these are prison facilities designed with a specific sort of bender in mind.

So then - Zuko.

Why throw Zuko in the Cooler as part of the escape plan? He should be EXACTLY the sort of person the Cooler is designed to work most devastatingly against. It would almost make more sense to try to get Sokka thrown into the cooler - he’s from the South Pole at least. Or maybe Suki, who’s not a bender at all. But they choose Zuko. And he’s successful. Subjected to the most severe form of firebender suppression in the Fire Nation’s most high-profile prison, Zuko is able to dismantle the Cooler and walk away smiling.

Why? 

I want to walk you through some facts:

In a tidbit of behind-the-scenes trivia, it was revealed that airbenders can regulate their body temperature with their breath alone. This is why Aang is so weirdly comfortable traveling around the South and North Pole (and really any climate in the series) in his normal monk garb. Everyone else changes outfits to reflect the changing climate, but not Aang, his breath has that covered.

It would be quite useful if a technique like that could be adapted to another style of bending. The same way that a waterbender’s redirection of their opponent’s energy could be adapted to the redirection of a firebender’s lightning. I bet the man who invented lightning redirection by studying waterbending would have some brilliant insight into using the breath for warmth by studying airbending.

In fact, that exact man tells Zuko “Remember your breath of fire. It could save your life out there.” back in Siege of the North. We see Zuko use his breath to warm himself that very episode, per his uncle’s instructions.

And we see Zuko use his breath of fire in one other case:

Hey, I Wanna Talk About A Piece Of Fridge Brilliance (pun Intended) In The Boiling Rock.
Hey, I Wanna Talk About A Piece Of Fridge Brilliance (pun Intended) In The Boiling Rock.

To endure the cooler.

I’m willing to bet - Breath of Fire, as a means to keep oneself warm, is not a native firebending technique. If it was, the whole concept of the Cooler would be laughable. Any prisoner would just Breath-o-Fire himself warm in there, and the prison guards would all collectively say “oh wow, the Cooler was a stupid idea, time for a new plan.”

But we know a traditional firebender would be sapped so cold in the Cooler that his firebending becomes unusable. If Zuko were relying on traditional firebending techniques, the same would happen to him. But he’s not.

Zuko’s Breath of Fire is an airbending technique. 

One that Iroh taught him. One the Fire Nation has no precedent for. One which lets Zuko ward off the freezing effects of the Cooler like it’s nothing, and allows him to dismantle it from the inside and come away smiling, unhindered, unaffected, warm to his core. 

It’s another case of Iroh’s brilliance. And I’m betting he and Zuko may be the only two firebenders in the world who could pull this off.

More Posts from Dadriusstan and Others

2 years ago

The ghost of Lue Ten haunts the halls of the fire nation capital,

Ozai was not one who miscalculated often.

He had ordered the death of his nephew in the hopes of destroying his brother’s claim to the throne. It had worked, somewhat but what his wife then did, cemented the success. His nephew was dead, his father was dead, his brother was too emotionally destroyed to take the throne, which left Ozai to take it.

He shouldn’t have underestimated how annoying his nephew could be.

He had assumed he was imagining things the first time he looked out into the garden and saw a soldier with blood rolling down the side of his head, sitting with his son by the turtle duck pond. He blinked and the image was gone. It had meant nothing.

Until the image returned two weeks later practicing cartwheels with Azula and her acrobatic friend. That time the soldier had looked dead at him and smiled. It wasn’t a kind smile and Ozai shivered as the image disappeared.

The third time he saw the spirit, as Ozai had no other explanation for the apparition of his dead nephew, he was following behind Iroh, as he always did.

Iroh unknowingly walked the halls of the palace, with his son at his heals. That’s where Lu Ten decided to stay, until the night of the Agni Kai.

As Ozai burned his hand print into his son’s face, he made the mistake of looking up. Lu Ten stood over him, his eyes burning with fury even as blood slid down his forehead into them.

Ozai stumbled back, having never seen his nephew’s spirit up so close before. The men he had paid to kill him had apparently tried to crush his head, if the slightly deformed skull was anything to go by.

Ozai shook himself and left the arena.

Lu Ten was in his office. Ozai left.

Lu Ten was in his throne room. Ozai left.

Lu Ten was in his bedroom and Ozai realized he was now the one his nephew was following. Iroh and Zuko were gone and now Lu Ten was following him.

Ozai caved after a week of his new spirit stalker.

“What do you want?” Ozai finally asked, looking up at the corner Lu Ten stood in staring at him.

