#spiders gonna get them to connect with eywa one of these days

[dirtytransmasc]

Do you think Spider bonded with any of the recoms outside Quaritch? Like, Fike taught him how to play poker, Z-Dog always bitched at him for slowing them down while shoving a water bottle in his hands, because she’s always got an eye on her Colonel’s six and now there’s a kid constantly there, etc? Idk, I just love the idea of this feral group of marines adopting an equally feral child.

oh absolutely.

now I don't much about the team individually, so this will be sparse.

I totally headcanon that zdog and spider have a very "he's not my kid, but he's not not my kid" and "she's not my mom, but she's not not my mom" type relationship. they hate each other (lovingly) but zdog aggressively takes care of spider (forcing him to drink water, making sure he sleeps, making sure he doesn't sun burn, making sure he doesn't climb to high or mess with too big an animal. she picks him by the armpits like a toddler aggressively, and 'yells' at him when he scrunches up like a feral kitten. he's always sticking to her side when Quaritch is busy, annoying her. he's always going out of his way to do something dangerous in front of her, cause she always freaks out.

he gets looped into games of poker and rummy by Fike and Mansk almost every night, he becomes especially fond of BS, just cause it's the only time he can scream 'bullshit' without getting scolded for his mouth.

he teaches the squad to use their ears instead of a scope to spot things around them. he teaches them about their queues, how to bid with different things, how important they stem

they teach the kid better self defense, cause within the Na'vi world, his only form of defense was to run, to get to a vantage point and use a bow, of to hide. they teach him use a gun (their idea of a good time, but spider hates it, he pretends for their sake) and some hand to hand (not like he can use against the Na'vi, who are twice his size, but it's the the thought that counts).

mansk tells terrible dad jokes 24/7 and does The Dad Shoulder Pat, cause look at those sunglasses, you wanna tell me he wouldn't?

spider also introduces them to the idea of sleep piles, they play hide and seek/tag whenever the higher ups aren't looking, pull pranks on said higher ups, they have their own version of 'cheese touch' that probably has something to do with someone underwear (cause they're all nasty like that), they play game on the ikran, spider does all of their hair (that's his idea of bonding time, sue him), and lyles the fun uncle. cause why not.

[ghoul-bonez]

~He Makes Anywhere Home~

(Neteyam x Fem! Na’vi! Reader)

Summary: You enjoyed exploring with the Sully kids, they were adventurous and and exciting, but sometimes they were a little too adventurous, especially Lo’ak, who tended to break his father’s rules.

Word Count: 6.9k

Author’s Note: CHAPTER 3! CHAPTER 3! CHAPTER 3! Very excited :) & one more main chapter… What do you think is gonna happen???

~Last - Next~

~Series Masterlist~

~Main Masterlist-

He Makes Anywhere Home

The Sully family was interesting… but you didn’t mind. They were so kind to you, treating you as an equal, not minding your background. They were so supportive too, encouraging you while you were taking lessons from Mo’at, or learning their ways. They were supportive of you and Neteyam, which was a worry for both of you, but after your first visit you were both sure it would be fine.

You had been coming around more after that, mostly for your lessons with Mo’at because most of his family was still a bit too much for you. Eventually you learned to love them though. You learned to get used to Lo’ak’s over the top personality, and his disobeying of the rules. You learned to love Tuk’s childish wonder. You learned to love Kiri through your shared connection to Eywa.

His parents were a bit harder though. You had liked Neytiri since meeting her, she was like the mother you never had, although you loved your mother palulukan and wouldn’t trade her for anything. Jake was much harder. He was standoffish, not wanting anything to do with you at first. He would act like you were not there, and you could never understand why. He came around eventually though, seeing how much his family loved you.

Spider however was different. He was considered a Sully by the family, but he was so different. He was the first human you had encountered, a tawtute so different from many of the others you had heard about. He didn't seem malicious, dressed like you, spoke your language, and was overall liked by the Sullys, besides Neytiri. You couldn’t help but lean in her direction, following her lead of disliking him, but you tolerated him because Neteyam and his siblings saw him as a brother.

Now that you were a little more settled in you would spend more time with them, joining them for meals and gatherings, but you never stayed too long, going home to your den at the end of the day. You still didn’t completely trust them.

You had started going with Lo’ak and Neteyam’s other siblings on adventures on your days off from training with Mo’at. You figured it was good for you to go with them, to protect them, and their parents secretly were grateful for it too.

Today was one of those days. A day off was rare, but now that you were comfortable enough with Neteyam’s family you enjoyed spending time with his siblings, going on adventures with them.

Neteyam was unsure about today’s adventure, worried about his brother’s actions getting more and more defiant against their father recently. He didn’t know what Lo’ak had planned, but he didn’t want you getting roped into any arguments or scoldings. He didn’t want them to scare you off, they didn’t want to scare you off. Jake would always save his frustrations for when you would leave for the night, but if you were there for the trouble he would be forced to tell you off as well.

You had promised Neteyam that it would be fine, you would be fine, his siblings would be fine. You would watch over them, protect them, make sure nothing happened. Most of all you would make sure Lo’ak made good decisions.

He knew you wouldn’t go against him if he expressed his worries and said no, but he had reluctantly allowed you to join them. You had smiled widely at him, thanking him, and giving him a loving kiss on the cheek, and an “I love you”, before you ran off towards where Lo’ak, Kiri, Tuk, and Spider were waiting to hear the verdict.

He saw them all cheer when you told them you were allowed to go, Tuk clinging onto you like a syaksyuk while she tried to climb you. You picked her up, ready to go off for the day, and before he got the chance to say goodbye you had set off with the other four.

The adventure had been fun so far, and successful by the fact that Lo’ak hadn’t done anything too crazy yet. He had tumbled out of a tree he was climbing, but he had yet to break any of his father’s rules which you considered a success.

You had split up for a bit, Kiri going to relax for a while as you and Tuk played around the area, Lo’ak and Spider were off to the side scheming something. You made sure to not stray too far from where Kiri was as eclipse was nearing and you would have to set off back home soon, or to their home.

You had finally called it time to go, catching Tuk and spinning her around in a circle as she launched herself at you, pretending to be a palulukan. You called out to the three around you, “Guys, it’s time to go!”

Lo’ak was the first to state his unhappiness, “But, (Y/n), can’t we stay a little longer, like 5 minutes?”

You sighed, looking at him sternly, “No, Lo’ak, we must get back. I do not want to be in trouble with your father.”

“Yeah, it’s almost eclipse!” Tuk shouted, frowning at his unwillingness to listen to you.

Spider rolled his eyes, “It’s almost eclipse.” He mocked Tuk, and Lo’ak laughed, muttering the same thing back.

You rolled your eyes at their defiance, turning and waving for them to follow you, “Come on boys, let’s go get Kiri.” You started walking and heard groans of upset as they trudged behind you, dragging their feet on the ground, “I do not want to hear any complaining back there.”

“Meh meh meh meh meh.” Lo’ak raised the pitch of his voice, mocking you.

“Lo’ak.” You spoke harshly, warning him with just his name, and he quickly shut up, afraid of what would come next. When he didn’t say anything else you thanked him, “Thank you.” For once Lo’ak wasn’t a duplicate of his father, stubborn and hard headed, and instead he took after his mother, considerate and a listener even though he was naturally a leader. You had always liked Neytiri better.

When you were close enough to where Kiri was you put Tuk down, who quickly raced ahead, but stayed in your line of sight. She shouted back at your group, mostly to Spider, “Whoever gets to Kiri first gets to wake her up!”

The other two raced ahead, and you walked behind, keeping up, but slow enough to enjoy the atmosphere of the forest. When you got there Kiri was already awake from Spider who had gotten there first.

You heard Tuk shout, “Kiri!” When you arrived. You smiled at Tuk’s excitement to see her sister, they really had a special connection.

Her call was quickly followed by Lo’ak mimicking her, calling out to his sister as well, “Kiri!”

Once Tuk was closer she told Kiri, “Kiri, (Y/n) says we have to get back.” Selling out the fact that it was you that had made the order, although you still had a few hours of good daylight.

Spider helped her up, grabbing her hand and pulling her up to her feet, “All right, come on.”

You walked off, walking for a minute until you caught a whiff of something strange, “Something smells… off. Stay close to me.” You warned everyone, your voice serious. Even Lo’ak didn’t dare disobey you when you sounded like this.

Then a gasp came from your throat, footprints on the ground, but from what you didn’t know. You stopped, inspecting them carefully, dragging your fingers over the prints before smelling them. They were where the strange scent was coming from. The footprints were large, too large for a tawtute, but weren’t from bare feet. They weren’t yours, or the people who you had come to know were avatars, so who’s were they?

