#Kunsip

[l0nesome-dreams]

Magma board with your local clone simps and fellow hooligans 😌✨

@gregorsmissingarmor @mire-draws-things @hyacinthquetzal

[tagaloak]

(continued)

lo'ak watches the painted kunsips and ikrans that fly, hover, scattered across the horizon like beetles, steadily approaching the island. around him, the metkayina are animated and restless, whispering and pointing with their arms, fingers.

a current of morbid excitement touches the crowd, too. lo'ak is reminded of the day that his family had arrived on awa'atlu's shores, his father's humility, their pleading for uturu. the sensation of being a spectacle. a freak.

but he listens to @skorakstxey speak. the sarentu. a master of memories.

lo'ak forgets his shame, and remembers their solidarity. he remembers it like a spell; he is a child again; he is whole, again. without guilt or fear or hate.

skora touches his head, and lo'ak slowly, instinctively pulls away. embarrassed. he turns his eyes to the sand underneath them, the shade of the trees swaying with the wind.

"all i'm saying is," he huffs, adjusting the strap of the rifle slung over his shoulder, "things are gonna get weirder around here. that's all."

but his mouth slants. a crooked, secret smile. cuspid glinting in the sun. he bumps his shoulder against skora's.

"but. thanks."

[t34-mt]

Text about the meaning behind symbolism:

ctheriks

Those are "ctherik", or "familial charms" for lack of better terms, they are long wooden rectangle slabs. Sometimes they're so long they get segmented and tied together with ropes so they flow better in the wind/easier to pass through. They are a thing in southern valley, and may vary in how they're displayed and made depending on the ethnic group. but that's another story. The first one is the piece his family gave to Tamtam before he immigrated to kaar’kchir. on it, is carved his generation. which includes the litter of his sisters and himself at the bottom. It's an important gift, taken from a long strand it used to be tied to, a token so he always remembers who he is and where he comes from. That he is always welcome back home.

It can also act as a protective symbol to give, as if he dies out there, that his body cant be send back to his family, they cannot do their traditional burial. Thus in mirih culture (southern valley group), this means he cannot rejoin the cycle. the token can act as a guidance for his soul. It is said that if you're far away from home the ctherik, your soul won't wander away and get lost, because the ctherik will make it remember to come back home. You cannot rejoin the cycle, however now you're acting as a protective spirit of the home to watch over your people. Kapone, (second eldest sister) while giving it as protection out of genuine care, also just hoped that this thing will make tamtam remember the culture he's from because she's aware of how kaar'kchir is notorious for making immigrants "lose their identity" to conform to the place better. Funnily enough, kaar'kchir is a huge mix of various kyhuine cultures, and now more recently some maanul ones too. The second ctherik (which does not exist in world) is a small ctherik, with only 1 member on it and the bottom having a crack. This one just represents when Tamtam slowly isolated himself from his own family, giving them radio silence for extended periods of time. not answering any letters anymore, not visiting them. In his world there's only him. The crack is for when he cut ties completely. After years of just making the worst decisions over and over.

The crack is about how he can never come back to them. He is not welcome home anymore. (He could be if he worked on himself a lot, but in his brain, it's over) He feels immense shame whenever he looked at the ctherik he was gifted, so much so he hides it in a container under where he sleeps. It used to be hung in his dorm near the window at all time.

The closest thing to a family he has after is kaahmir's, which he gets invited to spend holidays at. But even then he feels like a disgusting parasite among them, the cultural difference doesn't help in terms of making him feel out of place.

bronze talons maanul

Maanul part and why its half stylized to western knaan'tak art proportions, the individual who was wounded was a western maanul of knaan'tak ethnic group. Tamtam visited these coasts years later. Despite it being under red troupes control he still went. The art found there impacted him.

This is a sort of call back/flashback to him using gunpowder invention for the first time. Tamtam created naahrun prototype (which looked like a bâton à feu back then) and kunsip (gunpowder). The person he shot was from bronze talons (previous name before red troupes). He was a mere front messenger back then for section 4.

Looking back at it he's not proud, even in the moment right after he was in shock. "i just hurt someone with this thing I never used on a living being prior".

there's forever the guilt of it that follows him everywhere. it doesn't help that his inventions was picked up by kaar'kchir, that section 4 weaponry sector lived a huge resurgence because of it, that what he invented led to the death of so many people. Naahrun was made when he was around 16-17 for human age equivalent.

fun fact, maanuls and kyhuines, cry by secreting a bunch of mucus from the tahofah holes and their mouth. tears from eyes are not natural behavior and are associated with certain sicknesses.

The dolls

They're little toys tamtam had. But they're a little modified to be a couple. He yearns to interact and seek physical comfort, however, he can't because of the mental barriers he made.

A lot of relationships he had in his adult life were bad, and sometimes violent towards him. But the dolls are gentle with each others, contrasting with the violence of the rest of the piece. They're idealized figures of what he wish for, if that sounds clear.