Lu Ten moved closer to him and Ozai backed up. Lu Ten was only interested in the paper and writing utensils on his desk.

The truth to be known.

“I can’t do that,” Ozai said.

Then get use to me.

Lu Ten faded from view again and Ozai sighed in relief before feeling something cold on his back. He reached behind him and his hand came back with blood. He turned around only to fall from his chair as Lu Ten, more corporeal then ever before, laughed at his fear.

---

He’s there for revenge, but also to watch over his cousins and take care of his dad.

2 years ago

Just a silly little comic because I’ve gotten back into Avatar and the freedom fighters own my heart!

I just,, I love them! Anyways here’s a comic about Jets totally heterosexual obsession with tea boy Li aha

Do NOT repost anywhere else.

Just A Silly Little Comic Because I’ve Gotten Back Into Avatar And The Freedom Fighters Own My Heart!

First time making a comic in clip studio paint, I think it went well?? I hope? I gave up on the backgrounds tho

The freedom fighters my beloved

2 years ago
Like Teacher, Like Student
Like Teacher, Like Student

like teacher, like student

a lil appreciation post for music teachers, including my own :”) featuring cellist zuko and teacher piandao

2 years ago

I just remembered my second Pride, where I made different flag themed daisy chain bracelets/necklaces to hand out. I need folks to understand something:

They were free.

They were fucking free.

They were maybe ¢60 of acrylic yarn each at the most, and the whole ziploc bag of them took 2 hours max.

Three people gave me sad eyes until I took their money.

Someone who was clearly the mom friend of their group made me take a $5 and gave a 10 minute pep talk.

At least four more people insisted on getting change to pay for the, once again, free bracelets.

In spite of all these shenanigans, the absolute best was this one person who I can only describe as, “queer surfer dude who looks like a boyfriend who looks like a girlfriend.” I can remember nothing of the outfit, only the impeccable vibes. I did the same thing I did with everyone else, explaining the bracelets were free, and they nodded along as they took the last 6 strand rainbow bracelet. As soon as they had it on their wrist, they pointed at something over my shoulder and, like a fool, I looked.

Next thing I know, they’re running off cackling, yelling, “YOU’LL NEVER CATCH ME!” and I’m holding a fucking $20. I had to stop at least two people from chasing them, cause they thought the person stole something, and then they tried to give me money cause they thought it was funny seeing me flail over people being Too Nice.

That was the year I got reverse-robbed at Pride. I hope everyone out there is having a good time and, in particular, that queer surfer dude is out there still causing benevolent chaos.

2 years ago

Okay I’ve seen aus with Jet going to the Boiling Rock after Ba Sing Se and aus where Zuko fights Azula and gets sent to the Boiling Rock, but, consider, both

They both get arrested and Zuko has to explain to Jet that yes, he’s a firebender, and yes he’s the prince of the fire nation, and yes he hunted the avatar across the whole world, but he’s totally good now and Jet has to process that he tried to recruit the literal fire prince into his gang

Zuko gets thrown into the cooler very regularly, almost as much as Jet gets put in solitary, because they rarely last more than ten minutes in the same room before Jet tries to start a brawl. After a while he’s not even angry, it’s just kinda boring in prison and Zuko fights good

Suki recognises Zuko immediately, but after she hears why he’s in prison and watches Jet almost throw him off a ledge several times, she decides to forgive him

Thus starts the weirdest friendship trio ever

They actually work really well together, because Suki supplies the group brain cell, Jet gives them terrible ideas, and Zuko carries them out

The other prisoners and some of the guards quickly recognise that the three most dangerous inmates are teenagers, and now that they’re working together, all they can do is pray. They all end up teaching each other fighting forms they know, and Suki discovers Zuko is a total avatar nerd and thinks Kyoshi was the best avatar since Wan (she approves of his assessment)

Suki plays the ‘you burned down my village’ card exactly once. Jet uses ‘you burned down Suki’s village’ almost daily to get Zuko to do things

Sokka arrives looking for his dad and spots Suki in the yard distracting a guard while Jet keeps watch and Zuko steals his keys. He thinks they’re actually planning a break out, but no, Jet just wanted to fuck with the guards and see if Zuko could melt metal

(They’ve tried escaping, but Suki usually stops them because Jet suggests tying all their blankets together, stealing a messenger hawk and training it to tie the rope to a rock across the boiling lake and climbing across that. Zuko, who has never had a plan beyond ‘break into the maximum security stronghold and go from there’, is 100% on board)

When Hakoda arrives and the other inmates warn him not to piss off the three teenage prisoners, he thinks they’re joking. They’re not. He reevaluates when he sees Jet start a riot in less than ten seconds, Suki kidnap the warden, and Zuko break the gondola lever and jump across a boiling lake

Sokka comes back from his fishing trip with four missing people and no fish

Bonus: Suki: “this is my boyfriend Sokka and his boyfriend Zuko and his boyfriend Jet”

1 year ago
Click For Better Quality

click for better quality

Brainwashed Jetko au where both Jet and Zuko get taken by the Dai Li and are displaced in the big city.

