Kiri Te Suli Kìreysì'ite - Blog Posts

An old timeskip Kiri and Rotxo doodle I finally finished! :]

Thinking about a Kiri desperate for answers who begs Ewya to see her, to talk to her, to just give her a chance. About her slipping into the water and connecting to the tree of souls when she knows she can’t. About her crying into warm sand as she racks her brain for memories she can’t quite reach and not knowing if they’re even hers.

About a Kiri meeting an aunt she never met, who brushes the hair from her face and whispers about before all this. About a school yard and a her mother as little as Tuk. She dreams of glimpses of red hair and a teacher, not a mother yet. She can’t imagine a life as peaceful as that could really be real.

A Kiri who opens her eyes and is immediately on the floor, a narrow eyed man pulls her up and holds her shoulder tight as if he didn’t shove her to the dirt the moment before. Tsutey is barely there before he is gone but she feels strong as stone. She wants to ask what he was going to say but the ground under her feet is growing growing growing until the earth reclaims her as it did him.

Her grandfather is found when she tries to bond to a tree with a shimmer in its bark. Is not a soul tree but she thinks there’s something there. He whispers about failures. About passing his burden to his youngest daughter’s oldest son. How he almost ended a cycle. How he didn’t.

She never thought about the people in bridgehead that were like Norm, Max, Trudy, Grace - they couldn’t be people in the stories or else the fires were too hot. But she breathes in the air of one of Norms meal kits and the metal floor beneath her feet is littered with candy wrappers and paper. There’s laughter, clinking of vials, a song humming through a tinny radio, and humanity feels a little too real. Her skin suddenly feels thin, her bones weaker. Her body is too big and too awkward but there’s a haze she hopes they felt all the way til the end. She never forgets how warm the sun through a window felt on such fragile skin.

Spider is so small and so stubborn and she can’t protect him. She’s screaming into the soil, begging for her mother to tell her what to do, and then the smoke fills her lungs. She gasps, breathing in fumes and choking on the poison when his eyes meet hers. Paz Socorro has his eyes, his curls in darker little ringlets. She cries, sobbing just like Kiri. She tried to get home, she tried not to leave him. She didn’t mean to start the pattern. She was only 23, she’d never done this before. Her plane burns and all she can taste are ashes but she feels her strength in her bones, trembling as they are, and she marches home like she doesn’t remember what fire tastes like.

The answers never come plain and sometimes Kiri doesn’t think she’s one person. She thinks she’s a collection. All the souls lost on pandora, gathered and loved with her ancestors or buried beneath the dirt she walks over. She tries though, again and again and again because the heartbeat thunders so loud that she swears it’s thousands of them, begging her to find them. She loves them as much as she hates them. She clings to her mother, the large and the small, and speaks with the only voice that doesn’t shake. Thinking about Kiri who calls it a blessing because a curse is ungrateful and she can’t call them something so cruel. She was never a little girl in the same way there’s always one reaching for her hand in the quiet seconds between minutes. Thinking about how Kiri can never just be Kiri but the way it’s integral to her that she can’t ever just be the one girl she was born as. How she’s not even sure which one that is.

I saw a post discussing Spiders hair earlier and I can’t get it out of my mind. For anyone who doesn’t know, I study theater design and I can’t get over how good of a design choice it would have been to have Spiders head shaved by the RDA.

Spiders dreads are a combatted topic 24/7, but think of it from a narrative stand point. He has dreads to resemble Jake, his hero and desired father figure, but his dreads are choppy and awkward. Jake’s are maintained and well cared for with a regular length and size in comparison to Spiders which are a multitude of lengths, more matted than styled, and just overall poorly done. However, Spider clings to them thinking it makes him more like the na’vi and pass him better as one of the people. He thinks it claims him to a family.

His hair is something of his identity but also a self-proclaimed attachment to Jake that more accurately shows how separate he is from them - his hair is uncared for and shows he’s a child without anyone to help him with it. It moreso shows him as the “stray” he’s fighting not to be.

With that emotional connection in mind, consider the RDA shaving his head. They’re all forced submission and conformity, thinking he looks too savage and too wild by having dreaded hair or stripes on his skin. They shave it and leave it choppy and uneven. It’s embarrassing and a humiliation tactic where he’s left feeling stripped of part of his identity and forced closer to humanity while also having it poorly done as a reminder that no one cared for him enough to do it well.

Consider Quaritch stepping in, all bravado and false fatherly love, sitting him down on their first night out and gently shaving his hair down. Imagine him shaving it into the same crop he wore in his life until it’s even and clean. It’s the first time his hair has been done and cared for properly since his early childhood when Norm still did it for him.

Except this time it’s Quaritch claiming him - bringing out the family resemblance through his hair, marking him as his own in the way Spider always begged someone would, but also marking him distinctly as human. As loved only by those he hates. Imagine the emotional manipulation of his hair being done for the first time by Quaritch after he watched Neytiri and Jake care for their own children’s his whole life.

Imagine him in the reef, blood on his hands and knowing Quaritch is alive, with no braids in his hair, no dreads, and nothing to tie him back to who he was. Kiri trying to thread her fingers into nothing, Spider shivering with nothing on his neck, and then laying there with his hair beginning to grow and again no one to braid it.

The angst it could be. Hair care can be such an intimate thing, especially in native cultures. They missed such a great opportunity to explore a visual cue of everything Spider went through without having to make it gory or too intense. But not only that, it could have shown his arc after with his hair showing where he ends - preferably braided and neat, shells and beads woven in, and him visually showing the change of course his life takes

Thinking about Spider sobbing into Kiri's chest because the only tsaheylu he'll ever have was forced on him. How the thing he want's so badly was made a mockery, how it'll never feel completely safe in his own mind again. Screaming about Kiri gripping him hard enough to bruise, trying to protect him from things she couldn't do.

Thinking about the Sully kids not realizing Spider was gonna stop growing until one day he's barely above their hips

Like angst cause he's human and vulnerable and there's so many lines in the sand

but also fucking hilarious cause this tiny motherfucker will throw himself from trees to tackle his brother and will fully try to yeet a grown ass Na'vi

Hey ya'll! I am still very much in ATWOW but I need non-fic specific inspo lmfao. Please feel free to flood the ask box!

Spider + Kiri Platonic HCs

Platonic soulmates

Kiri claims him as her platonic partner when she's like 16 as a way to establish him as part of her family

At first it causes some raised eyebrows, people suspecting they are more than friends or something shady is happening until it is clear Spider is content with his respective partner and they are content with just having their brother at her side

They each have a little matching braid in their hair with beads for the other, it's a little reminder and a little claim when nothing in their lives are stable

They are also best friends with Lo'ak and act as a trio but he's more popular and less of a "village freak" so to speak and so their dynamic has always been a little bit different

Before she was born, Spider was always intrigued by Grace and her pregnancy. He would curl up by her tank with his toys or tablet, babbling to the tank and to the sister he didn't yet know was his

The occasional floating visitor kept Neytiri from separating him from Grace and later baby Kiri

They have about a 2 year age gap but it's not exact with Na'vi aging

Kiri was convinced braiding Spiders hair would create a tswin if they tried hard enough as a small child

Spider didn't really get it but let her play with his hair whenever she wanted, just liking the attention and the soft touches

Spider had a crush on her for about a year when they were 12 and 10 but later realized it was moreso just a lot of care he didn't know how to process

Kiri is the reason Spider learned what love is

Lo'ak and Kiri grew up tag teaming Jake and Neytiri with comments about their 'other brother' or 'Dads human kid' in attempts to get them to accept Spider as family

It sort of worked on Jake but scared Neytiri more

Kiri is the only one who can always find Spider when he runs off, but Spider is takes hours trying to find them when the rolls are reversed

It helps them both to know that someone always comes looking

Neytiri reluctantly lets it be that Kiri added a bead to her and their siblings songchords for Spider

Spider thinks Kiri is the strongest person he's ever met (though if you ask he'll say Jake)

She was who kept coming to mind when the RDA tried to search his mind and he had to blur her face and voice until he could barely remember them for fear of what it could mean for them

Their relationship is how Jake learned of platonic bonds in Na'vi culture and how valued they are in their society

