Na'vi Otherkin Quickly Appear [Internet]

[frameacloud]

Trigger warnings for this article: description of trolling, harassment, hoaxes. Work-safe.

After James Cameron’s film Avatar came out, there was a sudden appearance of people saying they are otherkin who identify as Na’vi in spirit.  It’s difficult to tell which of the people involved sincerely believe what they say, or whether they’re just playing a prank to see what might be stirred up.

            The first mention of Na’vi otherkin appears to have been on the first of the month, in the thread “Hello, Na’vi Otherkin here” on the Otherkin.com forum.¹  The newcomer, with the user-name Tirea Na’vi, mentioned having formerly identified as an elf with a tail.  Some of the reactions from the regulars were incredulous or hostile.  It made for a long thread, but I’d recommend reading it. It has some intelligent discussion about the issues that were being raised, which are better read in full than summarized.  There was also some ordinary flaming, common to most Internet forums.  Less than a week after the thread began, Tirea Na’vi was banned from that forum, along with a few other thread participants.²  

Also on the first of the month, Tirea Na’vi had created a Twitter account, a personal blog, and a community for Na’vi otherkin on Livejournal.com.  New Year’s Day was busy.  All of these sites have been quite active throughout January.

On the sixteenth, a blog was started that called itself the Na’vi Anti-Defamation League, which was ostensibly a defense of Na’vi otherkin, going over the top.  That blog admitted itself to be a prank on the eighteenth.³  

There has continued to be much discussion about Na’vi otherkin in various forums and blogs, including on sites that don’t ordinarily talk about otherkin.  

Identifying with fictional beings has been a controversial subject among otherkin for years.  When “fiction-kin” enter an otherkin forum, an unfriendly or mixed reaction to them is not unusual.  In the otherkin communities, the presence of Na’vi otherkin (whether sincere or not) has brought a few questions to the forefront of the conversations, especially this:  If we can accept identifying as creatures from myth, legend, and folktale, can we also accept people who identify with creatures or characters from fiction?  This isn’t a new question to the otherkin community, but it’s worthwhile for each of us to consider and come to their own opinion.

- O. Scribner

Sources

             

1. Tirea Na’vi. “Hello, Na’vi Otherkin here.” Otherkin.com. January 1, 2010. http://www.otherkin.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=1802&sid=b26bef8a87d683eb1853d57dc0a793e1
2. Sheybu. Twitter.com. January 6, 2010. http://twitter.com/naviotherkin/status/7440803661
3. Na’vi Anti-Defamation League. “OK Guys.” Livejournal.com. January 18, 2010. http://nadl-org.livejournal.com/1667.html

Comments

[overlord-mordax.livejournal.com]

Nice article. Well balanced. :)

[frameacloud]

Thanks! :)

[jarandhel.livejournal.com]

There seems to be some fairly decent evidence that Tirea is trolling. To whit: "My partner did put her foot down at the dressing our child in blue clothes and turning down the heating so that their skin has a light blue tinge, however, and on reflection I agree that this was not a good idea."^{1 (http://community.livejournal.com/tothehometree/8606.html?nc=42)}

[lookingaround17.livejournal.com]

That does sound facetious as hell--

[eredien]

There is an interesting discussion about this going on over on circuit_four's journal.

[lookingaround17.livejournal.com]

It seems like some of the same issues with otaku-kin and similar--and honestly i wonder if the things like satellite and cable and wifi etc. can sort of project the films and material into us as onto screens, maybe in dreams or otherwise, and so the beings feel much more of a resonance than they might otherwise--I am very suspicious of the degree these generated-for-commercial-use waves can affect beings, like the wifi which damages trees and all and the recent research on that.