Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1544153
16 PROP CULTURE I SPRING 2026 them exposure to multiple tribes' accumulated knowledge. We made their bows compound by adding two additional arms that added tension to the main arms when drawn. We then supersized the idea to create ballistae that protected the airships from airborne threats by shooting bundles of arrows like a shotgun. Working on an airship with so much rigging and rope, the ability to cut rope quickly was hugely important for emergencies, so instead of spears with a single sharp tip, we made them more axe- like, similar to early renaissance Swiss halberds. We designed hand axes with this same purpose in mind. Both these weapons are effective in fighting, but also uniquely suited for the needs of living and working amongst all of the rigging on a ship. For the Ash, we designed X and Y bows. The X bows were intended to shoot the flaming arrows as the power of the double bow would be needed to shoot the heavier flaming arrows with wrapped tips soaked in flammable oil. The Y variant, while not as strong as the X bow, is more maneuverable and useful when controlling prisoners. Using the fork of the bow to hold an enemy's neck while pulling backward on their ponytail-like kuru allowed the Ash warrior to control a prisoner while keeping them at a distance. When it came to Varang's signature weapon, I wanted to give her something unique. I was thinking about the scene of her dancing around (and through) a fire while her drug-fueled warriors enjoyed their victory. I found references of festival performers with flaming buugeng, which are two-part s-curved shapes that create beautiful spinning motion when used by the right flow artist. When separated, they became sickle-like blades that were lethal in battle. I used to play a druid in a DnD game that used dual sickles, so I was invested. I first pitched this to Garrett Warren, our stunt coordinator, and then to our movement coordinator, and then to Oona Chaplin who immediately embraced the idea. By the time we showed it to Cameron, she had already gotten quite good at her own version of flow. Carrying them on her back gave her shoulders a feel of horns making her silhouette all the more demonic. We chose a translucent red crystal based on volcanic mahogany obsidian that, in story, ties them to the volcano near their burned-out home tree. The Mangkwan character designs were of a tribe that was heavily adorned with crude makeup and brutal piercings. We designed modifications to their newly acquired RDA weapons to mirror this. They were crudely painted in red, white and black, and did not get the refined and beautiful weavings of Jake Sully's warriors, as this tribe had lost its art decades ago. To underscore this story, we made crude wraps and hung bones from leather straps to mirror the trophies that Varang collects. Varang's relationship to Quaritch goes beyond their strategic alliance and wanted to make sure that the props reflected this. We designed Varang a custom high- capacity RDA issue machine pistol to be her personal weapon. In the story, only Quaritch could have had this