Honestly, that’s a good question; there seems to be some debate over this in the language community. Some people view it as strictly romantic and find using it in other contexts strange, while others are a bit more lax. Then there’s characters like Nefika who seem to address everyone as yawntu as a personal idiosyncrasy, like an English speaker who calls everyone darling.

For further context, the word yawntu derives from the adjective yawne, which means “beloved” and is not exclusively romantic—you can use yawne for your lover, but also for parents, children, siblings, close friends, pets, etc. This stands in contrast with the adjective tunu, which is strictly romantic.

Now, tunu has a derived person-noun as well, tunutu, so you might think tunutu would be a romantic loved one while yawntu would be a more general loved one, but this isn’t quite the case: your tunutu is actually your crush, not your lover. The question then becomes, if tunutu is NOT just the specifically-romantic version of yawntu the way tunu is with yawne, can yawntu be used more broadly the way yawne can, or is it more specific to being one’s romantic lover?

Alas, the answer is currently unclear ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ KP has described yawntu as “someone you have deep, mature love for” (as opposed to tunutu being only “someone you feel romantic attraction to”) and used one’s spouse/mate as the example, but (afaik) never actually specified whether it could only refer to a spouse/mate. It’s very possible that the strictness of yawntu could vary by individual preference; some people do just happen to toss pet names around more casually than others, like Nefika.

Question for people who have more knowledge of the Na'vi language than me: Can "yawntu" be used in ways other than romantic? I've only ever heard it that way, but a lot a cultures and languages use the same affectionate words and phrases in multiple contexts.

no it’s not canon, it was a mistake on behalf of whoever wrote the subtitles for the game and yEAH IT DRIVES ME CRAZY TOO 🙃

The spoken Na'vi in FoP is generally very good, but there are a few mistakes like this is the written stuff. Someone emailed KP about it and apparently he helped a lot with the spoken lines but didn’t even know there was gonna be any written Na'vi in the game (probably because there’s no full sentences written, just miscellaneous words in subtitles and guide entires).

But yeah, whoever was in charge of adding text was very trigger-happy with the tìftang, and yeah it’s frustrating to see such a fanfic-level mistake as using tìftang as a spacer for ma from official media. In addition to ma'yawntu they also spelled Pasuk like P'asuk (not even valid let alone correct), and unless it’s been updated the hunter’s guide entry for zakru spells Zeswa like Zes'wa for some reason (but then proceeds to spell it correctly like two sentences later on the very same page??). Supposedly the full name of the Zeswa clan is Zeswa'Sopyu which since it’s a name might be correct but I highly suspect is another case being tìftang-trigger-happy, because if you want to call your clan “grass-travelers” ok fine but. wh. why did you throw in a tìftang there is zero reason to throw in a tìftang neither of those words have it, plz I beg u it is not a punctuation or a decoration or a spacer it’s a letter with a sound you can’t just sprinkle it in anywhere at random—

cough anyways 😅 You’re right, ma'yawntu is incorrect and was a mistake, ma yawntu is the correct version. FoP wasn’t the source of the mistake for the fandom, it’s been a somewhat common mistake in fanfics and such since long before the game, though it’ll probably be a bit more common now that it shows up in an official source which…yeah 😒 but alas it is what it is, not much we can do other than explain the correction.

I'm calling a conlang police!

So there's a thing that pisses me off in the avatar fandom, specially in the part that doesn't learn the language, is when they put a glottal stop, the apostrophe thingy, between the "ma" and the noun. Like "ma'Jake" "ma'Teyam" "ma'yawntu" and I always thought that this was incorrect but apparently ma'yawntu was IN THE GAME!

Is it canon now?!?!! Or it always was?! I'm confused 😭😭😭

Help me master @nattikay 😔

fur update: went to order some more, but the website I got my Luxury Shag from before seems to...not exist anymore? So I had to find a different one. I remembered some folks recommending Howl Fabric so I checked that one out. They turned out to have a much wider variety of colors available...I was initially going to get the same colors I'd used before, but with more options available...they don't actually have the tan color I used before, but they have a similar one that looks promising. They do have the dark blue that I used before, and I think I'm gonna stick with it, and of course plain white is plain white, not a lot of variation there unless I want to go with an off-white, which I did consider but ultimately decided just plain white would be better since it's easy to match.

The light blue though...they do have the same color I used before, but they also have two alternatives that I'm very tempted by...one of them appears to be very similar to the old one, but just a smidge darker and more saturated, and the other is even more so. I kinda like them both better than the old color but picking one is tricky, especially with only online images to look at. The first one is probably safer since it seems very similar to the old one, almost like if you took the old color and just "upgraded" it...the second one might be a bit too strong for the character but (based on the online images at least) it would make an absolutely lovely contrast with the brown color I wanted...but it's hard to say for sure without seeing them in person...

