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princess-nobody · 1 year ago

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Avatar Rant: Two Avatar takes that bother me

(Pssst! This was originally posted on reddit, but I liked it so much I decided to post it onto my this account! Here's a link to the original if you'd rather read it there!)

So, I saw a semi-viral tweet a while back that bothered me because it not only felt like a complete misunderstanding of the point of Avatar as a film franchise, but also just a very childish view of how societies and different communities function. I can't find it though (I didn't interact with it and it has since been buried) so I apologize for not being able to give the best context.

It was your typical RDA sympathizing humanity first take (makes sense, the account that tweeted it was a walking red flag) that claimed that the na'vi were stupid for not accepting human advancement and technology, that humanity should always put its preservation first, and that the RDA were simply prioritizing the well being of their people whilst the na'vi wanted them gone. I want to start by addressing the latter take(s).

The first and second movies make it very clear that the RDA are NOT prioritizing the survival of Earth or humanity. They are a money hungry organization that want to monetize pandoran resources to their dying people in hopes to squeeze out whatever little money they have left. The people of Earth are said to be protesting them for that very reason, every solution to their planet's problems that they have discovered is insanely expensive and inaccessible to anyone below the upper class one percent. The RDA don't care about humanity, they care about profit, which is the exact reason why their actions are so callous in the films.

There are certainly humans that want to preserve humanity, but I truly cannot wrap my head around how you can watch either film and come to the conclusion that it is the RDA that wants the best for humanity. Avatar is not a "human bad" movie, it is a "corporate greed bad" movie, which is reflective of real life environmental issues. The individual is green, the individual recycles and doesn't litter, the individual cleans their local rivers and sea shores. However, the powerplants continue to polute our air, the corporations continue to flood our oceans with plastic, the rich continue to cut corners and burn the air with private jets.

I truly believe the reading of Avatar as an anti-humanity movie is what has lead to people thinking the RDA are the "good guys". It is because they actually believe the RDA are supposed to represent humanity and their will to keep surviving (and that James Cameron is portraying them as wrong for that), when it is clear they are a representation of the corporate greed that leads to environmental damage and the destruction of humanity.

As for the belief that the na'vi are hostile and somehow wrong for not caring to "advance" in the way humanity did, that is just flat out wrong. When it came to the respectful, peaceful humans such as Grace and her team, the na'vi were incredibly welcoming. I mean, Grace built an entire school for them and taught them human language and other human academics, so clearly they aren't against learning from humans. Again, Avatar is clear about the fact that humans as a collective aren't bad, corporate greed is.

However, why should the na'vi "advance" when there is no need to? Innovation is built on the back of necessity, and in a world where there is no need for certain technological advancements, why should the na'vi chase it? Why do they need phones and tablets and video games and McDonalds? They are living just fine without it. This idea that every society needs to be "modernized", even when they function just fine without said modernization has always driven me up a wall.

This entitlement from the western world is what leads colonial brained weirdos to try and go to indigenous islands and force religion or their world view upon them, because they believe that if a society doesn't function like the "modern" world, it is wrong. The na'vi don't need currency, or modern tech, or modern trends or fast food. They aren't perfect, but they also aren't in a desperate situation that would call for innovation or some sort of technological evolution. They are fine, they don't need nor even want it, and it is strange to believe humanity is in their right to force it upon them.

I'll stop this here because it's getting too long, I would love to hear your thoughts. Last time I made a post in this vein I got some really interesting responses, I couldn't reply to all but I'll try and reblog if that means anything!

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irayoeywa · 2 years ago

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the game name ✧

part seven

neteyam sully x fem!omatikaya!reader

warnings/notes - fluff, utumauti is the na'vi name for banana fruit, characters speaking na'vi unless stated otherwise, lowercase intended, gif is not mine, divider creds to shifterium.

na'vi words used (with translations) - ikran - mountain banshee atokirina - wood sprite tsahìk - spiritual leader marui - a woven canopy-like structure made for living in yovo - a na'vi fruit utumauti - a na'vi fruit olo'eyktan - clan leader

< part six part eight >

series masterlist main masterlist

it happened again.

this doesn't happen twice, right?

you and neteyam were hanging out in the forest, like usual. you were sitting on the mossy forest floor, with a visor in your hand. neteyam had mentioned that his ikran riding visor had been damaged so you offered to fix it for him.