Kiri ran up next to you where you had been leading them, crouching down next to you, “What is it?”

“We’re always supposed to be home by eclipse.” Tuk called, confused why you had abruptly stopped your trek home.

Lo’ak was quick to be the next on the scene, crouching down as well, “It’s way too big for a human.” He voiced your thoughts.

“Avatars?” Spider asked.

You wanted to answer him, but Lo’ak spoke first, “Maybe, but they’re for sure not ours.”

You let it go, warning them again, as Lo’ak looked like he was itching to take off and follow them “Stay close.” Lo’ak completely ignored you, walking off, following them where they were printed deeply into the ground, you did not want him following them, or straying too far so you scolded him, “Lo’ak stay with me. We are going home.”

He still ignored you, like he was in his own world, and you knew this was where you would get in trouble with his dad. You prayed for forgiveness from him, and not just for Lo’ak’s sake, but also your own.

Kiri let out a harsh breath, rolling her eyes, “What are you doing? (Y/n) said we are leaving.”

Lo’ak rolled his eyes back, shushing her loudly, obnoxiously, “Shh, I’m tracking.”

You were already stressed from his disobedience, but his comment made you laugh, “Tracking, that’s funny Lo’ak.”

You walked for a little longer until you reached a place you did not recognize, but the others seemed to. It stood out against the forest, a metal building, but was slowly getting reclaimed by the life around it, vines and plants growing over it.

The thing that stood out most however was the people. They looked like you, like Na’vi, but they were wearing strange clothes. You weren’t quite sure what was going on. Their difference from you scared you and you felt yourself begin to panic, heart beats speeding up and stomach twisting in knots. You felt skittish, wanting to run like the first time you had met Neteyam.

Neteyam.

No matter how much you wanted to run you were reminded of him, of the fact that you were with his siblings, and had promised to watch over them and keep them safe. You had to keep them safe.

You were too stunned to speak, but it seemed Kiri was much calmer than you, looking to Lo’ak, frustrated, “We are never supposed to come here. Dad is going to ground you…”

Lo’ak groaned, shushing her, “Shh. Can you stop?” He asked as he seemed to be growing more frustrated by her comments the more she spoke.

“For life.” Kiri finished her comment, rushed, threatening.

Lo’ak didn’t seem to care, didn’t seem to be scared by the strangers. Ignoring Kiri he looked to Spider, “Bro, we have got to check this out. Let’s go.”

Spider nodded, and they slowly stalked towards the people. You followed close behind, on high alert as to make sure nobody was sneaking up on you.

Spider’s eyes seemed to light up as he got a closer look, he looked excited as he looked to Lo’ak, whispering, “Bro, that’s where your dad and my dad…” He trailed off, but you didn’t need clarification, knowing Spider’s background, and hearing Jake tell the story before.

Lo’ak looked on in wonder, whispering back, “That’s your dad’s actual suit.”

Spider chuckled, wonder in his eyes, “Holy shit.”

Lo’ak seemed to zone in on the strange people again, after his excitement of being in this area calmed down, “I’ve gotta call this in.” He whispered, reaching for the com around his neck.

Spider went to stop him immediately, “No, bro, we’re gonna get in trouble.”

You didn’t want an argument to start between them and give away your location, so before Lo’ak could respond you cut in, ordering them, “Let’s go.” There was a firmness in your voice that told them not to mess with you. You spoke with finality, and nobody was to challenge that.

As you started backing away Lo’ak reached for his com, “Devil Dog, Devil Dog, this is Eagle Eye, over.” His voice rushed through your ears, making you cringe like any time you used the device, but Neteyam was insistent on having one on you in case of emergencies.

You didn’t get to dwell on your discomfort before Jake spoke back, “Eagle Eye, send your traffic.”

Lo’ak looked hesitant to say anything, thinking about dropping it and saying nothing, but you placed a hand on his shoulder, nodding, it was important for him to call this in, “I got eyes on some guys. They look like avatars, but they’re in full camo and carrying ARs. There’s six of them. Over.”

Jake was good at keeping himself together, always sounding calm and steady, but right now you could hear the concern lacing his voice, “What’s your pos? Over.”

Lo’ak froze, unable to talk in fear of his father’s backlash, so you responded for him, “We are at some strange tawtute building.” You informed him, but it sounded more like a question.

Lo’ak look a deep breath in, calming himself some, “We’re at the old shack.” He followed you up, giving the true location, more specific than you had been, and now Jake knew he should be worried, for your safety, for your lives.

Jake kept his voice stable, he was doing a good job of sounding unconcerned, but you knew he had to be losing his shit, “Who’s we?”

“Me, Spider, Kiri, (Y/n)…” Lo’ak paused, he didn’t want to say it, didn’t want to admit he had put his younger sister in harm’s way. She was so young, she should not be here. He should have let her tattle to their mom.

When he was silent for a bit too long you spoke, “And Tuk.” She was who you were most concerned with. You had taught the others your ways, how to survive the forest, but she was too young to learn yet. She was your top priority right now, to get her out safe and unharmed.

Jake didn’t address you, instead speaking to Lo’ak, you knew he was angry with him, and you knew Jake couldn’t be angry with you, “Son, you listen to me very carefully. You pull back right now. Do not make a sound. You get the hell out of there. Move! You copy?”

Lo’ak looked to everyone, taking a headcount before responding, “Yes, sir, moving out.”

Kiri rolled her eyes, “See, I told you. You’re going to be in so much trouble.”

Lo’ak hushed her, “Shh! Kiri stop.” His harshness was uncalled for considering he was why you were here in the first place.

Tuk tried to distract them from the argument that was undoubtedly about to start, “It’s almost eclipse, come on.” She spoke, grabbing your hand and pulling you behind her.

As she was moving forwards someone quickly jumped out from the brush, grabbing her and pulling her away from you, her hand roughly leaving yours, “Tuk!” You shouted, trying to get to her, but Kiri held you back, near her and the others.

You noticed Lo’ak and Spider had their bows out, and quickly drew yours as well, knocking back an arrow you let it fly right past the head of the person holding onto Tuk as a warning. A hasher warning than the group of strangers thought they would get.

Once your arrow had hit the tree everything seemed to devolve into chaos. Yelling came from both sides, some you could understand, and some in a foreign language. Your ears struggled to hear both sides, but zoned in on the harsh sounds of what you remembered Neteyam calling english. You hadn’t taken the time to learn it, and now you wished you had.

As you began to panic, unaware that Lo’ak and Spider had put their bows down, someone grabbed your shoulder. You spun, nearly hitting them in the face with your bow but it was just Lo’ak who calmly instructed you, “Put it down.” He pointed to the other weapons on the ground, “Put it down.”

You set it down hesitantly, and before you could do anything else the strangers lurched forwards, grabbing all of you. Each of them had one of you, all separated from one another, and once you were captured by them you felt yourself starting to slip. The material of their clothes was rough on your skin, and the strange weapons and technology on them dug into your back which was pressed against the person holding you still.

Once they started shouting in english is when you really lost it. You thrashed and gnashed your teeth together, growling and hissing like a cornered wild animal. You couldn’t understand what the strangers were saying, but everyone else couldn’t help but cringe when their leader called you feral. They knew to them feral meant dangerous, and being labeled dangerous meant dead.

Through your blackout in panic you could hear Tuk shout, “Kiri! (Y/n)!” You wanted to be with her, to calm her, but you couldn’t. You were just as scared as her, but your naturally skittish demeanor made you even more unstable.

Kiri shouted next, “Be calm…” You knew she was mostly talking to you, but you couldn’t do anything to calm yourself. The coping skills you had been working on with Neteyam all went out the window when you were grabbed and restrained.

The Sully siblings had only seen you like this a few times, and it had never been this bad. It was usually a momentary panic until Neteyam was able to calm you down, but they feared for your safety, and theirs, without Neteyam here to calm you down. For the first time they realized that you were dangerous, a killer raised by the forest. You were truly a wild animal.

Spider had never seen you like this though. He knew you didn’t like him, he knew you could take his life away if you pleased, and he knew you tolerated him, but he wasn’t so sure you wouldn’t blame him for this. His people were the ones endangering your family right now, so by association it was his fault.

Once the calls from the Sullys quieted your ears began ringing through the talking of who seemed to be the leader of the strange people’s group. You couldn’t hear anything he was saying, and even though you couldn’t understand him you were pretty sure you could read his tone of voice, which would be useful right now if you could just focus, but you couldn’t. Your fight or flight had been activated, and unfortunately for everyone involved you were a fierce fighter.