It's also part of why he starts trying to bring Spider into the family more and more as the kids grow older

Spider thinks that Kiri will want him around less after Neteyam is shot but she leans on him tenfold

They're one anothers anchor

Kiri forgives Spider for saving Quaritch but its something they're never able to completely forget

On the same page, they never forgive Neytiri for pulling them away when Spider was taken and places blame on themself and their mother on bad days since they didn't go back

Kiri is the only one who really knows what humans can and cannot have of the Na'vi - she had to learn since Lo'ak and Spider kept daring one another to do stupid things

Kiri hates the dreads and ends up twisting and braiding his hair with Rotxo when they get to Awa'talu

Spider and Rotxo dye Kiri's tips red like her mothers with berries and paint - which almost got them killed by Neytiri but Kiri loved it

When Rotxo starts courting Spider, Kiri helps him by adding some of Rotxo's stripes to his paint (it's the first pattern that wasn't hers he ever wears)

Spider spends days with Kiri gathering gifts when Kiri tries to pursue their first real relationships

He also dyes the girls tail red with his hair dye knowledge when she breaks Kiri's heart

Sully kid childhood headcanons

❤️ Spider and Kiri had been dealing with the seizures for years without knowing what they were - they started when the sky people returned and normally were very small or more akin to falling asleep than anything - essentially the scene where Spider sits over her at the start of the movie

❤️ They dealt with it quietly thinking it was more of Kiri being blessed/weird than a medical concern - Spider almost threw up when he found out it was medical and she could have died

❤️ Spider has a lot of tiny immunities and adaptations on Pandora - some of them are small and almost unnoticeable like allergy adaptions or food tolerances and others almost seem like super powers, like him not being killed by wildlife immediately (something they sort of blame as him being attached to Kiri for most of their childhoods) or his heat resistance (aka how this mostly white ass child has his skin in tact)

❤️ Na'vi don't really have periods so the first period for all of the AFAB kids was ROUGH

❤️ Trans! Spider was first and they thought he was actively dying ,,, like homie wears a loincloth it was bad

❤️ Kiri was ten times worse cause Na'vi are intersex and they were sort of betting on that overriding the human half but then she woke up cramping

❤️ Neytiri damn near killed Jake for not explaining them to her (to be fair, he tried. She thought it was barbaric and something only Spider would deal with and promptly blocked it from her memory)

❤️ Tbh Jake had no idea if he had sons or daughters until their first communions with their parents - it wasn't until joining ques that he really understood how Na'vi understand gender

❤️ Norm taught Spider than Paz was a hero - he didn't find out she was on the enemy side until he was almost 14. Lo'ak almost punched him for it

❤️ Lo'ak was the kid to ALMOST break a bone every other day

❤️ Lo'ak somehow never actually got hurt but Neteyam got hurt every single time trying to stop him

❤️ it's how come Neteyam had the pain tolerance to keep swimming

❤️ Kiri brought something home on a regular basis and had puppy eyes that got Jake and Neteyam to do almost anything - Neytiri was immune to all the puppy dog eyes her kids had...except Tuks. Tuk clocked her with just a hint of a pout

❤️ Kiri would take home anything she found - sometimes for good reason and sometimes because she decided it was her best friend

❤️ Jake likes to tease that Spider was one of such finds, it hurts when they're little but he wears it like a badge of pride when he feels comfortable in his place in the family

❤️ Neteyam has a gorgeous voice but any instrument he plays sounds like a dying wailing cow

❤️ Lo'ak is the opposite - if they could stop bickering, they would be a pretty good duet

❤️ Kiri, lovingly, sucks at both. She can do some spiritual songs for ceremony but it is with a ton of work to sound decent

❤️ Spider can sing well but the instruments are normally about as big as him...he does play a mad triangle when he makes one out of old lab equipment tho

❤️ Neteyam went through a mean phase that lasted approximately a week...he was snippy and just sort of bratty to everyone when he was like 11. It was fine until he made baby Tuk cry and Neytiri gave him the eye opening of a lifetime...he made being the best big brother ever his life goal after that

❤️ Spider and Lo'ak like to teach the ikran tricks - including some that probably should have gotten them both killed

❤️ Spider has a missing nick in his ear and scars on the back of his cheek from a tussle he and Lo'ak got into with the Syaksyuk near hometree - Lo'ak almost lost a couple fingers prying it off his face

❤️ They had to do all of Kiri's chores for a month and half to convince her to fix them up AND cover for them but Lo'ak had dirt on virtually everyone so he convinced her

❤️ Lo'ak was the village gossip - he was horrible at keeping secrets but he knew everything about everyone. His siblings had to censor him to keep him from getting his shit rocked

❤️ Neteyam had a line of kids with crushes on him and was oblivious to it. He was a very eligible bachelor to his age group and many wanted to court him through their teenage years with hopes of being his mate. He picked up on virtually none of it and was a bit of an accidental heartbreaker

❤️ Lo'ak, on the other hand, had a bit of the bad boy thing going until his mom dragged him across hometree by the ear. After that, his dorky side sort of overtook the bad boy look and he was sort of the town mischief maker. Very mixed reception from the older crowd but most of the younger were very fond of him

❤️ Kiri and Spider were always a package deal and the town weirdos. They had some of the youth fond of them but it was more of a distanced friendship than anything. They were mostly close with one another and their siblings.

❤️ "Monkey Boy" was because Jake said that raising the 5 of them was like herding monkeys but Spider was the only earthling so he was the only one who could be a monkey

❤️ Fun fact they do not understand what monkeys are

❤️ Tbr they don't understand a lot of earth things but they feel cool saying it

❤️ All of them are fluent but would probably sound very different with native speakers that hadn't just spent a decade on Pandora

❤️ Spider is BUILT but they all think he's puny cause he's so much smaller than Na'vi. On earth, he would be a pretty impressive athlete and it's literally just from this kid trying to survive

❤️ Lo'ak didn't tell anyone but he got into several fights protecting his siblings over the years. He also got Trudy to teach him to shoot long before Jake was aware...he always had a feeling that war wasn't over with

❤️ Lo'ak was always the best fighter, he just wasn't the best solider, Neteyam was. Jake just never realized the difference

❤️ Teamwork makes the dreamwork and these kids have nightmares

Futures

Neteyem and Ao'nung lead the Metkayina

Ao'nung becomes the Ole'kytan of his clan with Neteyam as his mate

Neteyam always planned to go back to the Omaticaya but he finds his home is with Ao'nung

It hurts him the most of his siblings, the forest always feeling like home, but he brings his culture to the oceans too

He and Spider cultivate and explore the forests along the coast

They aren't the same, but he helps them to expand

They create homes there where a few immigrants will eventually settle, but they also make themselves a little home in the trees

It's much like the one he grew up in and he and his siblings each have a hammock there

It's their safe place as a family

Ao'nung is his clan leader but he's this right hand, it's also the way they officially merge/ally their clans

The two have two kids

They have an oldest boy and a younger daughter, a parallel they both snicker at

Their boy takes after Ao'nung in personality but Neteyam physically. He's headstrong and stubborn, a trouble maker in a way that reminds Neteyam of Lo'ak

Still, they both work really hard so that he doesn't end up with the same pressure they both grew up with

Having an oldest son brought up a lot of painful memories but they work really hard to break the cycle

It takes a lot of healing but they get there

Their daughter, on the other hand, is a very laid back, very relaxed personality

Not much phases her

She's a strong diplomat but truthfully has little motivation to take on leadership, she's a complete opposite to her Dads but a refreshing reminder that war is over

She makes them slow down and enjoy their time again

They joke a lot that Ewya gave them their children to heal them just as much as they were to raise them

Spider mates Rotxo young, they're the second pair to officiate their relationship (Lo'ak and Tsireya are first)

Spider works a lot in dealing with the remaining humans post-war

All soldiers are forced back to Earth under threat of death. It's a scary change to Na'vi culture, but Jake ensures it's a must. The citizens of the colonies are treated similarly, the only exception being those with children

They're allowed the raise their children on Pandora until they can be sent back or they're to leave immediately with their children left behind

This is where is hurts Spider the most as it drudges up bad memories, but still, it's a must

He works in managing those sent back and those remaining. He helps them to adapt to Pandora and understand before they're sent to Earth

Similarly, he helps the fostered children left behind to understand the world they've been left on

It's coincidentally how he and Rotxo get their first daughter

Anea is the second child of the next generation and the second human born on Pandora. She becomes one of three born there. Spider and Rotxo adopt her at about 6 months

Their next children won't be for another 6 or so years when they adopt two Ash na'vi boys.

