#the siege of the north

[waterbenderkat]

Love the subtle detail that Yue is the only one whose eyes remain in color after the Moon spirit is killed, due to having it within her.

It’s subtle, but it’s there.

#avatar: the last airbender #avatar #a:tla #siege of the north #the siege of the north #a:tla yue #princess yue #waterbenderkat

[chocomd]

The Faces We Wear

Rating: T

Genre: Angst, Missing Scene, Aang-centric

Word count: 2,094

Story summary: Removing the mask comes with a price. Sequel to Lifting the Mask. (Zukaang)

Read on AO3

————–

Aang could still feel the ropes binding his body.

Cords wound tight. Arms helpless at his sides, legs useless. As though Zuko was holding him in his grasp, with not even the slightest whisper of room to spare.

And then Zuko himself. Purple and red swelling all over his face, bruises that completed what his scar had begun. Hardship and struggle, stamped onto flesh. Though his face was bare, he still wore a mask—but this time, it was a mask that Aang could not remove.

Zuko narrowed his eyes, his scowl deepening the lines carved on his face. “Welcome back,” he growled.

And this time, held captive in a cave of ice, Aang did not see a friend.

-

Aang lay on his bed in the guest house he shared with Sokka and Katara. The moon shone into the room through a high window, its pale glow glinting off tiny crystals in the walls of ice. Moonlight rarely bothered Aang when he was trying to sleep. Sokka would complain loudly about how light still got through his eyelids even when they were closed, and Katara would grumble occasionally, too. But in the nights after the Fire Navy was driven away from the Northern Water Tribe, nobody said a word.

Blankets of soft furs lined his bed, but Aang didn’t need them. He stared at the patterns etched into the ceiling. For the first time in a long while, the light of the moon kept him awake.

Continue reading on AO3

#zukaang #zukaang fanfic #aang #zuko #atla #atla fanfic #avatar the last airbender #the siege of the north #cw violence #cw mild blood #chocomd writes

[bestepisode]

Vote on more episodes here!

Find the full list of round 2 polls here.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #atla best episode #atla best episode 2 #day of the black sun #the siege of the north #sokka #zuko #princess yue

[sokkastyles]

I keep staring at this gif, though.

It's no secret that I love this scene and this speech. I've talked about it often. I think what Zuko says here gets talked about most often in the context of his relationship with Azula, but also the context of like, Zuko talking about how his dad said he was lucky to be born, while his face is covered in bruises and scratches, the scar his father gave him plus evidence that he recently survived an assassination attempt. Zuko who just keeps surviving despite the odds. "I don't need luck, though. I don't want it."

Also the context of him and Aang being stuck in a frozen cave in the middle of a blizzard, Zuko facing the storm and looking away from Aang, who is next to and illuminated by the light behind him. Nice foreshadowing, that.

Also, the way Zuko is monologuing to an unconscious Aang about his trauma is a deliberate mirror to Aang rescuing Zuko in the Blue Spirit and talking about how they might have been friends if things had been different.

Both Zuko and Aang comparing each other to people they know, people they loved or wanted to love.

#zuko #aang #the siege of the north #the blue spirit

[azulasnailtech]

ATLA If they were allowed to swear 

part 15/??  [suggested by anonymous] [I’d love to hear suggestions for more]

#atla #atlaedit #avatar the last airbender #sokka #hahn #zhao #the siege of the north #ifatlacouldcuss #mygifs #mystuff #tvedit #cartoonedit #obligatorytag

[inbarfink]

#avatar #avatar the last airbender #avatar: the last airbender #avatar the legend of aang #the last airbender #the legend of aang #atla #The Siege of the North #The Crossroads of Destiny #Sozin's Comet #tumblr polls #i love polls #fandom polls #my polls #polls

[ididgettomeetyoubackupblog]

previous

#katara #aang #kataang #atla #gifs #zhao #ripzhao #the siege of the north

[swan2swan]

MAGNIFICENT.

This episode rules, they did the "Well, we got one, how many do we have left--"

"...oh." moment PERFECTLY.

Honestly, gonna say it...even better than the cartoon on that one. Maybe.