They're also made out of ceramic because all his current relationships are so fragile.

burnt paper

its burned paper for self destructive habits, and the blood of the maanul is smeared on it for how the guilt follows him around.

writings

In temples of kaar'kchir, you can write down things you feel guilty about, stuff that haunts you, and mistakes you've done. They're hung in a special room and burned at the end of the first lunar year during a holiday for symbolism.

While tamtam isn't that religious, he still went there to write a bunch because just writing it down his thoughts would help sometimes. He wrote them in south valley conlang (at least in how it should look like cause I'm not doing conlang ever im scared) so no one can understand reading unless they know. Kaar'kchir uses their own modified calligraphy for info.

the hanging charms

Little charms they make in kaar'kchir new years, tamtam and kaah made a few together when he lived at his family's home. The thing with those is while making them, you make a wish for your loved ones ,but you don't say it, if you do it says that your wish will not happen. doing the final ties seals the wish. They're made with the family, while they sit around and chatter about things that happened this first moon lunar year.

misc things:

no interesting meaning apart from me wanting to mention it

kaar'kchir currency the equivalent of alot of coins for us, they're as long as your thumb for reference. Money is not universal, but kaar'kchir is one of the places that works with this system. The more decorated the more the metal tube cost. fun fact tamtam is broke financially

metal ball where you put tea in it then into the outer, its from kaah's family

He had a pet of it, they're notoriously known to bite and be snappy by waving their tail flags. Which does fit tamtam, as he's snappy because he doesn't know how to express distress apart from pushing people away. It was a pet as a child, he doesn't have it as an adult because these guys live 3 years.

i want to write more but im shy now, goodbye thank you for reading

You will overlook the distant edge of spring

symbolic art of the character Tamtam

maanul is meant to look wonky because its based on knaan'tak traditional art proportions, lalala

top corner left kyhuine was based on human front mri

this is how the wip looked like on paint before going on rebelle

[t34-mt]

whats the biggest fumble anyone in altuyur has ever done. im talking like catastrophic consequences because of one stupid small thing

juviniles and teens are known for doing a lot of stupid stuff because they think it's funny, they're overall quite impolite, extremely curious, and very active. Teens even enjoy play fighting amongst each others! So them causing troubles isn't uncommon

But the worst thing that happened, which was a accident is when juvenile kyhuines accidentally created kunsip (gunpowder equivalent) in kaar'kchir. It harmed the juveniles and teens but also created minor fires, and the invention wasn't picked up until the golden age.

Section 4 head lead taught it was a good idea to combine kunsip with lances that took inspiration from maanuls weapons, on paper it sounded good but kunsip is extremely hard to control and caused more damage to the ones who used the weapon than anything else. Overall, kunsip was banned after the golden age for being so unsuccessful but also how this invention was only used to do horrible things (war crimes) .

[tarsyu]

Skorakstxey feels the shift in Lo'ak's demeanor, sensing the weight of memories and emotions that wash over them both. As Lo'ak pulls away slightly, the older man respects his space, allowing him to process in his own time. He listens intently to Lo'ak's words, recognizing the underlying concern masked by casualness. The Sarentu's gaze follows Lo'ak's, observing the approaching kunsips and ikrans with a sense of anticipation tempered by caution. When Lo'ak thanks him, Skorakstxey's expression softens, a warm smile playing at the corners of his lips. He understands the weight of those two simple words, the acknowledgment of their shared history and the bond that holds them together.

"Kezemplltxe." Skorakstxey responds, his voice a gentle reassurance. The Sarentu notices the slight tension in Lo'ak's posture and decides to lighten the mood, understanding the need for a momentary distraction. With ease, he shifts the conversation, seeking to redirect Lo'ak's thoughts away from the approaching spectacle. With a deft hand, he idly twirls his spear-thrower, its familiar weight bringing a sense of comfort amidst the uncertainty. "You know," Skorakstxey begins, his voice carrying a hint of nostalgia, "I remember a time when I was just a little older than you, sitting by the fire with Tawkami elders, listening to stories of our ancestors and the great deeds they accomplished."

As he speaks, Skorakstxey's gaze drifts to the horizon, but his focus remains on Lo'ak, his words a gentle anchor amidst the uncertainty that surrounds them. "Old stories have a way of easing troubled minds," Skorakstxey continues, his tone soothing. "They remind us of where we come from, of the resilience that runs in our blood." The Tsakarem's hand continues to move with practiced ease, his weapon spinning effortlessly in his grasp. He watches Lo'ak closely, noting the way the younger Na'vi's expression changes as he listens to the familiar cadence of his voice.

"And you have always been drawn to those stories, haven't you? You always were the most attentive when I would share them. You are very special, Lo'ak." With a playful glint in his eyes, Skorakstxey nudges Lo'ak gently with his elbow.

"I suppose I've always had a soft spot for you, taronyutsyìp," he admits with a chuckle. "But don't tell your siblings. They might get jealous of all the 'babying' you receive."