elffees

[elffees]

I can take her (not in a fight)

#jill valentine #resident evil #re: 3

[elffees]

How Fragile Allyship is Portrayed in Frontiers of Pandora

So I really love this audio log from Priya and needed to talk about it. This entire post will be based on this log.

Transcript:

"I ... it's Priya. Obviously. I don't know what day it is. Nothing makes sense... Alma's dead. Alma. Is. Dead.

Oh wow. That's weird. But you know what the really weird, screwy part is? There's this whole other Alma just walking around. Except she's not blue and she's got tiny eyes. Do we all have such tiny eyes? I just ... I feel like good Alma was killed. And we're left with this other one who everyone hates. But really it's the same person. Or is it?

I don't know what to think. I'm not really the one for existential crises, but this is a real brain-breaker. And I'm ... I'm sad. My friend died. No. No. She was murdered. I know she did some bad things, but Nor had no right. I'm glad he's gone. Maybe he's glad too. He never liked it here. Never liked us. Humans.

But we're trying to help. Alma was trying to help. She was protecting them. She tried. Right? Mercer's the bad one. That's all I know for sure. And that other Alma... she wants to hang out, just like old times. But... she's not my friend. Not— I think I hear someone. Signing off."

This audio log can be found in the Resistance Hideout.

I really like this log because it encapsulates the different ways allies & marginalized peoples view and are affected by certain situations.

Disclaimer before I start: I am not saying Priya is a bad person, nor am I saying allies are bad people.

For starters, I can understand why Priya, and likely other Resistance members, have mixed feelings towards Alma. It's a very complex situation. So Priya regarding it as "weird" and being at a complete loss makes sense.

What I want to focus on in this post are the last 3 paragraphs. Where she expresses confusion and hurt because "Good Alma was murdered".

I think this right here is a very well written distinction on how allies and the marginalized communities they assist experience situations differently.

Alma's Reveal

Everyone had their worlds turned upside down when Alma confessed the full extent of her actions in TAP. Alma admits that her avatar was a tool for manipulation. Although she may care for the Sarentu children now, for the majority of their relationship, from the genocide, to TAP, to being frozen and left behind, Alma's avatar was a tool to manipulate and coerce Na'vi into viewing her (and by extension TAP, then later the Resistance) as "one of them". As someone to trust and relate to. The purpose of her having an avatar was to act as a golden ticket into Na'vi society.

Alma was not "murdered". There is no "good" or even "bad" Alma. There is only Alma.

The human who played a role in the massacre of a clan, then manipulated its survivors for years, then left them behind to remain in stasis for nearly 2 more decades.

Who is also the human who founded the Western Resistance and tried to band together several Na'vi clans to protect Pandora, who encouraged the Sarentu to reclaim their culture and customs the ones that didn't expose her ofc, and who helped rid Pandora of cackling narcissist John Mercer.

There is only ONE Alma that has done all of these things.

Alma was not "murdered". Her tool of manipulation was destroyed. The object, the mask, the weapon that gave Alma her power and confidence and that helped her fool not only the Sarentu, not only the Resistance, but also herself into thinking she was something she was not, was taken from her.

Alma was not murdered. She was thrust back into reality.

And so, Priya's last 3 paragraphs interest me. It's completely fine that she mourns the image of who she thought Alma was. In a way I think the Sarentu (sans Nor) do as well. Everyone thought Alma was just a good person who only wanted to help with no ulterior motives. It's painful to realize that was far from the case.

But then Priya goes on to hate Nor. She spits his name out like a curse. Glad he's gone because "he never liked them anyway". That he had no right to "murder" Alma because she only did a few "bad things".

There's a lot to unpack there.

Priya's Blaming of Nor & It's Ties to Fragile Allyship

I want to break down the lines one by one.

She was murdered. I know she did some bad things, but Nor had no right.

For starters, it is EXTREMELY COMMON for allies of marginalized communities to "insert their two cents" on a delicate topic. More often than not when there is inter-community issues, allies have a tendency to say the phrase: "I'm [insert demographic] so take what I'm saying with a grain of salt, BUT I think..." Any and all oppressed classes have heard this phrase from MILLIONS of allies before.

The FOP writers did remarkably well at capturing what allyship looks like when writing the Resistance. Because Priya, as a human formerly part of the oppressive group trying to wipe out the Na'vi and Pandoran wildlife, fully believes she can judge whether Nor had a right or not.

It's not her call.

She cannot determine whether Nor was justified or not because she, as someone part of the privileged class in the world of the game, has never suffered from the harm that Alma's avatar has caused.