In terms of the cloud reveal, at least. The setup was a little obvious. And the Aang moment in the OG was perfect, too.

This one just KNEW HOW TO DO IT.

#swan watches natla #this episode looks like it's sticking to the source material #maybe a little heavily but also...you know what? why mess with what works? #the siege of the north

[ididgettomeetyou]

previous

#this fight has always been called zu-tara.. and fair enough i see why #i def label it that myself #but its also KATAANG she is fighting to protect him after all #katara #aang #kataang #atla #gifs #the siege of the north

[maykaye]

Use of colour in “The Siege of the North:pt2”

I really appreciate the stylistic choice of making everything turn to gray scale when the moon died.

I re-watched the episode and it emphasized the atmosphere of how unnatural and out of balance the world came after the moon’s death. Not to mention the use of limited colour to covey a narrative. Fire bending against the black and white illuminating intense expressions, Yue’s eyes being blue reminding the audience that a part of the moon spirit is with her.

Some of these things I didn’t think about before but it’s nice to notice now

#avatar the last airbender #atla #analysis #art direction #animation #avatar series #the siege of the north #atla book 1

[juniperhillpatient]

The Siege of the North Part 2 Re-Watch

This is a fantastic season finale & just a stunning episode of television. It's by far the most intense episode of the show yet. Last episode - part 1 - we spent a lot of time in quiet anticipation. In this episode, all Hell breaks loose & zero punches are pulled.

We get to meet Koh - possibly the most terrifying character we've met so far - & learn that the Avatar has a mysterious history with this spirit stealing the face of someone he loves. We also learn that the Koi Fish from the Spirit Oasis represent Tui & La, the Yin & Yang of the Avatar world - the ocean & moon spirits. I'm continuously obsessed with the amazing way that this show deals with narratives surrounding balance, & Tui & La are some of my favorite - characters? narrative tools? spirits? - they're some of my favorites, alright? I love them.

I feel like this episode & Aang's encounter with Koh touched on some themes that will be touched on again later. Aang has to hide his emotions to avoid having his face stolen. Even when he learns that this spirit stole the face of someone he loved in a past life. It reminds me a lot of the teachings of Guru Pathik which Aang later rejects - the message that you have to let go of everything including - especially - emotion.

This episode also gives us one of my favorite Zuko speeches:

I finally have you, but I can't get you home because of this blizzard. [Stands up and looks outside the cave.] There's always something. Not that you would understand. You're like my sister. Everything always came easy to her. She's a fire-bending prodigy, and everyone adores her. My father says she was born lucky. He says I was lucky to be born. I don't need luck, though. I don't want it. I've always had to struggle and fight and that's made me strong. It's made me who I am.

Two things: 1. Zuko gets a lot of shit from Azula fans for this mindset, & I don't disagree that he's wrong to think that everything comes easy for Azula but I can understand why he thinks it & I have a lot of sympathy for him. From Zuko's perspective, everything does come easy to Azula. He's been told flat out from a young age that his sister was born lucky & he was lucky to even be born - what else is he supposed to think? 2. I'm so normal about Zuko giving a speech about how much he hates Azula for being so perfect to an unconscious Aang. I have no thoughts or feelings about how Azula's introduction to the present timeline is her literally kneeling before her father after Zuko gives this speech & how her relationship with her male family members is all about placing her on a pedestal & also wanting to control her & have her submit to them ("do you want to help me put Azula in her place?" "she's crazy & she needs to go down" *everything about Azula & Ozai*) & her relationship with her mother is about feeling isolated & rejected. It's not interesting at all that Azula's name isn't even mentioned yet, she's only referred to & shown as Zuko's sister, as Ozai's daughter. I have no thoughts on any of that & I think we've established that clearly, so let's move on.

Zhao's speech about destroying the moon would be comical if I didn't know the tragedy it was destined to create. The man is literally batshit. Iroh's comments about how history is not always kind to its subjects are SO funny to me & I want to know what was written about Zhao in the history textbooks now. "They'll call me Zhao the invincible" BESTIE YOU WANT TO MURDER THE MOON they will call you Zhao the insane lmao

This is the first time we officially see Iroh working with Team Avatar. He knows that the Fire Nation needs the moon too & without it, there will be chaos, but is there more going on? Iroh's loyalties to the Fire Nation are brought heavily into question in this episode, & I feel more uncertain than ever about his true motivations.

