#avatar the way of bongwater

[buzzkillchainsaw]

Little family portrait of Syulang, her daughter Tikari (belonging to @nin3kyuu) , her little sister Tsmi and little brother Utu (although he's not so little anymore...you might recognise his design from an older post)

[buzzkillchainsaw]

Nin3kyuu back at it again with the tasty art 🍽️ (it's amazing how much we have not shown you guys yet)

Today in fanclan mixed babies we have: Tikari! Daughter of Tä'rek and Syulang (@buzzkillchainsaw oc) Her mom is very nice lady of the Syorkilvan clan and her dad... UH, we don't have a lot to say about him...

More insight of her parents here! >:3

[buzzkillchainsaw]

Flying fish - Chapter 1

No matter which way you looked at it, Syulang and her siblings' lives were perfect. Two loving parents, an amazing community and Eywa's blessings shining down on them every single day. If only her younger sister Tsmi could see it that way, too.

Syulang had always wondered how someone could turn out like … that, despite being raised by the exact same parents, in the exact same clan, under the exact same sun in the exact same river. Syulang and her little brother Utu, the youngest of the sibling trio, were just like any other Syorkilvan: they loved swimming, cooking, relaxing in the mud, spending quiet hours napping or crafting and connecting with other members of the clan.

But Tsmi? Even as a little baby she had always recoiled from the mud whenever her parents tried to put her in it. She had no talent for cooking and she swam only if absolutely necessary, preferring to move around by balancing on the giant roots sticking out of the river instead.

But the biggest difference between Tsmi and her siblings reared its head whenever the clan congregated in the sacred underwater cave for ceremonies. While everyone sang and danced and tasted the glowing pink substance on the sacred roots, Tsmi would refuse - if she even showed up at all. She never managed to tame a Nìwankxa, after all, so she could only get to the underwater caves by asking someone else to give her a ride. Syulang would've never ever said no, if Tsmi just bothered to ask! But she never did, not tonight, not last month and not the months before that.

The Nìwankxa surfaced with a hiss and Syulang, planted firmly on the creature's back, caressed its rough skin with her slippery hands. "Mawey, Nunu", she hummed and scanned the river around her as the swampy water ran down her body in tiny rivers.

More Na'vi returned from the underwater caves on the backs of their mounts and headed back home, chatting, laughing, often in groups. Syulang held on to a shimmer of hope in her heart that she’d spot her sister somewhere with them, but as always, the stubborn young woman was nowhere to be seen.

"Give up, sister.", a deep voice beside her said. Utu and his Nìwankxa had silently surfaced a few moments after Syulang. Her brother's huge pupils had almost devoured the ring of color around them and pink flecks glimmered between his teeth as he smiled.

"You can't force a fish to love flying."

"Tsmi is not a fish!", Syulang protested, crossing her arms. "She is Syorkilvan, like you and I and everyone here." Her eyes lowered, watching the moonlight reflecting on the rippling water. "I just don't understand why she doesn't want to be one the people. One of us."

Utu shrugged and absentmindedly played with a line of beads in his hair. "Just leave her be. She'll find her joy someday, without you holding her hand along the way."

Syulang shook her head and hissed in disapproval. Her Nìwankxa turned away with a flip of its long tail, spraying Utu with water in the process. Syulang knew where to go, and so did Nunu. It wasn't that far.

Nunu jumped out of the river onto a large, curved root sticking out of the water's surface and used its strong limbs and claws to climb up high. Syulang severed the tsaheylu and continued on foot, jumping from root to root until she found it: a curved, low hanging branch, with a lone figure sitting on it.

Syulang pressed her lips together and approached her little sister. Tsmi didn't say anything as she silently sat down next to her. She simply hugged her legs tighter and buried her nose behind her knees.

"Alone again?", Syulang asked. Tsmi nodded.

"Why? Being with the others is much more fun."

"No, it's not. They think I'm weird.", Tsmi grumbled.

"Nobody thinks you're weird, Tsmi." Syulang scooted a little closer. "The clan would love to spend more time with you, and they're sad that you don't want to."

"'The clan', meaning you?", Tsmi scoffed, turning away from her sister. Her orange eyes fixated on the river below them.

Syulang sucked in the air through her teeth. "I just don't understand w-"

"Exactly", Tsmi interjected, "You don't understand. You'll never understand."

"Then help me understand!" Syulang grabbed her little sister's shoulders and gave her a light shake. "What is wrong? What's making you unhappy?"

"I don't know!", Tsmi shouted in sudden anger and bared her teeth at her sister. "I can't talk to people. I hate mud. I failed to tame a Nìwankxa. I don't want to sing or swim or dance with the others. I can't stand that nasty pink substance all of you praise so much. I think …" Her anger faded as fast as it arose. "...I think Eywa has forbidden me from feeling joy."