Alongside the ringing in your ears your eyesight was unfocused, blurry. You weren’t sure if what you were seeing was real, or if it was a hallucination made by your fear riddled brain, but once you saw movement you knew it was real.

They held out Kiri’s hand, one so foreign to you because of her extra finger, yet so familiar as you had held it hundreds of times. You knew it was not normal for a Na’vi, and you knew it came from her mother, someone like Jake. Jake, he must have something to do with this, and you prayed to Eywa he had a good explanation or you would be killing him yourself for endangering his own children like this.

Then he moved to Lo’ak, saying something as you watched his mouth move through the blurry lens coating your eyes. You weren’t sure what was said, but Lo’ak moved his hands out in front of him, sticking up his middle fingers, something you had learned from him meant something very rude, offensive, and you thought now was not the time for that, but you couldn’t stop him from where you were.

You saw the leader’s chest move, laughing, before he said something else, prompting Lo’ak to hiss, the sound cutting through the buzz of your ears. You growled lowly, his clearly riled up demeanor leeching off onto you.

The man retaliated against him, grabbing him and talking right into his face threateningly, which you could not hear nor understand, and now that you were getting tired, the adrenaline wearing off you heard Lo’ak speak, “Sorry, I don’t speak english… to buttholes.” You hissed at him, letting him know this was not the time for backtalk, but clearly the person who was holding you took it as a threat to them as they squeezed your arm tighter.

You hadn’t expected it, but next the leader spoke in Na’vi, something you could understand, “Where is your father?”

Lo’ak snarled at him, not giving him the answer he wanted, and before the man could do anything there was English being shouted at him by Spider. You didn’t pay attention to the leader’s response, instead baring your teeth at the tawtute boy. You didn’t know what he was saying but to your irrational, tired, fearful brain it might as well be something against you.

The strange man talked to Spider, a little less harshly than the others, and that only semented that Spider had something to do with them, their attack. You could usually care less about the boy, but right now you were furious with him.

Once he seemed done with Spider he passed him back to the person restraining him, pressing his fingers to a neck com he had. Why does he have one? Or maybe you should be asking the opposite, why does Jake have them?

Before you could try to make sense of it they were moving you, and as you struggled against the person holding onto you they practically dragged you along, your unwillingness to go frustrating them quickly. Eventually when they got to their meeting spot they shoved you all to the ground, and your head snapped to Tuk as she let out a loud shout.

You struggled in her direction, trying your best to get to her and comfort her, but you were stuck, so you did the first thing that came to mind. You prayed. You spoke to the Great Mother, begging her to let you go, to get you out safely. You knew she had a plan for everyone, but you prayed for her to allow you to make it through today, you prayed that her plan for you wouldn’t end today.

Through unfocused eyes and a brain on overdrive you recognize that eclipse was coming. The sky was darkening and birds were making their last songs of the day. Then the rain came, hard, darkening the sky eyen more. Through blurry eyes you could no longer see, the darkness too much for your brain to overcome, but through the darkness, your blindness, and the ringing in your ears, you hear a distinct sound.

Neytiri.

A chirp, then another, and another. Your ears twitch in her direction, head following and glazed over eyes trying to search the darkness for her. You couldn't see her, but you could hear her, and you knew help was here. You trusted her, and everything was going to be okay.

As you heard her again, and again, you were sure everyone else could too, feeling the atmosphere of your companions shifting. The silence is overtaken by prayer, and you soon figure out it was Kiri, her distinct voice calling out to Eywa, and you joined her, calming yourself with the prayer you said over and over again like a chant.

Thump.

The sound of an arrow meeting a skull, and you realize that the battle has begun. Panic surges through everyone, the strangers included, and as you hear shouting around you hear Neytiri from the distance, “Lo’ak!”

Your eyes come back into focus as you hear her voice speak for the first time, watching as Lo’ak pulls the pins on some weapon, a gas hissing out of the canister, what type you weren’t sure, but you took the distraction and planned your escape.

You thrash and bite down on your captor’s arm, hard. You taste as blood fills your mouth and soon enough you are released. You scurry over to Tuk, who was now free, everyone else following your lead. She had a flash of panic on her face as you approached her, but once you embraced her she let out a sigh.

“Come Tuk, Lo’ak! Follow me.” You shouted at the two nearest you. You held on tightly to Tuk’s hand and began running as fast as you could with her keeping up.

Then suddenly you were stopped, one of the enemies face to face with you, and before they could take their aim and fire at you with their gun your knife was already lodged into their neck, the blade long enough to come out of the other side. You pulled it back out quickly, having to shake them off from the serrated edge before their body slumped to the ground.

“Let's go. Let’s go!” You shouted, picking up Tuk and grabbing Lo’ak’s arm as you sprinted off.

You weren’t paying attention to where you were, trying to get you as far away from the enemy as possible, your knife held out in front of you, and through unfocused eyes you saw someone step in front of you.

You stopped immediately, Lo’ak slamming into your back, and you put down Tuk, crouching down with them behind you, getting into a fighting position, ready to take the person out. Ready to kill them.

“Hey, hey, it’s just me.” You heard, but couldn’t distinguish who it was through the adrenaline and blood rushing through your ears.

You moved quickly, lunging at the person, but they were faster than you, grabbing your hand and making you drop the blood covered blade. Then you were pulled into an embrace.

“It’s me, Neteyam. You’re safe.” He whispered into your ear, and you felt your body give out as you realized it really was him. You slumped to the ground, tears brimming in your eyes, and you let them flow.

Neteyam’s family had seen you do a lot of things, but crying was not one. Nobody besides Neteyam had seen you cry, and you preferred to cry in private, and that was when he knew it was serious.

“Neteyam! Ma Neteyam.” You sobbed, tears running down your face and wetting Neteyam’s neck where your face was dug into it.

“You’re safe.” He reassured you, running fingers through your hair, his other hand rubbing circles on your back, trying to calm you down, “We’re all safe.”

As your tears dried and eyes came back into focus you looked around, counting everyone, but Spider, and you were at peace. Everyone was okay, “Thank you, Eywa. Thank you.” You chanted over and over again as you looked to the sky.

Jake was the next to speak, the first to cut through the silence that had settled over everyone, “Let’s get home.” His voice should have held anger, frustration, but instead it held exhaustion and worry. You knew he was going to be angry later, but you knew he couldn’t be right now, too overtaken by relief that everyone was alive and in one piece.

As you went to stand you hissed, looking down you realized something had grazed your leg. You were not sure what had caused it, but a large cut laid across your thigh and you watched as blood practically poured from it. You were losing blood fast, but luckily for you this wasn’t the worst injury you had endured before.

Neteyam didn’t look down like you were, instead looking at your face as it contorted with pain, “Are you okay?”

You ripped your eyes away from the gash, not wanting his attention drawn to where you were looking, “I’m fine.” You gritted out through grinding teeth.

Luckily for you he didn’t push any further, “Alright, let’s go.” He said, beginning to walk, a hand on your shoulder, feeling like it was weighing you down with the pain in your leg.

As you walked everyone looked exhausted, and you were sure you looked the same, but you felt on high alert, and you knew you would until you got back to the Omaticaya clan’s home. You were aware of everything going on around you, every sound making you flinch. Your body, and mind, couldn’t relax, and you wouldn’t allow it to either.

The trek back was long, tiring, painful, but you managed to make it back without collapsing. You had grabbed onto Neteyam when the pain had gotten almost unbearable, him helping steady you, believing your poor excuse of being tired.

When you passed the threshold of the village, safely surrounded by others, you nearly collapsed, almost dragging Neteyam down with you, “(Y/n), are you okay? What’s wrong?” He quickly asked, rushing through his words, looking you over for injury, and when he caught sight of the gash on your thigh he gasped.

“I’m fine. I’m fine, just get me to Mo’at.” You muttered, your voice scratchy from when you had been roughly breathing through your mouth, your mouth and throat dry.

“Okay, we’re going.” He muttered, panic lacing his voice. He picked you up bridal style, and even through your complaining he was careful to not hurt you any further. He turned to his dad, “(Y/n) is hurt, we’re going to grandmother.”

Jake stalked over from behind you and Neteyam, “Let me see.” He rounded you, looking you over, “Oh shit.” He gasped, shocked you had made it this far without passing out from blood loss, “Let’s go.” He started walking off towards the Tsahík tent, “Let’s go!” He rushed Neteyam, walking faster to follow his father.

You could hear Neteyam panicking as he started walking, “Okay. Okay. You’re going to be okay.”

“I know.” You responded so simply, like you actually knew, like you were confident and had no concern for the state you were in, and he wondered how you were so unaffected. He couldn’t help but think about how you had survived in the forest, was this the worst injury you had gotten before? Had you had one like this in the past and tended to it on your own?