Yue's death is the most tragic moment of the show so far. It's gut-wrenching. This sixteen-year-old girl sacrifices herself for the good of the world. That level of selflessness & honor is just unthinkable. It's a beautiful & memorable moment & I will always love it even if I also hate it because PAIN.

If ever a character's death had meaning both narratively & to the other characters though, I do think that Yue's death was impactful. I do wish she had haunted the narrative in more obvious ways after this, but it's also hard to condemn the show too harshly when they did so much so beautifully. Also, it was a children's show so they did have to maintain a certain balance (wow, we're talking about "balance" a lot here huh) with the vibe.

Zhao's death was very satisfying & honestly (I'm sorry) hilarious because Zuko literally holds out his hand & Zhao just doesn't take it. What a fitting end for him. His hubris literally killed him. Get Wrecked.

The final scenes set up the next season beautifully while giving a satisfactory conclusion to Book 1. We get Iroh & Zuko having a very interesting moment. Zuko just says "I'm tired" when asked about hunting the Avatar, & we see that Iroh looks almost hopeful about this. Again, fascinated by what is going through Iroh's head. This scene is a touching moment between them but it also leaves a lot of questions about what we can expect of them & their missions next season. Also - does Zuko know that Team Avatar saved his life? I'm unclear on that, to be honest. Then of course we have a lovely moment between Aang, Katara, Sokka, Momo, & Appa. Also, Katara is a Master now! That's certainly noteworthy.

Lastly, we have the real most important scene, the introduction of her royal highness & the character that I am SOOO capable of being completely normal about. I care about Azula's introduction to the present narrative a normal amount.

#the siege of the north part 2 #the siege of the north #atla book 1 #atla #atla re watch #image ids in alt text

[waterbenderkat]

The entire Water Tribe spirituality and Siege of the North arc just really resonates with me.

Maybe it’s cause I’m a Cancer, so water and the moon is kind of my thing? I don’t know.

#avatar: the last airbender #a:tla #avatar #water tribe #water #cancer #moon #siege of the north #the siege of the north #waterbenderkat

[chocomd]

ATLA rewatch: The Siege of the North

Or ATLA rewatch, Zukaang edition 😂

The Book 1 finale is the second time that Aang and Zuko meet after The Blue Spirit, and the Zukaang events in the finale mirror the events of The Blue Spirit - only this time, they're inverted.

We start out with Zuko almost being killed by the pirates, but then surviving and infiltrating Zhao's ship, complete with the Blue Spirit theme music. He uses stealth to sneak into a stronghold (the fortress-like NWT), winging it with no real plan except to get the Avatar out. Only this time, he's not saving Aang from anything. Instead, Aang is in a position that is critically important to helping the NWT fight off the Fire Nation attackers, and Aang himself is left vulnerable to attack while he enters the spirit world.

So Zuko fights Aang's allies (as opposed to Aang's captors in The Blue Spirit) and snatches him away for his own gain. This time, Aang is the one who is unconscious, and Zuko is the one carrying him away. But instead of carrying Aang away to safety (as Aang did with an unconscious Zuko), Zuko is carrying them both to increasing danger, as the ice shelf he walks on collapses under him and he's forced to find shelter in an ice cave to survive a raging blizzard.

And it's only while Aang is still unconscious that Zuko opens up about himself. Zuko is unmasked at this point, and he can only let himself be vulnerable with Aang when Aang can't hear him. This is the opposite of what happens in The Blue Spirit, where Aang waits for Zuko to wake up (also unmasked) before he opens up to him.

When Aang does wake up, he finds himself tied up and it's clear that he's waking up to an enemy in Zuko. He has no illusions about a potential friendship at this time, and he immediately airbends at Zuko and tries to escape.