Spider becomes very close to the Ash clans during the war and they're the sons of a dear friend that dies in a skirmish a few years after the war (the end of the war doesn't necessarily bring immediate peace)

The boys take some time to adapt to their new lives and parents, but soon they have a little family of 5

The older boy is a lot like Neteyam and Ao'nungs oldest and they bond quickly, but the younger is much shyer

He becomes attached to Rotxo and so Rotxo often has to work with the younger boy as his shadow

Their last child is several years later and is a little metkayina girl. She's a lot like Tuk was and finishes off their little family

Spider spends a lot of time helping the younger children of the village and teaches them about Ewya with Kiri since he's unable to do some of the typical jobs

still, he works as a diplomat and helps Neteyam in exploring the coast

Rotxo becomes a warrior and works closely with Ao'nung as another level of support. He's a warrior and a diver, but volunteers at the cook fires regularly

Kiri is the last to mate but the first to settle into her calling

She takes after her birth mother as a teacher

Although she stays with the Metkayina, she spends many years traveling and visiting the other tribes. She helps them to connect with Ewya and explore the other cultures

When she settles, she mates to another Metkayina woman and raises a human son, the last human born on Pandora.

The child is slightly younger than Spider and Rotxo's Anea, but he is the last of his kind

She raises him with her mate but initially adopts him herself with her mate coming in when he's a few years old

Despite being able to fight and her experience in war, she doesn't lift her weapon again once the war finishes

She sets up schools her travels before settling down with her own, though she still goes on occasion to continue it on

She becomes a master storyteller and learns to be patient with the children, deciding to teach so that history won't repeat itself

Eventually, she also teaches about Earth

Her lessons cover anything and everything she can

She makes it her mission that stories will never be lost, not like when hometree fell

Lo'ak and Tsireya are the first couple to mate and the first to get together, much to Tonowari's disbelief

Tsireya becomes Tsahik and Lo'ak a warrior

It's a bit of chaos with them being mated and their older brothers being mated on top of also being Ole'kytan and Tsahik respectively but they make it work

They're probably the simplest couple and they just seem to fall into place

They have three girls, the oldest being an accidental pregnancy about a year into their relationship

All three are little menaces but both are absolutely wrapped around their fingers

The oldest has a few year age gap with the younger two but their youngest are barely a year a part

All three are very close and team up often with Spiders boys to cause trouble throughout the clan

Neteyam still has to clean up after his brothers and it seems the tradition passed onto his son with his cousins

They have a lot of trauma to heal from but they went through a lot of it together

They're one anothers rock

They boast about being the ones everyone goes to for relationship advice since they're been together so long

They were also the most experienced with babies aside from Rotxo because of Tsireya's youngest sibling

There was a brief period where Lo'ak had to lead the forest people for their father and it was probably the hardest part of their relationship

They were apart but also on opposite sides of handling it with Tsireya a healer and Lo'ak a fighter

In the end it did make them stronger though and it's what ended in their mating

Blessed Spider

Tw: Violence. references to past torture

Spider wasn't like Kiri, he wasn't born with Ewya's blessings in his hands

Despite all he finds of himself later, he was still born human. He had to prove he was hers, something he did early on

She started to show her favor while he was young, when he integrated himself into the Omaticaya with the Sully kids and her child, she would send little signs to those near

Her creatures would approach but never attack, her flora would hold him strong so he wouldn't get hurt racing across their forest, and temperatures rarely teetered where it may hurt him. They were little things but she thought her people would see

For once, they didn't

Her people wouldn't see her little human, but that was alright. She could show them - she is forgiving and she is loving

So, she guided their paths together

Kiri, her sweet child, was the first to see and with her, she brought her Grandmother

but...that was it

They could not (would not) see him

It would take years for her to finally wake her children, but it would come at a price she didn't want to pay

It isn't until after the battle of Three Brothers Rock that it becomes clear that Ewya has held Spider dear to her

It's on the ship, Neytiri's knife at his chest, when something changes

Quaritch panics, throws Kiri, and he is shoved forward. Neytiri is stalking up to Quaritch with a feral gleam in her eye but, in her anger, she pushes too hard

He falls, one hand to his bleeding chest and the other to the ground, but it's in vain

His face cracks against the debris across the floor and glass shatters into his face

There's shards pressing into the soft skin of his cheeks and forehead, his eyes clenched shut against the needles sneaking in, but fear hits him when he takes in a panic breath

Kiri screams his name and lunges forward, no longer bound to her fathers arms

Quaritch yells a loud, guttural scream of his name but Neytiri takes the opportunity to plunge her knife into his throat. He gurgles on his blood before she is at his side, eyes focusing vaguely again on his face

She curses, cups his cheek and mumbles words he doesn't catch

Jake is cursing and trying to cover his face but... he's fine

His face hurts but he takes in shuddering breaths and he's fine

He takes in another

Nothing happens

He looks up at Jake with wide eyes, shaking and unsure, but he's breathing fine

It takes the man a moment to catch up and this his movements still as he falls back onto the ground. Sitting, he stares at the little human

His Dad is dying off to the side, his sister throws herself into his arms and grins with tears in her eyes

"She has you, she Sees you, Spider, she has you!" Kiri is laughing, loud with sobs choking her between and he lets out a half barked laugh as he falls into her hold

Jake brings them both into his arms, panting and mumbling prayers with grateful pants of breath.

Neytiri doesn't move but her shoulders go lax in relief

He gasps, coughing and crying, and he's seen

Things make more sense with Ewya's blessing painted across his now-bare face

The scars of wearing the mask for so long fade as the days go by and the bloody marks from shattered glass heal

Injuries that should be months away from better start to scab and soon he's only lined in pink scars, the soreness there but his body healing like a na'vi

The sand and sun don't burn his shoulders or feet, something Norm swore would happen

The ilu let him on their backs and the fauna are suddenly that much less threatening

It's a clear sign if any that Ewya has put an end to their shit

Spider remains pale and small, still human but not as painfully so

Kiri remains on cloud nine, thriving in the knowledge that her people finally see her brother like she has

It's safer for him, no one able to dispute his place, and slowly he's blended into the family he always wanted

There's a lot of conversation that needs to be held but...he's safe

It feels like a happy ending

Problem: it's not an ending

There's still a war on the horizon and he's still a human man

His skin still tears, his lungs still burn at a na'vi child's pace, and his body still can't handle everything his siblings can

He's still almost killed by his boyfriends courting gift, a fish seasoned with a little more potent spices than what a human can handle

It's something his siblings know but the adults now find themselves confronted rather plainly with

Neytiri is still learning to accept him, still bringing him into her brood, when she has to face that falling out a 30' tree isn't a skinned knee to a human boy

He's no where near the top, something Jake tells her would have been far worse, but 8' up in search of coastal fruit will still break a humans leg

It scares her in a way she was unprepared for

She carries him back home with Kiri at her hip mocking her and her charge relentlessly, Spider flushed red and indigent at his siblings banter

It's when she lays him down and begins to wrap the injury when she see's the next little sign of his blessing

The little sign to tell her that he's hers

The freckles along his thigh, tiny and dark next to her own, resemble the bioluminescence that cover her body

Really though, it's the little pattern that looks so much like her sisters that makes her pause

Na'vi spots and stripes are a matter of pride, something they pass down to their children and a little visual symbol of their family connection

Her children often would paint their families stripes across his skin in something that always enraged her, but this is small, an organic addition she never noticed

She feels ridiculous crying over freckles to her mate later, but for now she just leans her head down to Spider's and brushes her lips across his forehead

"Ohe see ngenga, my tìrol"

What do you think the sullys family reaction to spiders torture would, be I honestly don’t think they’re going to address it in avatar three but I wanted to hear your opinion on it? (make it as dark as you want👹)

Hey!!