She, and none of the Resistance members, were raised by Alma's avatar.

They were not lied to by Alma's avatar for YEARS about the true fate of their families and loved ones.

They were not encouraged to view Alma as a mother-figure or nurturing teacher or beloved caretaker, when she was actually just eager for fame and success.

They were not put into cryosleep and then left behind for 16 MORE YEARS with suspicions that this abandonment was an intentional coverup.

They did not suffer any of that.

They saw her as the leader of the Resistance and as a friend, which does cause an impactful betrayal of course, but Alma's avatar never tried to force them to see her as family. As someone to love.

While Priya only says all this in a private audio log and thankfully doesn't say it to any of the Sarentu or god forbid So'lek, these are her thoughts. The simple fact she believes she can judge Nor, that she has the capacity and authority to scold one of the main victims, is a reoccurring feature of privileged allies who struggle to realize that they cannot relate or ever fully understand how marginalized communities experience oppression.

Priya says Nor had "no right" to "murder" Alma. When truthfully, Priya has no right to judge how the Sarentu feel and respond.

I'm glad he's gone. Maybe he's glad too. He never liked it here. Never liked us. Humans.

After Priya attempts to place judgement on Nor's actions, she then dives deeper.

She is glad Nor is gone. Not ONLY because of what he did to Alma's avatar. No. She is also glad he's gone because Nor was not friendly.

Another prime instance of fragile allyship is that allies tend to believe that marginalized people are only worth their sympathy if they're likeable.

This has a lot ties to the "Perfect Victim" concept.

Because Nor was not friendly, because his trauma caused him to distrust humans and he did not quickly get over it and befriend Resistance members, he is undeserving of as much sympathy as the other Sarentu.

It's seen as a positive that he's gone (despite the fact he ran away in clear emotional distress.) Not just because of what he did to Alma's avatar, but because now Priya and the Resistance no longer have to assist someone that's "ungrateful" and "not as nice" as they should be.

The purpose of being an ally is to help oppressed classes survive against circumstances that would otherwise have them discriminated against or have them dead. Being a truly good ally should not hinder on whether the person is "likeable" or "grateful" for their services. But sadly, in the real world, that is one of the most common "conditions" a LOT of allies have when it comes to offering support. How much they like the person or groups they claim to want to help.

Allyship is more often than not based on likeability, rather than morality.

But we're trying to help. Alma was trying to help. She tried. Right?

Another feature of fragile allyship is the tendency to change sides.

Priya agrees that what Alma did was wrong. She understands that.

But because of the simple fact that Alma is human, Priya not only relates but tries to defend Alma's actions. Seeing herself in Alma is understandable because they are both human and were friends. The problem comes when Priya begins to project and defend Alma's actions.

It doesn't matter that by her own admission Alma's main goals were fame and achievement. It doesn't matter how much the Sarentu are hurt by her actions. It doesn't matter that Nor was outraged. It doesn't matter that even calm and collected Ri'nela was disgusted. It doesn't matter HOW the Sarentu, as the direct victims, feel about Alma's actions. It doesn't matter that intent ≠ impact.

Alma is human like Priya, so from Priya's POV, Alma's 'intentions' hold more value than how the Sarentu were impacted. "We're" trying to help. Alma was trying to help. So her actions can't have been that bad. Right?

Mercer's the bad one. That's all I know for sure.

And finally, this is another feature of how allies tend to respond to things.

Of the two, Mercer is the one who unabashedly committed the massacre and oppressed the Sarentu for years. Mercer is "the bad one" because his actions are overt. They are clear cut, obvious, and maniacally evil.

When real world marginalized groups face microaggressions or covert prejudice, allies have a tendency to step in and defend the offender. "Hm, I don't think that was racist." "Are you sure that's homophobic?" "It's just a word. I don't see how it can be ableist to say." - "It's not like it's really hurting anyone."

When oppression is not as clear cut to allies, they tend to dismiss it entirely. It doesn't matter how the victims feel about the situation. As discussed earlier in the post, allies tend to think they have the authority and capability to make judgements on prejudice they do not face, and ergo believe they can determine how "bad" something really is. Better than the marginalized class can themselves.

In Priya's eyes, Alma is better than Mercer because Mercer's oppression was harsh yelling, explosions, and murder. "Mercer's the bad one" while Alma was "only trying to help."

But in truth, both Mercer and Alma have done and continued to do harmful things. They both played a part in the decimation and continued manipulation of the Sarentu. Both for their own selfish purposes.