But after Katara knocks out Zuko and the Gaang is about to leave him behind in the blizzard, Aang decides to bring him with them. Aang isn't saving Zuko's life just because he's a kind person (and he is kind) or because he has forgiven Zuko (he hasn't, yet). Aang chooses to save Zuko's life because Zuko once saved his life, and this feeling of being indebted to Zuko is rather profound and not easily dismissed. And, as we eventually see in Book 3, he still holds onto the hope that he and Zuko don't always have to be enemies, and that one day they could even be friends.

It's this display of mercy, of kindness extended to an enemy because even enemies have inherent worth, that allows Zuko to offer his hand to save Zhao from the Ocean Spirit. Zhao tried to have him killed and has antagonized Zuko throughout all of Book 1. But Zuko has been slowly (re)learning that all life has value, and it's in this way that Aang begins to change him, bit by bit.

(Btw I also love how Zhao says to Zuko: "You're the Blue Spirit, an enemy of the Fire Nation. You freed the Avatar." And Zuko responds by saying "I had no choice." The that way Zuko thinks he's devoting himself to capturing the Avatar to regain his nation, when this is really the beginning of him abandoning his nation to gain the Avatar!!! The foreshadowing!!!! The Zukaang of it all!!! I'M JUST ALSDKFDSSKDJFF)

#chocomd rewatches atla #the siege of the north #zukaang thoughts #zukaang

[sokkastyles]

Lucky to be alive

#zuko #ozai #the siege of the north #sozin's comet

[northgazaupdates]

Graphic design artist Moataz Abu Sakran/ @moatazart has provided extensive documentation of the genocide against Gaza. His photos and videos have been used—often without credit—by major media outlets, and his posts are featured on this blog regularly.

Moataz and his wife and baby girl are trapped in the vicinity of Al-Shifa Hospital complex. The area has was under complete siege for 13 days, and made life even more difficult and dangerous than before. In addition to the physical violence of the siege, the occupation’s famine has made food extremely scarce—Moataz and Mariam can no longer find milk and nutritious food for baby Maria.

They were able to raise enough funds to begin the paperwork involved in evacuating to Egypt, but exorbitant processing fees have totally depleted the money they had reserved to find a place to stay in Egypt. They need funds to procure food and shelter while they rebuild their lives in Egypt (God willing), otherwise they will be homeless and destitute.

There was an increase in donations after we initially shared the link on this blog. We are hoping that will happen again. Please support Moataz’s family via this link so that they can reach safety. Even just a few dollars will help. If you can’t donate, please share the link on all your social media accounts.

This is the primary link to donate and share. You can copy and paste it onto other posts and social media sites.

If the primary link does not work, try this link

#north gaza #gaza #gaza genocide #gaza strip #gaza under attack #free gaza #from the river to the sea palestine will be free #palestinian genocide #gazan genocide #gaza under genocide #gaza under bombardment #gaza under fire #gaza under siege #north gaza famine #save north gaza #north gaza is starving #feed north gaza #aid for north gaza #aid for gaza #moataz abu sakran #al shifa hospital #end israel's genocide #stop gaza genocide #stop genocide #stop the genocide #stop israel #27 march 2024 #فلسطين #غزة #actions

[mariluphoto]

via. IG: wizard_bisan1

At 4 am in Gaza, the "Israeli" occupation forces shot at Palestinians that were getting flour from the aid trucks. Tanks shot at them. Snipers shot at the ones trying to go back for the flower.

150 dead, 1000 wounded. All in less than 10 minutes.

This was an AMBUSH!!!

--------------------------------------------------

A las 4 de la madrugada en Gaza, las fuerzas de ocupación "israelíes" dispararon contra los palestinos que obtenían harina de los camiones de ayuda. Los tanques les dispararon. Los francotiradores dispararon contra los que intentaban volver por la harina.

150 muertos, 1000 heridos. Todo en menos de 10 minutos.

Esto fue una EMBOSCADA!!

#The Flour Massacre #gaza #gaza strip #north gaza #free palestine #palestine #end israeli occupation #end israeli apartheid #end israeli siege #human rights #humanitarian crisis #noticias #última hora #palestina libre #palestina