I do love a good dark angst 😈 but I def read this wrong and wrote the wrong headcanons lmao so sorry for the wait

I’m doing this in headcanon format for simplicity, N$FW/darker content below the cut.

TW: (All implied, nothing explicit) underage, violence, torture, S harassment/possible implied SA (depends on how you read it, tag is to be safe), humiliation, blood, starvation, isolation, emotional manipulation, abuse 

—— 

Spider didn't meant to tell them, he fully intended on taking it all to the grave unless something might help them in the war. But that was it - he wanted to move on

When he gets back, Jake and Neytiri scare him

He tries not to let them but he keeps thinking that Quaritch is back and he didn't get home whenever they come up behind him. Out of the corner of his eye they don't look like the people he wanted to be his parents. They don't even look like friends

They're kinder though, Jake especially, and slowly he feels himself being brought in

He won't ruin it with some stupid trauma response

He flinches away from them and can't sleep near them but sometimes Jake rubs his head or Neytiri will run her fingers over his shoulders when she passes. He swallows down the anxious nausea and relishes in it.

He. Can't. Ruin. it

He wears a shirt now and loose shorts that offer more coverage than his loincloth. He keeps a knife on a beaded belt over the shorts in an awkward combination of fashions and keeps his hair loose so it can't be grabbed so easy. The dreads are gone and so are his stripes but he thinks it's okay, he's just growing up. No one needs to worry.

He thinks he's done well at hiding it but it seems he underestimated the couple drastically.

Kiri ends up being the one to approach him

The family whispers about what to do, how to help, or if they can. They spent the first couple months mourning their own losses and caring for Neteyam but Spider hasn't gotten better. Tired of the indecision, Kiri slips out of their marui and stalks after her best friend

He's with Rotxo on the beach, drooping and tired but relaxed with the other boy. They've been spending more time together and he seems more comfortable around the Metkayina lately.

They don't look like his Dad, like the recoms that claimed him, and Rotxo would never hurt him. None of them would, they're safe.

He snaps awake when Kiri lands a gentle hand on his shoulder. He jerks closer to Rotxo who supports him but urges him closer to his sister.

"Sorry, sorry..can we talk?" Rotxo gives him a look and Kiri holds out her hand so...yeah. Spider stands and she leads him to the treeline

She sits him down with their feet in the sand and leans her head on his shoulder. She's playing mean and she knows it, knows she's his weakness and always has been. His stomach twists and he knows she's going to get what she wants.

"What happened?"

He bites his lip, brows pinched, and tries not to give anything away. "Was tired, it was a long day. Ro helped me with his ilu."

"You know that's not what I meant." He shrivels and leans his head into her hair. She smells salty and sand clings to her messy waves but she's always been his person.

"I...they're monsters, Kiri. Monsters. I...They hurt me." His voice cracks and his head is in her hands, dipping their foreheads to meet. "I just want this to stop..." He was fine. He was.

But she holds him and he finally breaks.

She listens while he chokes on the tears, telling her how his back hurts with the healing injuries she didn't know were there. He cries over the wrong feeling of fabric clothes but he doesn't feel safe without them. She wraps him up in her arms and they lay there. The stars are out now but they don't move and he doesn't realize that, suspiciously, no one comes looking. No one ever does.

When they finally stand, they don't go home. She leads him to the med tents still set up from the battle and sits him on the bed. Silently, she removes his shirt and gingerly applies salve to the stripes reaching around his body. Her tears land on his shoulders and his own on his thighs but he's not humiliated like he was before.

"..are there more?" He shifts, nods, and she does the same process to his thighs. Those aren't as bad, mostly from rough handling and straps but she continues her quiet ministrations none the less. Finally, she finishes, and they go home

He hasn't slept well in weeks, tossing and turning and afraid but she nudges him into the pile of her brothers and drapes herself on top. Lo'ak blinks wearily at him but Neteyam just wraps an arm around his clothed chest and pulls him tight. Lo'ak and Kiri have a silent conversation and soon he's the center of a very cozy pile of limbs and heat

His brothers flank him on either side, Tuk joining between himself and Lo'ak halfway through the night, and Kiri curled at his head with her head cushioned on Neteyams chest

It's the first good sleep he has since he got home

The peace is ruined come morning though

He's the last one to wake, Tuk mysteriously is missing, and the family is sitting around bowls of food. Kiri looks at him, shaky, and gestures him to her.

They sit there, Spider holding a bowl of his favorite stew, and no once speaks. He curses himself internally, not wanting to break.

Jake breaks the silence, "Spider, kid, I, ah, think we need to talk about what happened. Kiri said you're hurt and you haven't been acting right. I know, I do, that the humans are cruel. I know we didn't come but Sullys stick together. You're family now..." He swallows, guilty and nervous, " please talk to us."

He denies it, tries to stop it, but Neytiri steps in. Her voice is low and calm, like she uses on Tuk, but there's an anger in her eyes when she scans his shoulders.

"Ma Spider, tell us what they did. Your brothers and sister may leave if you wish, but you are safe. Tell me what I avenge."

He grips Lo'aks hand and Kiri's, head low, and breaks.

He tells them about the whipping, the starvation. He tells them about the machine that splayed him open and how he didn't give them up. He talks about choking on his blood and watching his memories, about Quaritch saying he sees him. How traveling with him was so much better than base until it wasn't. He tells them about walking to the shower with eyes on him, about being gawked at and hungry eyes. How he was left alone for a week and a half with his songcord and fear. What happened when they found it. Quaritch humming his song and making him bleed.

When he's done, Jake reaches for him and he flinches back harshly into Lo'ak. His brother, to his credit, just bundles him up and holds him tight with his ears drawn back in warning. Kiri has a hand on his back and Neteyam slips between them and the adults. He doesn't give them details, just the gist, but he feels lighter.

His family does not.

Jake spends the next days with Tonowari and Norm. Rage is filling every inch of him but he sits at the table and plans

He uses the information given to try and figure out how to fix it. It won't happen again, he'll destroy them, but he doesn't know how he'll get his son back to the way he was

He blames himself and brews. He feels weak and raw and can't process how badly he's failed. Norm, of all people, tries to tell him its not his fault but he doesn't think he'll ever not hate himself for leaving a child to be tortured

Spider wasn't his yet and his kids weren't safe. He knows that, but he knows no one came for him and Tommy either

He never thought he would be that person - he thought he would be better

He hates that his kids know

He hates that they were there and know what happened. That they know how he failed their best friend

He's afraid to interact with Spider, he's scared to scare him ultimately. But he also needs Spider to trust him. He and Neytiri are trying to figure out how to ask him if they can adopt him through a claiming ceremony, but right now he still jumps if they touch him

Toruk Makto knows he did the right thing. Jake Sully will never forgive himself or humanity for the lines they cross.

Neytiri is an active threat to humanity

She never trusted Spider, never felt safe with him, but she couldn't hate him

She left him and she'll always carry that, but children are precious and a Na'vi warrior would never hurt an enemy child

Na'vi don't hurt their children. They don't leave them or starve them or beat them. She already hated Quaritch but she hates him more now

But its the forced Tsaheylu that haunts her

Spider would never have that bond. That's what she thought, but the one time he does he is mocked and hurt.

The idea that humanity could hurt anyone with such a sacred thing, let alone a child of their own species, brings her to enough rage to burn down all of Bridgehead, innocents be damned

She hated humanity but now she has a human she loves. Spider is hers now, Jake brought him in after the battle and claimed him as theirs. He's hers

They'll burn for touching him

He's hurt in ways warriors rarely ever reach and so she snaps

She's already a merciless fighter but it's tenfold now. She will leave no survivors when sky-people come and she will see their blood pay the debt they owe

But for now, for now she takes care of her little ones. She helps Neteyam heal his arm. She teaches Lo'ak how to fight, helps Tuk get faster so she will survive, and helps Kiri become a healer to rival her mother. Spider is still learning to relax with the adults but she's his silent protector and soon he lets her heal his back.