By the time you made it to the Tsahík tent you were nearly passed out, eyes growing heavy, and Neteyam was growing more and more worried by the minute, “Stay awake, we’re almost there.” He reassured you, or maybe it was more for himself, muttering to himself, “Please be okay, please Eywa allow her to be okay.”

Jake quickly pushed the flap that closed the tent open, and Mo’at seemed calm, not startled by his sudden arrival, he knew then that she was ready, Eywa must have told her something, “Mo’at we need help. (Y/n) is hurt, she's bleeding out.”

Neteyam rushed in through the doorway, the flap being held open by Jake, “Please do something, anything. Please, grandma.” Neteyam practically begged, and Jake was surprised his usually put together son was so frantic. He knew he would be the same way with Neytiri though, and it was then that he realized how much you really meant to Neteyam.

“Set her down over there,” Mo’at pointed to a blanket laid across the ground, a cushion laid at the top for her head, “and Jake, go get Kiri.”

Jake didn’t say anything as he raced off to find his oldest daughter. He was focused and even though the people of his clan tried to talk to him, concerned why their Olo’eyktan and his family had returned beaten and battered he continued walking towards their family’s kelku.

While Mo’at began working on your wound she looked to Neteyam, “She will be okay, she is strong.” She tried to reassure him.

“I know, but I can’t help but worry.” He admitted, a bitter taste on his tongue as he admitted to his worry, his composure falling apart. He always had to be strong, but right now he was far from that.

Mo’at didn’t say anything else, instead working on your thigh, concentration only being broken when Kiri arrived and she gave her orders. Kiri was quick to get into the zone, working quickly and bringing Mo’at anything she needed as the orders came.

You groaned and cried out as Mo’at and Kiri worked on your injury, pain contorting your face. Neteyam couldn’t stop himself as he inched closer and closer, eventually right next to you, your hand held in his, and as you groaned you squeezed his hand hard, using it as an outlet to soothe your pain.

Eventually Mo’at deemed you in stable condition, her and Kiri leaving to allow you to rest with Neteyam at your side. You couldn’t sleep, but were groggy, eyes closing slowly, so instead of sleeping your eyes rested and you spoke. You told Neteyam everything you were thinking, expressing your worries about running into the strangers again, and relief that everyone was okay.

He agreed, soothing you and allowing you to let out all of your pent up emotions. He was proud you were able to be so open with him as he thought back to your first meeting in the forest all that time ago.

The peace only lasted so long before Tuk was bursting through the door, shouting, “Mom and dad are talking, you must come!”

Neteyam looked at you hesitantly, and you nodded at him, telling him you were okay. He helped you up carefully, and he supported you as you hobbled to their kelku where you immediately heard Jake and Neytiri talking. They were clearly arguing, both of their tones frustrated.

You weren’t really listening, the words going through one ear and out of the other, but you heard well enough.

Jake groaned, retorting to something Neytiri had said before you got there, “This thing. This Quaritch.” That must be the leader’s name, and now that you had something to call him you would never forget it until the day you kill him, you will kill him, and as you thought Jake continued, “Whatever he is… He can walk right under Eywa’s nose.” He must be a tawtute, or had been one in the past, but now that he was in this body, one similar to yours, he must not be perceived as a threat by the forest.

Neytiri didn’t seem to care though, and you knew she was strong, was having the same thoughts that you could kill him and this would be over, so she rebelled against Jake’s words, “This is our family. This is our home.”

Jake used her words against her, “This is about our family. This is about our little ones.”

Neytiri was becoming more and more irritated, it was clear in her tone, “I cannot. You cannot ask this. I cannot leave my people. I will not.” She set in stone, for now at least, she was determined to stay, to convince Jake to let them stay.

Jake tried to compose himself, taking a deep breath then releasing it and speaking, “He’s hunting us. He’s targeting our family.”

Neytiri was pacing, you could tell as you heard her light footsteps on the ground, moving back and forth, “You cannot ask this. The children, everything they’ve ever known. The forest. This is our home!” She shouted, not as composed as Jake.

Jake sounded more frustrated now, growing irritated just like Neytiri, but his voice was also laced with concern, “He had our children. He had them under his knife!”

Neytiri’s footsteps stopped, and you heard her pick something up, “My father gave me this bow as he lay dying.” Her voice cracked, “And he said protect the people. You’re Toruk Makto!”

Jake was shouting now, clearly as upset as Neytiri, and you had never heard them this heated towards each other before, “This will protect the people! Quaritch has Spider, and that kid knows everything. He knows our whole operation, and can lead them right in here.” You then thought about it, you were sure they were taking him to the other tawtute, his own kind, people he could relate to, people he should like better than your own kind, “If the people harbor us, they will die. Do you understand? Look I got nothing. I got no plan… but I can protect this family. That I can do.” He paused, taking a deep breath, reaching out to Neytiri, “I know one thing. Wherever we go, this family is our fortress.”

They quieted after that, and you hadn’t even noticed the tears rolling down your cheeks until Neteyam was wiping them off. He gave you a reassuring smile, but all you could think about was them leaving. He was leaving, and you knew he had no choice, but what hurt worse than him leaving the forest, was him leaving you.

He was the first person you had allowed in, and now you were going to lose him. You were going to lose the future you had planned for yourself and him. You were losing your future mate, the person you loved more than anything else. You were losing your place in the clan, sure that nobody would want you anymore after you weren’t being coddled by the Sullys. You were losing your family, the people you had grown to love beside Neteyam.

You were losing everything.

Neteyam hugged you tightly when you wouldn’t stop crying, trying to show you his love, that everything would end up okay, because he knew you would be coming with them, even if you didn’t know that yourself yet.

When Jake walked out of their kelku and saw all of his children listening in on their conversation he frowned, he expected this, but wanted to break the news to them softly, carefully, but now he wouldn’t get the chance.

He sighed, “Everyone pack your stuff. We’re leaving tomorrow morning.”

That caused you to cry harder, you had hoped they would grant you a couple more days, a couple more days of love.

Jake noticed you crying and crouched down, patting your back, “I know you don’t want to leave the forest, but we have to go.”

Those words were shocking, they were planning on taking you with them, and now that you knew they wanted you to come with them, you were more concerned about leaving the life you knew here than losing your love. He was right, you didn't want to leave, but leaving with Neteyam was better than losing him.

Your mother palulukan was another thought. How were you supposed to break the news to her? You supposed you would have to visit her one last time, to say goodbye and collect your things.

“Okay…” You finally answered Jake, “I need to go home. I need to collect my things and see my mother.”

Jake smiled calmly at you, happy you were accepting this, happy you were taking it better than Neytiri, which was shocking to everyone, the child of the forest accepting she was having to leave. He knew you were right, none of your belongings were here, as you preferred to keep your personal things at your own home, “I’ll come with you, let’s go.”

When you stood, wobbly on your legs, but feeling much better than earlier as Mo’at’s numbing herbs did their job, Neteyam stood quickly too, “I’m coming too.”

“No, you’re staying here.” Jake glared at him harshly, instructing him, “Make sure Lo’ak doesn’t do anything stupid.”

Neteyam was less than pleased about that, but knew not to speak against his father right now. He watched as you wrapped your arm around his shoulders to keep yourself steady, walking off in the direction he knew your mother palulukan’s den was in.

You collected your things quickly so you could spend a little more time with your mama, and you explained to her what was happening, making tsaheylu with her one last time, allowing her to know how you were feeling, truly. She was sad you were leaving, she knew she would miss you, but she knew it was for your safety, and so she let you know she gave you her blessings.

She gave you her blessing to leave. She gave you her blessing to mate with Neteyam, when it was time. She gave you her blessing to be one of the Sullys. She gave you her blessing to live with your kind. She knew it was time for you to be with your own kind. You were grown, you didn’t need her anymore, and she would always miss you, but she understood.

Once you collected your things and said your goodbyes to your mother, you made the walk back to the Omaticaya’s home. It was long and exhausting, Jake practically supported all of your weight by the time you got back, and you were grateful to be back to safety.

Back to Neteyam.

When he heard you were back he raced to find you, taking you from his father, supporting you instead, and that’s exactly what you needed. He could tell you were tired so he took you back to the Sully family kelku, laying you down in his hammock, joining you soon after, careful to maneuver you so he wouldn’t bump your leg.

It was sweet, he was sweet, and even as anxiety gnaws away at you, thinking about leaving the forest, your home, when you think about moving you know he makes anywhere safe. No matter how far you may stray from the forest he makes anywhere home.