...all that to say....yeah I think I'm gonna have to order swatches. I didn't want to because it would double the waiting time, since I have to wait for the swatches to ship so I can pick the right color, then wait again for the actual order to ship....but like I said I wanna do this right even if that means slow. I suppose I could always go ahead and make the full order for the white so I can work on the paws in the meantime...hmm...yeah I think I'll go with that.

fursuit making roller coaster so far:

Originally I was planning to follow Neffertity's tutorials for the digi feetpaws and feline tail; however, carving the foam for the tail turned out to be much more difficult than I was anticipating. I like the general shape I wound up with but I could not for the life of me get the foam as smooth as I wanted it; it's very rough and clunky and I was getting frustrated.

Never fear though, I decided on a new plan: instead of using the clunky carved foam as the actual core of the tail like I was planning, I'll just wrap it up in a bit of wadding or tape which should smooth out the shape a bit, use that to get a sewing pattern, and then just sew and stuff the tail normally. That means that buying the thick foam and all the time carving it won't be in vain, plus I think it'll make patterning easier anyways (I've struggled in the past with sewing Natti's tail, my current one isn't even one I made myself, I commissioned it from my friend Daisy (who did an amazing job!!) because the one I made was a twisted mess lol). So yay for that!

Even with a modified plan in place for the tail though, after the mess of trying to carve foam for that, I was starting to dread all the additional foam carving I'd have to do for the feetpaws; my confidence had taken a hit and I was not looking forward to the process nor optimistic about the results; was starting to get the slogging feeling of "good grief what did I get myself into wth this project". BUT THEN!! I found the SplitGrapeSode digi foot pattern, which had a similar look to the Neffertity one but required ZERO FOAM CARVING! Just sewing and stuffing! Which! Yeah I can do that!! and so THE HYPE RETURNED and I am feeling a lot more optimistic again lol

Unfortunately, I finally went up into the attic to take stock of how much faux fur I had leftover from previous iterations, and it turned out to be a lot less than I thought. A little over half a yard's worth of white (which, comparing to to the pattern I cut out yesterday, appears to be enough for about 3/4 of a footpaw), slightly less than that of tan and dark blue, and barely a few scraps of light blue. So I guess I have to order quite a bit more, and wait for it to come before I can do a whole lot else. I'll need at least one footpaw finished before I can really start the body (since I'll need it to line up the digitigrade padding shape properly), and I can't finish a footpaw until I have enough fur, and the next big part of the tail will be patterning and furring. so 😅 guess we gotta put things on hold for a short while. I suppose I have enough white left for bottoms of the footpaws, so maybe I'll start there in the meantime, or maybe see if it's enough for the handpaws. We'll see...

thank u to my mom and brother for agreeing to encase me in duct tape for the DTD though. the process was about as fun as I remember 🙃 well at least it's done lol

srung si oer, fpìl oel futa livu skxawng ikran oey, po fìfya kllpolä 😭 help i think my ikran may be an idiot, she landed like this

haha a conversation on Discord reminded me of this so uh update woo

Re-reading that commentary for the first time in seven years, though, I want to amend my statement that "natural talent" doesn't exist...I don't think I agree with that anymore. I think some people do have a natural aptitude for drawing or other artistic endeavors (or for any number of other things of course but this post is about art), and those people will find learning about art stuff to be more intuitive than people who don't have that aptitude.

BUT!! This natural aptitude is not synonymous with skill, which is the point my past self was trying to make. No one starts out skilled, not even those with natural aptitude or "talent" for it, and even people who lack a natural aptitude can become skilled if they work hard enough. Everyone has to put in work to hone their craft; for some people yes this honing will come more easily than for others, but that doesn't mean there wasn't work involved. I think that's why some artists, such as 2017 me, get frustrated by people calling their skills "natural talent", even if they really do have an artistic aptitude, because while it's intended as a compliment, it can feel like undermining or not recognizing the often years' worth of work they've put in to developing their skills.

That's also why I personally still prefer to call good artists "skilled" rather than "talented". But I'm less bothered by other people calling it "talent" now. Some people do have a natural aptitude for drawing and hey that's really cool, that some people have that gift! And isn't it also cool that some people have natural aptitudes for singing or dancing or cooking or electronics or engineering or math or science or philosophy or sports or any number of other things! Isn't it so cool how we all have unique gifts and yes it takes work and practice and effort to make use of that gift and turn it into skill and yes that is worth acknowledging and respecting...but I no longer think that makes it wrong to also hold some appreciation for "talents" and how cool it is that people have them.