neteyam on the other hand was laying on his back a foot away from you. he had his eyes closed as you quietly worked on the visor. the two of you sat in silence, just enjoying one another's presence.

the sound of the forest calming to you, that's why you did most of your weaving here. your eyes had peeled away from the visor to look at neteyam who was laying there peacefully, his chest moving up and down with each breath he took in and let out. you weren't sure if he was sleeping or not.

you were about to put your attention back on the accessory when something came into your view. it was an atokirina. and it was floating towards you. you stayed still, waiting for it to land just like you did the first time.

when it finally did, you sat in shock. it was hovering over the visor in your hands. you felt the gentle touch of the seed for a brief moment before it floated away. your eyes watched it leave your eyesight. you didn't realize that you had zoned out until you felt a touch on your knee that nearly made you jump out of your skin.

you turned to see neteyam with his hand resting on your knee as he looked at you, "you okay? you look a little shaken up."

your parted lips sucked in a small breath before you shook your head, "yeah no, uh- i am fine."

the words seemed to have no effect on the boy in front of you as he continued to look concerned. you decided to lighten up the situation so you pushed his shoulder lightly, "but you look well rested, had a good nap?"

neteyam's face morphed into a smile, a small chuckle leaving his lips, "i really didn't expect to actually fall asleep."

"i told you, it’s soothing out here." you smiled. you brought your eyes back down to the visor in your hands, it was fixed but you could tell that it would just break again if you gave it to him now.

"hey, do you mind if i give this back tomorrow? i have something that would make it more secure." you said, looking up neteyam.

"yeah, that's fine. i really appreciate you fixing it for me, you don't have to." he spoke.

"what are friends for?"

that’s what brought you here, walking through high camp. you needed immediate answers so you quickly made your way to the tsahìk's tent. the first time when the atokirina landed on your arrow, you came up with an endless amount of reasons for what it meant. after many days of thinking about it, you finally came up with the conclusion that eywa saw something special about your friendship with neteyam.

but what did this mean? instead of an infinite number possibilities running through your mind, it was blank. you were sure netayam didn't see it being that he woke up as it was floating away.

you needed some guidance and who better to speak to than the omatikaya's tsahìk. when you finally made it to her tent there was someone leaving. you waited for them to walk away before you took a deep breath and slowly opened the tent flap.

mo'at was there with her back to you, she was putting away her things. you assumed that the person who just left was injured and she tended to their wounds.

when she finally turned around you greeted her, "oel ngati kameie mo'at."

she returned the custom and gestured for you to sit down. you took a seat and looked at her.

"uh.. i believe the great mother has sent me a sign but i am not sure how to interpret it." you said, awkwardly looking around the tent. when you heard nothing in response, you brought your eyes back to her. she made a gesture for you to continue.

"oh uhm i was out in the forest with a friend and i was holding something of theirs and an atokirina came and rested on what i was holding.. but this isn't the first time this has happened. it happened about a month ago but i just assumed the great mother was telling me something about our friendship but now i am not sure."

this is the first time you had actually voiced out the occurrence to anyone. you didn't tell any of your family members and you and neteyam definitely didn't speak about it.

mo'at sat for a moment before she started to speak, "the great mother sees the bond you have with this person but you may not.."

you sat in confusion, what does that mean?

"i may not?" you repeated, but as a question.

"you may not realize the importance of this relationship which is why you received another sign. whether it is platonic or romantic is for you to decide my child." she answered.

once you were done talking to the tsahík, you thanked her for her knowledge and guidance before leaving and heading to your family's marui. once you got there, it was empty, indicating that you were alone. you felt relieved because you needed to process this information by your lonesome.

you took a seat as the tsahík’s words continued to replay in your mind as your brain tried to make sense of them.

‘the great mother sees the bond you have with this person but you may not..’

you felt a strange sense of comfort when you were with neteyam. you were only friends for a couple months but you always felt secure and comfortable with him. your friendship felt safe. so you figured that eywa was confirming your thoughts.

but the second sign was different. it even felt different. the fact that it happened while neteyam was sleeping made it clear to you that the great mother only wanted you to see it. but what did she want you to see exactly?

'you may not realize the importance of this relationship which is why you received another sign. whether it is platonic or romantic is for you to decide my child.'

now what does that mean? was that her way of saying you take him for granted? you truly appreciated neteyam, so how do you not realize the importance of your friendship with him.

after a couple minutes of pondering, a figure entered the space which caused you to look up. ri'an walked in, bow in hand.