She wraps his injuries and holds him when he's weak. He's small in her arms and she curses anyone who would lay a hand on things so precious

Rage fills her but she spends the time waiting to strike with her children and helping them heal like she never did

Neteyam won't let this happen again

He spends his time with Ao'nung and Rotxo

They're the next generation and he won't let things get so bad when its their turn

A part of him will always resent his parents for what they did. He loves and respects them more than words offer but he almost died saving his little brothers and they're still hurt so damn bad

He gave them everything he had and it wasn't enough

So he plans

He combines Omaticaya and Metkayina fighting styles. He compares defense, strategies, and discusses how they'll work together

He, Ao'nung, and Rotxo spend hours fighting and wrestling, training themselves to be strong

They'll be leaders one day and they won't be loosing their friends again

Part of him is haunted by the cruelty though

He idolizes his dad and can't imagine how the people he came from could be so cruel and make him

But he understands his mothers hatred now

And he thinks he knows it too. They took her sister and now his brother.

He's never hated someone before but he thinks he hates Miles Quaritch.

His mother just might have to fight him to deliver the killing blow

Lo'ak is protective

Anyone looks at Spider the wrong way and he's ready with a fist to the nose

He was the one that went back for Spider

He was the one that ran into the ship

Spider is his brother and best friend, his family is stepping in now but it's his job to be there

Older or not, Spider isn't as strong as them. His skin rips and his body exhausts so much easier than theirs does. He wasn't there before but he has to be now

Anyone who thinks about messing with Spider needs to go through him

His body itches with energy, with the need to do something but there's nothing for a 14 year old to do

So he just stays nearby

He distracts Spider, surrounds him with the friends they've made, and keeps him safe

He takes him on ilu rides and to visit Payakan. He introduces him to the plants around the coast and shows him the reefs with Tsireya.

He honestly becomes a menace, it's cute but Spider has to try and dodge him to get alone time

But he's a little brother and he does what little brothers do

He pesters. It annoys Spider to no end but, honestly, he doesn't think he would stop him if he could

Kiri tries to heal him.

She can't fix things but she resolves to be by his side

She spends the evenings with him just talking and laughing, he tells her things no one else gets to know and things feel a little bit normal in a twisted sort of way

They lean on each other through the healing and hurt. They coach each other through the feelings as best they can. They're best friends and always have been

She won't let that change

She wraps his wounds and learns how to ease the pain from her mother

She spends hours with Ronal and Tsireya to learn how the ocean fixes hurts and shares how the forest does the same

Its her self proclaimed job to make sure his injuries heal but so does his mind

Tsaheylu is sacred and so she talks to him about Ewya, his father, and the fear he still has

It is on him to get through it in the end but she staples herself to his side to make sure he doesn't do it alone

She makes Neteyam help too but honestly her brothers are stupid so its on her to be the support

Overtime, she and Tsireya gather together a collection to make Spider more Na'vi-esque clothes that offer him the coverage he wants

They try to make him feel like Spider again, braiding his hair, covering the bruises and scars, and painting his arms in new stripes to look more akin to their own.

He goes through stripes of each of his friends families, mimicking their patterns in little ways for them to lay their claim

She isn't the most affectionate person but for him, she finds herself making it happen

She loves him so for now, being there will have to be enough

Tuk is just a kid, she doesn't know what's happening

Spider is. . .different and she's smart enough to know it's bad

But her family won't tell her what happened or what's wrong

Spider just looks sad and her family are acting weird, but he's getting better

It's slow, but she's gonna help and it'll be faster

So she brings him toys and climbs on him, drags him deeper into the sleep pile each night and offers him the treats she steals from the cookfire

While her siblings get breathing lessons, she brings him to the tidepools and makes him weave shells into her hair

She does all the little things that her family do for her to make her feel better and thinks, quite proudly, she's making him better

Everyone gets sick sometimes, sometimes it's just in someone's head. Besides, Spider always is sicker than her brothers and sister - she just has to be persistent

He'll get better. She's sure of it.

Neteyam is gay. Like, no doubts about it, man is a homosexual.

That takes him a long time to admit though; his entire identity surrounded being the oldest and a warrior, it wasn't until he reached the Metkayina that he finally had a moment to breath and realize why Ao'nung was so distracting to him

It's like he can finally breathe, not even for the sake of questioning his sexuality and more so cause he finally feels like a piece of the puzzle clicked together

Homie has identity issues galore

It takes Jake back a bit to realize Neteyam is gay though, in part due to internalized earth stuff but also just because he has to admit that Neteyam is a teenager and still feels teenager things in a war

It's him realizing Neteyam only grew up in war, that its already been his childhood

Spider is demiromantic, bisexual, and trans. He has almost zero preference towards gender romantically or physically but feelings take a minute for him to develop. However, when they do, he falls hard

I love trans!Spider but don't use it all the time cause it's a process to work in canon

However, FTM Spider was sort of a clumsy coming out

Na'vi are intersex, it's very fluid, even if some still believe there should be some version of a binary

So no one quite understand why the humans are so strict on their genders or why it's such a big deal for Spider than he is a he and not a she.

He just sort of breaks down with Lo'ak and Kiri who panic and try to fix things. He thinks it's a big thing and no one really gives a shit, he's still the little stray human, but some of the older teens and stuff realize how much he cares and make an effort to make him feel good about it

He worries it'll make him more of a freak but he has a gaggle of siblings, and later friends, who reassure him that they couldn't particularly care less

His coming out is what triggers Kiri's

Kiri is an asexual lesbian who uses she/they pronouns

Unlike the romantic preferences, being asexual is a little bigger of a deal but Neytiri specifically will shut down anyone who gives her baby any shit

Being ace is a bigger thing because there is so much emphasis on intimacy and seeing one another, however, Kiri very passionately proves to anyone that she doesn't need sex to connect with anyone.

Lo'ak has actively gotten into fights to help when people start shit with them

Kiri didn't really have a sexuality crisis though

They just kind of knew, something her brothers are endlessly jealous of

Tsireya is her first crush though

Lo'ak is the one who gets it bad but Kiri admittedly fell hard for her

She was gorgeous and sweet, cared about the environment around them in a way no one their age ever seems to

Plus she stands up for her and Kiri wanted to show her what she sees so bad it made her stomach curl

But she stepped back for Lo'ak, as bittersweet as it was, she felt so good just enjoying the innocent feeling

It just felt good to have normal teenage feelings in the midst of a war

Lo'ak is bisexual, however, he would tell you he is Tsireyasexual

He is one track minded

The most loyal partner ever tho

Like, if you're his person, he is honed in

Being bi was never really a huge thing for him but he was the last one of all the teenagers to come out

He just forgot

He was sitting with Tsireya while everyone hung out and Tsireya pointed out a cute guy to him and they took in the view together while everyone kind of just ??? this is new?

It wasn't, homie really just forgot to tell people

It was a given to him

Funnily enough, he has the same taste as Kiri

Tsireya is not the first girl they both liked

While he is bi, he does lean mostly towards girls

He's a sucker for pretty

It's bad, Tsireya flutters her lashes at him and he'll do damn near anything

A simp (TM)

Tuk is too young rn to really care but when she's older, I think she's pan

People her age are much fewer and she just likes friends

Her first crush is Rotxo's little sister cause she keeps following him to hang out when Tuk is a preteen

She's hella obvious and all of the older ones think it's hilarious to tease her, she's worse than Lo'ak when he first saw Tsireya

She's bringing her shells and little flowers, trying to show off in games and dress pretty

Tsireya and Neteyam take mercy and help her get her act together but nothing comes of it

Once it starts tho she's a hopeless romantic

She has a new crush every other week of her early teen years but never gets to be a better flirt

She's a mini Lo'ak that way

He tries to coach her and says she didn't get it from him but it's obvious

Ao'nung is demi. He leans towards men physically but he is almost as bad as Neteyam in terms of thinking himself responsible for everyone

Tonowari tries desperately to break him of that mindset and Ronal is constantly trying to take pressure off of him but it's just in his nature

So he, like Neteyam, doesn't think about relationships much

He has, however, been a hopeless romantic with a laundry list of brief crushes over the years

He falls hard for Neteyam though when he arrives

Mainly because he finally feels seen, he's a big one on emotional connections

No one at home understands the pressure on him so when Neteyam shows up, shepherding siblings and standing as his fathers right hand, he doesn't know what to do

He tries to cover it up, worried still for the safety of his clan, and scare them off

A little selfish part of him was afraid of the feelings and wanted them gone

Clearly that doesn't work but, once they realize they both like one another, it doesn't take him long to latch on