Word Bank:

Eywa (Na’vi goddess)

Palulukan (Thanator)

Tawtute (Sky people, humans)

Syaksyuk (Prolemuris)

Great Mother (Eywa)

Omaticaya (Forest Na’vi)

Tsahík (Spiritual leader)

Olo’eyktan (Clan leader)

Kelku (Omatikaya homes)

Tsaheylu (The Bond)

@xstarsmvxz @netedoongie @c-h-i-l @rose-brulante @purple-imaginess

[be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie]

You know what, I'm into the whole "Spider gets an ikran via idk #HTTYD means" and all, but come on. We, as a fandom, can think bigger than that. I want a story where Spider stumbles upon a Thanator injured in the previous night's storm or some shit on his way back to Hell's Gate and then he slowly nurtures it back to health all while they form an epic bond and boom, next thing you know he's being protected by the apex predator of the forest. Fuck ikrans, LOOK AT THAT THING. (Plus the fact that a Thanator let Neytiri form tsaheylu with it during the final battle just makes it 1000% better when you think about it.)

1000% agree love this idea. Ya'll motherfuckers KNOW I love love love Eywa blessed Spider, where no one can ignore that she wants him there and he is a child of hers. A PALULUKAN??? Something Neytiri has specifically been the only rider of (in the Omaticaya I believe there is a canonical clan that rides them)?? Symbolically ICONIC. I fucking loooove that. Okay so:

-He finds the palulukan on a walk to the village, when it's a pup, and he's little, I'm saying nine or ten. It's gotten sliced on it's farthest back leg by a piece of metal that fell from an old Sampson. It's been there for years, almost fully covered by vines and leaves, and never fallen, so it's odd. In it's attempt to get away, it got caught in part of the metal grate.

-He knows exactly what it is and how dangerous it is, but our boy spends all his time with Kiri Sully, girl instills a deep respect for all of Eywa's creatures but also a deep empathy beyond maybe that of a typical Na'vi. Spider is always so willing to learn and to listen, he's the one who's been most affected by Kiri's connection with the forest

-He knows if he tells any adult that they'll probably put it out of it's misery and say it's Eywa's will, and he did good to find it, but he thinks about what Kiri would say and what Kiri would do. He has his own medicine pouch now, freshly gifted by Kiri. It's not big enough but he also has some dried meat that Lo'ak gave him yesterday that he hadn't bothered to eat because he's not an expert at mask eating yet.

-So, he throws the meat to the palulukan. He doesn't know how long it's been there, but it seems hungry. The closer he get the harder it tries to get away, cutting it's leg even more. So he sits and waits, tossing it pieces of meat. Finally, he gets close enough to touch it's leg. It's very tense but he manages to spread some herbs on it's cut before it turns to swipe at him. Another several chunks of meat later, he is close enough again. He takes the risk and grabs its leg to force it up and out. Immediate regret, he's for sure gonna die, but instead it's just gone. He sort of sits there for a few minutes having a minor heart attack, then finishes his walk to the village to find Kiri, Lo'ak and Neteyam worried out of their minds because he's late and jsut reports the wreckage fall to Jake.

-He tells Kiri about it later, but they keep it secret, not sure the others will understand.

-On his walks alone he starts to feel like there are eyes on him. Just watching, all creepy. He even starts to feel them when he's with his friends. Lo'ak thinks he's crazy, but Kiri says it's just Eywa looking out for him.

-He gets desperate enough to ask Mo'at. She nods all sagely and says it's probably nothing but they should add it to his songcord which are two really opposite statements and he's really confused.

-The next day his friends are busy and he decides to fuck off in the forest himself only to accidentally startle some nantang. The same palulukan, scars on its ankle and leg, busts out of nowhere and jumps in front of him, scaring them off. Then it turns and looks at him, all self satisfied like it's repaid the favor. But when he thanks it and turns to go he still feels it watching. Eventually, he and Kiri take chunks of meat into the woods and just give it gifts and build up trust.

[lina-lovebug]

Bleeding Hearts

Part 10

Taglist: @silverhowe @happycupcakeenthusiast @vampire-hunter @simpforavillain @dumb-fawkin-bitch @mushroomlover13 @kimqueenofhell @vane28282 @namor-is-the-way @daaiissyyyyy @anyzandy @pturnersblog @cherrychupachup

I had refused food.

Again.

What they called ‘food’ was nowhere near anything enough to nourish my body. It smelled awful and looked like it would make me sick.

I ignored the growling in my stomach as I heard the familiar click of the door and Miles Quaritch came in with cuffs at his side.

“Still ain’t eating?” He questioned, seeing the untouched food.

“Your food is not nourishing for the body,” I said, and approached him. His eyes watched me as I had my hands reached outwards, and looked up at him.

“May I?” 

“Go right ahead, sweetheart,” I glared at him but continued.

“Your body is Na’vi now. We are stronger, faster and much larger compared to humans,” I said, feeling his stomach and upper chest. 

“You need to nourish it like a Na’vi now, not this shit you call food. You may be strong, but this physique will wear off if you do not eat properly,” I explained, feeling his waistline and up to his back. He’s stronger than most Na’vi males I have met, but it will not last.

“Pretty sure your husband wouldn’t take a liking to his lady touching me,” He said, and I looked up at him.

“I am not mated.”

“But the little one on your back-”

“She is Tuktirey, Jake and Neytiris’ youngest,” I interrupted, “I have not found myself a male I have connected with. Any males I did know died during the battle.”

“How does that work?” His question seemed genuine, so I answered. I gently grabbed his queue and held it up to him.

“When you have found someone whom you cherish and love, you connect your queues together. Then, you are mated for life. That is a big difference I have found in our cultures.”

“How do you know that you will always love them?” He asked, staring at me.

“That is a concept you humans can never understand. You use eachother for pleasure. We bond through life experiences and conversation. We cherish life, and we cherish one another. It is a bond most treasured, and something I hope to have for myself. . .when the time is right,” I finished.

"Which is why your mission is futile. You will kill our home, just like you did yours," I moved away from him, my touch no longer on his warm body.

"You just don't want us here."

"I wonder why," I mused.

"Why are you here? You brought me nothing and you have no restraints," I asked, as if I was busy with anything else.

"It's your lucky day because you get to go outside," He said, pulling out a round device, "but you'll need to wear this."

No.

"I am not wearing such a thing," My ears folded back.

He sighed, "you gotta cooperate or the General will have me shackle you."

I stared at the device, knowing that if I put it on, I could be forever tracked and have no way of taking it off. They could use it to hurt me, and do unspeakable things.

"Only if I can hunt."

Wearing a collar was humiliating. I could feel the demons smiling at me as I passed, knowing that I was now under their grasp. They wish to bind me and chain me. They are disgusting and do horrible things, and yet call us savages? 

"Ninat'ia!"

My ears sprang up, finally bringing myself back to reality.

"What?" I said, having been on my own little island in my mind the entire way here.

"You gonna show us how to hunt or what?" 

"We can't give her a gun, Colonel," His Corporal said, and I scoffed.

"We do not use primitive weapons to kill. If you wish to think like Na'vi, the first lesson is that all energy is borrowed. Once you die, that energy returns back to Eywa," I explained, walking towards a fallen tree.

"The moss on it, the cracks, the holes - it is now a home and shelter to the animals. Even after death, you bring balance."

"After you have incapacitated the animal, you put it to rest with a dagger to the heart so it doesn't suffer," Spider finished, having learned this lesson when he was only seven. 

As my eyes traveled over them, their spirits were elsewhere. They were not even listening.

They were bored.

And they were pissing me off.

With a huff, I grabbed my dagger from Miles Quaritch vest and threw it into a tree. It was a bird, small enough for a teenager to fill up on, and it fell right in front of us.

"Less boring now?!" I snapped before marching off, ignoring the calls for me. 

Tears welled up in my eyes as I started to run. I didn't want this. I just wanted to be home. I wanted to be with mother and Spider and my sister. I want to be free.

"Ninat'ia!"

Miles Quaritch is quick on his feet. He manages to grab me but I quickly whip around with a slap to his face.

"Why?! Why are you even trying?!" I screamed, "you will destroy us! You will kill Eywa!"

"Hey, hey. I need you to-"

"It is not our fault you destroyed your home!" I didn't care if he could kill me. 

I was tired.

I wanted this to stop.

"And now you will destroy ours. You will kill Eywa!" I cried, hitting his chest and he did nothing. He let me hit him, let me scream and cry.

His hand reached out for my shoulder, but I pulled back, "you are all demons."

"I know. . ." 

"I do not care what happens to me, but I will kill you. I will not stop until your blood is on my hands," I swore before him, my eyes bleeding into his soul.

He said nothing but moved forward, bringing my head to his chest as I did nothing but cry.

Cry for my family, for my home.

For Eywa.