"what are you looking for?" you asked, watching him walk around the marui seemingly looking for something.

"my riding visor. i left it right over here yesterday." he huffed, pointing to a spot that was now empty. his words made you look to the right of you, neteyam's visor sitting right beside you. it brought your thoughts back to him and what mo'at said.

maybe ri'an could provide some insight of his own.

"can i ask you a question?" you asked the boy who was still looking around, moving things around to find his visor. "yeah." he responded without stopping his investigation.

you took a deep breath, "do you think i take neteyam for granted?"

ri'an paused, the basket in his hand being calmly being put back down. he knew that visor wouldn't be hiding under the basket but he just had to be sure. he turned to you and it was quiet for a moment before he uttered one simple word,

"yes."

OH?

it took you a couple long seconds to actually respond and when you did all you could say was, "i'm sorry, what?"

"y/n you didn't tell him your name for months.. and tuseya told me that you avoid him when you're around other people. and before you say you don’t want any unnecessary attention, if neteyam was really your friend, a few extra eyes wouldn’t matter, right?”

ri'an was right. you were so stuck on the fact that being friends with neteyam would bring unwanted attention that you're kind of pushing him away. thinking about it now, you were surprised that neteyam didn't just leave you alone altogether. especially after you didn't tell him your name right off the bat.

when you didn't respond ri'an added on, "look, i don't think you mean to take him for granted but you do."

after another moment of silence, you let out a deep sigh, "i see that now."

"finally!" ri'an cheered and you glanced at him. he was smiling, holding the now found visor in his hand. you recognized it because you made it for him. a lot of the things in your family's marui were made by you. they were always grateful for the things that you provided.

"but why'd you ask me that? did somebody tell you that you take him for granted?" ri'an asked now sitting next to you.

"yeah, eywa." you responded nonchalantly.

ri'an looked confused before his eyes widened, "do you mean-"

"yes. yes i do." you interrupted him since you already knew what he was about to ask.

you spent the next couple minutes explaining to ri'an what happened and your talk with mo'at. out of all your siblings, ri'an was the one you were the closest to. even though he's an extrovert and you're an introvert, he matched your curious nature.

maybe it was a good thing that ri'an walked in when he did, he opened your eyes a little bit more.

the next day, you were attempting to calm your nerves as you walked through high camp. your hands were clammy from the nervousness you were feeling. and in your anxious hands was neteyam's now fixed visor thanks to you.

after your talk with mo'at and ri'an, you realized you should start making an effort in your friendship with neteyam so you decided that you would go to his family's marui to give him the visor. even though you chose to do this, that didn't make you feel any less anxious.

when you finally made it to the olo'eyktan's family marui, you peered inside before making your presence known. the only people inside were his parents. the only two people you were hoping weren't there.

they were talking and laughing with one another. you would've smiled if you weren't scared shitless at the moment. after letting out a breath, you walked in.

jake and neytiri turned their heads to the figure that walked in. they both recognized you right away. you were the girl that is supposedly friends with their oldest son.

you brought your hand to your forehead before bringing it down, "oel ngati kameie jake sully and neytiri." you greeted them properly. the last thing you wanted them to think is that you aren't well-mannered. to your relief, they greeted you back.

"what brings you here y/n? are you looking for neteyam?" jake asked you. neytiri just stared at you waiting to see what it was that you came for.

you glanced back down at the visor in your hands and nodded, "uh yeah, i fixed his visor and i was just coming to return it to him."

neytiri's eyes fixated on the visor in your hands but said nothing. jake nodded, "he's out right now but you can leave it here for him if you'd like."

"sure, can you just let him know that i brought it?" you asked, placing it on a small stool near the entrance.

"we will." neytiri finally spoke, her eyes meeting yours.

now even though neteyam's father is olo'eytkan, neytiri scared you the most. she was one of the most skilled archers in the clan and she always looked like she was silently judging everyone.

"thank you." you smiled awkwardly before bidding your goodbyes and leaving as fast as possible. once you were out of their eyesight, you let out a sigh of relief. you may have been a little awkward but you were respectful and you made it out alive and that's all that matters.

neteyam finally made it back to his family's marui. recently, he had asked kiri for her help on something. so they went into the forest right after breakfast to finish up what she was helping him with.

it was now afternoon time when he and kiri got back and neteyam was hungry. when he got back home, he knew his parents wouldn't be cooking any meals until later in the day so he decided that he would settle for a couple of fruits for now. when he went to pick up the basket of freshly picked fruits near the entrance, he saw his visor sitting on a small wooden stool. he paused and picked up the accessory instead.

