ꕥ @liyaheveng - Tumblr Blog

Just wanted to say you encourage me to be more outspoken on my views on Avatar. I've watched so many people get absolutely dog-piled by male-centric fans simply for understanding Neytiri's dislike of her colonisers, even if they then criticise her afterwards. This fandom sucks, and yeah the source material could have been so much better, but you are one of the people that makes me appreciate what good bits there are even more and appreciate the base of the story rather than the story itself in the way it constantly centres white men.

It's the love of the potential, I think. Neytiri could have been handled much better narratively rather than demonising her and I am baffled by Spider's relationship with Quaritch which could have been written much better yk?

Thank you so much mootie, it means SO much to me, this is exactly why I keep posting my criticism of Avatar 💗. And I 100% agree, “love of the potential” is the most perfect way to describe this franchise and the relationship the fandom has with it (in a negative way as well, as unfortunately most fans don’t separate the potential from the actual product, on the contrary, they use the potential to justify the problematic aspects of the actual product). I think all of us critical fans struggle to reconcile our love for Avatar with our frustration with the way it’s written, but as you said it’s important to appreciate the good things we have and focus on the potential of the story rather than the way it’s unfortunately executed (and the only way I can personally do it is by knowing there are other people who feel the same way as me). I think one of the best things about art is that it transforms in the hands of the people who receive it, and stories can become so much more than what their creators originally intended, which is kinda what we do with Avatar, in a way. We recognize and love its potential, and try to turn it into something more than the inherently problematic white-exceptionalist story it actually is. And I think that’s beautiful <3

allthingswhumpyandangsty

as an adult, some adults really aren’t mature enough to separate fiction from reality or understand the basic concepts of fiction not necessarily reflecting someone’s real life moral compass and it’s embarrassing. how are you a grown adult and still acting like a mean girl who bullies real people for the sake of fictional characters and feelings morally superior

werewolf-transgenderism

irritating as fuck when people get mad at Black people existing in premodern historical fiction/fantasy media. like first of all, you're racist. and second of all, you are acting as though Black people didn't exist in premodern Europe which is simply false. especially when we're talking about the Mediterranean, like what the fuck do you people think is along the southern half of the Mediterranean Ocean?? everyone's on boats, there are GOING to be interactions with Black people in Northern Africa, and there are GOING to be Black people in Mediterranean Europe. stop being stupid. your imagined homogeneous white European past is not historical reality, get over it you massive losers

mokozroach

born to infodump forced to constantly worry if the other person actually cares or if im making sense or if i said something wrong or if im embarrassing myself or if they want me to stop talking or

#must be the wind

stormbornphoenix

I wish Spider stans would stop pretending they even remotely like, appreciate or empathize with Neytiri and just be honest about the way they feel about her. To me these people are even worse than open Neytiri antis exactly because of how shamelessly hypocrital they are. They try to hide a disgustingly racist (and often misogynistic as well) view of Neytiri’s character behind a fake mask of appreciation. And what is worse is that they use this mask to deflect any type of criticism, by shamelessly having this immensely infuriating “see? I said I love Neytiri so I’m justified in saying the most atrocious and racist things about her and you can’t call me out for it!” attitude, and using this “I’m not being racist and misogynistic to her, I’m simply making honest critiques about her character, and actually I’m allowed to say these atrocious and racist things about her because you Neytiri stans are incapable of criticizing her, when you defend her from the racist treatment she receives you’re actually doing her a disservice” narrative to put themselves on a moral high ground and to further pass themselves off as the #real Neytiri fans and understanders. The majority of the fandom will buy and praise their bullshit because the majority of the fandom is just as racist and misogynistic as them, but their viewpoints are actually always very clear to anyone who has a working brain and basic human empathy. At least have the courage to be open about them.

#neytiri #neytiri te tskaha mo'at'ite #spider socorro they could never make me like you

stormbornphoenix

It is such a deplorable and revolting thought to believe that Neytiri doesn’t hate humans anymore for the sole reason that she accepted Spider, or that, even worse, accepting Spider healed her and made her let go of her (absolutely legitimate) hatred of her colonizers.

Just so you know: you can hate and be angry at your oppressors and still have a happy, peaceful life. Neytiri didn’t magically let go of her hatred and rage when she accepted Spider (which is something she did NOT owe him or need to do in order to heal). Assuming the opposite is absurd and insulting.

#neytiri #neytiri te tskaha mo'at'ite #spider socorro they could never make me like you

harcive

renthony

I see so many arguments over what is and isn't "good queer representation" that really just boil down to "y'all are actually arguing over matters of taste and genre preference, which is incredibly subjective and personal."

Worldbuilding where being queer is normalized and queerphobia has no impact on the plot? THAT'S FINE. Worldbuilding that includes queerphobia and tackles the effects of it as part of the story? THAT'S ALSO FINE.

Low-stakes queer romcom where the characters are fluffy and cute? THAT'S COOL. Messy queer drama with toxic people who fuck each other over and clash repeatedly? THAT'S ALSO COOL.

Stories that center the characters' queerness, show a trans character's transition, and are about the queerness as much as the rest of the plot? AWESOME. Stories where the characters' queerness isn't treated as a big deal, and have trans characters whose transition happened before the story entirely? ALSO AWESOME.

You may PREFER one thing or another, but it is actually good to have all these things. It's about variety. It's about queer characters being allowed to exist without censorship. It's about queer artists getting to make things without being told we're a "niche issue" or "adult content." It's about having as many goddamn cakes as the bakery can produce.

At the end of the day, I'd prefer a media landscape with fifty pieces of problematic queer representation over a media landscape with one single piece of queer representation that's trying (and usually failing) to be 100% perfect for everything and everyone.

dada-ars

Any Jake x neytiri art?

a date to walk together🩵💫

stormbornphoenix

I want to make something clear since I’ve made several posts talking about her in a positive light: Grace Augustine was a colonizer. Obviously she wasn’t NEARLY comparable to people like Quaritch or Parker or Cortez or Mercer, and yes, I do believe she was a good person with a good heart that cared about the Na’vi and Pandora above all, but she was still very much a colonizer, and this is undeniable. When I say she was the best ally the Omatikaya ever had, it’s also to emphasize the tragedy of their situation: the best ally they have is still someone who actively participates in their colonization and who exploits them, their culture and their land.