[icequeenlila]

A Son for a Son

After Neteyam's death, Lo'ak keeps praying to Eywa to take his life for his brother's. He knows his efforts are in vain, until one night he is heard. A life for a life. A son for a son. Only it is so much more than that. Or: A Lo'ak centered fic that also brings back Neteyam. It's basically how everyone would react to Lo'ak's sacrifice. There's gonna be a happy ending, but first everyone must suffer. (We live for the Angst!)

Chapter 1: Yes, Sir

Life went on and Lo’ak kept telling himself that it should have been him. The bullet should have hit him. He should have been the one to die.

But he didn't.

And the very thought of that, kept him awake at night.

It's been months. Neteyam had long been sent back to Eywa. His mother was still visiting Spirit Tree every day. She tried so hard but her grief was strong and visible to all of the kids.

His father kept himself occupied, helping out around the village or taking Tuk on trips through the water to get her mind off her brother's loss for a while.

Kiri often wandered off alone, exploring the island, connecting with nature. Most times she wouldn't even want Spider to join her. She wasn't allowed to connect to Spirit Tree. She knew it could kill her, but it meant she would never be able to visit Neteyam like their parents did. Kiri and their father had a huge fight about it, before she had to swear to stay away from it. She wasn't even allowed to enter the cove of the ancestors. They didn't talk for days after that.

Lo’ak never went there with his parents. He didn't dare to. He blamed himself, and he knew his father did too.

“You've done enough.”

His father's voice still haunted him. Lo’ak didn't even dare to look him in the eye anymore. He was too ashamed.

Still, he went to visit Spirit Tree. He did it late at night, after making sure he was alone there. But he wouldn't seek out Neteyam. He was afraid to face his brother, even in the afterlife. Scared to hear the very words, he kept repeating inside his head again and again and again, out of Neteyam's mouth: "It's your fault."

So, instead of seeking out Neteyam, Lo’ak prayed to Eywa.

“Take me”, he told her inside his mind. “Take my life and give him back!”

He knew it was pointless. Eywa couldn't make them switch places. It was not her way. Lo’ak knew that.

But it was the only thing that somehow gave him the smallest amount of peace. At least he tried. He knew it was in vain, but at least he tried to bring his brother back. To pay for the damage he's caused.

Lo’ak kept coming to the cove whenever he found the opportunity to do so. He lay on his mat, pretending to sleep until late in the night, waiting for his family to fall asleep. He would make sure they wouldn't wake up to notice his absence, slipping out of their marui and right into the water as to not be seen by anybody.

This kept on for months. And nothing ever happened. Of course, it didn't.

But this small spark of stupid hope, as impossible as it seemed, was the one thing that kept Lo’ak from collapsing under this massive guilt he felt.

Neteyam was gone. He was gone and he would never return to his family, and Lo’ak knew that. But he would pay for the rest of his life. He would keep praying to Eywa and it would kill him time and time again.

He would spend his life praying to take his brother's place.

“I won't connect to it, I promise!”, Kiri said, her eyes big and her ears twitching. “Just please let me go. Everyone is going to Spirit Tree.” She looked at her father with a mixed expression. Her eyes were pleading, but her mouth was curved in a stoic way. She looked almost desperate.

Lo’ak sat at the fire place, helping his mother with the food. He watched the both of them out the corner of his eye.

His father's tail flicked in annoyance. “Kiri, I told you it's too dangerous”, he half growled. His shoulders were hunched but drawn tight, his jaw stiff and visible underneath blue skin.

Kiri brought up her hands, balling them into fists while groaning in frustration. “But I said, I promise not to connect myself!” She was actually screaming now, her eyes drawn to slits and her teeth bare. “I just want to be there! I want to feel somewhat close to him!” Her eyes were filling with tears now, her tail flicking around in frustration.

“Dad, please”, she pleaded, the tears winning over now, her hands falling and arms wrapping around herself.

Lo’ak felt a sting inside his chest at the sight of his sister.

Your fault, his father's voice flashed through his head. He hissed quietly at himself, biting the inside of his cheek to calm down.

His mother noticed, mustering his face in silence.

She was silent all the time now.

Another flash of guilt run through Lo’ak as he realized he'd upset his mum. He flicked a quick look at her, before narrowing his ears and lowering his head, concentrating on cutting the fruit she had given him.

Your fault, he hissed inside his mind. Keep it together!

He felt a warm hand caressing his neck, startling him. He looked up again to find his mother looking at him with a tired smile on her lips.

She smiled at him in a try of comfort. Guilt flaring up again. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve her affection, the way she looked at him. Warm. Lovingly. But he also couldn't bring himself to pull away.

His mother's hand wandered over his temple, towards the strands of hair that were always hanging into his face. With gentle fingers, she brushed them behind his ear, her thumb running softly over his cheekbone like she'd done when he'd been still a child.

Lo’ak bit himself again to fight the tingle he suddenly felt in his eyes. He felt so undeserving of her affection, but still he craved it like air underwater.

“Kiri, please”, his father's voice caught his attention again. “I only want to keep you safe.”

“But-“

“Ma Jake”, his mother finally spoke, her voice soft. Weak almost.

Both of them shut up immediately. In fact, his mother had grown so silent that they were all shocked to hear her speak.

“Yes”, his father replied, his eyes big and awaiting her words.

“We should let Kiri go”, she said, her hand slipping from Lo’ak's cheek. He looked down at the fruit again, fighting the coldness that suddenly spread inside him.

He heard his father's sigh. “You know what happened last time.”

“I said, I won't do it again!”

His mum stood up, leaving Lo’ak's side. Leaving him alone.

Shut up, he told himself.

“She misses her brother, Jake.” He watched his mother reaching out for his father's shoulder. “She promised to stay away. Put some trust into your daughter.”

Jake's lips pressed into a tight line, but his mate's voice alone was enough to make him reconsider his point.

Kiri noticed the conflict on her father's face, her ears twitching in excitement, her eyes jumping between her parents.

“Jake.” Neytiri reached for his cheek.

Lo’ak averted his eyes immediately, crossing gaze with his sister who wrinkled her nose in mild disgust. It actually caused him to grin a bit, and Kiri returned it, hiding her smile behind five fingers.

“Let her go”, their mother continued. “She is with Lo’ak and the others.” There was a small pause, his father still seemed skeptic. “Jake, let her mourn her brother.”

The smile vanished from both of the siblings faces. Kiri slung her arms around herself again, and Lo’ak lowered his head, pretending to cut the already shredded fruit.

There was a tired sigh coming from his father. “Good”, he said reluctantly. “You can go, Kiri.”

“Thank you!” It practically burst out of her. “Get up, skxawng!”, she called at Lo’ak. “Let's go!”

She was out the door in no time, leaving Lo’ak alone with his parents.

His father blinked in confusion, not having anticipated for his daughter to bolt like that.

Lo’ak stood up, keeping his head down. He tried to slip past his parents, without looking at them, which is why he nearly jumped when he got held back by a strong hand around his arm.

“Hey, wait a second”, his father said, gently pulling on him

Lo’ak let himself be dragged back, keeping his eyes on the floor. He felt his heart beat faster in his chest and he tried to fight it with the breathing technique he'd learned from Tsireya. He focused on his center and took deep but quiet breaths from there.

It wasn't like he was afraid of his father, it was just … Lo’ak didn't know.

Every time he looked at his dad it was like shame and guilt constricted his lungs.

“Look at me, Lo’ak”, his father demanded.

Lo’ak took one last deep breath and forced himself to face his father. He looked up at him, meeting his dad's eyes. He wasn't scared of him but this sting in his chest felt a hell of a lot like fear.

“I want you to look after your sisters”, Jake said, his voice calm but full of authority.

“Yes, Sir”, Lo’ak answered, fighting against the urge to look away.

There was no anger in his father's eyes, there never really was. But Lo’ak thought he could see disappointment in them. He could be imagining that though.

But who wouldn't be disappointed in a son like him?

Usually it would have been Neteyam to get the task of looking after his younger siblings. Lo’ak couldn't fill the whole his brother had left.

Stop feeling sorry for yourself!

“Don't stay out too long”, his father continued, his fingers still wrapped around his son's arm.

“Yes, Sir”, Lo’ak repeated, because he didn't know what else to say. It took him everything to hold his father's gaze.

His dad let go of him, his eyes studying his son's face. For a moment Lo’ak thought to see worry in them. Worry for him.

He looked away.

“Can I go now?”

His father hesitated, like there was something else he wanted to say. But in the end, he didn't.

“Yes”, he said, taking a step back. “Be safe.”

“Yes, Sir”, Lo’ak said one last time before turning around.

He left without looking back.