"Don't say that!", Syulang gasped and pulled her into a hug. Her little sister squirmed for a moment, then stopped. "Eywa wants all of her children to be happy. That's what the Tsahìk says."

"The Tsahìk told me to chew blackwood bark to make me feel happy.", Tsmi grunted with a sour face, remembering the nasty taste and very apparent lack of joy afterwards. "I think she doesn't know what she's talking about."

"Oìsss, silly girl!" Syulang shook her head and rolled her eyes, silently begging Eywa to bless Tsmi with the wisdom to understand and respect the Tsahìk's teachings.

"It is true. Eywa has something wonderful in store for all of us. Remember the story mother and father always told? How Eywa allowed them to meet and fall in love at the perfect moment? Joy is out there and it will come to us when it's time." Syulang looked down at the river and let her feet sway back and forth. Her cheeks briefly flushed with warmth. "I believe Eywa is saving someone special for me too. I will meet him at the perfect moment, just like mother met father."

"It's a nice thought.", Tsmi said, swaying her own feet in sync with her sister.

"It will be true. You just watch." Syulang smiled. "And you'll meet your special someone too."

'Maybe then you'll finally be happy', Tsmi added in her mind. After all, that's what Syulang wanted to tell her with that little story, didn't she?

The two sisters sat together on the branch, swayed their legs back and forth and just watched the river flow. The chirping, whistling, croaking and humming of various animals created a beautiful symphony around them, and for a moment, Tsmi could almost grasp the love Syulang and the other Syorkilvan felt for this river. Then her eyes followed the flow of the river and rested on the horizon, where it disappeared between the trees.

Some time later, the sisters silently headed home.

[buzzkillchainsaw]

More of the cat people telenovela....Tä'rek (left) belongs to @nin3kyuu and Syulang (right and below) is mine. She's from the Syorkilvan clan (aka mangrove clan or bongwater clan) and she believes in true love ♥️

[buzzkillchainsaw]

Tsmi, Syulang's sister and some misc creatures that the Syorkilvan pluck out of the river sometimes

[buzzkillchainsaw]

Tsmi is sus about her brother in law (Tä'rek belongs to @nin3kyuu)

Iykyk 👀

[buzzkillchainsaw]

Nìwankxa, "hidden mouth" aka firebelly croc, a large predator stalking the rivers of the Syorkilvan territory. When young Syorkilvan Na'vi approach adulthood, they set out to tame a Nìwankxa. Contrary to the usual chill and relaxed lifestyle, this ritual is surprisingly intense. They seek out a Nìwankxa lying in the water, waiting for prey. If the creature notices them, it will attempt to ambush and eat them. The youngsters will need to catch the right moment, jump on the Nìwankxa's back and try to connect their queues while surviving the "death roll" of the creature. As soon as this happens, they are recognized as a fully fledged adult.

[buzzkillchainsaw]

Tutupiki, a bird-like predator of fish, amphibians and molluscs of the payna'rìng. Their huge feet distribute their weight evenly, allowing them to navigate the forest quietly. Using their long neck and beak, they can pry food out of any hiding hole.

[buzzkillchainsaw]

I miss my swamp Na'vi

[buzzkillchainsaw]

[buzzkillchainsaw]

Women of Pandora week 2024

Day 3: Traditions & Celebrations

Every month, the Syorkilvan gather in a secret cave that is only accessible through an underwater pathway. They sit, chat, dance, consume the glowing pink substance covering the huge roots and connect to Eywa, together. They also sing songs in remembrance of the time a great evil forced them underground into the caves and Eywa kept them fed with the pink substance for months. It's Syulang's favourite tradition! She loves experiencing this deep connection to all her friends and family. If only her sister Tsmi would share the same sentiment ... alas, this is the third time the young woman has skipped out on the ceremony, preferring to sit alone somewhere and brood instead.

@womenofpandoraweek

[buzzkillchainsaw]

@ fellow Avatar fanclan havers!

How do you get people to be interested in them and especially interested in making their own ocs for them?

I've been posting a lot about mine in the past but it felt like people weren't that into it (which is fine btw, it gives me an opportunity to improve) so I'm wondering what I could do to drum up more interest again! :'D

Both have their own tags (#hufweticaya clan and #avatar the way of bongwater respectively) as well as their own websites where all info is sorted wiki-style:

[buzzkillchainsaw]

Do we stan?

[buzzkillchainsaw]

Some Syorkilvan fashion (on the fancier side...)

[buzzkillchainsaw]

A Syorkilvan child clutching a Nìwankxa toy made out of straw. It is a common gift for young children, who then proceed to paint it however they like (often together with the gift-giver, who makes sure that more paint ends up on the toy instead of on the child...)

[buzzkillchainsaw]

A Syorkilvan child hands you this sloppy wet creature. Everyone is watching. What do you do?