The idea of being just “naturally talented” at drawing is a myth. No one is born knowing how to draw. Now, some people might be more naturally predisposed to want to draw than others, and some may improve faster than others, but the skill itself is always learned.

So if you, a young and/or beginning artist (heck, or an old experienced artist) look at other people’s work and lament because you aren’t as good, pardon my bluntness, but shut up and GO DRAW. As a friend of mine would say, never not do the draw! You WILL improve in time…but only if you practice.

Happy New Year to all, and here’s hoping for some great strides in our art this year.

doodled my DnD party!

Hello, thanks for the tag! No, I don’t think it’s required to be a warrior, or even necessarily a hunter. They become one of the People when they complete the Iknimaya and/or Uniltaron rituals, but that’s not necessarily synonymous with becoming a warrior specifically, and what exactly is involved in an “Iknimaya” varies from clan to clan. Obviously the clan does need a lot of hunters, but there are other ways to contribute too. Healing, gathering, weaving, crafting, cooking, washing, etc. And of course I’m sure most Na'vi do several of those things to at least some degree, but it doesn’t mean that everyone has to do everything; like, if there’s an individual who happens to be a poor hunter but really good at crafting, I don’t see why they couldn’t just be primarily an artisan and not really hunt.

That said, no, I don’t think disabled individuals would “never be part of the clan” or be seen as “just a burden”. They might need to contribute differently but that doesn’t mean they can’t contribute at all, and for a culture that values interconnectedness, deep spiritual understanding others, and the sanctity of all life, the idea that they’d see the disabled as nothing more than a burden feels….off 😅

Such things could also vary from clan to clan of course. For example, the Tipani clan emphasizes being fierce warriors, while the Tawkami specialize in botany. So an individual who struggles to hunt or fight would have a tougher time if they were born into the Tipani than the Tawkami.

But on the whole, I think the only disability I could see being a Big Deal socially for a Na'vi would be if there was something wrong with their kuru which prevents them from connecting to Eywa. That biological connection is such a massive part of Na'vi culture and spirituality that I could imagine others being very wary of such an individual, or viewing it as some sort of curse (especially if it takes a toll on their mental stability as it does with the ferals in FoP).

Speaking of disabled Na'vi, an interesting thought I had a while ago is whether a blind Na'vi could have a seeing-eye animal companion through tsaheylu. Like if they had a little bonded creature perched on their shoulders, would the tsaheylu connection allow them to “see” through its eyes?

As for another random topic to chat about, if you want more, here’s something I’ve been wondering: is olo'eyktan actually a hereditary position? The fandom certainly seems to assume so, with how much talk there is about Neteyam being the “future leader of the Omatikaya” and/or Aonung being the “future leader of the Metkayina”, but is there any canon source that actually says they’re in line for those titles? Because while we have at least three canon examples of the role of tsahìk passed from mother to daughter—Mo'at and Sylwanin/Neytiri, Ronal and Tsireya, and Etuwa and her mother—I don’t think we’ve ever officially seen that for olo'eyktan. The past four leaders of the Omatikaya—Eytukan, Tsu'tey, Jake, and Tarsem—have not been related at all (as far as we know; I guess it’s technically possible that Tarsem could be someone’s cousin or smth but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

Plus there’s the fact that some clans, such as the Omatikaya, prefer their tsahìk and olo'eyktan to be a mated pair. This is not universal of course—the Zeswa are led by a pair of sisters—but it does mean that in the Omatikaya and other clans with similar traditions, the leaders prooooobably aren’t gonna be a sibling pair. Which means their kids could inherit one of their titles but not both. And since we have several examples of tsahìk being hereditary but none for olo'eyktan, I’m gonna assume that olo'eyktan is not typically hereditary.

…which, yes fanfic writers, means that Neteyam was probably never “future olo'eyktan” to begin with. sorry ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Let's chat about avatar

Any topic, I mean any (except for sexual maybe I think there's enough simping in this fandom already lol)

I can start if you want

For example, I always wondered, is it required for a na'vi to be a warrior? Like yeah, they only become one of the people when they become a warrior, or do they? Can you be just a gatherer and just chill, raise kids, weave? If not, it must mean that every na'vi is a warrior, even Mo'at is a warrior, and she has an ikran! And it also mean, that if you were born disabled, you will never be part of the clan, and just a burden for you people.