Jake watched his son walk away. Lo’ak's shoulders were hunched, his eyes on the ground. His tail hung lifeless from the small of his back.

Jake kept his eyes on his son until he saw him disappear behind a marui. He was still lost in thought, staring into midair when he felt Neytiri reach out for him from behind.

“You are too hard on him”, she said, her voice calm, weak almost. His wife had lost a lot of her fire since they've lost Neteyam.

Jake let out a heavy sigh, turning to face her. “I know”, he said, meeting her eyes. “I just don't know how to talk to him.” He took her hand and she immediately stepped closer. “Or what to tell him.”

Neytiri looked up to him with tired eyes. She took his hand in both of hers. “Lo’ak blames himself for …” She paused, her hands gripping tight. Jake pressed back to give her strength.

His mate gave him a sad smile before continuing.

“He blames himself for Neteyam's death”, she finally said.

“I know”, Jake said.

And he did. He remembered the broken look on Lo’ak's face, the tremble in his voice.

“You've done enough.”

Jake had regretted those words as soon as they had slipped. He'd just lost his son. He didn't want to lose another. It had all happened so fast, and he hadn't even been allowed to grieve.

It wasn't an excuse, Jake knew that. He'd tried to talk to his son, but Lo’ak seemed so far away.

“You need to talk to him”, Neytiri repeated his own thoughts, her voice still soft. But in her eyes Jake saw some of her old fire. “He needs you, Jake. He needs to hear from you that it was not his fault.”

She put both her hands over his heart, fixing him with big, wake eyes. “Because your word matters most to him.”

Jake felt his chest tighten at her words. Deep down, he knew she was right. That's what made it all so much worse.

Neytiri didn't know about the words he uttered that fatefull night.

Her eyes pierced right into him. He loved her so damn much.

“I'll talk to him when they return”, he said, putting a hand over broth of hers. “I promise I will, and I'll try my best.”

He could see her ears twitch in a pleased way, and she gave him another tired smile. “Good”, she said.

Jake wondered if he would ever see her smile as vibrantly as before. Back when their life still had been good, before they had to leave their home behind. He wondered if he would see her happy again. Her and the kids.

After giving Neytiri his promise, he offered to help with the food. A smirk flashed over her face. It was brief but it was there.

“You can hunt, Jake Sully”, she said, turning for the fire place. “But you cannot cook.”

He actually laughed at that, following her to sit down next to her at the fire. “That's because my teacher never taught me right.”

Her eyes grew big at that, her pupils widening and her mouth falling open in offense. She swatted at him, more playful than vicious.

Jake ducked, chuckling at her attack. And his heart bloomed when he heard her giggling.

“Skxawng”, she said, a smile on her lips.

“You love me like that.”

He ended up listening to her lecture on how to fold seaweed around fish the correct way. He listened intently, happy to see his wife in a lighter mood for the moment.

In the back of his mind, Jake kept thinking about what he was going to tell his son once he returned. He knew he had to apologize for his words, and he would. He would.

But how was he supposed to explain himself, without making Lo’ak hurt even more?

Maybe he didn't need to. What use was an explanation for his behavior? Lo’ak didn't need that. All he needed was to hear Jake's apology and the reassurance that his brother's death wasn't his fault.

Or at least Jake hoped so.

He kept forming sentences inside his head, scratching them again and starting over. All while trying to keep that small smile on Neytiri's face.

Little did he know, that his efforts would be in vain.

Lo'ak wouldn't come back home.

+

Link to the fic

Have a nice week!✨

[linddzz]

The fact that James Cameron used legit great directing of cinematic visuals to tell a stories that do not work as movies (that is if you actually do want to go deeper than "environmental and cultural destruction for profit is sad :((" which...I legit couldn't tell if he did try to go deeper than that or not lmao) is fascinating and hilarious to me. You took potential great stories. You took great skill in this story telling medium. You deeply failed to smash them together skillfully. I'm almost in awe of it.

Tbh the visuals are great but I want the novels which is also hilarious to me. There are basic ideas set in this big world and a cast of characters that each have different conflicts and relations to the Big Picture ideas. You could have a series of novels with entire books set with a different character POV!! All the good meaty stuff I think would be better served with the more internally driven narratives of novels tho which is why I keep leaning that way.

How about a novel of Neytiri struggling with the cognitive dissonance of her love of Jake and her children conflicting with the rage that the trauma from the first movie left in her?? How about we go more into her character than "fierce angry wife." How does she feel about the child of a sky people avatar having this deep connection to Eywa? With the anger we see her directing towards Spider wouldn't we see her struggle with Jake using human military language with their kids???

How about a novel with the whales and their societal struggle with them now being violently hunted vs their pacifist values?? How does this new conflict affect the relations of their sister culture of the islanders???

The movie mentions that the avatar bodies don't set off the planets defenses. We see the commando avatars able to bond with the dragons (I ain't gonna remember all these names ok!!). This IMPLIES that just by having the Navi biology they are connected to the planet now. How does this effect them?? How about a novel from the baddies pov where they make more and more avatars to conquer the planet and slowly find that it backfires as the two way connection changes THEM. Who can handle it?? Does it drive some of them insane?? How about we have a failed redemption arc with Colonel Full Ass Throttle as he feels this two way connection with his dragon. What if that whale hunting really disturbed him and he's fucked up over the fact that he is disturbed now?? Wouldn't he be viscerally disgusted at this mental connection to this planet?? How does that contrast with seeing his son WANT that connection that he hates?? What if we get a visceral rejection scene where he cuts off his braid/connection?? (Honestly thought they were doing something like that with him and I was like ?????? when nothing happened there dkdjdk I guess we had to keep it at a basic mumbled something about father and son dynamics)

I promise this isn't a fixation that'll last long I just need this day to process how baffling this movie was as a grand image of one man refusing to actually dig into his own themes bc he'd rather keep it to the most bland of takes that don't go beyond "isn't this upsetting and bad? What if unobtainium but more bluntly evil?"

[roswellroamer]

Day 12. February 10, 2020. Te Anau day ride. 155km.

Woke to low 40's and gray which made me question the Carrot and Weather Channel apps which had shown 72° and sunny. But closer inspection revealed a marine type layer probably due to the massive lake's shores which was projected to burn off by 11. The kitchen came stocked with farm fresh eggs, bowl of assorted fruit, milk, butter, juice, yogurts, cereals. We set about making some eggs and toast and then of course after finishing off yesterday's blog we grabbed the two frisbees and the "golf course diagram" and headed out. A half life sized chess board on the sprawling manicured lawn provided the tee for the first hole. All the bikes were truck tires with the hole number painted on the rubber. Got to explore their grounds and have some fun tossing the 'bee. We then got into our GoreTex gear and headed towards Milford Sound after a CalTex has stop in town. Knowing we couldn't get to Milford due to road closures/flooding we were aiming for a swing bridge made of three cables. One for your feet and one for each of your hands that spanned the west branch of the Eglinton River. It was featured in one of the NZ touring books I had bought last summer. We saw that the trail sign to identify the turn off was the Earl Mountain turnoff and headed that way. We wound a bit away from the water and gained some elevation and then came to a construction zone. Not being sure if this was related to the recent flooding we got in mine behind a few cars and waited. Maybe less than ten minutes and the opposing truck, bus and camper passed us then we were allowed to proceed. Usually the 120km up to Milford takes over two hours due to the heavy traffic. Top tourist destination in NZ, one road in and out. Lots of buses and cars jockeying to get parking at the roadside attractions. One huge benefit of having the road closed about 75km ahead was that there was hardly any traffic! Great road and scenery as jagged Teton-esque peaks wound into view between the nearly sheer yet forested canyons as we gained elevation. After passing through a few more, wait, take a wild guess... sheep farms 🐑 we came to a diversion. Funneled into a lane off the road to what appeared to be a toll booth, explained to the gal we were in search of a cable bridge off the Earl Mtn. Trail before the closed section. She allowed us to pass. So far so good.