Oppression has many faces. It does not always look the same, it is not always a mustache twirling villain. It can be subtle and quiet. It can be hidden behind gentle eyes and smiles. It can be from "good intentions" just as easily as it comes from "bad intentions". It can be subconscious, it can be self aware, it can be secretive, it can be out in the open. It can be many things. There is not only "one bad" style.

Oppression is just as diverse as the communities it aims to harm.

Conclusion

I want to reiterate that I do not dislike Priya and this post isn't a hate campaign against her. I know many dudebros in the fanbase unfairly criticize her.

The point of this post is to applaud the FOP writers. It is very rare when mainstream media is able to accurately depict how fragile allyship is. Priya's reaction to Nor stabbing Alma's avatar is painfully realistic to the many ways allies have reacted to certain situations in the real world.

This is one of the many reasons why I love this game and feel it hits home. Not only can I relate to the Na'vi clans, but my god can I relate to the way allies are written in relation to them. And I feel like this audio log from Priya, while brief and easily missable, is one of the prime moments of realism this game portrays really well.

#it's such a minor audio log / note #but it really hit me and i just had to talk abt it #frontiers of pandora #avatar frontiers of pandora #afop #priya chen #alma cortez #lexi plays afop #long text post // #long post // #sorry lol

[elffees]

:O rolun oel fìpalulukanit ayrr (ke lu pum azäfi) mì na'ring; vay set kawkrr ke tse'a pumit a oeti ke serutx. slä furia pot oel tspang rawmfa 'efu tokat nìwotx!! Nìsngä'i ke tseri futa hawl swizawit azey tup pumit letrrtrr. Oeru txoa livu ma 'eylan!!! 😭

I found this regular thanator (not a feral) in the forest; I've never seen one that wasn't actively stalking me before. But I feel really guilty for electrocuting him!! I didn't notice at first that I had the special arrows equipped instead of the normal ones. I'm so sorry buddy!!! 😭

#him sniffing around 🥹 #he’s a cutie #rip 🪦 #frontiers of pandora #vids

[elffees]

YEAH especially for Nor!! You can tell he admires So’lek, but there’s likely a part of him that envies him too. He sees a lot of himself in So’lek, who he wishes to be and who he could’ve been. So’lek has the skills and abilities Nor wishes he had, and not only that, but he also shares Nor’s anger.

OCs aside (bc I know most of us have come up with our own backstories & personalities for the playable character), of the Sarentu Nor is the angriest. He’s the most emotional, or at least the one that allows his emotions to dominate his judgement and reasoning.

The other 3 do not relate to Nor’s anger. At least not to the same extent. Nor is angry at all humans, RDA and Resistance. Soldiers and scientists. He doesn’t trust any of them. And So’lek makes it clear that he feels similarly.

So not only does So’lek have the skills, but also the shared anger. So Nor excitedly asks So’lek to show him knife tricks and then puts them to use by stabbing Alma’s avatar.

Of the Sarentu, Nor is the one that envies So’lek the most. And while the entire Resistance and Sarentu looking at him like he’s unhinged is what caused Nor to run, So’lek’s rejection and disapproval was likely the final cherry on top for why Nor ran away in such emotional distress.

He wants to be So’lek because So’lek is who he “should” be, so how is he supposed to feel when his idol & role model shuns the actions he thought they’d both agree on?

From Nor’s POV, they should be the same, but So’lek’s disapproval is a hard slap in the face that they are not. Nor already had identity issues, he probably thought connecting with So’lek could help him come to terms with himself, but he projected too much and in the end it led to his breakdown and is one of the biggest reasons why he fled.

Do all the Sarentu ever feel some kind of way around So’lek? Like do they ever feel a sortve mirror effect?

So’lek is the age they’re supposed to be. But they aren’t. He has a lot of the skills and experiences they’re already supposed to have. But they don’t. The Sarentu lost 16 years of experiences, of skills, of relationships, of everything when they were placed in cryosleep and left behind.

So’lek is NOT supposed to be a mentor for them. He is not supposed to be a brother/uncle/father-figure. He is SUPPOSED to be their peer and equal. But he’s not because not only did TAP steal them from their loved ones and culture, but TAP even stole their time. 16 years of time to simply be alive.

All the Sarentu love and respect So’lek and value who he is. But I wonder if part of them, even just a small part, also see him as a reminder of who they were supposed to be?

#nor #I love all the Sarentu and find them so interesting to talk about #Nor BETTER be a major character in one of the DLCs or so help me #frontiers of pandora

[elffees]

Requested by @iplayvidya

#oh baby you don’t even know the relationship we have #polls

[elffees]

Do all the Sarentu ever feel some kind of way around So’lek? Like do they ever feel a sortve mirror effect?

