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There are few who would argue that Fire Lord Ozai is not a bad parent. After his redemption, Zuko even refers to him as “the worst father in the history of fathers”. But where does Ozai’s awfulness come from? What drives it?

In order to understand the nature of Ozai’s abuse of his children, one must first understand how Ozai views the world. And as comical as it might seem, I think this can be boiled down to, “That which is of Ozai, and that which isn’t”.

Ozai sees himself, and the traits he believes make up his identity (strength, ruthlessness, precision, cunning, etc.) as the universal ideal. As such, the more a person or thing embodies ‘Ozainess’, the more objectively worthy, in his view, that person or thing is. This is at the root of everything Ozai does: he believes the Fire Nation (as shaped by Sozin) is the superior civilisation of the Avatar world not because of pride or patriotism, but because he sees it as the civilisation that most diligently strives to be like him (his narcissism would never allow him to consider the notion that his imperialist culture shaped him, and not the other way around).

His relationship with his family is the same. Ozai despises Zuko because he is the opposite of Ozainess, an insult made all the more bitter due to the boy being his own flesh and blood. Conversely, Ozai adores Azula because he sees her as not only an embodiment of the traits he values, but as a direct extension of himself. A literal mini me, complete with matching DNA.

If we assume, then, that Ozai’s ‘love’ for his daughter is no more than a warped form of self love, we can’t ignore the irony that Ozai doesn’t truly love his daughter at all. This is revealing about his own inner life: Ozai doesn’t love himself, but rather sees himself (or his own idealised vision of himself) as the perfect ideal that the rest of the world must be made to conform to. Even in his own mind, Ozainess is something to be imposed, not cherished.

I believe that, deep down, both Zuko and Azula knew this about their father, which explains their respective paths in life. Zuko, unable to be the flattering reflection that his father demanded, took refuge in his mother. Ursa, believing Azula was in less danger due to being Ozai’s favourite child, devoted her time and energy to nurturing her son, giving him the genuine, selfless affection that every child deserves. This left Azula alone with a father she knew cared for her only in as much as she was like him, which led to her devoting herself utterly to the Ozai brand as a subconscious act of self preservation.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #zuko #azula #ozai #ursa

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A rare example of an objectively correct take in the wild.

Seeing posts like this about Aang after years of mischaracterization and nonsense, especially here on tumblr. Finally.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #aang

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”You could have hurt Aang!”

My sister in christ, he absolutely could NOT have hurt Aang.

I'm loving atla Twitter these days 😭

#avatar the last airbender #aang #katara #zuko

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Help Hamza get his family out of gaza.

#palestine #free palestine

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Source video

Please reblog and share.

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#palestine #free palestine

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from Flyers For Falastin, made by Amal Jamaludin

#american sign language #free gaza #free palestine #palestine

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Not so fun fact, actually, really disturbing and horrific fact: The list of names was so long, they couldn't even unravel it all the way.

Let that sink in.

#free palestine #palestine #gaza #free gaza #permanent ceasefire

[disciple-of-owen]

Masterfully put. I honestly have never understood why so many people have such difficulty grasping these very simple concepts.

Aang was a husband, a father, the Last Airbender and the Avatar during perhaps his world’s most crisis ridden era; of course he would have difficulty balancing all his responsibilities!

Tenzin was his only Airbending child, and thus the only one fully capable of preserving the essence of the Air Nomads; of course he spent more time and energy on him! Unideal as it might have been, I can’t honestly say I would have done anything different in his place.

Seriously people. This is all very basic stuff.

Since the discourse has reared its ugly head once more, the simple answer is no.

Aang was not a deadbeat, unsupportive, absentee father.

He loved all three of his children and was supportive of them. When Kya came out in the comics, she mentioned straight up that Aang was nothing but supportive of her and who she was. Aang made mistakes in parenting, but he was also stuck in one of the worst situations possible for him.

For one thing, it's been stated that Airbending culture has different views when it comes to family dynamics. Never once does Aang mention his parents, and it's clear that Air Nomads did not put emphasis on the standard nuclear family organization that other nations did. From context clues alone, and many have inferred in the past that Air Nomads were communal, so it stands to reason that their parenting was communal. Monks, Nuns, Masters—all of them were most likely parents to every single child. The responsibility of raising and educating a child was shared amongst the nomads, and that there was no real difference between biological and adoptive parents. Airbenders shared nearly everything, and that meant family as well.

Imagine you're Aang, spending twelve years of life being raised by every adult in the temple. Sure, he was exposed to nuclear family dynamics when visiting other nations and befriending Bumi and Kuzon, but his exposure to their culture was most likely limited. Now, not only is he a father to three beautiful children, but he must raise them in a way foreign to him. There are no other Monks to raise his children—it's just him and Katara. I've no doubt that Sokka and Toph chipped in whenever they could to ease the burden of parenthood, but they were leaders and figures of great importance as well. Not to mention that Toph had her own daughters to take care of.

