Does Klaus’s Plotline Actually Have Anything To Do With…anything, Or Did They Just Not Know What

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

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

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

Homie has identity issues galore

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

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

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

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

However, FTM Spider was sort of a clumsy coming out

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

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

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

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

His coming out is what triggers Kiri's

Kiri is an asexual lesbian who uses she/they pronouns

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

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

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

Kiri didn't really have a sexuality crisis though

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

Tsireya is her first crush though

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

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

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

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

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

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

He is one track minded

The most loyal partner ever tho

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

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

He just forgot

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

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

It was a given to him

Funnily enough, he has the same taste as Kiri

Tsireya is not the first girl they both liked

While he is bi, he does lean mostly towards girls

He's a sucker for pretty

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

A simp (TM)

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

People her age are much fewer and she just likes friends

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

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

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

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

Once it starts tho she's a hopeless romantic

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

She's a mini Lo'ak that way

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

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

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

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

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

He falls hard for Neteyam though when he arrives

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tsireya is pan

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

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

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

Might by poly but she never investigates it

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rotxo has no clue what he is

He just knows he likes Spider

He's a giant softie

Like gentle giant himbo vibes but fiercely protective of his family

Very proud of his home and his heritage

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

He just likes who he likes

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

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

Like he has had maybe 2 crushes his entire life

So falling for Spider is a shock

But he's just happy to find his feelings returned

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

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

Hence part of how he and Spider bonded

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

Does a lot of soul searching after the Sullys come

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

I am haunted by the detailed, completed map of Hell that Edwin took notes on. You don’t understand, it makes me sick. It’s one thing to have a basic layout, a vague idea, or a rudimentary map but it was meticulously detailed. Down to doors and what they do and where they go. Down to secret spaces in the walls. He even knew what ringing an innocuous bell would do. It can only mean one thing. We don’t know when Edwin began trying to escape, but assuming he started from the get go, it means that he spent all his decades in Hell trying to find a way out. He never stopped running. And that is assuming he never stopped. From his second trip, we could see he resorted to his old ways and ran. But he was eventually caught, reduced to pieces. Even when Charles showed up, he didn’t seem very optimistic about their chances. He could feel every second of those 70 years. There were likely many times he fell to hopelessness, trembling in the corner watching himself be desecrated knowing it was going to happen again and again. How long? How many times did he try to be so, so quiet, hoping he would have a few moments before the next round? How many times did he muster the ability to run, just one more time? How long did it take him to run, discovering the ends of each ring? How many times did he sprint up, down, north, south, east, west, trying to escape? And what happened when he finally escaped? How long did it take for him to be able to relax, even a little? Because he can never relax. He must always outrun Death and her constituents because he can’t count on them to be fair. How many times does he look over his shoulder, waiting for the monster to claim its eternal meal once again? His breath of fresh air, his first taste of companionship in ages not only keeps him company, but sticks by him. And then, in that blessing there comes a curse, because now you have something to lose. Because when you taste ambrosia how can you return to starvation? He feels safe with Charles. Happy and comfortable, but the threat always lingers. And he knows that Charles couldn’t fend off Death. He never considered he could fend off Hell beasts; after all, he’s just a ghost kid. He watches innocents be slaughtered on repeat, unphased by the level of violence but no less affected by it, because no one has even a clue what it takes to be this kind. Even at his most happy, he has so, so much to lose and he goes back to Hell when hope was dangled in his face like the fruit of Tantalus. When he returns, he’s subjected to Hell once again, sustaining through torture that obliterates souls, only to watch his best friend, his confidant, his platonic soulmate, die horrifically. This woman who gave him sea-glass courage, so powerful and yet so fragile. Allowed him to be himself, gave him permission to do so. Was the openness to his closed self, and now she is gone. And he retains his composure, his stiff, British posture because it is what has saved him from madness and Despair, protected him, and now the world is darker without Niko Sasaki in it. But surely he saw this coming. After all, humans are messy. And yet, he shows up for their souls, time and time again.

Edwin Payne is THE character.

The grip I can’t 😭 Henry looks so happy

#literally holds his man's wrist

Sully kid childhood headcanons

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

❤️ Fun fact they do not understand what monkeys are

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

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

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

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

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

❤️ Teamwork makes the dreamwork and these kids have nightmares

Songcord

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But...making beads is harder than she thought

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

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

But even her cord has more than one bead.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And so the surprise is busted

But...maybe she could get help

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

And Neteyam doesn't know how to respond to that

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

Mom really wouldn't like it

But...it's Spider

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

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

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

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

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

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

With determination, they're off.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I need yall to know that my roommate and I freaked out so bad at the Adam fight that we knocked our couch over and she hit my head into our hardwood floors trying to pull my closer