NattiKay fursuit 3.0: digitigrade edition is in the works 👀 still in the planning/materials gathering stage atm but hoping to start on the actual work within the next week or so. If all goes according to plan she should be ready in time for AWU in a few months!

NattiKay 1.0 was made in 2017, followed shortly by 2.0 in 2018. I'd wanted a digi suit even back then but I was new to fursuit making and figured digitigrade might be a bit above my level, so I stuck with plantigrade. Welp, since then I've upgraded almost every part of 2.0 at least once (at this point it's probably more like 2.7 or smth lol)...EXCEPT for the wings and bodysuit, which is still that same plantigrade one I made in 2018, so it's been in use for nearly six years now. The most recent upgrade was her current head, which was...I think two years ago?

SOOO...after getting inspired by seeing some of @happyfoxx-art's WIPs, I've decided...it's finally time. No more 2.2, 2.5, 2.8. It's time for 3.0!! Gonna make every single part fresh!! And finally gonna try to upgrade to digi style legs!! Been wanting to for years and now the time is right!!

I'm a little apprehensive because I know it's gonna be a ton of work and I'm wary of getting burnt out (has happened before, usually because of rushing to finish before a con) but I am DETERMINED to pace myself and take my time and do it RIGHT even if that means slow. I'm starting early enough that there should still be plenty of time to get it done before AWU without feeling rushed, and if I'm gonna put in all the time effort to make a whole new suit from scratch instead of just a replacement here and there I want it to look GOOD. Been looking up tons of tips and tutorials and such and definitely hype! I'm trying to temper my expectations because of course my execution is not gonna be pro level BUT there's definitely a lot of potential and it should at least be decent!!

I will admit I'm "cheating" with the head by using a premade base this time though. Found a really adorable expanding-foam-cast one for sale and I'm hoping the fact that it'll be all smooth and symmetrical will help with the furring, especially around where the muzzle connects to the head, which is a spot I've always struggled with sculpting and furring in the past. And I suppose if I end up not liking it for whatever reason I could always go back and sculpt my own anyways. We shall see!

thank you @beautyofattolia for this adorable mental image, i just HAD to turn it into an image image uwu

correct, and I am obligated to remind everyone that Jake Sully flew out to an alien planet nearly six light years away, tamed what is essentially a dragon there, and named it after his old cat

It’s National Pet Day so I’m obligated to say that Jake Sully boops Bob’s snoot and gives him belly rubs.

😅 fek'ui is not a word; this says “I [gibberish] us thanks”.

To say “I see you, thank you” in Na'vi, you would say oel ngati kame, irayo (or you can replace kame with tse'a if you mean see literally/physically rather than see spiritually).

If you’re looking for the words she was actually saying in this scene, it was oeru txoa livu, ma oeyä tsmukan (“forgive me, my brother”)

“Oe fek’ui ayoeng irayo. (I see you, thank you.)” x2

pardon the spam i was going absolutely bonkers badonkers with photo mode today

pulled an RDA beeper out of this fella and now we are best friends :)

two small things!

One, ma is what's called a vocative marker: it's a particle used when addressing someone directly. Think of it kinda like a verbal @. So if you were talking directly to Teylan, you might say, "hello ma Teylan, how are you today?" But if you were talking about Teylan to someone else, you would not use ma. So it's a little odd to use it to label a photo 😅

I assume you were going for "my beloved friend"? The word for "my" is actually oeyä 🙂

Two, when attaching adjectives to nouns, you append an a to the adjective to "point at" the noun it's describing! So "beloved friend" would be either yawnea 'eylan or 'eylan ayawne (it doesn't matter which order they go in; whichever one sounds nicer to you) 🙂

Instant photo of Teylan (⁠｡⁠♡⁠‿⁠♡⁠｡⁠)

As a woman who does martial arts in a class of mostly men, OP is correct. While I am equal to the men in my class in terms of skill and technique, and even outclass most of them in flexibility, in terms of raw strength any of them could out-muscle me easily, including the teenagers, the elderly, and the beginners (I’m a black belt). Does this mean I’m totally screwed and have no hope of ever defending myself in a real-world situation? No, but it does put me at a disadvantage.

I don’t say this to disparage myself or other women, I say it simply because it’s true. Acknowledging truth is not sexist, but dismissing it can be dangerous.

Deeply concerned by the number of people (especially women) who genuinely believe that women and men have the same capacity for physical strength

and who think you’re being sexist if you point out that they don’t

ma’am the only one equating physical strength with innate value here is you

it’s concerning that you think strength has anything to do with value

and if the men in your life ever stop being decent you are setting yourself up to be in so much more danger