You can tell when you enter Fiordland NP. Sure, there's a sign off to the left (but placed behind a farmer's field/fence so inaccessible for a reasonable picture). But immediately farmland disappears and you are envelopes in the eery dense tunnel of what seems to be darned close to tropical forest. With the 21 feet of annual rainfall being lush shouldn't be a surprise but the immediate drop off in brightness is dramatic as well. Almost like going in a cave. There are some open "flats" but much of the area along the one road there is heavy forest. The other concern for vehicles but especially bikes involves the encroaching algae/moss on the roads. Two tire tracks are largely clear of it but the center of the lanes and the road as well are mostly a bit greenish with the slippery stuff. Lots of "slippery when wet" signage and it wasn't for the Bon Jovi album. I imagined it could be taxing to stay in the worn and clear tire tracks on one of the 250 rainy days. With clear blue sky and dry along with no traffic, the 55,65 and 75kph turns were superb sweepers and we had a ball carving up that road. One of the stops was at Mirror Lakes. Aptly names and even though a couple of fish had disturbed the surface, the pics are keepers. We rode up into Fiordland a ways and then there was the Earl Mtn. sign. We pulled in to the parking area and saw the line of yellow tape across the entrance to the trail. Also no other vehicles were there. The sign said it was closed and also had a few poison signs around the lot. They described the poison that was dangerous to animals and people to attempt (as is often done here) eradication of a non-native predator. In this case it seemed to be some sort of weasel that was endangering a bird that lived on the ground. We had discussed this cable swing bridge and yellow tape and warnings weren't gonna stop us! We worked around the tape and stepped into a dense forest trail. The first 10 minutes took us along an occasionally muddy trail. Tons of tree roots. Most of the deep mud had sticks or small logs tossed in to provide steps but a few ill advised steps resulted in 6" plunges and lovely boot pulling sucking noises to dislodge my Alpinestar SMX-6 from the muck. Then found my way down a thirty foot hill by treading solely on exposed tree roots from one tree! (Pic above) After that, following the well marked red triangular plastic blazes into the heart of Frodo land, the forest was a magic pliant spongy floor. It took a while to figure out that about 6-8" of moss has somehow grown over a network of interconnected tree roots. When I stepped, the entire ground in a five foot radius would give in and move a bit. It was weird and beautiful. After another 10' we heard the Eglinton River and were blocked by some fallen trees and yellow tape. A work around brought me to the river just above the cable swing bridge. A very large tree had fallen on the bridge from our side and collapsed it. Instead of a V shape, the 3 cables were mostly flat but still spanning the river. Ugh. No go. Managed to work our way with some difficulty through the dense brush to get close enough for a pic on the first rung of the bridge which was also the last possible one to reach due to the tree and damage. Pic above. There was a cute little bird on the ground by the bridge remnants. He seemed happy to see us. Wasn't afraid of people evidently as he strutted about watching us, walking under the branch I was balancing on without flying away. He seemed to enjoy company. Said goodbye to my new friend 🐦 and found the blazes trail which included a half dozen improvised detours to avoid deep muck. Scaled up the root ladder which must have been connected to Eywa as the whole forest seemed a bit magical. 🌳 One couple was following our lead to enter the forbidden enchanted forest as we exited. They were disappointed to hear the wire bridge was out. The entire trail from there is about a three hour hike.

I must comment that tons of serious hikers (trampers in local speak) come here and cover long distances. Temps are good. Views and scenery fantastic. None of those deadly spiders and snakes one may encounter across the Tasman Sea in Oz. I get it, just don't love hiking that much to spend days or weeks doing it. This area shows why Peter Jackson used it for LOTR. Nearly pristine and just overwhelmingly stunning. With boots and Klim pants properly mud coated, we were now sweating quite a bit. In fact while holding my Latitude jacket I believe I finally lost my first set of reading glasses on this ride. I have a couple spares but oh well. Think they fell out as I was scaling some of the hill or tree root sections. 👓 I opened up all the vents on my jacket and pants and started the bike to stand and let the 65° breeze do its job. Turned around a couple kilometers further at Lower Holyford Rd. as the heavy machinery was at work. Estimated repair on the sign said that the road would reopen on Friday, four days from now. We stopped a few times on the way back for scenic spots that were too good to pass by. One of the files above is the .gif of some chopper footage. Stopped to watch him load and fly away with a few tanks of what may have been fuel? Most likely bound for Milford Sound which was still isolated from the rest of the country's road system. On one of the last stops Ted must've not closed his bag since when we pulled into Te Anau town center his right saddlebag/pannier was open! Ba quick inventory revealed his polartec jacket and a plastic bag with a wipe were missing. The chain lube that Kiwi gave us as well as a helmet lock were still in the pannier. Those darned side opening clamshell designs! I said I'd get a table at the Ranch outside and wait for him to hopefully retrieve his stuff. I showed him how to flip up on the iPhone to reveal exactly where that last pic was taken. He was just putting on his helmet when a white car pulls up. A guy walks out and hands him his stuff! So lucky. They are bikers and saw his stuff and followed us into town. Nice. After some thank you a they drove away and the day got even brighter. The Ranch delivered me a couple Cokes and an interesting prawn twist dish. 8 shrimp individually wrapped in a long thin dough sheet and fried so the whole 8" long finger is edible and 3 sauces to dip accompanied the serving. Then a calamari salad. 😊 Back to the homestead for some blogging (so I won't fall asleep tonight trying to get this down) and rest before we scored a reservation at the top place in town. The Redcliff cafe. Ted was here last year and unable to get in! We rode to town and were walking down the street when Ted recognized the Aussies who returned his stuff at lunchtime. We turned around and flagged them down. They were perfectly willing to join us for a thank you beer and had a nice time talking with them. They were riders but here to scatter ashes of a friend up north and had received money and were encouraged to make a great trip out of it. They had been to Burt Munro as well. Our appointed hour arrived and we were seated on the back porch of the Redcliff cafe. A few tables of Americans nearby and some conversation with a California couple by us and an excellent meal. I had a salmon tartare dish followed by venison which was amazing and a date and ice cream dessert which were each remarkable. Redcliff did not disappoint. Probably the biggest culinary splurge of the trip. Even with a couple drinks my total ended up being just over $50 and it would've been 50% more for that same meal at home. Had a great evening and got back to the homestead in dusk around 10. Ready to roll northward tomorrow. 😴

[be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie]

Ok first id like to share some good news: finished all my tests for the semester, and i think i only failed like 2 or 3!! More good news, more fics that ill get around to writing!! Or ill just post my unfinished drafts. I mean there's a yandere Jake (platonic dad yandere) fic and a "spider w permanant brain damage from the scanner fic" and even more just absolutely collecting dust in my drafts

New idea that I'll def finish this time tho: Humans but there unrealistically better than they are. There's no RDA, no big mining operation, no deforestation or driving natives out or dying earth, just humans being natural born explorers who are mind blown at an entire different planet with life.

And that's wild! They thought they were alone, the universe looking back on itself, explorers of a vast and endless yet lonely expanse. Then boom! Life! Life on a different planet, life so different yet similar. A life that has their own culture and languages, that's so intertwined with nature, they're capable of forming a deep connection at a moments notice! That's amazing! (Forgive me for my amazement, watching Rio and i just love the movie)

Anyway, in this au with no evil corporation only interested in money heading this operation, humans are way nicer! And weirder.

I imagine the Na'vis early experiences w humans are like what some of us think that aliens are doing (crop circles, abducting cows, just standing around naked) (and i say naked because most photos of aliens have em in no clothes. Or they're wearing a full body grey suit). I imagine that at first they don't believe humans are real because they don't show themselves often, only spotted by like a handful. Like "i saw this small pink creature by the river today! It had hair and eyes and hands and feet, and walked on it's legs!" "What the Eywa are you talking abt"

I imagine the first human they meet is a weirdo who's exceptionally brave. They walk up to a Na'vi and just start speaking in the most nonsensical Na'vi ever, that they managed to learn from observing them. They just follow them atound all day, keeps saying Na'vi phrases until whoever they're following just walks to camp and presents them and they're like "hey what is this."

Or, alternatively

Humans try staying away from them cause they're like twice their size and capable of making weapons, except for one person. This one spends their time following around a specific Na'vi and annoying them. They hum little tunes, they're spotted once and disapear behind the trees, they're daring enough to get ahold of their tools and try to study them. Then they start trying to communicate with them, little phrases yadda yadda. All while the Na'vi is going back home like "no mom, i promise i didn't loose my knife, this small pink creature stole it!"

They're like so fed up with the human and everyone around them cause they're like "what are you talking abt" so they're trying to get evidence of their existance. Eventually they do get them and present them to the tribe like "see!! I told you they were real!!!" And they're like "huh. Ok. What is this thing."

Dont have any idea how im gonna further w this but ye! Humans are way nicer and not run by a greedy corporation au

VERY EXCITING! I'm very sure you didn't fail anything. I want bOTH of those collecting dust drafts please and thank you.

No Rio and Avatar have been going hand and fucking hand lately lol. This idea is so fucking funny dude. I'm CACKLING. I absolutely adore the idea of humans being perceived as the aliens in any context and just how weird that would be, and it's not touched upon ENOUGH in Avatar because we come into the world when they have known each other. Hit us with that Grace and Mo'at developing friendship dude. I've always loved that and wanted it explored more.