I guess the reason I hate the amount of Quaritch thirst, as someone who has many villain/”problematic” faves, is because he’s too real. There are real people out there like him, who are in power like him, and who would do and have done what he’s done.
Miles Quaritch could be a very real person we see in our world. Someone who happily watches the mass destruction and death of a people he deems inferior (people who are also clearly an allegory for real indigenous people). Someone who torches villages and destroys lives because he can. There are real people like that, and that what makes him a compelling villain. It’s also what makes me hate him, and want to see him dead (and major props to Stephen Lang for being able to make me feel that, he’s an amazing actor).
Tree of Souls painting by me, from a few months ago!
Lord, I have never written so much about one character ever.
“Son of Adam… your heart is mine!”
Here she is, it’s a bit in your face but hey I feel like that’s the energy for Varang. Maneater vibes 😇
First look at the Ash Village, home of the Mangkwan Clan
And we now have a name for Varangs beast: it’s a flying Nightwraith that the production team jokingly calls Ashley!
I know some people are not a fan of Spider being able to breath Pandora's air because it takes away Spider interesting backstory of someone living on a planet that's completely inhospitable to him and the challenges he overcomes but..
BUT I really love the idea of Spider one day, maybe he accidently knocks his mask off his face and at first he panics but then nothing happens. He can breath the air! He doesn't need the mask to breath when he could be the air. And the first thing he wants to do is leave.
Yes, leave. It's sad, but he's had enough.
Enough of the hatred he gets from Neytiri, the feign ignorance Jake displays when he ignores how his mate treats him. Enough of the mistrust of the Omatikaya. Enough of being ignored or being seen as a burden by the scientists.
And he just decides to run away, just leave both the Omatikaya and Hell's Gate behind. He's no longer tethered to Hell's Gatw because he doesn't need assistance to breath.
Spider wants to explore all of Pandora. He wants to see every inch of Eywa's beautiful creation. Spider has never really belonged anywhere, why should he stay in one space?
He'll miss Kiri, Lo'ak, Tuk, Mo'at, and even Neteyam. They were the only ones who were good to him even if Neteyam had started to pull away. He will miss them all but as their mother has constantly tells Spider, he doesn't belong there and Neytiri can't claim all of Pandora.
So on the day Spider finds out he can breath Pandorean air, he leaves. He leaves notes for the ones he cares about in his bed and gets out of dodge.
Here's a plot!
Spider dies on the Sea Dragon and wakes up in a world where Mr. and Mrs. Sully love him and adopted him when he was just a baby. In this alternate reality, many things are the same, except for this one change. Confused and wary, Spider can’t understand why they’re being so kind to him and assumes the worst. Haunted by the harsh truth of the life he remembers, he recoils from the love he’s offered, convinced it’s a lie or some cruel joke from the Great Mother. As he keeps his guard up, the Sullys are upset and confused, wondering why their son seems so afraid to open up to them.
in other news i can’t be the only one weirded out by the theories and fanart that make Varang and the Mangkwan seem like evil, animalistic beasties, right? it’s weird, right? like the theories that they eat people or are going to torture Neytiri/the kids or cut off people’s huru or limbs, that’s weird right? i’ve even seen theories on discord speculating that they’re somehow biologically “less intelligent” and “more brutal” and i. woah perhaps we should unpack this
I need Spider to make friends outside of the Sullys. It feels like we only ever see one side of him because he's always around Neytiri's children and can never truly be himself without raising suspicions or anger. Making new friends beyond the Sully inner circle would give him the freedom to be unapologetically himself, and Kiri would start to notice just how bright and mischievous he really is. Spider is still a teenager, and I want him to act more like one: childish, bratty, sullen, and explorative, the way all teenagers are supposed to be.
I’d love a Freaky Friday fanfic AU where Neteyam and Spider wake up one morning to find themselves in each other’s bodies. Spider wakes up as Neteyam, and Neteyam wakes up as Spider. For a month, they’re forced to navigate life in each other’s shoes, facing both the privileges and the burdens that come with their swapped identities.
As Spider experiences the immense pressure Neteyam bears as the firstborn son of the Olo’eyktan, Neteyam comes to understand the harsh reality of Spider’s existence: the mistreatment he endures from the adults and the physical toll of surviving in a world not meant for humans. Throughout their journey, the two boys work together to uncover a way to break the curse before the switch becomes permanent. In doing so, they slowly repair their fractured friendship and gain a deeper understanding of each other’s struggles.