Jet and Li find each other anyways.

(That luck however did not extend to their family and friends)

Its all good...then it catches up to them :D

Click For Better Quality
2 years ago

New Zutara fanfic trope: Zuko is so worried about how deeply Katara sleeps that he starts constantly preparing for the worst.

- He stays up/wakes up a lot in the night to check on her and/or their surroundings.

- If there's Only One Bed? Zuko insists he'll sleep on the floor between her and the door. Katara thinks he's offering her privacy but in reality Zuko is just terrified that Katara will sleep through an ambush/robbery and he needs to be ready to defend her 🤣

- Katara is staying/going somewhere alone overnight? Zuko panics and insists on providing her a guard. (Bonus points if the guard falls asleep too and Zuko loses his shit at the guard, and then guards her himself 🤣)

- Zuko (trying to be) super quiet - maybe something has made him upset and he is crying softly to himself. Katara wakes up from the other side of the room and asks him what's wrong. Zuko is torn between feeling touched and feeling flabbergasted - "What do you mean you heard me?? Where was this "hearing" of yours when Azula exploded the temple you were sleeping in!??!?!"

Bla bla bla, you get the gist. Go on grab some tropes don't be shy, it's free real estate let's gooo

2 years ago

favorite atla fics are the ones where the gaang finds out roku is zukos great grandfather and aang’s immediate reaction is to start hollering “GREAT GRANDSON!!!” at zuko like. aang’s 12 but is canonically the embodiment of embarrassing grandpa it’s perfect

2 years ago

Thoughts on the idea of Zuko eventually learning to lightning bend post-series because he finally got to the point of being able to fully accept and move past all the awful shit that he went through?

Okay so once more disclaimer, i love how in the show Zuko did not have to learn lightning bending but instead was able to face his father by knowing how to redirect it. Anyhow, I love this idea and it put this scene in my head: 

It was a nice evening, and that despite the fact there was a great thunderstorm coming over Ba Sing Se. Or maybe especially because of that, since it was the reason that Zuko, Aang, Katara, Sokka, Suki and Toph had interrupted their tour through the town to seek refuge in the Jasmin Dragon together. Seeing his nephew surrounded by his friends, so  relaxed and always with a small smile on his face, never failed to make him happy as well. Iroh watched them from the door frame to the kitchen from where he had juts gotten new tea. Sokka was now pretending to bend the lightning that struck outside from time to time by snapping his fingers.

“You know, that is not how you actually lightning bend, right?” Zuko interrupted his little performance. 

“Well, my deepest apologies you highness if I put dishonor on your high art of beding lighting.” Sokka dramatically took a deep bow. “Would you care to enlighten us on the matter?”

Iroh smiled. Of course Sokka would ask that. That boy seemed to be curious about everything, and never seemed to stop until he fully understood how something worked. He would make a great member of the white Lotus one day, he thought.

“Well, I never said I could it myself. Uncle once tried to teach me but it literally just blew up in face because of my inner turmoil back then” For a moment, Zuko seemed lost in the memory of back then, and a trace of the old pain returned into his his eyes. It quickly vanished, however, as Katara softly put her hand on his shoulder, and he continued speaking new enthusiasm. “But in theory, if you were to do it, you would first have to divide the positive and negative energy to create an imbalance.”

“Like so?” Sokka made a motion that looked like his was slow clapping.

“No, more like this.” Zuko made the required circular motion with his arms “And then you would have to let them collide.” 

At first, Iroh could not believe his eyes. But suddenly, there it was, with no shadow of doubt. A small lightning, flickering around his nephews hands and dipping his surprised face in purple light. He closed his eyes for a moment as he felt tears in them. Yet, he could not prevent one from running down his cheek when he heard Zuko call him, proud like a little kid that had produced his first flame: “Uncle, uncle look! I can lightning bend!”

2 years ago

Conversation Prompt

“I had a vision of my own death.”

“Spooky. Was I there?”

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In my TLOU phase

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