Steven Krueger’s funeral party is my new favorite thing ever

Ahh I can't wait for Avatar 3! I know it probably won't happen but I would like to see Spider join the ranks of Ash's na'vi either through re-kidnapping or willingly as some kind of inside spy or ambassador for the good guys (kind of like Clarke from the 100 if you know this show). And while I'm not a fan of the idea of ​​Quaricth being romantically involved with Varang I think it would be funny to see her and Spider together since she would basically become his stepmother

I loved the idea of ash clan Spider and was having so much fun with the ideas you listed until the theories based off the D23 pic started being talked about. My friend @cyren-myadd has some great thoughts on everything and I’m also a big fan of Avatar Theory on YouTube. I was watching his break down of the Ash Clan last night and he noted that the other Na’vi in the picture with Varang don’t seem to have kurus hinting that they might cut them off and give them to Varang as a sign of loyalty. If that actually happens then that is so insane to me. This isn’t just a tribe of out casts, it’s a cult.

In the original Avatar there’s actually a deleted scene of Tsu’tey, who survives his fall, though is still very injured. He’s found by Wainfleet who says that he heard having their kurus cut off is worse then death for a Na’vi and then proceeds to cut off Tsu’tey’s. When Tsu’tey is found he makes Jake the next leader and then begs him for death which Jake gives him. I think knowing all that is what makes the idea of Na’vi willing cutting off their kurus so off putting to me. It’s not only severing their connection to Eywa, but to every loved one they could connect with, every creature they could bond with. And it’s all for Varang. That is beyond scary for me and so I don’t want my boy anywhere near that crazy cult although I know he will be.

I’m pretty certain from the set leaks we’ve gotten that at least Spider and Jake will be captured by Quaritch. So yeah Spider will definitely meet the ash clan through re-kidnapping. But I don’t think he’ll stay with them for long. The ash clan is obviously working with the R.D.A.

 We see in this image that the background ash clan are all heavily armed. They’d only get that kind of firepower from the R.D.A. My guess is that Varang wants to be all powerful and spread her cult to all the tribes. She probably doesn’t care about the great balance if her followers cut off their kurus and so she makes a deal. For their firepower Varang will let the R.D.A strip Pandora for resources.

From script and art leaks we know that a miracle will take place where Spider will be able to breath Pandoran air and possibly from the art leak have a kuru of his own.

This image has been kicking around for a while now and you can see Spider has a braid like a kuru but I’m thinking that might actually be his kuru. Now hear me out because my evidence is very tenuous for this but you see how Spider’s hair is significantly darker at the roots. Like their Jack Champions real hair color. Could just be attention to detail since some blonds do change to brunettes as the age or it could be because we’re going to lose the wig I.e all our angst fics come true and we actually do see Spider get his dreads cut off.

(Which even though I’ve written that scenario a few times I legitimately don’t want to see it happen just because I don’t want to see our boy in anymore pain)

And the only way I really see that happening is if he’s captured (like we know he will be) and experimented on by the R.D.A. They’d most definitely want to see how his kuru attaches to his brain and you can’t perform brain surgery on a patient with a full head of hair. Quaritch wouldn’t be able to just stand by and let this happen though. He cares about his son for sure but also he’s indebted to Spider for saving his life. I can see a moment mirroring the one on the rocks where Spider left Quaritch after saving him, though this time it’s Spider who was saved. Spider would be seeing his dad’s potential for change and want him to come with him but Quaritch refuses this time. He’s all out of sorts because he’s seen how crazy Varang is and has no desire to return to the ash clan but he also can’t go back to the R.D.A now that he’s betrayed them. So he just says “now we’re even,” hops onto Cupcake and flies away leaving Spider to return to Jake.

Those are all just theories though. I’m just as excited as you for Fire and Ash! Everything from D23 had me pricing out how much a weekend trip to Animal Kingdom would cost me just so I could go to the world of Pandora there. I think I’ll cry happy tears the day I finally have enough money to go and bask in the world I love so much.

Thank you so much for reaching out! 💞💞

Thinking about the first time Steve spends the night and it’s just the meme of “me, my boyfriend, and his idiot little brother” across the bed

Home

Home

Spider was never meant to find Home 

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

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

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

But what scares him is he sees himself 

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

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

But then his Dad shows up 

—- 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Except Quaritch. 

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

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

Love is complicated, but he knows his Dad loved him

He thinks he may have too 

Quaritch saw him. 

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

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

Neteyam and Lo’ak fought for him. 

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

Spider pieces his home together after that

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

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

Jake lays a large hand on his shoulder. 

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

“You need to sleep, Kiddo.”

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

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

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

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

“Sleep.” 

The pieces come faster after that.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Team up?”

“Team up.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You’re a child.” 

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

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

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

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

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

He doesn’t think it could get better. 

Part two coming cause holy shit it's 2000 words