Click For Better Quality

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:

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.

I made a bunch of these so you can expect that this is all I'm posting for the next few days

Anyone who tries to tell me that Azula doesn’t end up being the shortest in her family other than Iroh is wrong.

Zuko is taller, Mai is super fucking tall already, Ty Lee gets one of those weird growth spurts at like sixteen (it happened to me I got +2 inches), and Kiyi is eventually taller than Azula too. The entire concept of her being the strongest Firebender ever while she is (conceptually) the smallest is hilarious to me.

I present to you:

Mai: “If you can’t reach it just ask. I’ll get it for you.”

Azula: “Fuck you, I don’t need your help.”

Azula: *starts climbing the library bookshelf to get to the one book she wants all the way at the top*

— — —

Zuko: “I’m taller so I go first.”

Azula: “What does that have to do with anything? No one says that! You’re supposed to say it’s because you’re older.”

Zuko: “Yeah, but I like rubbing it in that I’m better than you at something.”

Azula: “Being tall isn’t a skill.”

Zuko: “That’s what short people say.”

— — —

Kiyi: “I was going to make a joke about you being short but then I figured that would be mean.”

Azula: “You know, sometimes it’s nice to keep your thoughts to yourself.”

— — —

Azula: “Stupid fucking genetics. This is Iroh’s fault.”

Ty Lee: “Technically he had nothing to do with it.”

Azula: “Hush, I need someone to blame for my being small.”

Ty Lee: “If it makes you feel better I love that you’re small so I can give you all the forehead kisses in the world with ease.”

Azula: “That makes me feel a little bit better but just barely.”

Zuko: Once when I was 8, I had a crush on a girl in my class and I didn't know how to deal with it, so I wrote her a note that said "Get out of my school"

Katara:

Katara: That was you?!

I GOT THE WHOLE TAOB SWT GANG (plus zuko and zi se, unplus katara and sokka. Another time guys <3) ALL DRAWN @hella1975 NFJWKSM. They are definitely not perfect, but I combined a lot of the og show, my imagination of the characters AND the other taob fanart I've seen haha

AND DID ANYBODY EXPECT A TEENAGE ZI SE I SURE DIDNT- I made this up on the spot as I was sketching stuff, don't take any of it really seriously lmao. His clothes are mixed with Fire Nation and Water Tribe because I Said So. the boy is a rascal and we all know it

(And then under the cut is a transparent version of the SWT, and one with notes all over it so I can point out the details I did on purpose lol)

I’m just so in love with the idea that Zuko and Katara refuse to let their kids be mostly raised by nurses & maids, so instead their kids go to meetings with them until they’re old enough to watch themselves.

They end up getting really good at multitasking: feeding/burping/changing/etc. all while being able to talk about policy and whatnot (and yes, sometimes they talk about taxes in a baby voice to entertain the infant).

Okay so like, after reading too many zuko adoption au’s, I may have (kind of but not really) made up my own 👉👈

I figured if we throw Zuko on literally anyone(they even gave the poor child to Hama once 😭😭), nothings stopping me from tossing him in that spirit library and calling it adoption. So in a 3am crisis I created the Library!Zuko au, where he gets adopted by the knowledge seeker foxes after bitch Ozai tries to kill him by dumping him in the desert and Wan Shi Tong just has to deal with it cause I said so. Naturally because I cant write I drew it instead

Theres more, but turns out im shy oops-

NIA OH MY FUCKING GOD IM IN LOVE WITH THIS ACTUALLY IN LOVE WITH THIS THAT BOTTOM ONE WITH HIM PETTING IT AND HIS LIL SMILE HOW HAVE YOU SUCKERPUNCHED ME WITH JUST SKETCHES???? AND THE THOUGHT OF WAN SHI TONG HATING HUMANS AND BEING REALLY BITTER INITIALLY BUT THEN SEEING HOW ZUKO JUST CRAVES KNOWLEDGE AND WANTS TO LEARN MORE THINGS DESPITE HIS FOREFATHERS INSISTING THAT THE FIRE NATION WAY WAS THE ONLY WAY, AND YET HERE IS THIS BURNT BOY WHO WANTS TO LEARN SWORDSMANSHIP AND PATIENCE AND WHO IS GENTLE AND HE’S KIND TO THE FOXES AND I- GSIUHIUSHG NIA WHAT THE FUCK

anyway i think itd be nice if the whole atla gang was meant to take a month-long reunion friend-reconnection extravaganza trip 15 years after they all settled in their different roles and jobs and parts of the world, but a few days in Problems at their respective jobs/homes/families start popping up that force each of them to leave early one by one until only zuko and sokka are left for weeks alone and it's awkward until it's not so bad until it's actually kinda romantic all of a sudden and just when they start to recognize what's going on, friendos all start coming back, having solved their issues at home and absolutely ready to rejoin the last leg of their reunion vacation together which puts no strain at all on anyone's budding feelings whatsoever

Cut Fruit 🍎🍓🍈🍊🍑

-

In Asian cultures, one of the most common forms of affection by a parent is to carefully peel and cut fruit. My mom would typically cut apples, but parents will prepare any fruit that’s available. I am loathe to think Iroh wouldn’t do the same for Zuko.

(this is also a nice article that explains the feelings behind it more)

 the southern water tribe ambassador AU that we all love and adore so much.

(a little zutara for you guys just because i felt like it ♥)