He and Neteyam become close rapidly and fall into a relationship fast once things are started (a genuine surprise to literally everyone)

A very devoted partner; he learned from his Dad and takes being a good partner seriously

it took him a really long time to feel confident in himself so once he and Neteyam are together, he's devoted to becoming a strong partner to demonstrate a strong relationship to his partner

Metkayina are extremely family based and he will not let them down

Tsireya is pan

She has so much love in her she doesn't know what to do with it

Falls hard and fast, Ao'nung has spent years trying to keep her from falling for everyone who she connects just a little bit with

Actually did have a crush on Kiri too, though she had one on Lo'ak at the same time

Might by poly but she never investigates it

She's very spiritual and spends a lot of time with the ancestors so her partner needs to care too

Like she makes Lo'ak ask the ancestors for their blessing when she accepts his courting

He was scared shitless and got teasingly (?) threatened by her deceased uncle

She cares deeply about helping others to the point of being naive - she has gotten hurt before because of it so she needs some reassurances in relationships

Lo'ak is not her first relationship but he is the first really healthy one

She's prone to trying to fix people honestly, she doesn't get what she puts in a lot

However, when she does, she's a little angel

Gifts, cooking, help; whatever she can do to show her love she'll do

Wants to be Tsahik so she's terrified Neteyam will take the job

He lets her happily, preferring to be a line of defense for his people regardless

Rotxo has no clue what he is

He just knows he likes Spider

He's a giant softie

Like gentle giant himbo vibes but fiercely protective of his family

Very proud of his home and his heritage

He has two moms so sexuality wasn't really a big deal growing up, however, he just didn't really care

He just likes who he likes

He had a bigass crush on Ao'nung for a bit but later realized it was just a deep platonic love

Unlike most of the crew, he doesn't fall easily

Like he has had maybe 2 crushes his entire life

So falling for Spider is a shock

But he's just happy to find his feelings returned

He's a big provider type, likes giving gifts and taking care of his friends

He has a lot of issues about feeling useful and needed; he grew up in Ao'nungs shadow and so feels like he needs to fight to be seen

Hence part of how he and Spider bonded

While very gentle, he's very passionate about being a warrior once he finally feels like he has a reason to be

Does a lot of soul searching after the Sullys come

He still has a lot to learn about himself but feels much more at peace now that he doesn't feel like just Ao'nungs best friend

Songcord

Tuk was the one who realized that Spider didn't have a songcord

He had been around for a while at this point, having become a constant around the time Kiri learned to walk. She doesn't understand why her Mama hates him and says to stay away - Lo'ak and Kiri like him a lot and they have more fun chasing him then Neteyam! Neteyam is too fast and Spider is her size.

He's nice and lets her climb him and carries her even though her big siblings say she's getting too big - which, if Spider can carry her she is most certainly not too big - and plays her games while the others go to their training or apprenticeships

Sometimes he even brings her feathers and pretty things for her hair!

So yeah, when she gets to have her ceremony and holds her songcord for the first time, she's beyond concerned to find out that Spider doesn't have one

While they’re little, the cords hang in their hut until they're old enough to decide what to do with them. As it is, Lo'ak wants to braid his in his hair and Neteyam wants to put it on his bow like his mother. But there's a gap, one thats probably accidental, and she knows Spider should have his there

So she makes it her mission to be the best little sister ever and make one for him

After-all, if no one else is gonna do it then she, a craft master, is most certainly qualified

Grandmother makes most of the cords in the early stages so she inconspicuously asks for the twine to start it and how to make a bead. She asks why she needs it and Tuk tells her it's for her mother. Grandmother looks hopeful at that and gives it to her easily so Tuk knows she agrees with her. It's not till years later that she'll realize that Grandmother thought her mother had a realization...or another pregnancy. But she likes to think the first.

But...making beads is harder than she thought

She uses bone she found near the cooking fires - which, gross, Spider better like it - but whittling it is hard with only sharp pieces of the bone and rocks she found

The bead she makes is jagged and not very round and she almost cut herself a dozen times cause it's sharper than it looks but finally she has something that resembles the first beads on her cord. The knots are easier and she adds it to the start with pride. She adds a little of his blue paint cause it's his and that way it starts with him and her. Right as it should.

But even her cord has more than one bead.

Making this one was hard but Spider is her big brother and she can do it - besides, the look on her siblings faces when she presents his gift will be worth it.

So she starts wandering the outskirts of high camp with the cord on her belt. While she searches, she hums the first chords she can add. A happy little tune with a dramatic flourish; perfect so he remembers her when he sings it.

However, finding anything of use near the camp is proving futile. Nothing she finds is strong enough for a bead and the feathers are muddy and gross.

With her fathers determination, she sneaks past the bushes lining camp and into the forest

She makes it approximately 5 feet before Neteyam scoops her up.

Neteyam groans and Tuk finds herself propped up on chest, legs locked around his hips. She whines and squirms but unfortunately Neteyam is a seasoned big brother and there's no success in her attempted escape.

"Tuktuk, what do you think you're doing? You know you're not allowed outside of camp." The look on his face is disappointed and her tummy twists at the sight, but she has a good reason!

"I needed better bead stuff, the stuff in camp is yucky or is too hard." She whines but it isn't until he responds that she realizes her mistake.

"Bead supplies? Tuk what do you need bead supplies for?"

And so the surprise is busted

But...maybe she could get help

"..Spider doesn't have a songcord. I have one, you have one, Lo' has one, and Kiri has one...but he doesn't...so I'm making it. But I only have one bead."

And Neteyam doesn't know how to respond to that

Spider has been around since he could walk, they were together while Jake and Neytiri visited Kiri in her incubator, he realistically should have several beads by now. His chord should have his birth, his family, his first bow, the feather of his first kill...but Spider isn't Na'vi. He's not of the People...but it's Spider

Mom really wouldn't like it

But...it's Spider

And so he finds himself snatching Kiri's arm while she leaves her lessons. Covering her mouth when she shrieks and Tuk grabs her leg. Which, he doesn't really know why she did that, but it's Tuk. He pulls her between the huts while the other kids move on and mumbles his apology.

"Tuk, 'Teyam, what in Ewya's name are you doing?" She hisses, ears bent back, and eyes narrow. Her tail swishes angrily behind her and Neteyam realizes belatedly he could have done this better.

"We need your help. It-It's for Spider, we're making him a songcord. Tuk made him a bead but...we need help making more. You work with Grandmother, can you help us?"

And if Neteyam knows anything, its his sisters weakness for their oldest friend.

It's a long pause while she processes but soon, she relaxes, and he feels the tension leave his shoulders. Her tail slows and she takes a deep breath before she replies; "..fine. But if we do this, we all do this. Get Lo'ak and meet me behind Grandmothers. Quietly. She's out with Mother but I don't want to explain this before its done...you know Mom will be pissed, right?"

And Neteyam does...damn he does, but he nods.

With determination, they're off.

And so that is how he finds himself in a clumsy circle with his siblings surrounding him. Bone and wood are in the center of their circle, small paints with them, and a jumble of small blades. Kiri has seen Grandmother do this before and so she leads them through making their beads with a different ease than Tuk found by herself

Tuk spends the time weaving feathers into the bottom of the chord and adding bits of paint to the finished beads. They make a bags worth, albeit a small bag, for Spider too. He'll need more. Their beads by no means look to par with their own but they try their best. Each painting and carving with as much patience as they can muster.

It takes them the rest of the day but soon they have a small pile ready. Kiri takes the pieces and spends the next day tying the knots and attaching them as secure as a 10 year old can.

It's time consuming but in a few days of work between apprenticeships, meals, and whatever else may keep them within sight of the adults, they have a songcord

Its messier than theirs and small, the knots aren't as tight and the symbolism in it is meager. They wanted to keep it happy but without parents to record his beginnings, its small knots of Spider growing up in basecamp with the first beads being the familial bead they each made of themselves. They added feathers from some of their favorite varieties to the bottom and, in place of training memories, added times he won a game or did something cool. It's different but so is their brother.

They decide to present it to him together, since it was something they all made. Normally he would have a ceremony for it but they decide that his could be them.