"y/n brought that here for you." neytiri spoke. she saw her son eyeing the visor.

neteyam looked up at his mom in surprise, "she came here?"

neytiri nodded and neteyam looked back down at the visor. a smile spread across his face. he knew you were shy around most people and it was clear you didn't like much attention. the way you basically ran out that day when his family showed up proved that. he just thought you needed more time opening up and he was more than patient. so the fact that you actually came by to give him his visor meant a lot to him.

"she seems nice." neytiri said, grabbing her son's attention once more.

"she is." neteyam confirmed. he then glanced over at kiri who was obviously shocked at her mom's statement but when she met neteyam's eyes, she smiled.

"go." she then mouthed. neteyam nodded before grabbing a few things he needed before setting off towards his ikran.

when neteyam arrived at his destination, he unloaded the basket of fruits off his ikran and started walking towards the lake. the lake he goes to during his free time and more importantly, the lake where he met you.

finally reaching the lake, he was not surprised at the sight. you were there, feet submerged in the water while your fingers worked on something new.

"hey." neteyam spoke, causing you to look up from what you were doing. you smiled before looking at the basket of fruits in his hand.

"what's that for?" you asked.

"i wanted to hang out with you but i'm also very hungry so i thought we could eat together." he answered, placing the basket down next to you before taking a seat as well.

"and how did you know i would be here?"

"when are you not here?"

"fair enough." you chuckled before setting your new half made anklet to the side. you grabbed a yovo fruit while neteyam picked up an utumauti. the two of you talked as you ate the fruits he brought.

"oh and thanks for fixing my visor, i really appreciate it." he said.

"you're welcome.. and to be completely honest, i was so scared going to your marui earlier."

"why?"

you looked at him, "your mom is terrifying. i feel like if i make one wrong move she'll shoot an arrow through my chest."

neteyam laughed at that. he knew his mom was intimidating but she's always been soft and endearing towards him and his siblings. it was always his father that berated them whenever they got in trouble. in some cases, neytiri was the one that saved them from jake's punishments.

"well, she said she likes you." neteyam smiled.

your eyes widened, "really?"

neteyam nodded. you put your head down to hide the smile that was peeking through. after being scared that his parents might not like you, it felt relieving to hear that you left a good impression on his mom. hopefully the olo'eyktan felt the same way.

since your head was down you failed to notice neteyam seemingly giving himself a quiet pep talk. he closed his eyes and did a silent prayer before grabbing something and turning to you.

"so i've been meaning to give you something." neteyam spoke.

you lifted you head to see him moving the basket of fruit to the side so there was an open space between the two of you now. he then scooted over so that space was now filled with his body.

you sat in silence, patiently waiting for whatever it is he wanted to give you. his hand was currently in a fist, he looked down at his hand before opening it, revealing a necklace. you followed his line of eyesight, seeing the accessory.

you smiled, gently taking the necklace from his larger hand, "did you make this?"

he nodded, "uh, yeah. but kiri helped so i can't take all the credit. i know it's not as good as the stuff you make but-"

"no no no. this is amazing. thank you." you smiled. you brought the necklace closer to your face to get a better look. it was woven nicely from a white material. you then noticed a couple of colorful pieces connected to the rim of the necklace.

neteyam seemed to already know what your next question was so he decided to answer before you had a chance to ask, "i also added some beads.. the ones from my hair."

your eyes immediately left the necklace and went to him. he looked nervous to say the least, which makes sense.

in omatikayan culture, acts such as giving gifts, giving something significant to someone else, and giving your own beads to someone are all signs of courting.

but neteyam surely isn't trying to court you.

that's not what's happening right now, right?

this series was originally supposed to be 7 parts so this was going to be the last one but i hate odd numbers so i expanded it to 8.

taglist - @fanboyluvr @liluvtojineteyam @arminsgfloll @squidalapobre @jjkclub @angelsamor @netedoongie @im-in-a-pansexual-panik @hana-yuri @riatesullironalite @camilo-uwu @audigay @jkeluv @marsbars09

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