Aang is also the Avatar, the central spiritual figure amongst the four nations. His presence would always be demanded in other nations. Peace Summits. Negotiations. Ceremony. Dealing with splintered Fire Nation cells and loyalists. Aang had to lead the people of all four nations back into balance, and he was in the unique and unenviable position to heal the scars of a 100 year war due to the absence of the Avatar.

Finally, the dude is also the Very Last Airbender. Of course he'd show favoritism to Tenzin. Bumi was a non-bender and Kya was a waterbender already taking after her mother. Aang was a war hero, a political figure, a man out of time and history, the Avatar, and the Only Living Airbender. The weight of his culture and people all rested on his shoulders, and so he passed on that responsibility and hope to the only other living Airbender at the time. Aang needed to spend time with Tenzin because only through Tenzin could the practices of the Air Nomads survive.

Aang was basically having to transition from a communal family mindset to a nuclear family's; he had to balance romance, fatherhood, and being the Avatar in a Wartorn World; and he had an obligation to every Airbender in history—millions of souls and their memories, passed on from one very flawed father to his newborn son. Every part of Aang's life as a father was met with trials and tribulations, and his family still came out loving him, albeit with some resentment underneath.

No parent is perfect, and Aang could have done so much better when it came to communicating with his children.

But none of his mistakes ever meant he was an abusive, cold, distant father.

He was overworked, acclimating to a style of family not his own, and desperately reviving a century-long dead culture all by himself. The fact that every single one of his kids still loved him and cherished him only solidified the fact that Aang was a father who did his very best.

Being the child of the Avatar would always mean living in his shadow. That resentment, of Aang being needed by the world while his children sought him out, would always be there. Doubly so for Tenzin, who grew up with the Avatar as his father and continued his life-long work of breathing life back into the Air Nomads. Say what you will, but at least Bumi and Kya had the freedom to choose who they wanted to be. Tenzin, no matter what, would always grow up to be the Airbending Master because no one else could.

Aang loved his children. Aang loved his wife. And they in turn loved him. But just like every family, complications rose up and planted the seeds of bitterness and resentment. The only thing that stopped these from blossoming into actual dislike of their family was that Aang's love and respect for his children was always genuine, and that Katara stood firm in making sure their children knew they were beloved.

Aang and Katara's family would never have been ideal in the first place, but they did their best.

And their best was certainly enough.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #the legend of korra #lok #aang #pro aang #aang defense squad #cloudbabies

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A thread of Palestinian businesses to support!

Link to Sunbula

Link to Soap

Link to Hanmade Palestine

Link to Palbox

Link to Shop

Link to Paliroots

Link to Taita Leila LTD

Link to West Bank Apparel

Link to Kufiya

Link to Nōl Collective

Link to MEERA ADNAN

Link to Fyrouzi

Link to Tatreez on Tea

Link to Hilweh Market

Link to Darzah

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Anyone who reblogs this post will have their user written on a poster saying "We Stand With Palestine" that I hope to put up somewhere in the village I live in, or the town that the village is next to.

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Wanted to let you guys know that Let’s Talk Palestine has just launched fundsforgaza, an initiative created for the purpose of spotlighting families in urgent need of emergency funds. This list highlights families who’re trying to evacuate Gaza, but which aren’t getting enough attention. Please donate if you can—and whether or not you can, spread this to as many people as possible. The delay between this second and the next could make a difference in whether a family gets to live or not.

[disciple-of-owen]

I’m sick to the back teeth of this idea that stories told through comic books, video games, and especially animation (non-traditional mediums for fiction, if you will) need to be legitimised through live action adaptations.

I’m even more sick of the belief that a narrative being accessible to a wide audience (including children) intrinsically makes it less mature or artistically rich than one written exclusively for adults.

None of this is to say that I am against cross-medium adaptations in all forms and at all times. But listening to the words of the Netflix show runners, and seeing the actual result of their vision, it is now clear to me personally why Bryke left.

#atla #avatar the last airbender

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it's very disheartening to see that Palestine or Gaza is no longer the highest trending tag on Tumblr so early on in Global Strike week, especially considering how many people have said they still need to work and buy food (100% valid, by the way). don't lose momentum. keep talking about what's happening. keep reblogging and sharing useful resources and information. we need the Palestinian people to know that we see what's happening to them, we care about what's happening to them and we stand with them. Percy Jackson and Tumblr Live are no where near as important as the genocide of Palestinian people.

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melissa barrera (the actress who got fired from the scream franchise for being pro palestine) has started a fundraiser with unrwa!

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this one is being circulated by palestinian people I trust, and the cause is very important and necessary. Gazan healthcare workers continue to work with nothing to sustain them and their families.

the donations would assist healthcare workers across Gaza's hospitals, including the northern region, as they endure the challenges posed by the complete collapse of the healthcare system and the disruption of their salaries