They steal him away in the evening, right before it's time for him to head back to camp. They want him alone so the adults can ruin the moment; while some of the younger adults have accepted Spider into their ranks, they don't know how the older warriors would respond.

Tuk is the one who catches him and pulls him into the treeline. They settle into the clearing where they usually play and, anxiously, they give Tuk the cord. She walks forward and nervously holds it out. The older trio sit in nervous silence as they wait for Spider to respond.

"I...guys what is this?" Spiders face is bright red and they'd worry if it weren't for the smile trying to win over his face.

"It..its your cord, Bro. Tuk said you don't have one so...we made it." Lo'ak responds first and scoots closer, Tuk at his side. "I-I made the first one and then I got the feathers and the pretty rocks on the bottom. Kiri and 'teyam and Lo' made most of the beads but I helped paint 'em. The bag has more for later cause Kiri knows how to knot 'em in. And...And we made the song too.." Tuk grins, nervous but clearly excited. She turns and runs to her sister who begins to hum

Kiri closes her eyes, humming softly the little song her siblings made for him. Spiders grinning at this point, 12 years old and teary eyed. He scoots closer and pulls the siblings into a hug as she finishes.

"Thank you, thank you-" He cuts himself off laughing, the others joining in. There they stay until eclipse is waning over their heads and time is up.

Spider braids the cord into his hair and it's with him when Quaritch catches him. They don't know its significance to take if from him but he clings to it in his cell, humming the song to himself as he waits for help thats not coming.

Friendships

Kiri and Spider have been best friends since the beginning

They met when Kiri was still an infant and Spider around 2. He still wasn't allowed to leave the labs but he snuck in to one of Kiri's checkups

He was a climber and a builder - hence his name - and so it was hard to keep him out of where he wanted to be

So when the toddler heard another cry in the building it was only a matter of time before he found it

He wanders, stumbling through the offices he's confined to and sneaking until he reaches the Avatars

Jake is there, Kiri in his arms, sitting next to Ms. Grace's tank. He's talking and it sounds like a story which Spider loves so he of course toddles his way over. He climbs into the Na'vi's lap without regard for his size, skin, or the fact that he's only met Jake a handful of times.

Jake, to his credit, catches the tiny human with a free palm under his butt. Paying no heed to the flabbergasted look on the mans face, he peers down to stroke the girls cheek

He flies for a moment while Jake tries to keep them apart but then the girl has his hand in her palm

She blinks up with big eyes and Spider offers a giant toothless grin: there was no going back after that

Neteyam comes with Kiri

He's Spiders age but double his size, 2' taller for the 2 months he's younger

Still, Spider doesn't let the few kids his age on Pandora get away. He's a social butterfly and opts to conquer Neteyam's introverted ways.

And so he toddles after the blue boy everytime he comes with his sister

Kiri is growing fast, especially next to human growth standards, but she still has a ways to go to meet Spider, so her big brother will have to do

It's 3 months of toddling after him, pulling his tail, and playing with the pretty beads adoring his hair while Neytiri tries desperately to keep the little human away from him

But, once again, containing Spider is mission the adults surrounding him have yet to accomplish

And so Neteyam finds himself with a little blonde flea attached to his side

He chases the younger boy through the halls, giggling at the tiny hisses Neteyam lets out when he catches him. He pulls his tail and climbs onto his big boy bed - he can use the grown up bunks now! - while Neteyam tackles his obstacles with ease.

The other boy is shyer but Spider has learned how to rile him up by now

They play for the hour or two that Jake spends with Kiri getting monitored in the labs. If Neytiri is there then it's harder, but Spider can normally get a story for them at least.

It continues on for a while with Kiri joining them as she starts to crawl, then toddle with their hair or her brothers tail in her fist

And it seems that gets Spider a little too comfortable

Namesake on full display, he tries to climb the bunkbed ladders of the bunk room while Neteyam is chasing him

He's gotten far too big for most of Spiders tricks to slow him down so the child thinks this is his chance to get a rare upper hand

Except bunk beds are tall and metal is slick and maybe Spider isn't really that much of a big kid yet

He really does try to catch himself but its too slippery and he hits the ground hard

The scientists around the lab don't like it when he cries and really does try to keep it in, but his arm really hurts and he can't help but let it escape

He waits for Neteyam to mock him or tell him to stop but instead finds himself craddled against the boys chest.

"Shhhh, shh, 's okay Spi, just stop cryin'. I-I'll get my Daddy and Uncl' Norm." Spider only shakes his head and cries more, clinging to the other boys beads.

"No'uh, 'm okay. 'm a big boy."

Neteyam stutters for a minute before he nods. The two boys stay curled on the floor for a few minutes then with Spiders arm cradled between them.

"Don't worry, 'm here Spi. Every'tings okay."

Their relationship is never as close as the others growing up but there's an understanding between them the others never have

They're equals, the two oldest brothers.

They might be opposites but they've got one another's backs...even if that's just taking left while the other takes right to corner Lo'ak at highcamp.

Neteyam never made friends easily

Spider forced himself into the picture and his siblings never really got a choice in the matter

Sure, being the Ole'ekytans son meant some of the other kids would clamor for his attention but he never did good at being more than casual

Responsibilities stack on him like like the berries on Tuks tarts: he doesn't have the time or strength to devote to anything else

His siblings are enough though. There's a war and he can't loose focus or they'll get hurt

He left them once and lost Spider - he won't let it happen again

It gets lonely though

He chases after his kid brother and protects his sisters from as much as he can but...there's no one to look after him

Then he meets Ao'nung

Ao'nung is brave and cool and gets it in a way his siblings just can't

He may not have grown up in a war but he has a little sister and another on the way - he knows the responsibility of an important father and its addicting to have that person in his life

They lean on eachother, quietly, and he finally has something for himself

He tells him things he never told anyone else

He talks about his fathers expectations and pressure, his mothers trauma, his worry over the human they left behind, and his fear for Kiri's future. He talks about Lo'ak running into danger and Tuk losing her innocence and Ao'nung talks about his anger. About the fear he has of whats to come, about Tsireya and how he worries this will break her. He's weak around him and Neteyam savors it.

Time goes by and he gets hurt. His arm might never be the same as it was and his ear still rings with the echoes of gunshots but he has his brother back and his family is safe

Neytiri finally, finally lets Spider come home but it's not over

He doesn't think it ever will be

But Ao'nung slips his hand into his and maybe he'll be okay

Maybe he doesn't have to do this alone

Rotxo was Ao'nungs first friend

They were friends from the first time they sat through lessons together and they've been attached at the hip ever since

Rotxo knows Ao'nung will be a great Ole'ekytan but he'll need a right hand and Rotxo is ready to step up

For a long time he thinks maybe he'll be more than that but the Sullys arrive and they both find that path a different way

Still, they're eachothers person

They back one another up no matter what and there is rarely one without the other

In training they pair up, have joint moves that they make just for themselves and know the others gaps or weaknesses like its their own

Tonowari didn't want to train them for war but they didn't want to risk being unprepared

So when the sky people reach their waters, they spend every hour they can steal with one another

They spar and wrestle and carve more weapons

Their hands shake with fear and adrenaline but they keep their thighs pressed to the others and carry on

Rotxo gains muscle mass and Ao'nung learns to use a bow Neteyam carved. They grow their skills, their strength, but also their fear

Unlike the Sullys, they didn't grow up with war on the horizon

They don't know what's coming and cling to each other while they can.

No matter what, they know they can rely on the other

It isn't until they see Quaritch dead that they'll let go of the breath they're holding but they hold the other up until then

Nothing could pry them apart and nothing that tries will walk away

Spider brainrot

I've seen this before but he did his hair in the dreads to try and mimic Jake; no one ever really taught him how to maintain or care for his hair. After getting taken, his hair is in such bad condition they shave it to his scalp.

It grows back curly and darker than he expected. It takes a while to thicken but Kiri rubs salves and oils into his hair to help. When its finally back in decent shape she and Tsireya go to town braiding an styling it.

He ends up with longer hair eventually that is in Viking braids to the back of his head, then it's a messy bunch of curls down to his shoulders.

Once he is accepted into the family, Neytiri helps him braid in family beads to remind him that he's theirs now. It's small but she needs him to know she's there.