So’lek is the age they’re supposed to be. But they aren’t. He has a lot of the skills and experiences they’re already supposed to have. But they don’t. The Sarentu lost 16 years of experiences, of skills, of relationships, of everything when they were placed in cryosleep and left behind.

So’lek is NOT supposed to be a mentor for them. He is not supposed to be a brother/uncle/father-figure. He is SUPPOSED to be their peer and equal. But he’s not because not only did TAP steal them from their loved ones and culture, but TAP even stole their time. 16 years of time to simply be alive.

All the Sarentu love and respect So’lek and value who he is. But I wonder if part of them, even just a small part, also see him as a reminder of who they were supposed to be?

#avatar frontiers of pandora #frontiers of pandora #afop #so’lek #solek frontiers of pandora #lexi plays afop #if you couldn’t tell I’m on my second playthrough lol

[elffees]

The DAO/DA2 poll can be found clicking here!

I'd be interested to hear if they're the same person as your inky romances or not if you'd like to share!

#Josephine #funnily enough I don’t romance her too much on replays #in-game I mostly romance Sera Solas and Cullen #SOLAS HAS ME IN TEARS LMAO #PLS KEEP HIS STAT THE SAME #dragon age #da: inquisition #polls

[elffees]

Inquisition version of this poll can be found by clicking here!

It'd be interesting to see who your wardens/hawkes actually romance vs. who you'd romance in the tags if you wanna share!

#alistair is my favorite DA romance of the entire series #but realistically I probably wouldn’t date any of them #dragon age #da: origins #polls

[elffees]

This is never going to happen but I would KILL for a Na’vi language mode. Where all the Clans speak Na’vi. So’lek speaks to the Sarentu in Na’vi. Overtime the protagonist and other TAP kids speak more Na’vi the further into the game you get. And more.

This is never going to happen because the amount of money & research needed would be outrageous, but I would do literally ANYTHING for a Na’vi language pack!!!

#frontiers of pandora #avatar frontiers of pandora #afop #lexi plays afop

[elffees]

STRAY (2022)

#stray #this game was so good like you don’t understand

[elffees]

Goodnight until tomorrow

#ff7r

[elffees]

Posting with permission from the artist, @iamrenji!

Please check out their Instagram page and go show your love for the original post!

#frontiers of pandora

[elffees]

This post has gotten so many notes. I am manifesting a 🕯️discord server🕯️

The (non-horny) AFOP fanbase is so dead. It feels like the game only released recently but where is everyone?? 😭

#babbles

[elffees]

The (non-horny) AFOP fanbase is so dead. It feels like the game only released recently but where is everyone?? 😭

#I had to specify ‘non-h*rny’ bc the tags are FULL of smut #but I just want to see less hrny content and interact with non hrny fans man 😭 #but they’re NOWHERE TO BE FOUND #avatar frontiers of pandora #afop #frontiers of pandora #lexi plays afop

[elffees]

Make Me Choose: Most Underrated Character → Josh Stone (asked by @sangdenuit)

#resident evil #josh stone #re: 5

[elffees]

If the Sarentu have a new Olo’eyktan, I need for it to be Nor.

Him overcoming his chaotic feelings of disconnection (believing he’s not “Na’vi” enough, not “Sarentu” enough), and then growing to become their Olo’eyktan who takes on the responsibility of leading & protecting their culture and the few of them that remain. It would not only be a beautiful character arc, but it would also be very satisfying to see someone who’s struggled with connecting to their roots, be the one to take the lead on protecting it.

The Sarentu already have a Tsahìk, and Ri’nela is a fantastic choice, so it’s unclear if they’ll even want/need an Olo’eyktan (like how the Kame’tire only have a Tsahìk who leads alone.) But if the Sarentu do decide to go that route, I desperately hope Nor is the one to fill that role.

#I really don’t want it to be the PC #I like that we’re not a leader #we may inspire and have charisma #but the PC works best (imo) as a scout or just generally the one on the field #who carries out the will of the clan #but I don’t want them to become the FACE of the clan and be the next leader #I’m really hoping that goes to Nor #because I just think that’d be so much more interesting #frontiers of pandora #afop #babbles #afop spoilers // #avatar frontiers of pandora

[elffees]

My sarentu found an instant camera and took a photo with Ri'nela.

They look so pretty (⁠｡⁠♡⁠‿⁠♡⁠｡⁠)

#cute! #frontiers of pandora #fanart