Tuk likes to collect shells and pretty stones to make jewelry and she ends up using some to braid into his hair - her other siblings don't let her but Spider can seriously not say no to her

He and Tsireya get along a lot better than anyone expected

After getting tortured and having to deal with so much so fast, her calming presence does really well for him. Plus, he has all the blackmail she could want on Lo'ak

They also are both secret gossips and will sneak away for "lessons" where they ride her ilu and talk shit

Rotxo takes a special liking to Spider and it freaks Ao'nung and Lo'ak the fuck out

Netyam (cause he's alive here bitch) is hovering constantly trying to make sure he's not getting bullied but they just genuinely vibe together

Rotxo has a crush on Spider and Kiri. They both know about him liking the other but not themselves.

Spider is demi/bi, Kiri is demi/ace, Lo'ak is bi, Neteyam is gay, Tisreya has no damn clue, Ao'nung is bi but closeted, and Rotxo is pan.

About half the younger na'vi love Spider cause funny little monkey boy and y'know, life is already weird and the other half woul lowkey drown him if left alone

That goes for Lo'ak too but that's just cause he's a little shit

Home

Home

Spider was never meant to find Home 

He knows that. No matter what Kiri whispers to him, what Lo’ak insists when the young warriors of the Omatikaya attempt to chase him off, or what Neteyam mumbles when Neytiri whips around with venom on her lips - he knows it, because if it were wrong, it would mean that everything that’s happened was for no reason. He can’t go that route, and so Home is just a concept he’ll never know 

His siblings tempt to sway him many times over the years - they feel so much like Home it hurts, but he’s not so selfish to risk it for them when he knows he already took it from their mother 

He’s seen his father in the photos the scientists don’t know he has, video logs that show a man that’s only been a horror story his whole life 

But what scares him is he sees himself 

He sees his eyes, the scowl when he’s angry, the cinch in his brow. He scowls at the image and sees his own face stare back. 

So yeah. He doesn’t have a home. He has siblings though, and that’s more than he deserves. So Spider is okay. Really, he is.

But then his Dad shows up 

—- 

Quaritch is everything he thought he’d be and…not. 

He’s angry. The man is full of hate and a need for revenge. He destroys the ground beneath his feet and spits on the life that’s surround them. He doesn’t know Ewya but he hates her none the less. 

But he’s protective. Possessive of what’s his (and yet another damn thing he got from his father) and it seems Spider is included in that

He hates it but a part of him feels protected - it’s safe in the that’s holding a poison blade is. He’s one slip up from hell 

But hell was bridgehead. It was the feeling of his deepest parts being pried out and displayed like the pages of a storybook 

No one cared as they saw some of his best and his darkest days. 

No one cared when the whips came out. When he bled so much he worried it was fatal 

No one cared when he starved, when the distant sound of wildlife made his stomach twist with need. 

Except Quaritch. 

Quaritch snuck him food, bandaged his back, and pulled him down. 

His hands may have delivered some of the blows or his lips produced the words to trigger nightmares but he cared. 

Love is complicated, but he knows his Dad loved him

He thinks he may have too 

Quaritch saw him. 

He didn’t know. He thought he did but he didn’t but he wanted to he knows he did - 

Then Neteyam almost dies. No one came for him. They left him, gave him up, except his brothers didn’t 

Neteyam and Lo’ak fought for him. 

They risked their lives when they had the chance to get away

Spider pieces his home together after that

Home finds him in the nights after when he rests with Kiri on his shoulder and Lo’ak’s hand loose in his grip. Tuk is curled into her mothers chest and Jake stands a silent guard at the door. Neteyam is flat on the bed of one of Ronal’s medical tents. His brother has been asleep for a few hours now with Norms assistance, but his family is too afraid to leave his side

He’s been awake the whole time. He hurts in ways he didn’t know he could until his capture but the warmth of his closest friends is too precious to loose right now. Still, he can’t sleep. Adrenaline is running under his skin and anxiety is inching up his throat. Jake is outside, safe and strong, but his tracker could lead the rest of the sky people here again, never mind Norms tempering, or his memories could have a clue, they had to be recorded, or - 

Jake lays a large hand on his shoulder. 

He jumps and a scared gasp escapes his throat before he processes the subtle differences. The thinner fingers, callouses Quaritch hasn’t had time to form yet, the gentleness. 

“You need to sleep, Kiddo.”

Spider shudders and bows his head. “I will, just…can’t. I’ll go lay down in a few hours. When they’re okay.”

He can practically hear Jake roll his eyes. “I’m here. You’re safe, they’re safe. You need to sleep, Son.” 

They both freeze, blood cold and eyes wide, as the silence envelops them.

Then, of course, Lo’ak snores and the moments gone. Jake laughs softly and suddenly exhaustion is pulling at his eyelids. A cushion slides behind him and a hand gently lowers him down. 

“Sleep.” 

The pieces come faster after that.

He cries with Kiri for hours. Laments his father, spills everything he felt. She’s the first one he tells the truth too. She knows more than he thinks anyone else ever will 

He tells her Quaritch is alive. He tells her its all his fault.

She cries, yells, and then they just lay there. She tells him how scared she was of her mother. How lost she felt without him there. 

He looks at her as she cries and another puzzle piece slides into place

Lo’ak and Neteyam came together when they came back for him, but it doesn’t feel settled until later. 

They’re on their ilu with Spider behind Lo’ak as they race out to meet Payakan. He’s giant and beautiful and damn terrifying, but Lo’ak describes him as his soul brother. An extension of himself and a badass of a friend. They tell him how Payakan saved them. How he helped get Spider home

He’s scared and excited and now sure what to make of the beast, but then Lo’ak is leaving him on the ilu and falling into the water 

He rises on a fin the size of a small marui with a loud whoop that can’t help but make Spider laugh in astonished awe 

“Paya, meet my other brother, Spider.” Then a wave of water is splashing over him as Lo’ak laughs in a way he hasn’t heard since the forest 

His breath leaves his lungs as he laughs and laughs, happy for more reasons than one. Neteyam meets his gaze from across the surf and smiles then one quick nod. He holds his gaze and feels the warmth spread in his chest. 

“Team up?”

“Team up.”

Tuk has been his little sister since he held her in his arms for the first time. Neteyam snuck him over when they were barely into puberty and put a baby the size of his torso into his arms 

He remembers her being the most terrifying thing in the world. He was so sure she would be terrified of him, that he would make her cry as soon as she was in his arms and the other kids would realize he’s a monster 

But Tuk has always been Tuk and she just grinned and pulled his hair. Her Tswin fluttered with her affections and he knew he would do anything for her 

He had never seen her angry, truly angry, until she stumbled into him cleaning the cuts along his hips and back. The cloths on the floor are bloody and his skin is angry and mottled but he had been decent at hiding the level of it until now. Behind her, Neytiri stops in her tracks as she takes in his scars 

Tuk’s eyes fill with tears and then he has a bundle of 5’7” child in his arms 

Her eyes flash and she looks like her mother when she growls out; “What happened? They hurt you?” 

He stutters, not knowing what to say when Neytiri kneels down in front of him. She takes the ointment and the bandages in front of him, moves his arm from his side, and begins to apply. Her hands are shaking and he realizes he’s never seen her frazzled 

“You’re a child.” 

He looks up, Tuk now angrily crying in his arms while she cleans and gently bandages the wounds. “I..I know…look, I’m sorry Tuk saw, I-I didn’t think anyone was coming back for a while..” 

“You’re a child. Children are precious. I-I didn’t realize they…that…” She scowls down at the drying blood and puts the wrap down. She pulls him forward so he rests against her with Tuk snug between them. “I’m sorry, Spider. This will not happen again.” 

His face is red and words don’t seem to work but he manages a scared nod. “O-Okay?” 

She nods, decisive, and resumes her work. Then, lifts a dirty dread with a disgruntled finger. “These next. My children will not be seen looking uncared for.” 

And that’s that. He has a family, a home, and it’s all he ever wanted. 

He doesn’t think it could get better. 

Part two coming cause holy shit it's 2000 words

My ‘ite My tsamsiyu UPDATE!

New update of the storyyyy!!!!!

Spider Socorro X Original female character